So, confession time. I have had inadequate shelving for my books for years, and I hate that they end up in stacks. Its hard to keep track of them, I am not always sure what I do or do not have a copy of, etc. So, I am really happy I finally ordered some bookcases that should let me finally sort, organize and see what I have. So, when I go to fill them, I am curious, what shelving strategy should I use? I am sure that I want a functional organization method versus aesthetic (so I’m not sorting by color or size). My initial inclination is to just sort by author last name, but I am also considering making a section for read versus unread, or maybe sorting by genre. So, while I am deciding, I thought I would see what others like to do, what system works best for you (for those of you out there that might be disciplined enough to actually stick to a system.
No real system i think, but i grouped some books based on genre. And the ones i keep in the bedroom are sorted by colour 😀
I think graphic novels and anthologies are the ones I decided to group outside of everything else. The books in my bedroom are always randomly stacked and shift as I read 🙂 I need some organization
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
I have some new bookcases in my office that are for “read” books only, sorted by author’s last name. That’s my typical way to shelve so I can find stuff. Otherwise I’m trying to figure out my piles as well!
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yeah, I was tempted to do that, but wound up just mixing in my read and unread. But they are all much easier to find now!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
I have my books sorted by genre and then by author name within the genre (except for history and historical fiction which are sorted chronologically ). It makes it easier to browse and find things when I’m in the mood for a certain kind of book. My books in my office at work are categorized in a modified Dewey Decimal system…very helpful, but a lot more work to maintain.
That was my thought for potentially splitting by genre, so when I’m in the mood for horror, I could just go to that section, but wound up not splitting. Was more work to think about genres and I just needed to get them shelved 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
Mine are arranged by which series I like best and I also keep them semi-grouped by size. It drives me nuts when there’s a little tiny paperback right next to a giant hardcover.
yeah, I understand why people do that, definitely looks nicer when they are grouped by size
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
I’m like you… piles everywhere! No real system at all. And one of my targets for this summer is to try and declutter and sort out my physical books. But it is an ongoing problem.
shockling, I now have them all shelved except for a couple of small stacks in my bedroom (There will always be some stacks there)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
Oh my goodness, those are quite the stacks there. I break mine down by fiction/nonfiction. All my nonfiction are grouped by subject. Fiction gets broken down by genre. I have Romance, Mystery, SFF (my largest section by far), Fiction (that doesn’t really fit in any genre or is usually shelved in regular fiction at libraries/bookstores), and Classics. I also have a section just for my comics/graphic novels. Within each of those it’s mostly alphabetic by author. I say mostly because since I have so many books and they’re different sizes, I have to get just a tad creative within each individual shelf sometimes.
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yeah, I put all the non fiction in a different room, my new shelves are just my speculative fiction books. Graphic novels and anthologies are the only ones I separated out. I honestly don;t have very many of either
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
How do I organize my books? “Anywhere it fits” is pretty much my philosophy 😛
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste
ha ha ha!!! 🙂 Yeah, thats been my philosophy until I quit being able to find places for them to fit. And quit being able to find books 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
[…] How Do You Organise Your Books? https://tenaciousreader.com/2018/07/21/question-how-do-you-organize-your-books/ Lisa’s question is of interest to me, because my default is also random piles in various […]
I have the books I use as references and for teaching at shoulder height on my study bookshelves with those used maybe once a semester on the next shelf up. The very top (ends at the ceiling) shelf is for signed-by-the-author books which I do not loan out, nor do I ever dust them. LOL In the closet, two shelves are to-be-read books, once alphabetized by author, now just in there higgledy-piggly. In the bedroom, I have a whole shelf of books that constantly yell at me, “Read me next!” and in the breakfast room there are always two small stacks on the table–one stack waiting to be returned o the library and another, which are finished, to be placed outside in the Little Free Library in my side yard. Our living room had a sea chest in it and coffee table or collectors books are inside to be taken out to be admired by guests with similar interests and a drawer as a handy place to keep my Bibles. Sunday School quarterlies and whatever current inspirational book I am reading close at hand to the rocking chair. The only rooms that do not have books in them are the bathrooms and the dining room. I literally live in La Casa del libros!
those “Read me next!” books have overtaken my house! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
Mine are pretty much all sorted by genre. It depends on if you have many genres or sub-genres, whether that would work well. I have business books, children’s books, gardening books, romance, mysteries, sci fi, etc. I have an entire bookcase with just cookbooks! And I have 19 bookcases. I have one now for audiobooks. But I prefer digital these days so I can find if I have something quickly and carry them with me everywhere I go. The unread go in the shelf under my nightstand, but that works because I have such a small number of unread print books. Anne – Books of My Heart.
That’s a lot of book shelves!!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
Well my system, for a number of years, has been to “forget” the book I just read at a coffee shop or somewhere. That way they don’t pile up at all. I faintly recall a website that was a similar premise but have forgotten the name. This method also allows others to potentially read the book as well as I never reread a book, if did it’s extremely rare. Alternatively, I know of a retired librarian who might take a few off your hands, maybe.
There’s Free Little Libraries around that are great for that as well!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
I organize mine mostly by genre.
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Thats what I would like to do at some point, but this time I just had to get things shelved. So, speculative fiction in my new shelves, everything relegated to the bookshelves in the other room
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018
I sort mine by genre (basically it’s fantasy, non-fiction, and the rest of fiction), and then alphabetically by author’s last name, and within each author, by publication date.
I do keep the unread ones separately, although I normally don’t have that many (not as many as you, I bet!) – I suggest that split for you, hehe
I did speculative fiction (with the only genre split within for graphic novels), and then everything else was relegated to the other room. I sorted by author last name, and want to do publication date for author, but was in a bit too much of a rush to make sure I got that right this go round. (Honestly, I havent quite finished sorting by author name, but will get there)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018