Guest Post: Welcome to my Bookshelves- A.J. Betts

I have bookshelves in most rooms, including the bathroom! There's no official filing system, though I do try separate YA, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, and general fiction.

YA shelves: these are two of my YA shelves, mostly recent titles. I have another YA shelf with older books, such as Adrian Mole, and other fantasy series.

Research shelf: this is for the books bought to help me plan my next book, which is speculative fiction. There's a mix of non-fiction (bees, geology, sustainability, indigenous cultures, Tasmanian history) and some sci-fi fiction. Beneath these are some of the 'how to' books I sometimes dip into. I recently read Stephen King's 'On Writing' and loved it.

On loan from library shelf: I visit the library weekly and have to keep these separate otherwise I forget to return them! They're all for research into topics such as oceans, anthropology, technology, plants, and even nuclear power.

General bookcase: this is where most books end up. In the mix, there's a section for short stories, and another for non-fiction. There's also a small, separate stand on the right. That's where mine end up.

General (2): originally this short bookcase was used for books of a particular height...but it's evolved to house local (West Australian) books/authors of adult fiction in the middle section, and poetry in the right section. The left section is a mish-mash.

AJ Betts (Amanda) is the author of several YA novels, most recently Zac and Mia which won the Text Prize and famously has managed to make even the 'coolest' teenage boys cry.  It is the story of an unlikely friendship, and of two young people battling Cancer, a topic close to AJ's heart.  If you haven't read this book, head to your local bookstore ASAP because it's bound to sell out (again) at Christmas.

I was lucky enough to meet Amanda at the Bookcaffe in Swanbourne.  That's her in green, and me in the glasses.  

Thanks for playing, A.J.!