your home library

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Two of my dear friends have built beautiful homes. What they share in common are: they are married with children. Their homes have tile floors and fancy countertops. They live in good neighborhoods and followed smart houseplans. Each woman has an eye for decorating; she knows what she wants her home to become.

And neither house has a single bookcase or shelves for books.

:(

At each of their housewarmings, I noticed this and asked where they were going to store their books. Both women told me that they aren't into books. Books are to be read and passed on. The first housewarming took place over the summer, and I mulled it over at the time. But last night was the second gathering, and I sit here stuck in my thoughts about it.

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books?

[blueyecicle]

You know it drives me crazy to hear people tell me "I don't read" :eek: What does that mean?? Does that mean you can't or don't want to? And even better is "I don't do books" ???:confused:
In my childrens room I feel it is SUPER important and they have at least 500 books...of course grandma is a librarian :D

I do not have a book shelf in my livingroom because we only have 1000 SF home but I have boxes stored neatly and we have 4 bookshelves in the playroom.

We also welcome friends to share books and take books. I trade with g/f 's all the time and we go to goodwill to buy books and trade them in when we are done. Now we may only read horror novels! BUT it is reading. My children see me reading and I feel it is of the utmost importance for them to be exposed to books every single day.
We even have childrens and magazines in the bathroom. Even in the smallest home you can store couple books. We are blessed to have so many available for us. Grandma buys books for every birthday/Christmas....we also buy the boys books as presents.

All views, cultures and religions. very important in our home anyways.

The all bring books to me daily and always have.

[Glen Miyashiro]

I've never counted how many books we have... but there are about a dozen store-bought bookcases around the house. I really need to build some shelves on the walls.

[lavagal]

When we bought this house from my in-laws, we inherited a wall of books, in a floor-to-ceiling book case that is probably 15-feet wide. I've got books from ancient times (early 20th century) to modern times and the books continue to pour in what with avid readers all over and within our extended family. My collection is primarily cookbooks, and people give me old ones and I love having so many of them around. We have atlases, a few Time-Life collections, books on art, home improvement, plants, health care, and a trillion story books for kids and adults.

Not having bookshelves is not an option. The two women who were cited as saying they had no need nor room in their lives for books were probably embarrassed for saying so. And if they weren't, then that's kinda sad. They should be.

I probably have more books than money in the bank.

[scrivener]

Pua`i, I swear we were meant for each other. When are you going to come to your senses and get over here?

For as long as I can remember, the location of my books has been a constant awareness, the way the location of my shoes is, or the location of my keys. My parents each had bookshelves that were "theirs," 'though my mom tended to read stuff then pass it along to others, since her reading consisted almost entirely of magazines and novels from Japan -- she would read them then give them to her Japanese-speaking friends who were not as well-connected to a good source. My own limited book-space was a yearly concern: Because I knew I'd be getting books for Christmas (and for my birthday a few days after that), my mom required that every winter before the holidays, I pick out several for donation to the Salvation Army in order to make room for the next year.

When I'm invited into someone's home, one of the first things I look for is the bookshelf (the music shelf is the next). Every time I've had to move from one house to another, the biggest concern has been which books were going to make the move with me. I simply do not understand (and I try) people who do not read. Perhaps that is snotty of me, but I know there are people who don't understand people who don't like seafood, or who don't go to the beach at least once per week, so maybe that wouldn't be a fair assessment of my attitude.

A very, very close friend of mine was engaged to one of my best friends, and in most ways I could think of, it seemed like a good match, except that the guy just doesn't read. I was sure the marriage either wouldn't last or wouldn't happen, and I was right. How much is attributable to that one difference I do not know, but it probably was symptomatic of a few other differences. That's what I think, anyway.

I dream of having a place to live where one whole room is just for books. I have the space now, actually, and keep meaning to set up the extra bedroom for that, but, well, you know how those things go.

ps:
Please don't steal this idea from me, anyone who might be reading this, but I'd like my wedding to be in the Hawaii State Library, in the courtyard. I know that as the guy in this eventual (maybe) relationship, I'll have very little say about things like this, but it would be so cool.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Books have been a gift in my life. They took me off my island, and expanded my ability to think beyond my culture, cirumstances, and era. Although I am quite the internet junkie, ebooks and the sort will never take the place of a hardbound book. I love the smell of old books; those old fonts hold my fascination, as does the feeling of the paper turning beneath my hand.

For the size of our home, a significant % of wallspace are dedicated shelving for books. I considered this a necessity, as we don't live close to a library. It was that way in our home growing up. Nobody was poorer than us, but every dime spent on books was considered money well-spent.

On a tangent, I find that those "home improvement" shows deeply bother me because for all of their luxurious appointments, a family library is never among them. I find websites like this (http://www.creativewood.com/libcust1.htm) one delicious.

[Adri]

/snip My collection is primarily cookbooks, and people give me old ones and I love having so many of them around. /snip.

I love reading old cookbooks. They provide a little window into the times and society in which those recipes were used. When my mom got married, her sister gave her a cookbook (with two aspirin in an envelope taped to the inside cover). Every recipe in there that wasn't a dessert called for ajinomoto (and now we ignore the msg part and if we eat out, we actively try to avoid places that cook with msg). Many old cookbooks call for cream and butter and wine sauces and slow cooking methods that call for roasting and braising and basting. The newer ones tend to focus on quick healthy meals.

Sometimes I will borrow a book from the library or a friend and if I really like it, then I will go out and buy it. Some books feel like old friends upon re-reading. I find it really hard to give many books away but book storage is an issue with me. I am running out of space to keep books.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

another question:

how do you like to read? What is your preferred environment? I have "reading in bed" time, "reading in the parlor" time, and "reading on the porch" time. Different sensory experiences seem to heighten (or detract) from the quality of reading.

As for my girlfriends: I love them dearly, and we have been buddies for years. Still, neither woman prioritizes books, and I have to say that their decorating schemes are consistent with who they are as people. They are good, honest, trustworthy people, neither of whom feel embarrassment for not being "into" books.

[Mike_Lowery]

My personal library (more like a bookcase) contains mostly ethnic studies books. Most friends who visit are shocked that I have "Rolling The R's" by R. Zamora Linmark. "That's a super gay book," they say. Meh...I've always felt that books contain knowledge, experience, and perspectives that can be passed on forever, so I tend to buy some off-the-wall stuff.

[Marco]

Books are to be read and passed on.

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books?
I would say I agree with the above statement. Books are meant to be read, then shared with others. It almost seems a disservice to me not to share it, though I can understand wanting to keep a valuable first edition book in mint condition or something along those lines. We have a bookshelf in our home, but it doesn't have much except old childhood books and school textbooks right now. I used to read all the time growing up, but find I have little enough time these days. I still hold on to my copies of Where the Red Fern Grows, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc. so I can share them with my keikis when they're old enough to read.

I don't really have a "policy" when it comes to books. Sometimes I'll keep it, other times I'll loan it out; I've even bought books for friends when I didn't want to give up my copy. Not many of my friends read for pleasure, anyways.


another question:

how do you like to read? What is your preferred environment? I have "reading in bed" time, "reading in the parlor" time, and "reading on the porch" time. Different sensory experiences seem to heighten (or detract) from the quality of reading.

I can usually only sneak in a chapter or two of "pleasure reading" in-between class and work, but my preferred environment is about 1/2 hour before we go to bed. Sometimes, if my wife and I get some alone time, we'll just go to a coffee shop and read all morning.

[Bard]

It's been an ambition of mine to have a nice sized library for a long time. Now thinking about moving to the islands, we're wondering if it was a good goal... :D

But we have two book-cases here, stuffed top to bottom with books. Literally. The one is all fiction and philosophy books, and most of the shelves or double-deep with books stacked on top. The other is all reference books and comics/graphic novels. We need more shelves really badly but our house is 950sqft so we just don't really have much room for it.

They're in our office, which is the smaller bedroom (and also contains the "geekosphere" :)). There used to be a comfy reading chair in here and a nice bright light, but we moved the chair out to the living room during a rearranging. So now it's not as much of a reading room anymore, but there are plenty of other good reading spots in our house.

I think we have some overflow shelf space in my wife's office area, which is located under a loft bed we built last year. She's short so it works out. =)

Edit: Oh and loaning policy... I actually keep a check-out list because I found that if I don't, books and videos tend to walk away, usually by accident, but it still sucks to go back and want to look at one later and realize it's gone. I've got a few friends I'm reluctant to loan out to now because they tend to come back a lot more worn or smoky (grr).

[pzarquon]

Our own Linkmeister has been quite enthusiastic about a site called Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com/). He's blogged about it here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001572.html) and here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001578.html) and here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001601.html) and here (http://linkmeister.com/blog/archives/002005.html)... It helps you inventory, organize, and search your library, browse others' collections, and -- thanks to the cell phone interface -- check it while browsing the aisles of your library or bookstore to make sure you don't buy a second copy of something you already own.

Link's library of 1,400 titles is here (http://www.librarything.com/profile.php?view=Linkmeister).

Do you keep an inventory of your library? How do you keep it all organized?

[nachodaddy]

Got books everywhere and to my admission, they are not categorized as neatly as they should be. My reasoning is that books are meant to be read and I am afraid that if I find nice happy homes for them, they won't be read as much. I am like that with tools too, I know where they are at, if I find nice happy homes for them, I won't use them and they will collect dust.

Got "going to bed" books next to the bed, tech and gardening books in my office, everything else on horizontal surfaces throughout the house.

Yeah, I lose track of books sometimes but looking for them is in a twisted way, fun.

Everytime I make it to Portland for any length of time, I drop a benjamin at Powell's books. The best bookstore in the entire world. Yes, sometimes I pay more than say Amazon but I am paying for the vibe as well. Kinda like buying a beer in a bar for $3.50. I have also found absolute steals for out of print or used books as well. It all evens out in the end. :)

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Some of my favorite books are the ones with which I heartily disagree. Others are the ones I have inherited from my grandparents, complete with their vehement scribbles along the borders. How they consumed their books! In recent years, they both discovered the "stickie", which revolutionized their commentary.

As for first editions, all pretty and prestine? You can have it. Gimme the bus' up copy. The well-worn one. I want not only the book, but the reactions of those who read them. I want to know if I would come to a similar conclusion or not.

[CranBeree]

i love love love to read...during recess in elementary days...i would be in the library instead of out in the field.. i read shogun when i was 8 yrs old :P anyhow, i am teaching my kids my obsession ...one fiction and one nonfiction book a week. sometimes we miss a week due to other activities but we try.. i used to like Sci-Fi back in high school..now am bent on murder/mystery series, throw in some Christian reading and a few odds & ends.

[Jonah K]

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books?
Book storage is somewhat important to me and most of my homes have a library. However, considering the humidity/mold/mildew issues in Puna, I tend to store my more valuable books off-island. Unfortunately, the bulk of my Hawaiiana books end up being stored in California, while my places in Puna are full of paperbacks purchased at an airport somewhere. :(

As for lending books, I often loan some of my books to colleges and universities. When I was a student, I often borrowed books from them, so I'm happy that I'm able to return the favor. :)

[Leo Lakio]

The Alpha Female & I are packrats - which means that our little one-bedroom condo is very...shall we say, "lived in"? But when we bought the place after renting it for several years, one of the very first homeowner projects was to discard the mishmash of various and sundry bookshelves that had been with us (individually and collectively) for many years, and to install one entire nicely-matching wall of bookshelves in the living room.

They were 80% filled as soon as we put them up, beyond 100% within two years. I have finally reached the point where I have to do the occasional book-purge to the used-book store --- but only so I have space to add NEW books. (Don't get me started on the record and CD library, which is presently nearing 7000 items...)

One thing I do if I learn that a favorite book has gone out-of-print, is to watch the used-book stores for copies, and I snap up every one I find, just so I can give it away to someone.

[Leo Lakio]

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

~~~Groucho Marx~~~

[Linkmeister]

Gee, Pzarq, you might have let me brag my ownself. :D

Here's a pic (http://flickr.com/photos/56759872@N00/58113506/) of what the main library/bedroom area looked like while in the midst of cataloging books for LT.

Mine's not organized at all on the shelves, except that most books by the same author are together.

[blueyecicle]

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

~~~Groucho Marx~~~

What no one has heard of a diamond?? Oh, wait that's a woman's best friend!:rolleyes:

[Bard]

Everytime I make it to Portland for any length of time, I drop a benjamin at Powell's books. The best bookstore in the entire world.

Yes!! I am (un)fortunate enough to have my office about 3 blocks from Powell's... that place is both a joy and a bane. :)

To answer Pz's catalog question, I used to have a custom web app I wrote to do it, with a check-out system and everything. I got too lazy to update it to work with the large numbers of items though, so it fell out of use... now I just manually search through the shelves if I want something, and use a Sticky on the desktop with who has what "checked out". :D I looked into Delicious Library for a while after getting an iMac with a webcam built in, but the barcode recognition was atrocious. Maybe it works better on the non-integrated iSights.

[Linkmeister]

Library Thing has a supply of :CueCats which will read barcodes and scan them into its system.

http://www.librarything.com/blog/2006/10/cuecats-back-in-stock.php

[lihingmui]

I love books and have more books than bookshelves. I long for the day when I have enough shelf space for all of them. I love the look of books on shelves.

I do have a problem getting rid of books. Confession: I once donated a bunch of books to the local library for their annual sale. There I was, bright and early Saturday morning to buy my books back! OK, in my defense, I didn't buy them all back.

[Honoruru]

Confession: I once donated a bunch of books to the local library for their annual sale. There I was, bright and early Saturday morning to buy my books back! OK, in my defense, I didn't buy them all back.

That’s funny! I can relate to that.

As for me, I love books, but have a serious space problem. Over the years I’ve been forced to get rid of most of my books for one reason or another. That was painful. Now, I’m left with a single ready-to-assemble bookshelf (where once there were four), and stacks and stacks of books next to my bed, and on my bed as well. I would love to have a room that I could dedicate to books, and buy back all that I got rid of ... and more, of course! :)

[Bard]

Library Thing has a supply of :CueCats which will read barcodes and scan them into its system.

Interesting. I have a cousin who worked for Digital Convergence for a while.

[U'ilani]

Two of my dear friends have built beautiful homes. What they share in common are: they are married with children. Their homes have tile floors and fancy countertops. They live in good neighborhoods and followed smart houseplans. Each woman has an eye for decorating; she knows what she wants her home to become.

And neither house has a single bookcase or shelves for books.

:(

At each of their housewarmings, I noticed this and asked where they were going to store their books. Both women told me that they aren't into books. Books are to be read and passed on. The first housewarming took place over the summer, and I mulled it over at the time. But last night was the second gathering, and I sit here stuck in my thoughts about it.

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books?I think regardless of income level, some people are drawn to books and others simply aren't. I grew up in a very modest house, and yet my parents were avid readers. I have friends here who live in luxury homes but enjoy filling their nights watching reality t.v. shows rather than reading. Also, I think having young children makes reading very difficult--especially if you work outside the home and are still nursing, zapping you of all your energy (a situation I was in for several years, during which time I was definitely "not into books"). Now that my kids are older, I am making up for lost time by reading 1 to 2 books per week.

Regarding book storage, I have a built-in bookcase in the walk-in closet of my home office (one of the main reasons why I wanted to buy this house). I must admit, though, that I am very unorganized, and so my books are primarily stored in scattered places--the top of the dryer in the laundry room, clumped up behind my laptop on my desk, on top of the weight scale in the bathroom, and even tucked into the railing of my son's bed. I also always carry a book with me in my purse.

[amethyst9]

I'm hopelessly addicted to books. After I've moved (twice in the past 6 years, after living in the same place for 17 years) and have donated books, when I got to the new place I missed some of them and had to replace them. But they don't always have the same cover, they're reissues. *sigh* It shouldn't matter...

My family loves to receive author signed books. Why would you want to give those away ?

And then there are those gems I've found by serendipity - the first editions. I have to keep those. Maybe I'll sell them someday, but we'll see.

And I love some illustrators of children's books. I have no grandchildren, but I collect these and probably wouldn't want them to be handled by a young child.

I've given up on cookbooks, though. I used to like buying these, especially the ones with lots of writing about the ethnic background of various dishes. Now I just go online for recipes.

Many times I buy books at second-hand stores now (or library book sale.) I'm trying to keep them confined to the one large and two small bookcases I own. If I'm tempted to buy a new book, I try to weed out one or two first, but it's not easy.

I have a lot of travel guides, too. These I do recycle and update from time to time... not a lot of re-sale value in them, though.

[amethyst9]

Pua`i, I swear we were meant for each other. When are you going to come to your senses and get over here?

For as long as I can remember, the location of my books has been a constant awareness, the way the location of my shoes is, or the location of my keys. ... My own limited book-space was a yearly concern: Because I knew I'd be getting books for Christmas (and for my birthday a few days after that), my mom required that every winter before the holidays, I pick out several for donation to the Salvation Army in order to make room for the next year.

When I'm invited into someone's home, one of the first things I look for is the bookshelf (the music shelf is the next). Every time I've had to move from one house to another, the biggest concern has been which books were going to make the move with me. I simply do not understand (and I try) people who do not read. ...

A very, very close friend of mine was engaged to one of my best friends, and in most ways I could think of, it seemed like a good match, except that the guy just doesn't read. I was sure the marriage either wouldn't last or wouldn't happen, and I was right. How much is attributable to that one difference I do not know, but it probably was symptomatic of a few other differences. That's what I think, anyway.

I dream of having a place to live where one whole room is just for books. ...

ps: Please don't steal this idea from me, anyone who might be reading this, but I'd like my wedding to be in the Hawaii State Library, in the courtyard. I know that as the guy in this eventual (maybe) relationship, I'll have very little say about things like this, but it would be so cool.

Hey, that's a beautiful setting for a wedding ! Good luck on bringing it to fruition. You may start a tradition!

My son had the same problem as your friend, with the girl he was dating. She wasn't a reader. She's a sweetheart, there are worse things in life than not being a reader, but our family always has reading material around and carries it with us... and it's a culture shock to meet people not like that.

[amethyst9]

Our own Linkmeister has been quite enthusiastic about a site called Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com/). He's blogged about it here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001572.html) and here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001578.html) and here (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001601.html) and here (http://linkmeister.com/blog/archives/002005.html)... It helps you inventory, organize, and search your library, browse others' collections, and -- thanks to the cell phone interface -- check it while browsing the aisles of your library or bookstore to make sure you don't buy a second copy of something you already own.


Do you keep an inventory of your library? How do you keep it all organized?

Mahalo for the inventory link. I'm checking it out now.

I don't inventory my library, except one section (religious, since I may loan out something rare from this one and want it back.) I often end up shelving by size, since different shelves have different heights. I try to keep hardcover valuables out of direct light. Most children's books are together. Most travel guides are together. Paperbacks are often stuck behind others to save space.
If I have books on a similar topic, they are roughly next to each other. Topics I have (mentally) are Polynesia, Asia, China, Civil Rights, Harlem Rennaissance, Jazz, Crafts, Gardening, various National Geographic (publisher), Self-Help, Poetry. I rarely have more than 2 books by the same author. Fiction gets the leftover spaces.

I do inventory my music and try to cross-reference by artist and side artists and genre and date and instrument. (et al) When I've moved and weeded out books, I know which ones I miss after I get settled and usually am able to replace them. But for music I miss terribly all my old LPs. Achingly miss them. They can rarely be replaced. And sometimes I miss the jacket of the LP as much as the album. A CD facsimile just doesn't convey the same thing as the LP jacket did. And sometimes they are changed and the liner notes are tiny and hard to read!

So, a bit of advice. When you have to choose, choose to shed your books before you do your music. Even if the album was a cassette or CD, if it is rare, you may have to wait years to replace it, if at all. One time, a new CD came out with the same title as the old album, but the songs were in a different order and it wasn't the same! I had to wait years for it to be re-released as it was originally. Even if you make CDs with various favorite songs from many artists, there may come a day when you want to burn a new CD including an obscure song from one of your discarded albums. And no one will have it, because it wasn't a 'hit' song.

Occasionally, I try to rate my 'things' by favorites and put away some of the others. If I don't miss the ones stored away, or want to get one out to reference it, then I know that I can part with it.

:) I love all you book lovers!

[scrivener]

Pua`i, I thought of you when I saw this:

30 of the Most Creative Bookshelves Designs (http://freshome.com/2008/02/25/30-of-the-most-creative-bookshelves-designs/).

[Mokihana]

Two of my dear friends have built beautiful homes. What they share in common are: they are married with children. Their homes have tile floors and fancy countertops. They live in good neighborhoods and followed smart houseplans. Each woman has an eye for decorating; she knows what she wants her home to become.

And neither house has a single bookcase or shelves for books.

:(

At each of their housewarmings, I noticed this and asked where they were going to store their books. Both women told me that they aren't into books. Books are to be read and passed on. The first housewarming took place over the summer, and I mulled it over at the time. But last night was the second gathering, and I sit here stuck in my thoughts about it.

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books?


Oh my goodness. If I had a big enough house, I would have an entire room dedicated to books, i.e., a library (room). I have books everywhere, threatening to take over my entire house right now!

I have 3 books that I'm reading in the house; I'm listening to another on tape or CD in my car, and I'm reading another one while I'm doing cardio at the gym.

Books that I love I keep. I am a voracious reader. If I can't afford to buy the book after searching online for the lowest price, then I borrow them from the library.

I have a pretty big collection of Hawaiian books, including keiki stories, Hawaiian history, music and language, coffee table books, you name it. Those I don't pass on.

Come to think of it, I usually keep the books I buy. Because I like to be able to go back and read them all over again. Books are my friends and I like being surrounded by them.

I've been thinking about doing Library Thing. If I could stop reading long enough to do it!

My kids are voracious readers, too. I used to read to them every single night when they were little, and we'd make regular trips to the library, when only the librarian limited the number of books they could borrow. I think the gift of reading is one of the best things I gave to my girls.

I live within 30 minutes of Powell's and Borders. Ah.. Powell's. I could camp out there for a week. At least.

Now some paperbacks that are just fun reads I recycle through Bookcrossing. That is FUN!

I guess I should mention that I am absolutely addicted to the smell of new books. :o

[zztype]

Oh my. In my book (har har), if I went to the trouble of buying or acquiring a book, and took the time to read it, I'm keeping it pretty much forever. In this house it means that books are crammed into any and every available cranny.

All this literature is much to my wife's chagrin.

She is Japanese, brought up in a very austere space. They divested "excess" constantly. They kept all living spaces sparse and clean, with only the simplest, most utilitarian of furniture and decoration.

Felix Unger, meet Oscar Madison.

I have been asked if I am a "collector," since I have so much "stuff" of many genre. My reply is that, no, I am no collector, rather I am an "accumulator." My scrutiny is far looser than any collector. I err on the side of keep.

To that end, I have hundreds of books of all kinds, most which I have read multiple times, stashed all over the house on shelves, in boxes, in bins, in between the shelf and the wall, under the table.

It is a cardinal sin to move, rearrange, clean or dispose of any of my stuff! I know where it all is! If you move it, I'll be lost!

Aiyah! TMI! :D

Blaine

[pzarquon]

30 of the Most Creative Bookshelves Designs (http://freshome.com/2008/02/25/30-of-the-most-creative-bookshelves-designs/).When I saw the link, I was sure that this bookshelf design (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/19/library-built-into-a.html) was going to be among them. Grab a book, and sit on a "shelf" to read it!

[Mokihana]

When I saw the link, I was sure that this bookshelf design (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/19/library-built-into-a.html) was going to be among them. Grab a book, and sit on a "shelf" to read it!

Wow!! Amazing.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

this is more my speed:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1220_superlibraries/image/diamond.jpg
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1220_superlibraries/image/shelflife.jpg

[Mokihana]

this is more my speed:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1220_superlibraries/image/diamond.jpg
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1220_superlibraries/image/shelflife.jpg

That second one! I going kapu that one!! I love it!! Two whole rooms of books!

[WindwardOahuRN]

All my books are in boxes right now. We're doing flooring in the room they were in. I gave away a huge number of nursing and medical books to a nursing student my husband works with---I never look at the damn things anymore but she may find them interesting. I kept the poetry books and cookbooks. I will dump some ridiculously out-of-date travel books. Due to lack of space I really have to consolidate down to the best-loved and most-used.
I want to read some classics again. Hemingway, Bronte, et al, to see how I view them after the passage of time. Heck, I might even read "The Red Pony" again.
I doubt that my high school brain did it justice.
I grew up with an entire set of the "Harvard Classics" within arm's reach and barely gave a nod to them. I'd love to have them now. I do believe my brother sold them on E-Bay.

[Bob P]

Two of my dear friends have built beautiful homes. What they share in common are: they are married with children. Their homes have tile floors and fancy countertops. They live in good neighborhoods and followed smart houseplans. Each woman has an eye for decorating; she knows what she wants her home to become.

And neither house has a single bookcase or shelves for books.

:(

At each of their housewarmings, I noticed this and asked where they were going to store their books. Both women told me that they aren't into books. Books are to be read and passed on. The first housewarming took place over the summer, and I mulled it over at the time. But last night was the second gathering, and I sit here stuck in my thoughts about it.

Books are to be hoarded and treasured like the precious they are. We wants them, oh yes we wants them precious.

I've several bookcases - one in the family room that's got favorites, 3 in my office that has the second string and 2 in the attic that have the books I don't want to part with but aren't something I'm likely to read again anytime soon.

then there are a few boxes with the overflow.

As far as lending, there are a few close friends and family members I trust enough to a) return the book and b) return it in good condition to lend them out to, the rest of the world only gets it if I don't care about getting it back.

Stuff I don't want anymore gets donated to the local library or Senior Center.

How important is book storage in your home? How important are books in your life? What is your "policy" about reading/keeping/distributing books