amusedI will now expound upon my reference shelves. Or, at least, the top shelf, because I'm too lazy to do them both right now. Also, authors are given only when I don't have to move crap to see their names.
The Top Shelf.
This is the shelf that has more of a vestige of organization, largely because it's the one that's actually over 90% reference, rather than being 'reference plus whatever Seanan has crammed on.' I'm also going to list Crap On Shelf, because all my crap actually belongs there, and I'm just a little OCD that way.
Collected Poems, 1909-1962. T.S. Eliot. Because sometimes, you just need poetry to keep working.
Abbey Lubbers, Banshees and Boggarts. Katharine Briggs. The first of many guidebooks to the fae. I use them all. Regularly.
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Not the most recent edition, but it's still useful reference.
The Dictionary of Slang and Euphemism. Spears. Because slang is absolutely not the last resort of the small mind, and I have characters that are centuries out of date.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore. This is one of the few books I use that's still actively in print. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People. Keightley. The second of our guidebooks to the fae! Probably the second most commonly used of its category.
New and Selected Poems. Karl Shapiro. More poetry. Highly recommended.
An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Katharine Briggs. The most commonly used of my guidebooks to the fae. She rocks my world.
The Merriam-Webster Concise Handbook for Writers. Sometimes the books of the craft just sort of ooze into the house when I'm not looking.
How Does A Poem? Ancient, ancient guide to poetry. It's awesome.
Leaves From the Babylon Wood. Seanan McGuire. My first chapbook! Good luck finding it. Like, ever.
The Crime Writer's Handbook and The Crime Writer's Sourcebook. Both by Douglas Wynn. I'm not strictly a crime writer, but wow are these handy.
Jack Always Seeks His Fortune. Donald Davis. Nothing like a good Jack story...
The Name Book. Austin. Books of baby names are incredibly useful. They have Internet sites that that now, but the books tend to list more meanings.
The Zombie Survival Guide. Max Brooks. His virology is crap, but his weapon reviews are pretty awesome.
The Field Guide to the Apocalypse. Marco. Happiness is an apocalypse guide that remembers the lipstick.
A Field Guide to the Little People. Nancy Arrowsmith. More fae directories!
A composition book labeled 'Toby.' Seanan McGuire. I reference this one aaaaaaaall the time.
Coyote. Catherine Reed. Fiction. I just needed to stick it somewhere.
The 10th Kingdom. Kathryn Wesley. Ditto, but how I love this book.
The ENTIRE Howdunnit Series. They took forever to track down. They were absolutely worth it in every possible way.
How to Write and Sell Your First Novel. Soon to return to the used bookstore.
Wisconsin Lore. Gard and Sorden. It's destined for heavy use, when I get to the Healy girls.
How To Write Poetry. Arcos. These guides are always good for a laugh.
Coyote Stories. Morning Dove. This is a truly excellent collection, highly recommended.
The Aquarian Guide to Legendary London. I have wicked, wicked plans for London.
Poet's London. Paddy Kitchen. Wicked, WICKED plans.
The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook. If you buy one book of names, buy this one. Trust me.
London: The Biography. Peter Ackroyd. Mwahahahahahahahahaha.
Non-book items stored on this shelf:
* Two My Little Ponies. (Gypsy and High Flier.)
* Candy corn scented candle.
* Malachite penguin.
* Sparkly d6.
* 38 bottles of BPAL.
* Geoff the articulated plastic velociraptor.
* Patch the orange and green zebra.
* The Black Death and Martian Life (giant microbes).
* A pumpkin ducky and a princess ducky.
* Xander, Buffy and Willow in lego-mode.
* Heroes promo buttons from Comicon 2006.
* Witchy Halloween Beanie Baby kitty.
Whew! Bottom shelf to come later.
June 14 2008, 15:06:55 UTC 9 years ago