I couldn’t help myself, the Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt I saw over on bluchickenninja looked like too much fun, so here it goes!

Find an author’s name or title with the letter Z:

Of course it had to be World War Z by Max Brooks. Wonderful commentary on humanity through the use of zombies and a smart example of oral history (even if it is fictional).

Find a classic:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  Yes, the book sculpture is a copy of Jane Eyre!  Next to it is my old beat up edition.  I have 2 other versions of this book. It will always be an important one for me.

Find a Book with a Key on it:

This one felt like cheating since I have 1-3 of Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key.  I’m currently rereading book one, so I may finally tackle the other two.  Aren’t you proud Annie?

Find something on your bookshelf that is not a book:

I have several things that aren’t books, but I will always love this picture of me and my mom, the music box from my Babushka, and a simple tea cup from Cortney’s bridal shower.

Find the oldest book on your shelf:

So I went with the physically oldest book I own. This edition of Fruit Gathering by Rabindranath Tagore is from 1916.  It was a gift for my graduation from Graduate School from one of my professors, Dr. Delmonico, who continues to be one of my closest and greatest mentors.

Find a book with a girl on the cover:

I fell in love with The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi back in 5th grade. It remains one of my favorite stories, and yes, I also have multiple copies of this one (since the cover is falling off of the original).

Find a book with a boy on the cover:

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton. Dark, short, and sweet!

Find a book with an animal in it:

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn should be required reading. It is narrated by a gorilla, and it is DEEP.

Find a book with a male protagonist:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Not my favorite Gaiman text, but still great!

Find a book with only words on the cover:

Ariel a book of poems by Sylvia Plath.  I didn’t think I’d find a book with only words on the cover, but I actually found THREE!

Find a book with illustrations in it:

Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, a 1946 edition with original illustrations. I LOVE the creepiness of the long-necked Alice!

Find a book with Gold Lettering:

My THIRD copy of Huckleberry Finn.

Find a diary (true or fictional):

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.  I may have a slight obsession with Plath.

A Book written by someone with a common name (like Smith):

James is fairly common!  Plus, I get the joy of sharing this beautiful title: Assholes: A Theory.

Find a book that has a close up of an object on it:

Graceling by Kristine Cashore is a great first book in a beautiful trilogy. I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want strong female characters and an uncommon take on the normal terms of YA romance.

Find a book on the shelf that takes place in the earliest time period:

I scoured my shelves, with several set in Roman times, unspecified religious historical periods etc. However, Gilgamesh pretty much trumps all.

Find a hardcover book without a jacket:

Can’t go wrong with Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen!

Find a teal/turquoise coloured book:

Do these count? This was difficult! Lots of blues, but few I’d count as teal/turquoise.

Find a book with stars on it:

Might be difficult to tell, but there is a galaxy scattered across the cover of Jane Yolen’s Sister Emily’s Lightship. A wonderful collection from one of my favorite authors!

Find a non-YA book:

Another one of my favorites, and definitely not YA.  Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt is a beautiful literary homage.

Find the longest book you own:

I went with two options here. First is The Norton Anthology of Western Literature topping out at 2660 pages.  But, I thought it only fair to find my longest continual story (not an anthology or text book), so I’ve included Stephen King’s The Stand which has 1141 pages!

Find the shortest book you own:

The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. I’m not sure if it truly is the shortest, but it is certainly one of them.

Find a book with multiple POVs:

Another tough one to decipher. Does it need to be in multiple voices? Can it be just focused on multiple characters?  I went with one that has a shared narrator but focuses independently on two separate characters. It also has some of the most beautiful language.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Find a shiny book:

Really, I could have picked several, but I went with Neil Gaiman’s The Absolute Death, a collection of all the Death stories from Sandman.

Find a book with flowers on it:

Easy.  Briar Rose by Jane Yolen.

I find myself wanting to add more to the hunt. Perhaps I’ll create another one sometime, just because I can!