Book freaks discussion

Well, I have been a bookworm all my life. It started when my mom passed down her old Nancy Drew books to me when I was younger. I would read them for hours on end and I fell in love. When I was 11 or so I started buying all the books online, but had to stop after about 12 because they were getting expensive. I started checking out books at the library, but I have since then started adding books to my own collection again- which right now is very small (only about 40 books or so) and I was wondering how you guys shelve your books? Paper back one shelf- Hardcover another? right now I have them in Size order, but I'd like to arrange them by series, by authors last name, etc. I was just wondering on some other peoples thoughts when it comes to their own book shelfs. I know it burns me that I have the entire PLL book series in paperback, and the last one I had to buy in hardcover because they didn't have it in soft cover.

Thoughts/opinions?

I have my books arranged by the authors last name, because I like to organize. It takes some time to put the new books up, because I have so many books (400+) but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Part of them are really organized - divided into fiction area and then a nonfiction area shelved by author or subject. The biography of an author are shelved with the author's books. My other disorganized area is just placed on the shelves. I like to shelve my to be reads just randomly placed so that I end up with a diverse selection and can just pull something out. Even though I probably have more than 1000 books (hubby says more), I can usually find what I'm looking for really easily. Oh yeah, reference books in a reference section.

I have my books arranged by genre not alphabets or by authors which personally I should do but it has been working for me so far doing it this way:-)

Trish wrote: "I have my books arranged by genre not alphabets or by authors which personally I should do but it has been working for me so far doing it this way:-)"

Same :)

I organize through the authors last name. If the author has more then one series then i'll separate the series and put them in series order also. Now if it isn't a series and the author just writes single books but a lot of them i'll organize those by title not by publish date.

Wow, sounds like you guys really are serious about your shelves! haha. I know when I have my own house (currently living in my moms still) I'd love to have a room dedicated JUST to books, my own "library" basically. And I think Each book case will be a different genre (when I do have enough to actually fill a bookcase, if I did that now I'd have two or 3 on each bookcase, which would be ridiculous) And then in each genre I would organize it by Authors last name, and if theres a series I'd put the series in order of books. I'm so excited to keep adding to my collection!

I shelve my books genre-wise, author-wise, and height/width-wise (in that order, lol). Weird, I know. But it's helpful in the way that I just pick up what I feel like reading, whether it's mushy romance or down-right appallingly-horror, it's pretty convenient.

I shelve my books first by genre. Then by height. Then by color. Not exactly in the ROY G. BIV order but just so that the aesthetic is good. I'm kinda neurotic about it. But lately I've been running out of room so I've actually just had to stack books. It's quite painful.

Gorfo wrote: "I shelve my books first by genre. Then by height. Then by color. Not exactly in the ROY G. BIV order but just so that the aesthetic is good. I'm kinda neurotic about it. But lately I've been runnin..."

That, actually, sounds so much like me.

I so love ROY G BIV!

Huma wrote: "Gorfo wrote: "I shelve my books first by genre. Then by height. Then by color. Not exactly in the ROY G. BIV order but just so that the aesthetic is good. I'm kinda neurotic about it. But lately I'..."

Well then you must have a great book ordering system!

By genre...then I have entire shelves of books I haven't read yet...then there's the husband's books...some of the kids books that I haven't given away...sheesh! I'm so glad I bought a kindle, so I won't be adding to the clutter anymore!

I'd love to put them in height order, but at the same time I like the idea of doing it by the Authors last name. From 2006-2007 I actually volunteered at my local library to get community service hours for a scholarship, and I know it bugged the crap out of me when they werent all the same height- or at least arranged that way, but it was so helpful to just scan the labels for the authors last name. I have no idea what I wanna do! lol

i have no order were my books r concerned. i just put them on the shelves in no particular order.

It's interesting to see how other people organize. I have all of my fiction (romance, mystery, sci/fi, etc.) alpha by author. But, my nonfiction I have organized by subject, and then alpha by author within the subject. This is a habit I've acquired from my bookseller days. :)

Very nice. I can't wait to have enough books to start organizing them by genre and author. My collection is rather scarce right now. :/

By Author, but not alphabetical which I should do, & if that Author has a series then I would organize 1st to last from left to right.

Love adding to my small but growing book shelves! :)

By size, color of the book (that's easy as most of the vamp books are black), by genre, by author, and by preference.

Ashlee wrote: "Wow, sounds like you guys really are serious about your shelves! haha. I know when I have my own house (currently living in my moms still) I'd love to have a room dedicated JUST to books, my own "l..."

I'd love that too!

I currently don't have that many books (≈100) so I order mine after color since they are so easy to find anyways. Although if I keep buying books as I do know they'll need a rearrangement.

At the moment I have no order as I'm in between packing and unpacking but once I get it all organized I'll organize them by authors surname, alphabetical titles if I have multiples of an author and series separated

I shelve them by genre and height :) That way it's easier to find the books I'm looking for and it looks more organized. I'm a neat freak, so..
I have a thriller section, a cozy section, a chick-lit section etc... organizing my books actually calms me! I must sound like a freak.

I arrange my books by the author's surname and then in what order the books came out. It might not be the most aesthetic way to organize things but it drives me crazy to have it any other way.

My books are in no particular order. Since my kids are always taking them off and on, they get put back on however they will fit.

I only seem to really organize my books when I move and have to put them back up on the shelf again. Haven't moved in a long time so....

Here's how my husband would answer this question for me: "You shelve your books?"

He'd be right - they lay in piles all over the house until he can't take it anymore, then I stash them on shelves in a haphazard way. He has his own shelves, which are nicely ordered by subject.

See, when I have my own house, I want a room dedicated to books. Like 6 ft tall book shelves on each wall. I want to categorize them. Like have one section for Fantasy, one for Romance, Fiction (like Jodi Picoult), etc...but I HATE when books don't go in size order, but I feel like if there in size order, they won't be alphabetical/organized by Author, and that would suck because I like to be able to find books by Author. (I used to work at a library and I grew used to searching by Authors last name) so I'm all confused. I'm not sure what I wanna do!

I just recently organized my family's book collection, and i did it by type (Fiction or non-fiction) and then by author. The only problem is, my house doesn't have enough shelf space to fit all our books :)

I have my books in estonian together and next to each other, and then the same with my books in english. I've put books from one author together and then the different authors go on one shelf according to their sizes. :D

I keep all the authors together but shelve my books my size! I would love to put them in alphabetical order...some day..lol :)

~Sammy

I like mine arranged really haphazardly, like it was thrown together as I got each book (or so it looks). I generally keep series' together, ESPECIALLY my Harry Potter, which I like to keep right in the middle of my bookshelf.
Right now, however, all of my books are stuffed in bins under my bed because I don't have room for the bookshelf.

My fiction is done by author (then title/series within the author). Non-fiction is by category. Some non-fiction is by size, however, due to space issues.
Manga is kept separate from other fiction and alphabetized by series title, then volume. Star Wars is also separate and in chronological order. Bit OCD but with a couple thousand books, its kinda needed.

I really need to organise my books, at the moment they mostly live in boxes :(

Mine is arranged in several different ways all at once. I have them arranged by size, author, and series. Here's a link to a pic of it, if anyone cares to see. http://photo.goodreads.com/photos/133....

www.mitzisbookreviews.wordpress.com

Mine are arranged according to size. It bugs me whenever I see a big book between small ones.

My shelf is on it's way to it's funeral.. so, right now my books are piled up in no particular order..

Hopefully i'll get a new shelf once i shift to my new home..(which is gonna take a while, coz it's under construction)

:( can't help it..

Now, it's a bit of a mess in my room, due to lack of space and lack of time to reshelve them, so they are kind of random. If I had a new place, I'm still not sure. I think, I would keep the books in English separate from my other books (in my local language, Hungarian), and huge coffee table books from all the rest... and after that, maybe according to author's name, and have a section for Hungarian books and others.

Right now my books are in storage boxes. Only a few are out in public. I don't have a bookshelf so I have to put them in boxes.

I much prefer letting entropy take charge. Then, when I look for something, I find something unexpected that I had forgotten about or an old friend that I loved - then life becomes more exciting. Besides, who wants to arrange by subject or alphabetical order when you could be reading? So my books are in boxes, piles, drawers, cupboards .....and even a few on bookshelves.
I love bookshops like that as well, with books all over the place like Shakespeare and Co in Paris.

I shelve books by genre, and then alphabetically. :)

I shelve mine in milk crates. I read constantly & thanks to Goodreads I always have a new one on order. Also I volunteer at the hospital & senior center & we get many donations. So many books & so little time, but how wonderful.

Oh this is funny...you see, I have a library and used to shelve my books on shelves. Hardcovers in one spot, paperbacks in another (by author) and well...I need a bigger library or more shelving cause my books are being to stack up in other areas now :)

I have 3 bookcases, all filled, and now I shelve by stacking them on a table (tables). I'll never catch up with my books because I'm forever coming across 1 I must have. Such an addiction! I love it and I'll never be lonely.

Soul wrote: "My shelf is on it's way to it's funeral.. so, right now my books are piled up in no particular order..
"

10 Years ago my books were in pile

and now, while they have been through a lot! but they are now in a pile although in sorted pile of sorts