If BookTube had been a thing when my grandmother was growing up, I feel almost certain she would have devoted herself to it. She loved books and reading and talking about books and reading more than anything else. While spending the week after she passed away at the apartment she shared with her late 2nd husband Frederick (Frici), my 3rd grandfather, I wanted to record the bookshelves just as they were before anything changes.
While I could not determine any rhyme or reason to the organization of the shelves, a hint lies in a piece Frici wrote about my grandmother, Vera, in 2003 for their 14th wedding anniversary:
“Her intellect is ever curious and in a non-stop absorption gear. And what is absorbed it stays there in an ordered fashion that is unique to her. Just like her private library it has a secret code of arrangements, unfathomable to others but it allows her unfailingly to go to the shelf and find the right book, similarly, when an issue comes up, she can quote from memory the pertinent references that illuminate the topic.“
So in memory of Vera and Frici, here is my first BookTube Bookshelf Tour, and my last tour of these bookshelves.
*For those unfamiliar with BookTube, it is a community of readers who post videos on YouTube of themselves chatting about books.
Let’s Talk!
Tell me in the comments below about the bookshelves that have made a lasting impression in your life.
Thank you so much. your video really captured your remarkable grandmother who, as you know, was a most remarkable woman and my best friend for over 40 years.
Well done and fascinating. I think I would have enjoyed meeting your grandmother. We might have talked for hours about Agatha Christie!
Thank you! I wish I had known those Agatha Christie books were there before now!
I very much enjoyed this book tour. Perusing another person’s bookshelves lets you have a window into their mind—at least, some idea of what’s going into their mind. Thanks for taking the time to introduce me to this side of the amazing Vera!
To be fair, some of these books may have been Frici’s instead or as well! They were both so well read!
What a beautiful tribute to your Grandmother. She loved books just like you, and the more you take home with you, the happier she would be. Taking both copies of that book you and your Mom love would be great! She would want you to have all of them. I also love how you organized the bookshelf tour. It brought out both of your personalities! Even the music was great. I enjoyed seeing many of the books I borrowed from her. Lots of sweet memories. Happy reading! RW