Books with a Story on My Shelf

“aLl bOoKS hAVe StORiEs, ElAiNe!” And that’s exactly what you sound like…just kidding. But of course all books have stories; that’s the whole thing. But what I’m saying is that some of the books on my shelf have lovely stories of how I now come to own them. And I’d like to share those stories with you. They are quite simple stories, really straightforward, but they are stories all the same and, after all, all books have stories. 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

My copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is an heirloom of sorts…or will be one day. It belongs to my dad who was gifted it by his sister. My dad was sick when he was a teenager and his older sister bought him this huge collection of all of the Sherlock Holmes adventures. It even has his curly-cue, fancy-pants signature on the flyleaf. From this tome my dad would read the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to me, my sister, and my brother when we were younger, and it is from this book that I found my enduring love for the wonderful detective. Hopefully one day it will be passed down to the next generation.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

That’s right, I have a British copy of the first Harry Potter book. And I’ve never even cracked it. My family also has incredibly well-loved versions of each Harry Potter book, so those are the ones that get flipped through at the lunch table, hauled around on road trips, and lent to my uncle roughly every other year. The crisp and in-perfect-condition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book that sits on my shelf has never been read. I picked it up during my first ever trip to England (in 2012, which means it’s been more than ten years since) at platform 9 ¾. Once upon a time, there was nothing but an innocent bookshop stationed just next to the trolley that disappeared into the wall between platforms 9 and 10, but now there is a bustling and crazy packed Harry Potter themed book store there. I will forever treasure making the special trip to Kings Cross station to collect a British copy. 

PC: Elaine Atherholt, austenetc.com

Jane Eyre

I think I talked about this story before, but I came to own my current copy of Jane Eyre because I was a tween and Twilight was a big deal and my priest’s wife decided that I “needed to know Jane Eyre before I knew any Bella Swans.” After reading Jane Eyre and watching every film adaptation out there multiple times (and also watching Twilight), I can, with confidence, say that she was right. Jane Eyre is a much stronger person than Bella Swan and we should all strive to be like her. Jane Eyre can also be credited with introducing me to the classics genre and getting me hooked on reading.

The Shock of the Fall

Another story straight from England. My sister and I, along with one of our best friends, went to England in 2022 (right after the Queen died) and had a long bucket list. There were so many places we wanted to visit and revisit. Among those was Daunt Books in Marylebone. This beautiful bookstore is iconic and while there I definitely had decision paralysis. I ended up picking up The Shock of the Fall. I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. In any case, I’m glad I have it and the memories of picking it off the shelves of Daunt.

The Godfather

For a long time I was able to say, “I’ve never seen The Godfather, but I’ve read the book.” Now I can say I’ve both read and seen The Godfather. While studying abroad in 2016, my class spent 3 days in Paris. This was tacked on to the end of our 3-week trip, so we were tired and kind of over all the new things we’d seen. But one of my favorite things we did was go to Shakespeare and Company. Another iconic bookstore, we all spent a ton of time there and our professor all but forced us each to buy a mystery book.

Wrapped in brown paper with no clues as to what they were, these books were about 10 euros. We each grabbed one and planned to open them together. But things got crazy and we forgot, so I ended up opening it in my Paris hotel room and was shocked to find The Godfather. Long story short, I loved this book. I loved it a lot more than I thought I would.

Books with a Story

I love collecting these pieces of my life. When I see them on my shelf or crack them open to read them once again, I think of all the memories associated with buying them. It’s so fun to think that these books have travelled with me through life and were there for, and part of, some amazing moments.

What books have a story on your shelf? Share your favorites and the memories attached!