This weekend just gone was a long
bank holiday weekend in the UK meaning we had both Friday and Monday off. For
some reason, this meant that when I woke up on Saturday I had a desperate urge
to re-arrange my book shelves. I thought this would only take a couple of
hours, but I had serious underestimated the number of books I own. I had also conveniently
forgotten that all my book shelves are double-stacked so there were twice as
many as it looked. I started with my TBR pile (which really should be called a mountain
now). In the picture below I had un-shelved about half of the TBR books and put
them on the bed in order to arrange them into genres. In the background you can
just make out the remaining books on the TBR book case...
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| The TBR Pile midway through the re-arrange (Excuse the mess!) |
In any case, it got me thinking
about how I arrange my books. I like to keep my authors together and in a rough
chronological order, but in a wider sense I like to shelf my genre. So all my
Urban Fantasy are together, the YA books are together, Crime etc. I also like
books of a similar size/shape together as I think it looks neater. I’m by no
means obsessive about this – if a book is out of order, I don’t mind but when I
get the urge I’ll re-arrange all the books back into the correct order – like this
Saturday!
My questions to you this week –
is this strange? Or do you order you books in a logical (to you) method as
well? Do you get furious when you notice a book out of place? How are your book
shelves organised? Lets compare notes so I can see if there is a way that won’t
take me four hours! (By the way the four hours was just for the TBR pile – I decided
I didn’t the stamina to tackle the rest of my bookcases!)
My books that I'm keeping are grouped by author, although not necessarily alphabetically. I always have my TBR shelves in some sort of order. At the moment their in rough order of when I received them, previously they were in chronological order by the time period they were set in.
ReplyDeleteI find that by re-ordering my books periodically I discover some I had forgotten, and vary my reading more.
(And it takes me quite a while as well when I do it)
I have my books divided in groups with fantasy, romance and mystery being the largest groups. Within the group I have divided hardcovers and paperbacks to create more space. The paperbacks and hardcovers are more or less in alphabetical order. Not entirely because I double-stack my books and I like some series more than others, so I want to give those 'front row seats'! :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way I recently reorganised my bookshelves which took me all day. I definitely underestimated the job too!
I have them by genre too and in series order, and yes some in height too ;) I do not double stack..yet
ReplyDeleteI order my books into three catagories:
ReplyDeleteRead
Unread
Non-Ficton
Within these sections they are arranged by Author. If I have more than one book by the same author they are arranged by series or publication date, whichever is applies.
This is very important (I will say it only once): All books must have spine title facing the same way and all books lined up at the front (if possible). I am very precious about my books.
When I get a new boook, it gets ordered almost immediatley. Sometimes. I pull out the whole lot and reorder it! Bliss!
I have one bookcase for all my favourite books (a my keeper shelf if you will, hehe) and I have them by author/series. I have 2 shelfs for my TBR that I'm really really really planning on reading soonish and another whole bookcase for my other TBR books that I will get to eventually. I don't do alphabetical (life's too short) and I'm not that fussed about book heights and all that stuff. I do love a good rearranging day too!
ReplyDeleteFor my art books, I list them by category. I used to have my books by author, but it is so out of hand, it is just a royal mess now. Wanna do my shelves? :D
ReplyDeleteAll books by the same author are together on my shelves and arranged by height order. All the same sized books are then put together to make the shelves look neater and also get more on. Which is why I am really fussy when it comes to buying my books I have to have it so the whole series match - are the same size and cover design. I am really fussy. Although of course if same design not available I will cave and buy it anyway but they end up on a shelf that isn't as visible. :D
ReplyDeleteNot that I;m obsessed at all!
I keep my read and to-read piles seperate. My to-read books go on a shelf above my bed randomly. My read piles go onto a short bookshelf and are kind of kept together by height, and then my author's last name. I reorgainse about once every two months, which I can tell is going to fail soon-it's overflowing. And I already have them two layers on a shelf so half of my books are hidden.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Look at those books! I so wish we lived near each other, we could trade and share. lol.
ReplyDeleteTruth is, I don't have much of an order. It looks like I do, but I don't. And I'm getting to the point that I'm losing the books on the shelves. Thats bad. lol.