How do you organise your books?
by Fran
My husband has finally cracked. Gone are the days when he found my book obsession endearing. Now he utters with increasing exasperation:
‘Must we have books in every room, Fran? On every surface?’
What I see as homely, cosy piles of adventures awaiting my attention, he sees as clutter. So, I have entered a new era of my bookish life: I have enough books to turn my spare room into a library. Floor to ceiling shelves, collected from around the house and not matching in the slightest, line the walls. Piles of books litter the floor, waiting to be organised and shelved. The result? We are both happy: he has a tidier house, and I have a library and can pretend I am Belle from Beauty and the Beast; all be it on a much, much smaller scale.
I face some decisions now. I love my books, but they are all well-read. I turn page corners if one of my dogs has stolen my bookmark to chew, and I have been known (regularly) to drop my book in the bath. Once, I even managed to set both my book and my hair on fire with a candle I had originally assumed would provide glorious reading ambience. When my books found their home all over the house, I had no order to them. I didn’t mind, I thought they looked beautiful, and they always felt like friends despite their disarray.
But now I have the chance to change things up a bit: how should I organise my books?
So far, I have started grouping books in genre and within that, series and author. But some books feel like they need something extra special. My Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon books are precious and therefore need a shelf to themselves. I have different editions of them, just like I do for another favourite of mine, Little Women. My Tolkien obsession needs a shelf of glory, and the Skandar books surely need a flashing neon light announcing their excellence. And what to do with my pretty sprayed edges? Pages facing outwards? I have always lent my books out generously, but I can feel myself tensing at the thought now. What if they don’t return them and my series look incomplete on the shelves? I have decided I want to read all the Kathleen Glasgow books- yes, they are great but think how incredible their pastel colours would look on my shelves!
Send help.
How do you organise your books? Is purchasing a label maker a step too far?
I don’t think my husband knows what he has started here.
