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Inspired by the Book Tour on A Work in Progress, I decided to share some photos of my own. This bedside shelf holds books waiting to be read and given a status: keep forever or give away (the cat likes to mark every one as his own, even though he doesn\’t know how to read):
This is where my permanent books usually live:
Nonfiction is on the small white shelf (on the right). My husband\’s books are on the little brown shelf atop it. Oversize nature and art books are sandwiched atop the white shelf between husb\’s shelf and the tall shelf. Of the two full-size bookcases, the top two left shelves are fantasy, the rest is all fiction. The two boxes (lower right bookcase and in front of white shelf on the floor) now hold books destined for PaperbackSwap or giveaways, which I\’ll begin doing about once a week (keep your eye on tuesdays!) after we\’re settled from our move.
Which is coming up in a few weeks. So I began preparing and took all the books out to box up. Here\’s what they look like all on the floor! Quite a heap. The last counting total (thanks to LibraryThing) is 489.
The crazy thing? A few friends we haven\’t seen in two years are coming to visit from the opposite coast. And I take so much pleasure in having friends peruse my shelves. Even if they just stand a while with that sideways head-tilt, and don\’t exclaim on or start a conversation over a title. So I took all the books out of boxes and put them back on the shelves to be admired. After the visitors are gone, I\’ll box them up again. My husb is going to make fun of me for it, I know. I think he doesn\’t like seeing my books. He asked if I would throw away the more unstable of my bookcases once its contents are boxed up, with the words \”finally! good riddance!\” and wants to grant a small room in the new house just for my library, so the books aren\’t out cluttering the common living space. Grumble grumble.
So you see why I had to put them up again, in case visitors turn out to be book-admirers. I love looking at my books almost as much as reading them. Someday I\’ll show you a picture of my three-year-old\’s collection (over 100), two-thirds of which she\’s inherited from me.
18 Responses
Thank you for sharing your bookshelves with us, Jeane! So many books! I don\’t blame you for putting the books back on the shelves in case your guests want to check them out. I\’d probably do that too. 🙂
oh, yes…to admire books. I know exactly what you are talking about, a bookshelf full of books is a great way to start many conversations with visitors, and conversations that are important to you since you love to read! books are too beautiful to be clutter!
I love it! Those pesky hubbies just don\’t understand, huh? I was using a DVD rack from Wal-mart as a bookshelf until a few months ago, but I wanted my books out just like you do! When I moved, I boxed all my books up 1st whether I had read them or not and 2nd alphabetically. Only a booklover could understand. 🙂
\”I love looking at my books almost as much as reading them.\” Me, too … me, too!I see you have Into the Forest listed among your favorite books. You commented on my blog, \”I really really like Hegland\’s Into the Forest as well. If you\’re comparing Life As We Knew It to that, I might just have to read it.\” Yes, you will want to read it.I\’m glad you found me … because I have now found you … and will be adding you to my blog roll. I like the way you think.
Gosh, it sounds just like something I would do, the putting the books back on the shelves for visitors to look through. When we moved last I had a very hard time boxing up my books because I love looking at them frequently. If the books are out of site I feel like I have nothing to read. Shutter!
WOW!! I can\’t wait to have a house so that I can have a library/den. We had to pack up our loft to convert it to a 3rd bedroom for our 2nd child and I miss looking at my bookshelf.
Thanks for sharing those. I love looking at pictures of people\’s bookshelves. Also, your cat is so pretty!
Your cat\’s so regal and elegant 🙂 What\’s his name?Have a lovely day! 🙂
Yeah, looking at my books makes my mind calm. Not just my books. Anyone\’s books. And pictures of books…
My cat\’s name is Asher. He loves being admired!The guests have come and gone with nary a glance at the books. O well. At least now I can enjoy their appearance until the moving day actually arrives! Thanks for all your comments. Glad to know I\’m among fellow book-lovers!
Wow! That\’s a great pile of books you have there! I love looking at mine too – a room isn\’t homely without some books on a shelf – I\’d love a library though 😉
I love looking at pictures of other people\’s collections!! I\’m moving soon too and I don\’t even want to think about packing up my bookcases/shelves/floor of books lol
I love seeing book photos almost as much as I like to check out people\’s bookshelves in person when I visit them. And your book photos are enhanced by the addition of child and feline cuteness!
Thanks for sharing your books! I totally understand wanting to have them on their shelves so your friends can look at them. I like just looking through my piles, too. I\’m constantly dragging books up and downstairs–finding something I want to read (must go upstairs), deciding I will wait on something (can go downstairs to make more room)…it\’s a never ending process! And I tend to keep my books in two confined spaces, as most of my family are nonreaders and I know they\’ll complain about \’clutter\’, too!
Great photos (especially the one with all the books spread out and your cute daughter next to them)!
All I can say is WOW. I love that you put the books back on the shelf for company! too fun.
Great photos of the books! You have space, and organized…I love looking at other people\’s books, as many of your commentators said, looking at books is calming, and enjoyable, and I am amazed that none of your company looked at them!! That\’s the first thing I head for! you have a lovely wall of books, Jeane, and good luck with the move and can I guess that they will be the second thing unpacked (first being your child\’s favourite things she needs around her….) a library, your very own library…not that books are clutter!! Oh no! they bring soul to a room…but having a room devoted to just books!! You mustn\’t tell your husband that books will spill over anyway into the rest of the house, that will spoil his illusion! 🙂
I love looking at books – it\’s one of my favorite things to do at friends houses. I am also preparing to move and slowly my books are getting packed away. They are the easiest to pack because I don\’t \”need\” them, but I hate packing them away. I owuld much rather pack my kitchen up! Who needs all those dishes.Thanks for stopping by my blog.