A Row of Spines

I set my foot down beside the low wooden shelf. Before me stood a row of thick, hardbound books, pressed tightly together like stone pillars. I reached out and tapped the first spine. Solid. No give at all. Moving along the row, I traced each vertical seam with my claw, testing the gaps between them. One blue volume leaned outward just a fraction. With a deliberate nudge of both hands, I nudged it back into alignment until the line was true. Now the row stands firm.