Book Organization – How Do You Do It and What Does it Say About You?
Okay people! I want your input! I’ve pulled out all of the boxes of books that have been in storage underneath my bed for lack of bookshelf space. Because I now have bookshelves! I showed them off in my first video chat of the year but here is a reminder of my awesome, awesome shelves in my bedroom:
A while back, I gave a tour of the bookshelves around my house. Fun post, if I say so myself. But here’s a reminder of the bookshelves that are in my living room just as you walk through the front door.
And here is the photo of the books I pulled out from underneath my bed:
I have a lot of books to put away. So here is my question. How do you organize your bookshelves? Do you like them to say something about you? In other words, is there a certain way that you show them off? Hmm . . . maybe something along the line of bragging? That could be too strong a word. But you know what I mean, right? I want people who walk into my home to know something about the people who live there and their interests just by looking at the books they own. In the second photo above, we have shelves for fiction, non-fiction, gardening, photography, art, parenting, spiritual study, and my husband’s animation and filmmaking books. The kids get one shelf so they know that’s what they can get into and hopefully leave the rest alone. One glance and hopefully you would know what we enjoy.
But now it’s time to reorganize all of my books! What goes in my bedroom and what goes into the living room? This is actually a lot harder than it sounds. The books that are in the living room are the ones that people will look at and see. The books that will go into the bedroom will not. So which books go where? I feel like I’m hiding some of them and it breaks my heart. Not like they’ll be neglected or anything but they won’t get the attention like the others. And yes, I’m well aware that I’m talking about hurting the books feelings.
The gardening, photography, art, parenting, spritual study, animation, and filmmaking books all stay in the living room. They all say a lot about who we are and what are interests are. It’s the fiction books that I’m having trouble with. Do I display all the classics and literary fiction to show off how cool of a reader I am? Or do I display all of my juvenile fiction to show that I’m an adult who still loves reading children’s books?
I have a lot of space for fiction books but half will have to go into the bedroom and half will not. Right now I’m thinking fiction books I’ve already read as well as classics will go in the living room. I’d hate to recommend a book to a visitor that I haven’t read. But I’m not going to split authors or series either. I have tons of juvenile and young adult fiction that I would love to display as well, but it pains me to split up the genre. So I think they’ll all go in the bedroom. But then it gives me pains to know that most people who visit my home won’t see them. Plus, I’ve crammed as many shelves as I can into the living room bookcases, so a lot has to do with how tall the book is and will if fit?
Okay seriously. Am I just weird? Am I the only one who thinks about such things? How do you organize your books and are you trying to make any kind of statement when you do? Or do you just not care? And this is assuming that you are somebody like me who gets a huge kick out of owning books in the first place.
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Tags: discussion questions, literary fiction
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In my bedroom I have a shelf on my bookcase just for my “absolute” favorite books. These are books I feel are a part of my soul.
I also organize books based on subject, size, and thickness. I have a shelf dedicated to short works: short story collections, poetry, plays. I also have shelves dedicated to oversized books, library books only, fantasy, young adult. . .
I suggest the books that you’re most interested in, put in whatever room you would visit often. I put mine on a plastic bin next to my nightstand. (My nightstand is packed with books.)If I have a night of insomnia, they are right there and I don’t have to get up for them.
I hope you figure out a system that works for you. Good luck!
on January 16th, 2009 at 10:24 pmI don’t organize by subject but by size. Hardbacks go on one shelf (or many) then trade paperbacks above those and MMPs at the top. I also try to keep books near the front that I want to get to soon.
on January 16th, 2009 at 10:26 pmAlong with your interest books, I would put the nice hard back fiction books in the living room, especially the signed ones! Also, if you have whole complete series, all lined up together. That looks cool.
A shelf of classics to “show off” makes perfect sense to me too!
In the bedroom, put all the things you are working on, or all the challenge books together, or the ARCS, or maybe the pile you plan to giveaway, etc.
Anyway, those are my first thoughts!
on January 16th, 2009 at 10:43 pmMy shelves are organized by fiction and non-fiction…that’s as organized as it gets.
What if you have one or two shelves in the living room devoted to upcoming reads? That way you could showcase different books and genres without feeling like you’ve neglected anyone (or any book, as the case may be). Then, once read, they would join their friends in their permanent home.
on January 16th, 2009 at 10:58 pmI have a shelf of ARC/review copies, which blends with the other TBR(-soon) books. Then there’s a shelf of books either autographed or books for which I was part of publishing (marketing and/or production/editing). The rest of the shelves are pretty mixed–unreads that no longer spark my interest or already read. And my husband, after some coaching, kind of understands the organization. And then there are the boxes of books waiting for me to reclaim them back in Ohio…
Thank goodness for Bookcrossing! I’ve probably freed half the books I’ve owned.
on January 16th, 2009 at 11:03 pmWell, um, I live in a very small space. And I need every crack of space to shove a book in. So my books do not get displayed nicely and many stay in hiding.
Having said that, I do examine the books in other’s peoples homes. Even if I’ve been there a million times before, I just love looking at books and I totally agree that they express something about the person. (my bookshelves express that I have too many books)
I would put your favorite books in the most prominent place. You do want to have pretty books to look at in your room, too, though.
on January 16th, 2009 at 11:07 pmMine are organized by author as far as the novels and non-fiction memoirs go. Then I have a section for craft/art books, photography books, reference books (all also organized alphabetically….but separate from the novels and memoirs.
very practical, yes…not too fun. But since I like to be able to find what I have, that is how I chose to do it
have fun!! I love your new shelves!!!!
on January 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pmI organize mine by subject. Fiction is together, with historical fiction, fantasy etc. together. Then the rest are pretty easy to classify by subject.
I put a tiny round sticker on the spine of many of them to make it easy to put back. Different color meant different subjects.
Love the shelves by the way.
~ Leisa
on January 17th, 2009 at 12:29 amYour new shelves look great!
I have one large bookcase and one smaller bookcase that are all devoted to fiction – sorted alphabetically by the author’s last name. I have another large bookshelf that is nonfiction books, and they are grouped more by size and who owns them (my husband or me).
Then there are the books I don’t have shelf space for that are in an extra shelf under our tv in the bedroom (Harry Potter books, an old set of classics and cookbooks).
What drives me crazy is that some of my hardback fiction books don’t fit well on my smaller bookshelf, so I’ve had to create an oversize book shelf, and that means my fiction titles are out of order. So yes, I’m pretty uptight about these things.
I like to know exactly where every book is.
My ARCs are in a pile next to my nightstand, and if I decide to add them to my permanent collection they go to a special pile until I have enough to justify shifting all of the books. They are crammed in so tight that if I add one then every shelf after it has to shift. I need more bookshelves. My husband thinks I need less books!
on January 17th, 2009 at 1:13 amI try to keep my genres together but anything goes in the way I stack them on my cases. I don’t believe in boring lol!
on January 17th, 2009 at 5:27 amThis is a true dilemma and I feel your pain. I have limited bookshelves and tend to have piles of books anywhere there is space. In terms of how I organize my shelves, I used to do it in alphabetical order by author but then the books were not organized by size and that really bothered me. So I have reorganized. In my living room I have a lot of my natural health and herbal healing books because, like you, I want people to know what is important to me. I also tend to put books in my living room that I lend out to other people. I love when people look at my shelves and ask to borrow a book. In my dining room I have some makeshift shelves (really apple crates turned sideways) where I put all my education/teaching books. In my upstairs hallway and bedroom I have my “fluffy” fiction books that I love, but don’t necessarily brag about reading. All of my young adult fiction ends up going to school with me for my students to borrow.
Your shelves are beautiful by the way.
on January 17th, 2009 at 5:53 amYou are definitely not weird in the reading world!! I TRY to organize my shelves in this way:
* hardbacks go alphabetically in the living room
* paperbacks go alphabetically scattered throughout the house
* kids books go in our schoolroom, and they each have a shelf in their bedroom, too
* reference books mainly go in our schoolroom, as well as the overflow of paperback books.
So yes, it is our nicest, hardback books that I choose to be our “show” books in the living room.
on January 17th, 2009 at 6:10 amNatasha, in between your worries about how to fill your shelves, stop by my blog to pick up an award!
At my apartment in Armenia I don’t have so many books, so there is not much of a division. I have a special section for non-fiction on Eastern-Europe and the Former Soviet Union, because I have quite a lot of those books. The rest is kept together, and I have a special shelf for tbr-books.
on January 17th, 2009 at 6:11 amMine are not very well organized. I have them in 3 groups – books that need to be reviewed, books that don’t need to be reviewed and books I’ve already read. I don’t want to know what that says about me.
on January 17th, 2009 at 6:38 amI understand and empathize with your dilemma. I just experienced the same chore. After much contemplation (like you are going through now) and change, I finally decided upon placing all read books in one area and all the TBR in another for the reason you stated in your post – I would rather recommend books I have read. The individual books of both areas are separated into hardcover and softcover to make it look neater. I did have to separate genres and series (read some and didn’t read others), but my major focus was to have read shelves and TBR shelves, so something had to give.
on January 17th, 2009 at 6:55 amI’ve actually organized my books in a similar way to what you’re suggesting – at times. Since we moved in November, I’ve made some changes – partly because my husband commandeered one of the bookcases
.
I try to kep fiction and nonfiction on separate shelves. Most of the books downstairs are TBR, because I don’t keep many of my books after I’ve read them. We have a very nice built-in cupboard in the upstairs hallway, and the “keeper” books are there, along with some other TBR (segregated from each other). Review books have their own shelf so I can keep tabs on them.
Have fun with your organizing project – post some pictures when it’s done!
on January 17th, 2009 at 7:39 amThe way I shelve my books is a result more of practicality than any desire to display my taste in books. There’s so many that I just want them all to fit on shelves at all so I don’t have to box them up and find a home for them (though I’ll admit that there is *one* box…d’oh). So, I shelve them by size in an effort to get as many to fit as possible – there is no theme other than “Oh, there’s a gap this one will definitely fit into!” The only divide is between books that are totally mine and books that I’ve received through Bookcrossing that I’d like to send traveling again at some point. ARCs/review copies waiting for reading and review have to content themselves with sitting in stacks around my bedroom as I don’t have a prayer of fitting them on the shelves.
Spiffy bookshelves! Hope you find a more creative way of shelving your books than I have mine!
on January 17th, 2009 at 7:40 amI usually organize by subject/theme!
on January 17th, 2009 at 7:53 amI’ve got the fiction shelved separately from the nonfiction. TBR pile is stacked together. Other than that, the fiction shelf is arranged alphabetically by author. The nonfiction side is too, but it doesn’t make sense and I want to switch it to dewey decimal system to get like-topic books together.
on January 17th, 2009 at 7:59 amWell I just love having a whole bunch of books so right now my shelves are a disaster but what I’d like to do is arrange them in order of genre. That way when I crave a historical fiction read I know exactly where to find it. That being said, I love your new shelves-they are awesome! I’m behind in comments but I’m going to check out your video chat today. Have fun organizing all those books!
on January 17th, 2009 at 9:17 amOk, I don’t think it’s weird at all to think about how you organize your books. I prefer to group them by theme/genre, so the classics go together, and contemporary fiction goes together, chick lit together, nonfiction, memoir, you get the picture. Then, within the genre, I put all books by one author together, but I don’t alphabetize or anything. Hubby is less strict about it and just groups books by authors and puts his favorite groups together….so, then I go around when he’s not home and re-group them by theme/genre. It makes me feel neurotic, but what are you gonna do? Put them together in the way that makes the most sense to you, so you’ll always know where to find something when you’re looking for it.
on January 17th, 2009 at 9:27 amNothing like waking up in the morning to tons and tons of advice and ideas. Thank you! With your help, I’ve started to pull books off of the shelf and put others ones in. And I pulled out at least 20 duplicates. Hmm . . . that’s probably a sign that I don’t know what I already own when I see a good deal. My loss will probably be your gain!
on January 17th, 2009 at 12:48 pmPeople think my organizing is a bit of overkill. I have my books broken into the four main ‘genres’ I read. (Although, one is my non-fiction section). Then, I have them alphabetized. I also have a shelf for everything that doesn’t fit… And, then I separate my mass markets from my trades and hardcovers… It’s a very exhausting system, I know, but I actually enjoy reorganizing the shelves every few months!
on January 17th, 2009 at 1:20 pmI don’t have any of my books where people can see them. Except possibly my cookery books in the kitchen. The rest are tucked away into hidden corners of the house and organised in a way that only I would understand, I think. Good luck with whatever you decide – reorganising that many books seems like a mammoth job!
on January 17th, 2009 at 2:11 pmFirst let me say I am rabidly jealous of your bookshelves! I have no bookshelves in our great room…YET. Actually, my bookshelf storage is pathetic. I have two wall shelves in the guest room, and one small built in and one stand alone in the bedroom. Then I have a desk of sorts as my bedside table. Here is how I organize:
1) non fiction books I have read go in the small built in; organized by subject matter, 2)fiction books I have read are stacked on the stand alone bookshelf and organized by genre first…and then within genre they are alphabetical by author, 3) Non fiction books and historical fiction I have not read are on the wall shelves in the guest room by genre, then alphabetical by author, 4) All other books I have not read are stacked on the bedside desk, floor and under the desk and organized by challenge, genre or award winners. I use stickie notes on these as well to help keep me straight. Oh, and all the ARCs and review books are on top of the desk stacked according to whether they came directly from a person, or if they came from a source which was more general. *laughs* It is not the best system!
on January 17th, 2009 at 2:33 pmWOW…. you have A LOT of books. My “for keeps” novels are alphabetical by Author Last Name. The non-fiction or reference books I have are in different shelves. All my professional/editing books and dictionaries are in one area. All my travel/language books are in another. And then I have one “oversize” shelf. LOL Good luck! Can’t wait to see you blog about the finished product!
on January 17th, 2009 at 4:33 pmOf course you aren’t the only one who thinks about these things!
I keep nonfiction, mystery, German/foreign language, and humor in the bedroom… mostly just because that’s what we’ve always done!
EVERYthing is by genre and alphabetically, because I’m just CDO that way.
on January 17th, 2009 at 5:01 pm(That’s obsessive/compulsive disorder, but alphabetically as it should be)
I posted about this on my blog today.
on January 17th, 2009 at 5:36 pmhttp://pickledpenguin.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-books-are-out-of-control.html
Ooooops!! Wrong blog.
on January 17th, 2009 at 5:43 pm(Clearly I need more sleep.)
http://bookhabitue.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-books-are-out-of-control.html
Definitely display your most intellectual books in your living room, so you look really really smart
Anyhow, I am horrible at organizing my books. Hubby organizes it for me, on occasion. He does it by topic. We finally decided recently to get a new book shelf, since the books are piling up on the floor.
on January 17th, 2009 at 6:07 pmNice shelves. I’m afraid I’m not much help in this area. Right now we are trying to keep Munkchin #2 (10 months) from pulling everything off the shelves so they are in the spare room. Other than board books. I’m currently trying to decide what goes where, but lot’s of good ideas are here so when I really ready to organize I’ll keep these in mind.
on January 17th, 2009 at 7:14 pmI do love the new shelves!
on January 17th, 2009 at 8:06 pmI’m just impressed at the number of bookshelves that you have!! I have only one and desperately need more. I’m looking for more when we go shopping for new couches!
on January 17th, 2009 at 9:26 pmI don’t have my books well organized except that I do have two shelves on a built in shelving unit in my walk in closet. I have health books, some favorites and Non fiction books there.
I have most of my books in the living room, arranged by subject matter and then size. I once tried to arrange them by Library of Congress number, but it got too difficult to keep up with.
on January 18th, 2009 at 12:20 amWow! Let me just begin by saying how jealous I am of your incredible bookshelves! My books currently fill every available spare nook and cranny of my house, seeing as how I have no room for bookshelves! As far as the organization goes, I would say put the books out front that you feel most comfortable with people picking up, turning over, and speculating on. Books you can recommend positively, books with pretty covers (superficial, I admit, but still a factor!) and books you’ve read more than once could all make the list. Good luck!
on January 18th, 2009 at 10:13 amI think a lot about how to organize my books,too. Right now they’re in four groups- nonfiction organized by subject, fiction by author, art books & coffe-table sized books (randomly) and a shelf of children’s novels, which my daughter is allowed to paw through. The shelves in my bedroom are full of still-unread books, which is overflowing onto the floor!
on January 18th, 2009 at 5:52 pmI wrote about a method on my blog, of sorting the books according to color.
(http://thebookchook.blogspot.com/2008/11/rainbow-of-books.html )
Wouldn’t that make a statement about you???
on January 19th, 2009 at 4:26 amLOL–only a conversation book nerds could have, huh?
Right now I have my books more or less organized by “read” and “unread.” The “unread” ones are sort of alpha, but one of my bookshelves has shallow shelves, so my hardbacks are all together. And then there are the boxes that I have stacked next to the bookshelves full of books. And the stacks on my desk and the double stacks on the actual shelves. Sheesh–I guess I have MAJOR envy of your beautiful shelves right now. 
on January 19th, 2009 at 9:32 pmMy bookshelf is small, I mean really really small. But i have split my books into read and ‘to be read’. It really makes life so much easier for me
on January 20th, 2009 at 3:58 amI don’t really have books set up for people to look at them because most of the ones in the living room are behind leaded glass cabinet doors. It happens that the ones which are most visible are my library books and my cookbooks. Not sure what that says about me….
on January 20th, 2009 at 9:39 pmEven more great ideas! I love hearing how everybody organizes their books. If only I had a room dedicated as a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, a comfy chair, snacks nearby, and a fireplace. Sigh . . . I can dream, can’t I?
on January 21st, 2009 at 12:38 pmI don’t have nearly that much space for books, but I would recommend picking one or two of your favorite YA series and place those in the living room and the rest in the bedroom…
on January 22nd, 2009 at 8:09 amI definitely like the idea of putting mostly books you’ve read in the living room. I know when I go to someone’s house, one of the first things I do is look at the bookshelves. It would definitely help if you’ve read most of them. I’m terrible at organizing things so I’m not much help but I’m sure whatever you come up with will be great.
on February 3rd, 2009 at 10:29 pm