The King's English Bookshop Blog blogging about books, authors, and other things local and literary, in Salt Lake City, Utah Home About Us To shelve, or not to shelve, that is the question September 26, 2015 by Lou Borgenicht Rearranging or giving away books is an emotional experience. In the interest of simplifying my life I decided it was time to peruse my personal library with the objective of thinning things out. My books had spilled out of the shelves onto the floor. Over the past year I had prided myself on limiting the accretion of my wardrobe by giving away any item I bought: if I purchased a shirt an old one would have to go. I also got rid of pants that did not fit anymore, having given up the fantasy that they could be suitably altered to fit my changing body. But as a friend pointed out, merely replacing items in a wardrobe does nothing to decrease one’s vestments. Books, however, are a different matter. One of the motivations for dealing with one’s personal library is feng shui, the popular Japanese approach to simplifying life. In her book The Life Changing Habit of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo devotes only three pages (93-95) to clearing her bookshelves. Be that as it may, a recent survey of my office shelves was a bit tortured. There were books I no longer desired: either because I had read them and knew I would never want to read them again or because there were books I knew I would never read. More problematic were those I hoped to read someday. These were fraught with guilt: I had bought them years ago but had not gotten around to reading them. I could not part with them lest I feel foolish feeling that I had given into a literary whim in the past and not had the wherewithal to read them. More facile was the decision about which there was no doubt: I had to keep them because they were some of my favorites (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sophie’s Choice, Hiroshima, A Sacred Trust, Catcher in the Rye, Executioner’s Song, any Billy Collins poetry). Over the years I had bought new editions of these volumes just so I had virginal copies on my shelves. They’ve remained staples in my library. There were those I wanted to get rid of but could not because they had authorial inscriptions, some of them even from friends. I considered tearing out the inscription page and passing them on but something made me stop. Thus books by Sy Hersh (a cousin by marriage) remain in the recesses of an inaccessible shelf. Untouchable is my collection of books on the nuclear arms race gathered in the 80’s when I was active in the physicians’ antinuclear movement. They are willed to a nuclear library at the University Utah upon my death. There are probably more books I can dispose of but I consider it an ongoing process to be resumed when the spirit strikes me. Meanwhile I continue reading assiduously and confronting the dilemma of what to do with the book when I have finished it. 1 Comment | Uncategorized | Permalink Posted by Rob | The King's English Bookshop Young Adult Recommends: Deliverance May 18, 2015 Deliverance by C. J. Redwine With Rachel captured and Logan imprisoned, little hope is left for the Baalboden survivors. The two still must complete the seemingly impossible task of destroying both the Commander and the technology controlling the Cursed One but they have already survived many attempts on their lives, and are stronger than their enemies know. It will take courage, strength, and cunning to save each other, but the cost for victory will be steep. The rising action leads to an intense climax and a powerful conclusion to the Defiance trilogy. by Julia Balzer + Bray, 2014 Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Permalink Posted by Rob | The King's English Bookshop Young Adult Recommends: Exquisite Captive May 12, 2015 Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios Nalia is the last of an ancient jinni bloodline, but now she is a slave on the dark caravan and forced to obey her cruel human master, Malek. Her only hope is Raif, her sworn enemy, and he imposes an impossible price for freedom. But Nalia needs her jinni bottle for the unbinding spell to work. And it is the bottle Malek wears around his neck. Exquisite Captive begins the Dark Caravan Cycle, a captivating story of magical jinn, three wishes, and the price of freedom. by Julia Balzer + Bray, 2014 Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Permalink Posted by Rob | The King's English Bookshop Young Adult Recommends: Chasing Power May 5, 2015 Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst With the help of her telekinetic powers, Kayla is a master thief. She is careful not to let anyone learn of her power, so she never expects to be blackmailed by a boy she’s never met. Daniel may have the ability to teleport, but he needs Kayla to help him find his kidnapped mother. To save her, they must find three stones of power that could potentially change the world. Chasing Power is an intricate story filled with Mayan legends, voodoo charms, and mind powers not to mention unexpected plot twists, deadly secrets, and shocking betrayals that will have readers yearning for more. by Julia Bloomsbury, 2014 Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Permalink Posted by Rob | The King's English Bookshop Young Adult Reads: Winterspell March 7, 2015 Winterspell by Claire Legrand Clara Stole has much to fear. Her father has been taken by strange and deadly creatures to Cane, a war-torn land of snow, faeries, and magic. To find him, Clara must rely of the cursed prince Nicholas, if she can trust him. But before she can save her father, Clara may have to save Cane first. In this dark, Nutcracker-inspired fairy tale, Clara’s journey is a harrowing one, filled with danger and sorrow and love, one that readers won’t forget. by Julia Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014 Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Permalink Posted by Rob | The King's English Bookshop WELCOME Welcome to The King's English Bookshop blog for the store of the same name in Salt Lake City. To find out more about us, visit our website: The King's English Bookshop. TKE on Twitter RECENT POSTS To shelve, or not to shelve, that is the question Young Adult Recommends: Deliverance Young Adult Recommends: Exquisite Captive Young Adult Recommends: Chasing Power Young Adult Reads: Winterspell ARCHIVES Select Month September 2015 May 2015 March 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 May 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 BLOGROLL Ann Cannon Biblio-Files Cool Books Cracking the Cover Maw Books Blog Join Our Mailing List @KINGSENGLISH RT @sltrib: Ann Cannon and @KingsEnglish answer the questions many may be asking: What book should I read? trib.al/7QbN1Si - 1 year ago @reaganart @littlebrown LOVE this book! - 1 year ago RT @BenjaminEPark: Something to look forward to: my #KingdomOfNauvoo talk at @KingsEnglish next Wednesday (3/4, 7pm) will be broadcast on @… - 1 year ago RT @OUPPsychology: David Moore and Paul Florsheim will be at @KingsEnglish this Friday discussing their research with over 100 young and un… - 1 year ago RT @SarahAllenBooks: Friends!!! 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