S/O of Genre

ShoeDiva

Shoes!!!!
St.Radial made me think about how others arrange or keep their books in the genre topic. So, do you keep all your books and if so where and how are they arranged?

I have my own office with 5 floor to ceiling book shelves. I have the books all arranged in alphabetical order by author last name. I also have at least 15 piles of books that I do not have room to place on the floor and some have wound up sideways on top of others because I have so many. :soashamed

95% of my books are hardback and until recently I was very bad about keeping all. I am trying to fix that, but I swear the minute I give away a book (or donate) that is the exact one I or a friend wants to read or reread! :huh
If I like an author a lot I will buy all their books. For example; I have all of Janet Evanovich's, Stephen King's, Stuart Woods, James Patterson's, Tom Clancy's, Lee Child's, and Gillian Flynn's books. It can be as little as 3 to as much as 30, but if I like the author I buy them all.

I prefer the real books, but to not have an office that looks like an episode of hoarders I do have hundreds of books on my tablet. I will say I have found quite a few new to me authors that I like with the free prime books. I download about 2 per day free from Amazon.
 
I only have ever had all my books on display once.
Back in 1989 after a breakup with the lady I lived with, I moved into my best friend's house.
His wife (#2) had just left him, and she had a room with bookshelves lining two walls, from floor to ceiling.
At that time, probably 60-70% of my books were paperback (cheaper) and I put them all out, it required a few free standing bookshelves to get it done but I did.
They were not only arranged by fiction and nonfiction, they were arranged by subject, war books together, crime books together, biographies together, etc.
Then each section was arranged by author's last name in alphabetical order.
All the hardbacks were on the lower shelves and the paperbacks were above them.

At my house, where I lived before the wife and I got married and she made me move in with her, I still have all the books I bought while I lived there.
My buddy's daughter who rents the house from us, moved all the books into a spare room.
They are stacked on the floor, taking up a good 1/4 of the room.
We were visiting a while back and I asked her if I needed to get the books moved out.
She replied, no, that she was just fine with them being there, as it was like having her own little library, right there in the house.
She said that she goes in there, looks through a stack, finds something interesting, reads it, then returns it to the room.

My buddy's daughter and son, both of whom I have known since they were born (they are in their very early 30's now) have always thought that their dad's friend stradial was sort of a right wing redneck (and they were not exactly wrong).
While I don't think they ever thought I was stupid, I don't think they thought I was the brightest bulb in the light sockets.
The daughter asked her father, Daddy, did stradial really read all those books?
He told yes he did and probably at least 2 or 3 times with most of them. (he was right)
Then she said something that meant I had a wide range of interests and while she didn't mean anything bad, you could tell she was shocked by that.
I think her brother still thinks that those books belong to someone else and my real books are hidden and most have popups in them.

I have said many times that before I go, I would love to have all my books out and on shelves one more time.
Maybe it will happen.
 
All of the books I have are about God, and Christian living. I don't sort by genre, but according to the aesthetic appearance on the shelves. :)
 
We have a floor to (almost) ceiling ikea bookshelf in MrB's office, and it is full of books and is two deep. It's takes up an entire wall and is full of hardback and paperback and contains mine and MrB's books. My nightstand is full of books (it's a cabinet type), and I have a couple of stacks in my closet in a top shelf corner. I have had a kindle since they came out several years ago, so I also have many e- books. When we moved two and a half years ago, we had to get rid of some, and I have also loaned many out. I rarely get them back when I do, but I don't mind.
 
MrsB said:
We have a floor to (almost) ceiling ikea bookshelf in MrB's office, and it is full of books and is two deep. It's takes up an entire wall and is full of hardback and paperback and contains mine and MrB's books. My nightstand is full of books (it's a cabinet type), and I have a couple of stacks in my closet in a top shelf corner. I have had a kindle since they came out several years ago, so I also have many e- books. When we moved two and a half years ago, we had to get rid of some, and I have also loaned many out. I rarely get them back when I do, but I don't mind.

Two major no no's.
"we had to get rid of some, and I have also loaned many out"
The first one is something I could never do.
The second is something that I have done (and may do again), with the same results as you.
 
I've never sorted my books alphabetically. I used to sort my cassettes (y'all remember those) alphabetically, so I could reach over and grab the one I want without taking my eyes off the road. :))
 
So basically we should all be going to therapy? I am good with that. I like being around others with as many book issues as me. :))
 
deewee said:
I've never sorted my books alphabetically. I used to sort my cassettes (y'all remember those) alphabetically, so I could reach over and grab the one I want without taking my eyes off the road. :))

How can you find the one book you are looking for in hundreds or thousands if you do not sort?
 
ShoeDiva said:
deewee said:
I've never sorted my books alphabetically. I used to sort my cassettes (y'all remember those) alphabetically, so I could reach over and grab the one I want without taking my eyes off the road. :))

How can you find the one book you are looking for in hundreds or thousands if you do not sort?
I just peruse til I find it. LOL. Now, a book that I know I am likely to revisit, over and over, will often be put at the end of a shelf, or someplace I know I can get to easily.
 
ShoeDiva said:
So basically we should all be going to therapy? I am good with that. I like being around others with as many book issues as me. :))

Should be going to therapy?
You mean I have been going all this time and I coulda waited?
 
I have bookshelves in two rooms: bedroom and living room. I try to organize books by subject, but don't do the best. I have a fiction shelf and do not subcategorize by genre, though I do organize by author.

Over the past few years, I've been pretty ruthless in in culling the herd. I need to do it again in the hopes of getting rid of another shelf. I need to seriously ask myself, "Will I read this again?" or "Will I ever use this as a reference?" or, in the case of a few old books, "Is it something I want to keep?"
 
I'm so glad I'm not alone! Lol

Stradial, when I say get rid, I mean we traded them in at a used book store for credit. :)) we got almost $300 in credit at Book Nook in Marietta. :))
 
MrsB said:
I'm so glad I'm not alone! Lol

Stradial, when I say get rid, I mean we traded them in at a used book store for credit. :)) we got almost $300 in credit at Book Nook in Marietta. :))

When I say never get rid of them I mean, never...get...rid...of...them.
:)

My wife, bless her soul, would love for me to trade some of mine in.
:waggingfinger

A have quite a few that are worth a lot more money than what a trade in would be.
I have seen many of the books I have selling for anywhere from $20 up to over $200.
Once I took a paperback book, on the Kennedy assassination, I found in a rare book store up to the counter.
I asked, "Why is this book in a plastic wrapper and why is it priced at $35?"
The man said, "That is a rare book. It was only published in paperback and it didn't sell a lot and it is now a collector's book."
"I guess when I get home, I need to take that soda can off my copy, huh?", I replied.
"I would hope so.", said the man.
 
stradial said:
MrsB said:
I'm so glad I'm not alone! Lol

Stradial, when I say get rid, I mean we traded them in at a used book store for credit. :)) we got almost $300 in credit at Book Nook in Marietta. :))

When I say never get rid of them I mean, never...get...rid...of...them.
:)

My wife, bless her soul, would love for me to trade some of mine in.
:waggingfinger

A have quite a few that are worth a lot more money than what a trade in would be.
I have seen many of the books I have selling for anywhere from $20 up to over $200.
Once I took a paperback book, on the Kennedy assassination, I found in a rare book store up to the counter.
I asked, "Why is this book in a plastic wrapper and why is it priced at $35?"
The man said, "That is a rare book. It was only published in paperback and it didn't sell a lot and it is now a collector's book."
"I guess when I get home, I need to take that soda can off my copy, huh?", I replied.
"I would hope so.", said the man.
:))

These were at least just my true crime books, most of which I picked up at yard sales. Lol
 
MrsB said:
stradial said:
MrsB said:
I'm so glad I'm not alone! Lol

Stradial, when I say get rid, I mean we traded them in at a used book store for credit. :)) we got almost $300 in credit at Book Nook in Marietta. :))

When I say never get rid of them I mean, never...get...rid...of...them.
:)

My wife, bless her soul, would love for me to trade some of mine in.
:waggingfinger

A have quite a few that are worth a lot more money than what a trade in would be.
I have seen many of the books I have selling for anywhere from $20 up to over $200.
Once I took a paperback book, on the Kennedy assassination, I found in a rare book store up to the counter.
I asked, "Why is this book in a plastic wrapper and why is it priced at $35?"
The man said, "That is a rare book. It was only published in paperback and it didn't sell a lot and it is now a collector's book."
"I guess when I get home, I need to take that soda can off my copy, huh?", I replied.
"I would hope so.", said the man.
:))

These were at least just my true crime books, most of which I picked up at yard sales. Lol

The next time you want to unload some true crime books, let me know what you have and I may buy them from you.
 
Nah. I wouldn't seek them to you... I'd give them to you. I have two I am about to read, one about Lizzy Borden and another about Leo Frank. I'll let you know when I am done! I have many others, I'm sure. Most likely Anne Rule.
 
MrsB said:
Nah. I wouldn't seek them to you... I'd give them to you. I have two I am about to read, one about Lizzy Borden and another about Leo Frank. I'll let you know when I am done! I have many others, I'm sure. Most likely Anne Rule.

NO, I will pay for them.

What are the titles on the Lizzy and Leo books.
I wonder if I have read them?
My grandfather used to walk Mary Phagan to Sunday school.
He used to go and put flowers on her grave and tend to it, I went with him a few times.
I bet I can still find it.

Did Lizzy do it?
I say, of course she did, no one else could have.
 
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