Sunday Shelfie with Sophie Mackintosh
It’s that time of the week again, time for another Sunday Shelfie and I hope you have been enjoying the series so far.
Every other week a different author will share with you a photo of their bookshelves and answer a series of probing questions about all the little gems they have there. If you missed it, you can catch up with
’s Sunday Shelfie here:
This week I have one of my favourite authors for you, it’s
.
Sophie is the author of three books, The Water Cure, Blue Ticket, and Cursed Bread, which have been longlisted for some dream prizes including The Booker Prize and The Women’s Prize for Fiction. She also has her own brilliant substack, Little Intimacies which you can find by clicking on her name above.
I’m thrilled that Sophie has agreed to share her bookshelves with us, so let’s dig into them…
How would you describe your collection of books? Any favourite genres?
I would describe it as fairly random – there’s a mix of everything, from books I found in charity shops as a teenager, to proofs sent to me recently, to well-loved favourites that I’ve read five times. No particular genre really stands out, though there’s a lot of literary fiction.
How many books do you estimate you have and how are they organised, if at all?
I actually feel like I don’t have that many – I’ve moved a lot in the last decade, and so I’ve been pretty ruthless about getting rid of books as I just haven’t had the space. I’m happily accumulating more now that I’m feeling more settled. I have probably a couple of hundred. They’re organised only by space, because the shelving unit they are on has variably-sized shelves. Banal but necessary.
In percentage terms, how many of the total books on your shelves have you read?
About 95% I think. Maybe 90%. I try really hard to read everything I’m sent, and I definitely read everything I buy, slowly.
Which three books are top of your TBR (To Be Read) pile at the moment?