sholio: sun on winter trees (Death Gate Dragon)
Sholio ([personal profile] sholio) wrote2007-12-11 08:08 pm
Entry tags:

Book porn

My bookshelves are finally organized! They've been regurgitating books all over the house and it was really getting out of hand. Finally: all the books are sorted by type (art books, writing books, Alaska reference books, paperback series, graphic novels, etc) and stored in the shelves rather than reclining on flat surfaces throughout the house, including the floor. The "books to read" are now stored in a box, to be sorted into their appropriate shelf upon reading (or put into the box to take to the used bookstore for trade-in credit).

This is what my to-read pile looked like before I put it in the box. Plus a shot of the bookshelves themselves, in case anyone else is like me, and the first thing you do when you go over to a person's house is look at their bookshelves:



(The black book at the top of the pile that looks like the Metallica black album is actually Stephen King's "Carrie". Stephen King is one of a handful of absurdly prolific writers, also including Terry Pratchett and Robert Heinlein, whose books I am determined to read down to the very last one. Or at least start all of them, since I think Heinlein and King write approximately one goddawful book for every brilliant one.)

And the (annotated) bookshelves. The books are actually stacked two (for the hardbacks) and three (for the paperbacks) layers deep. I estimated I've got about a thousand books on there ... which is a LOT less than I would have had if I hadn't moved across the country twice in the last eight years. I believe the word you're looking for is "bibliophilia".

naye: A cartoon of a woman with red hair and glasses in front of a progressive pride flag. (atlantis - rodney yes!)

[personal profile] naye 2007-12-12 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
Oooooh~! *tries to read titles* I'm in a room crammed full of books right now, which makes me feel right at home - that's how I am. And you've got some interesting titles there! Looking at pictures just isn't the same, though - you can't take them out and open them... Mmm. But it was fun seeing this! ♥

[identity profile] spark-force.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
Hah, that first picture looks a lot like my room right now... both in terms of (un)organization, and the actual books. You have good taste. ;)

[identity profile] chaps1870.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
LOL. Oh how I can sympathize. When we moved recently, I packed at least 40 boxes of just books. I couldn't part with them.
ext_1981: (Whaleverse-Rodney working)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
I know! When I walk into a house that's full of books, I just feel at home. And I want to start pulling out books and looking at them.

One of the reasons why I wanted to get my books organized is because I've had books for years that I've never read, just sitting around ... and I kinda wanted to pull out all of those books and sort them by reading priority. I keep ordering more books off Amazon.com while forgetting that there are perfectly interesting books that I haven't read yet!

(Oh, looking at my picture and the titles in it -- have you read "Planetes"? Fantastic SF manga -- it's probably the most realistic science fiction manga that I've ever read, in spite of its "2001"-ish fantasy/dreamscape elements that crop up from time to time. And it's gorgeously drawn.)

[identity profile] kriadydragon.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
Reminds me of our little library out in the front room, except that all the fnatay/sci-fis are in my room and comic books in my sister's room. .
ext_1981: (Whaleverse-Rodney working)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
Heh! That's what the whole upstairs looked like before I got the books back into the bookshelf where they belong! (We live in a big cabin with a loft ... the loft is my studio space and my husband's computer workshop space, and my piles of books were all over the place.) The trouble is that I could never FIND anything ... I'd have to look through a dozen piles of books to find something I wanted.
ext_1981: (ST09-red uniform hawt)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
I was so ruthless about culling books when I moved! I ended up taking a bunch of boxes of books to the library and feeling all good about myself for about a day before I went into withdrawals about all the books I'd given away. I still miss some of them! *g* I don't know why it's so hard to get rid of them. It's probably some sort of mental illness, but I don't want to be cured. Hee.
ext_1981: (BH-Mitchell George hospital)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
I've got both -- I'm really as much of an artist as a writer, and as much of a comics fan as a reader of novels, so I have tons of comics and graphic novels as well as books.

This bookshelf is just about reaching capacity, though. I think I'll need another one soon. Oh, what a burden. *g*

[identity profile] spark-force.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I sympathize with the not being able to find anything. Dump that entire bookcase of yours out into a 9' x 9' space, and you've got my room. :-\ The shelves are bending, the desk is stacked three deep... God, I can't wait to get a permanent place of my own.
ext_1981: (Wiseguy-Vinnie moodlit)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
That's what my dorm room looked like all through college! So very sad. There was a book exchange shelf in the ladies' bathroom, and I would every so often just go through and snatch all the books. I think it's a sickness. *grin*

[identity profile] flightsilver.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
Nicely organized bookshelf! Go you! I so love books! I had tones of books and a whole bunch that I had purchased but never found the time to read or get through! Then I had to move and was shocked by the load that I had accumulated over the years. I forced myself to donate 3/4 of them to a charity school sale. Like you, I felt good about giving those books away but then got pangs of regret and started to miss them soon after! But I do love being around books! Is this some sort of weird sickness? I'm glad that I work in an office that has wall to wall shelves filled with books. *g*

[identity profile] spark-force.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
If it's a sickness, then it's a happy sickness. *g*
ext_2160: SGA John & Rodney (Default)

[identity profile] winter-elf.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
heh. looks around. oh yea, I need about.. oh.. 10 more bookshelves. I've got books stacked EVERYWHERE! ::sigh:: Yay on the organization. I suppose I should try to sort my mess...

[identity profile] chaps1870.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 08:23 am (UTC)(link)
I've actually had to replace books that I've stupidly given away. I don't do that any more. LOL

[identity profile] flingslass.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 10:16 am (UTC)(link)
*Oh my*
Your bookcase looks just like mine *g* I'm moving soon so I will have to box them.
bratfarrar: A woman wearing a paper hat over her eyes and holding a teacup (reviews)

[personal profile] bratfarrar 2007-12-12 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
...you've got books shelved two- and three-deep? I haven't reached that point yet. But it's getting close--my entire house is like this (minus the double- and triple-deep shelving). Every room has at least one bookcase, and every bookcase is overflowing. My parents' room, in addition to a bookcase about the same size as yours, has a stack of books along the wall about 4' long, 2.5' high, and 2' deep. We have a room that is three walls of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and we still have stacks of books in front of the bookcases because there isn't any more room on the shelves. I swear, the things breed or something.

[identity profile] maxinemayer.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I congratulate you on organizing your books - even if there are always MORE MORE MORE to read and slot in! When we moved to this apartment SIX YEARS AGO I stuffed all my books into the five new bookcases I bought specifically for the purpose. Two-deep. Every so often I'd glance longingly at the shelves and wish for the time and energy to organize the books. Then, in February of 2006, a few months before I retired at the end of May 2006, I made a list of "topics" (ie, poetry, Shakespeare, classics, romances to keep, Georgette Heyer, philosophy, science, religion, etc.) for organizing the shelves. Thinking, fondly, of my upcoming retirement days when I'd be home alone all day and be able to put the books in piles on the floor according to topic, clean the shelves, and then put my books away in an organized fashion. I still have the post-it dated 2/4/06. Nearly two years later I still have NOT organized my books! Now that I have the time and the space (I can even leave books out for days in piles without anyone objecting), I have even less energy! But your success is inspiring me! [I also have that problem: buying books on amazon dot com which I later find that I ALREADY HAVE, tucked away behind something else on a shelf!]

I've got a long winter ahead. Maybe I'll give it a go, again, with one bookcase, and see how long it takes and how hard it is, see if it can work!

Love, mxm
leesa_perrie: two cheetahs facing camera and cuddling (Christmas McKay)

[personal profile] leesa_perrie 2007-12-12 01:39 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL!! Oh, you're just like my husband and me! Can you imagine two of you in one house? Then that's our house - stuffed full of books!!! And as for my 'to read' pile? Um, somewhere around 100?!!!

I know exactly where you're coming from, though I suspect our taste in books is a little different (don't read horror, couldn't get into Pratchett... do read lots of books about people who've owned animals - mostly cats!!! Some travel books (Bryson and the like) and a few medieval or Roman detective books too!) Though there is the occasional bit of sci-fi there as well! Oh, and The Cat Who books...brilliant in their eccentricity!

At present though I read 'easy-reading' books (animal/travel) due to concentration levels and ME/CFS, or fanfic, lots and lots of fanfic...

Are you writing anymore SGA fanfic, btw?! *grins innocently*
ext_2207: (Default)

[identity profile] abyssinia4077.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 01:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay books! The other month my mom and I were walking around the neighborhood and you know how if it's dark outside and people have lights on you can see into their house? This one house had a living room with two GIANT bookcases and almost no books on them and I poked my mom and said in amazement "they have so few books they can have empty shelves on their bookcases! How weird is that?"

Also, your pile? That's so my room right now. All my book cases are full but I keep bringing home interesting looking books from work (I work at a non-protfit that collects old books/textbooks and sorts them to be available for teachers/schools that need books and, well, we have so many books it's totally okay to a take interesting ones you come across, especially grown-up ones teachers won't use. It's deadly!)

also, YAY PRATCHETT!

[identity profile] anniehow.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
That picture of your organised library... it sent my little book-loving heart all-a-flutter. especially because it's layers deep!

it looks so... so... *dreamy sigh*
ext_3572: (Default)

[identity profile] xparrot.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
in case anyone else is like me, and the first thing you do when you go over to a person's house is look at their bookshelves

You too, huh? (aren't houses with no books the scariest thing ever? How can you ever get to know the people living there?)

I'd feel right at home in your place. Looks a lot like mine! (well, like mine did; now I just have the one bookcase of manga & novels+, with everything else in boxed storage for when I return stateside. Waah, I miss my collection!) Except I always have stacks of books with no place...the general rule of my family has always been that we own approximately one more bookcase worth of books than we actually have cases; this holds true no matter how many cases we manage to obtain!
ext_1981: (SGA-dorks)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, when I moved the first time I had a huge pile of books I'd never even read! It was so sad to give them all away.

It's just a pleasant feeling to be surrounded by books. Kind of like cats are happiest in cardboard boxes and other small enclosed spaces. *g*
ext_1981: (Wiseguy-Vinnie moodlit)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
It's wonderful having them all together like they are now! I probably need more bookshelves too (so I don't have to have them stacked in layers) but I can't imagine where I'd put them.
ext_1981: (Owen)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, moving ... the curse of bibliophiles everywhere. *g*
ext_1981: (Scrubs-Carla)

[identity profile] friendshipper.livejournal.com 2007-12-12 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
I need more bookshelves! In fact, what our house needs in general is more storage of all types. There's quite a bit of floor space, but there aren't many places to put things where they're not sharing living space with us.

Now I'm looking speculatively at the downstairs and wondering where I could put bookshelves. Oh dear!

Page 1 of 2