Jean-Luc and I love books, we are great readers.
Two years ago when Jean-Luc moved into this house we has some book shelves built - four in fact. At the time they seemed huge - four six foot bookshelves; surely they would be ample.
Alas as we unpacked, took Jean-Luc's old university books out of storage and started to double stack the books it became quickly evident that No, indeed they were not enough.
We need more shelf space.
A very 1st world problem to say the least.
I guess the problem would be a lot worse if we didn't have Kindles.
However we still buy books as there is nothing like curling up with a real book as the rain lashes down outside and the wind howls and we can snuggle under some blankets with a cup of tea or coffee and some thick, buttery toast.
And so the problem continues to grow.
So as we contemplate where to put another bookshelf (and that corner of the bedroom seems the best place) I have been, as you may have guessed from the pictures, perusing book shelves and other such lovelinesses.
And I'm thinking, perhaps we should start arranging our books according to colour, like some literary rainbow.
It looks lovely but it's not for us - it would mean splitting up books from the same author and sadly, we're far to bookish to do that; after all, how on earth would we find them if they weren't all huddled together in author herds.
So now, contemplating the likelihood of a new bookshelf, we have to decide which books to move upstairs.
As all good bookists/ librarians know, the placement of one's books is a concise science, especially when thinking about the private and public spaces of ones house.
Do we move the favourite, best loved books, those cheap paperbacks and secret sins we have gathered over the years or those deeply worthy but not often read tomes.
Oh decisions, decisions, the most delightful of decisions.
Bare with us in our time of trial.
Bare with us in our time of trial.
Too many books and not enough space here too. But we all love to read and flick and peruse, and I love your image of being inside reading while the weather does its worst outside. Is there anything finer? I agree about colour arranging, couldn't do it, although it does look pretty. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful post, and I am sorry not to have commented sooner but been dealing with some "technology issues".
ReplyDeleteLove your images, looks like you have been searching on Pinterest for "libraries and bookstores" and if you haven't then please don't curse me when you have a peep and falll deeply down the rabbit hole!
I once arranged a room by spine colour - lasted as long as it took to drink a cuppa then I had to have them all off the sehlves and back bay type/genre/author!
Look forward to seeing how things are when you've finished :-)
:-) I have a university librarian friend and she pointed me in the direction of some pictures - and then the rabbit hole opened up..... bliss. I'm glad someone else has tried the spine colour and thrown it out; it looks great but would annoy me beyond words. I love the eccentric and eldritch ways people arrange their books by, every one is so individual and weird but also logical for them. Books are so personal.
ReplyDeleteembarrassed to see all my typo's earlier . . . not used to 'screen keyboard' or whatever you call them but they are really not designed for anyone who can touch type!
DeleteI love the first picture, I can just imagine walking through all those arches into new roomsful of books. It makes me feel so much better about the 'waiting to be read corner' in the bedroom - keep on reading.
ReplyDeleteColour cataloguing is for wool, textiles and embroidery silks.