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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I need YOUR help!

I went to put some books away in my home library and realized that not only am I running out of room, but I am also needing a new system.

For awhile I have been alphabetizing the books by authors last name. This worked for awhile, but I got tired of having to move shelves down here and there for more space. It got to be too much.

My problem is how to organize my shelves. I have A TON of books. The books I have read and decided to keep are mixed in with the books I have not read yet. I like the look Kristi from The Story Siren has. Where all the books are grouped together by color.

My question for you is this:

How do you have your shelves organized? By series? By Author or color? Do you keep your books that need to be read separate from the ones you have read? What do you do if you have read part of a series and not the rest?

Come on people I need your help!!! Help me organize!

20 Comments:

LibraryGirl said...: Right now most of the books that I still need to read are on a bookshelf in our bedroom. Unless it is a series where I want to start over from the beginning, then those are just in with the main books. The main bookshelves are organized by author and series. We do have one shelf that will only hold paperbacks due to size so if it is a series that we have all in paperback or a stand alone paperback it goes on that shelf.

Our problem is that my two year old likes to take books off one bookshelf and put them on another so even though they start out organized we never know where things are going to end up!

I also need another bookshelf just for the non-fiction and those get loosely grouped by topic.; November 9, 2010 at 9:02 AM
D Q said...: I have my books (and I have a lot of them) organized by author. I'm trying to push myself to also organize by genre but haven't gotten that far yet.; November 9, 2010 at 9:15 AM
Chelsea / Vampire Book Club said...: The main bookshelves are grouped by author and series -- these are most of my favorites. Then, other books are grouped by review copies and the overwhelming to-be-read is actually three stacks on the desk in my office. (Sad, I know. I need another bookshelf badly.); November 9, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Fi-chan said...: Sadly, I have VERY LITTLE books compared to a lot other people, so I don't really organize them. In fact, I don't have a bookshelf, no place for one right now (but I'm going to make my dad make/get one for me soon :D ) I try to keep the series together though. and since they're quite little, and I usually know if I've read the book, so no I don't keep them seperated.; November 9, 2010 at 9:42 AM
Anonymous said...: Lol I've never heard of anyone arranging their books by colour before. A good a way as any I suppose. I'm afraid I'm not that organised. Mine are either on a read shelf or a TBR shelf. Other than that they are not in any order.; November 9, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Anna said...: My books are organized by the authors last name by each shelf... not as a whole. If that makes sense. When my book addiction started I was keeping all of my books but I started to run out of room real fast. Now I am really picky, If I know I'm not gonna read it again.. it goes.; November 9, 2010 at 9:45 AM
Eleni said...: Ah we all have the same issue! Usually I put them by series. I have all of my review books separate so that way it won't turn into a scavenger hunt. Hope that helps -- good luck with organizing them. :); November 9, 2010 at 9:56 AM
Brandi said...: I have my books organized by genre and then if they are series grouped together.; November 9, 2010 at 10:08 AM
L. Diane Wolfe said...: The oak bookshelf in our living room is all hardbacks of favorite authors, but the other seven shelves are grouped by genre. (Yes, we have a lot of books. There's two boxes in the closet, too.); November 9, 2010 at 10:24 AM
Midnight Thief said...: I usually try to sort my books by author, but lately that has been more effort and time than I have available, so I just put my books where I have room on my shelves. I DO keep the books I've read and the books I haven't on different bookcases, though. It makes it easier, and it shows me how big my TBR pile is. I can look over at my TBR books and be able to pick one to read easily, because I don't have to look at the books I've already read as well. I like the whole color-coordinated thing, but then that would separate series and authors and such. If there's one thing I make sure of if I can't have my shelves in alphabetical order, it's to keep author works or series together. It makes it easier then to find sequels and such.; November 9, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Sandy Jay said...: Books I intend to keep are in their own bookshelves in the bedroom. Books I've read and not keeping are in boxes in the closet waiting for a new home. The TBR books are in the computer/library room and are divided into stand-alone and series books. Because I have to read series books in order, I have those separated. First books in a series that I haven't started yet and the next book in one that I have started are grouped together while books that are further along in the series and can't be read yet are grouped together. I try to keep all groups alphabetized by author.; November 9, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Carrie E Rundhaug said...: When my library gets done being renovated the books will be organized some what by genre then author. When we bought our new house there was a bonus. Outside there is a shed that is divided into two sections so one is mine. We are in the process of getting the exterior walls redone. Once that is finished we have to put insulation in and then drywall it. I cant wait cause my books are currently in boxes except the ones I just bought or Review Copies. Once we get it finished I will be creating the perfect space for my books and hopefully they will stay somewhat organized. One idea I had was to instead of completely being organized say all authors with the last name starting with a, b, c etc. go on one shelf these letters go on the next that way its at least some what alphabetized.; November 9, 2010 at 3:28 PM
Anne said...: I completely get what you mean! It took me forever to figure out my system of booshelves when I moved. The way I finally ended up going with was pretty weird. I have a Harry Potter/Percy Jackson Shelf, a small immediate TBR pile, a favorites shelf, an assorted paperbacks shelf, a hardcover shelf, and then a few other random stacks of books. On the other two bookshelves I have, I have my books to get rid of/trade/contest books, and then I have a really old books (meaning classics) and books from my childhood shelf. Not the most effective way to do it, but its whats easiest for me!; November 9, 2010 at 3:49 PM
Patti (@TheLoveJunkee) said...: I have a "keeper" bookshelf of books I've read and plan to re-read. Those are by author. My TBR bookshelf is sorted by genre, with books I've obligated myself to review on top in release date order. So far it works for me!; November 9, 2010 at 4:19 PM
Rebecca Chapman said...: Most books that I have already read are packed away in chests. I have an inventory of every book i own, so if i want to re-read something i look in the list to remind myself of what i have.

Then I have 2 full bookshelves of books that I haven't read yet.

THIS MAY COME AS A SHOCK - They are not arranged in way at all! When i get them, I put them on the shelf. I do try to keep tall books to the outer edge of the shelf and I do try to keep authors together, but I am not fanatical about it.

Generally speaking, where ever it fits on teh bookcase - thats where it goes.

I would be interested to know why poeple arrange their personal book cases in any order? What am i missing?!; November 9, 2010 at 6:42 PM
Vicky B said...: My shelves are alphabetized by author's last name, but I also have a "special" shelf for my anne rice novels, twilight novels, and tolkein novels.; November 10, 2010 at 7:49 AM
Anonymous said...: Oooh!

I have four bookshelves.

1. YA and children's.
2. To-be-read.
3. Split Fiction/Non-Fiction/Writing
4. "School" or "Classic" reading and anthologies.

Everything is organized by Author's last name.; November 10, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Pat Cochran said...: My books are divided into four
sections, & each section is alphabetized.

1. Autographed
2. Keeper
3. Already read
4. Unread

I'm trying to keep this as simple
as possible, although I will be getting two more shelving units
because I do need more shelves.

Pat Cochran; November 10, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Unknown said...: ooh, ooh, I can comment on this one. That just felt like I was back in kindergarten with hands waving ;)
Unless you have unlimited space to be able to maintain a duplicate shelving system, you will have a very hard time finding ANY system that that will completely solve your problems without doing what I do.(I'll get back to that in a sec) My books are in mostly located in my library room of the house which is approx 10x10. I keep most of my PNR's & UF's together in this room, on these shelves & are filed by author last name & then in series order & I add the newest book next in line of that author/series. (If you are anything like me, you will never have enough shelves, movable or fixed) Me & hubby built a whole wall book shelf. They have long runs of rows like the bookstores. "IF" you leave spaces at the end of each row then you can push the books down and fill in. My shelves are built & fixed & are approx 2 inches taller then mass markets. What few Trade size books I own, go somewhere else in the house but I don't buy trades unless I have too. I wait for them to re-release in mm. Being bloggers you can't control what size book you have to review, I get that. I have an book bible that is quite frankly scary to people who avoid Type A people like me. Anal organizer Is the best I can describe me but I'm mostly only like this with my books. Did you catch the mostly part? ;) My bible book list goes everywhere with me it's attached like my hip to my leg. It is typed in excel and printed once every year. These sheets are cut down to size & punched to fit in a 3 inch thick 6x4 three ring zip binder. I have 6 diff sized columns. First column is Authors, in alpha order by last name. Second is a small section where I type T for Trade, E for Ebook, H for Hardcover & so on. The third one is named Series-I Need, Fourth is named Series-I Haves, Fifth is authors w/other names & pseudo names & this is the biggie Sixth column. This is a very small column witch looks like a lil box in excel with all the lines & columns.This box is where I place a check mark in knowing I read this book. This list was a huge under taking but once you get everything documented & listed you will never be lost. I see T for trade and I know that book is in a different room in author last name order on its bookshelf and same with the rest of the genres I have that aren't PNR's & UF's. Also in excel there is copy & paste option to keep things together when you copy & paste, that is what keeps things together without each column moving up or down without the other columns. This is great for when I go to add & update my list. Oh, I forgot.. I also leave blank spaces between each sets of authors so as they come out with other series I can just write it in manually & add to my list later when I update in January. How's that for a mouthful? Have a great day and good luck :); November 10, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Alexa said...: I have all of my adult romance books on a separate shelving unit and my YA and everything else on a huge wall unit. I have them then done by author's last name and if they are in a series they are in order of the series.; November 10, 2010 at 7:28 PM

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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I need YOUR help!

20 Comments:

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