Scene of the Blog Featuring Jodie of GeraniumCat's Bookshelf!

This week's guest left a trail of breadcrumbs for me to find. That is, she left a comment on a blog that I read faithfully. When I tracked Jodie to her lair, I found myself at GeraniumCat's Bookshelf.

Jodie is from one of my favorite parts of England: Northumberland, and her blog is a thoughtful and engaging compendium of her interests in writing for older children and young adults, in books from the first half of the twentieth century (particularly those written by women), in Canadian literature, and in crime novels and fantasy. If you've never visited GeraniumCat's Bookshelf, I certainly hope you take the time to do so. I have a feeling you may get hooked just like I did. Please don't forget to say hello while you're there!

For those of you visiting here for the first time-- Hello, and Welcome! As you read what Jodie shares with us about her space, you can click on each photo to see it in a larger size. (This is always useful when you're squinting at the screen trying to read book spines!) This busy book blogger is waiting for us, so let's get started!

The shelves beside her bed hold her most precious books.

My first thought when I got Cathy’s invitation was “oh no, I couldn’t possibly…”, and when I looked at some of the lovely book collections and blogging spaces featured on Scene of the Blog I was even more daunted! My blogging space is also my – exceedingly cramped – work space, and most of my reading is done on (or in) my bed. 

About 15 years ago we moved from a comparatively large house to a cottage, when my husband had to retire because of ill-health, and we’ve never managed to fit all our clutter into the smaller space nor, really, to stop accumulating more things to cram in (including a son who came home and hasn’t moved back out again!). 

My addiction to books doesn’t help – I don’t have enough book shelving, so most of my books are double stacked, and I just have to know where things are. Horrific, isn’t it? My Elizabeth Goudge books are centre back of the top shelf, Can Lit is next one down, with philosophy at the other end, and so on. There isn’t room to create any kind of order. The TBR pile is mostly in the front ranks, but not exclusively. Every now and again I discover something on another pile that I’ve been meaning to read for ages and had forgotten about, which is always a nice surprise!

Her desk, with the garden behind.

My desk collects piles of paper at an alarming rate – I’m a freelance copy editor and typesetter, so there’s usually several books-in-progress with attendant post-it notes, and I work for a small charity as well. But it’s private space, I don’t have to share it with anyone, and that’s important to me – we’re a three-computer household. 

I’m ashamed to say the desk is dusty, but we do live in the middle of farmland and there’s often something creating a stour in the field just across the garden. The most important things on it, apart from the computer (built for me by my son – you can see why I don’t want him to move out, he makes the broadband work, sorts out problems, cooks Thai food and pizza…) are the necessary tools. Which include the brilliant erasable frixion gel pens I use for marking up manuscripts, keeping the diary up to date and writing down thoughts for blog posts. And the inevitable cup of tea. And usually a pile of books that I haven’t found a home for yet.

The Bolter: Bored with reading-- may we go out, please?

Behind me when I’m at the desk there is often a less-than-entirely faithful companion (if she hears my son so much as move, she’s off, in case a walk might be forthcoming).  If I’m lying on the bed reading she’s usually wedged up against me, a long warm comforter. I do occasionally dream of the day when I might make enough space to have a comfortable reading chair in my room, but it wouldn’t please The Bolter. Senior Dog sometimes joins us, especially in the morning, but she’s more likely to be keeping my husband company somewhere. I always write with the door open in case the dogs want to come in.

The thing I like best about my blogging space is that I have a view across the garden. Not an impressive view, I don’t spend nearly enough time out there.  But I’ve been watching a family of garden warblers all summer, and there’s a partridge who is a regular visitor. If I had done any tidying up for this visit to my space, it would have been in the garden, but I’ve got 3 books on the go at the moment.

Spoken like a true reader! I loved reading the titles of the books on your shelves, and your words about The Bolter made me feel warm memories of a presence braced against my side as I read in bed. It's also good to know we both share a love of having "a room with a view." Thank you so much for sharing your creative spaces with us; we really appreciate it!

Don't forget to stop by next Wednesday when I'll be featuring yet another book blogger from our worldwide community!