Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion
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How do you organize your books?
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[deleted user]
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Dec 16, 2009 11:42AM
I'm not sure I trust speed reading. Is that that same as skimming?
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I believe skimming is one method of speed reading. I just know I couldn't get the hang of it. Although, there defintely has been some books that I have read where I wouldn't have minded skimmimg.
Yeah, I've been guilty of skipping a lot of pages out of sheer disgust. Those are not good days.
I never skip pages, but I do sometimes just skim them but I usually end up going back and rereading the skimmed section properly anyway because I get confused. Anyway, back on the topic of organising books... I've just ordered a new bookcase, so this weekend I'll be reshelving my books. My boyfriend can't understand why I'm getting excited about the prospect of shuffling books around lol.
Kathryn wrote: "I never skip pages, but I do sometimes just skim them but I usually end up going back and rereading the skimmed section properly anyway because I get confused. Anyway, back on the topic of orga..."
I understand. I shuffle my books around on a regular basis just for the fun of it, lol!
Mod
I have a weird system of organization, but it works very well for me. I have the title of every book I own in a file on my computer (alphabetically), along with the book page length and key words relating to each book's content, and their location in the house. I have my ebooks and audiobooks filed here as well. I participate in a lot of reading challenges, so I have another file that contains all books that fit into any of the challenges (for quick reference). I have my books physically stored first by size then alphabetically by title. The only genres that are separated are cooking/craft books and children/YA books (those are in the kids' bookshleves). I also have one bookcase that is mostly dedicated to books in series. I have the books I most want to read on my tbr pile on Goodreads, but I don't have them all listed (because my tbr pile would be bigger than my "read" pile!).
@ Diane, I don't think your system is weird at all, I'm impressed! I've been working slowly, but surely to catalogue all my books on my computer, and find myself getting a little frustrated. Maybe I'm not using the right program.
I try to keep my books organized... When we finally finished our basement the only thing I wanted was a HUGE bookshelf. Well, my husband came through and built a wall to wall unit that now is full! The classics are along the very top shelf along with books that are not age appropriate for my children. The second shelf cases the hardcovers, the third shelf contains the teen/junior fiction and chapter books, the fourth shelf holds all the picture books and the very last shelf has board books and puzzle-books (word searches, crosswords). I would love to categorize and record all the books/authors so I don't end up buying duplicates but so far that has only happened twice!
I don't organize... unless it's just separating hardcovered and paperbacks. I don't like to discriminate or order my books in any way so they are all haphazarded in my shelves. I love it...
I have 7 bookcases so I need to keep things in order!Blue bookcase, 6 big shelves-this is my UF/PNR and horror bookcase. Top shelf hardbacks, next shelf YA big paperbacks, then assorted big size paperbacks, bottom 3 shelves packed with normal size paperbacks sorted by series. I've got so many just now that they are all stacked in piles where you can't see the titles!
Grey bookcase/red bookcase, each with 6 big shelves, side by side-Top 3 shelves on each have my general fiction A-Z by author(big size paperbacks)Red unit shelf 4 has my bookcrossing tbrs, grey unit shelf 4 has my mountain expedition/disaster tbrs. Red unit shelf 5 and 6 have my war and history oversize books, Grey unit 5 and 6 have my mythology, Ancient Egypt, vampire legend books. At the back of all these shelves are my books available for trade.
Black bookcase 1, 5 shelves-at the back of my shelves are normal sized paperbacks from my personal collection. At the front are my Tudors, political biographies, entertainment biographies and true crime.
Black bookcase 2, 2 big shelves-All my biggest books ie Civil War, history, encyclopedias.
Black Bookcase 3, 3 shelves-top has dvds, middle has Harry Potter collection, bottom has other childrens books.
Black Bookcase 4, 3 shelves-top has Wii/PS games and my Elvis dvd collection, middle has James Bond dvds and companion guides to my favourite shows, bottom shelf has cricket dvds and Berenstain Bears books!
I have another 3 shelf bookcase purely for film dvds. You can see why I belong in this group!!!
I have two 5-shelf bookcases in my bedroom. One is double-deep with TBR books which spills over to the top shelf of the second bookcase. My TBR books are all in alphabetical order according to authors. The second shelf is my Agatha Christie leatherbound collection and the books I want to keep and re-read. The next three shelves are motivational books, some cookbooks (the rest are on a 3-shelf bookcase in the dining room), decorating books, Civil War books, etc.
my method of organizing madness (aka non-existant)...lol!1.go to borders/ B&N/ order books from Amazon/ troll used bookstore
2.get home, remove books from bag, place books in random stacks on dining room table
3.decide to clean, move random stacks of books from dining room to study and stack haphazardly on bookshelf
4. buy more books for the heck of it
5. go searching for a book you swear you have, and spend an hour rooting around in the bookshelves...
6. stack all newly purchased/obtained books on the desk and put into goodreads
7. replace the random stacks on the shelves...
so basically, i never know where any of my books are ;)
I live in a very small house and have bookcases in every room, including the kitchen and basement. They are wherever I can fit another bookcase. Then there are a couple of stacks on the floor, too. And the twin beds in the spare bedroom have bookshelf headboards. The to-be-read pile is next to the bed. My books are generally organized by category, then by author. I would like to have them to then be arranged alphabetically, but I also have to fit them all in the available space. I find it difficult to get rid of a book unless I really didn't like it.
My books are by author and also by subject. My medical type books are in a small black bookcase and my Norah Lofts books have a glass case. My husband has his own book cases which I do not touch. He owns hundreds of technical books.
There are still plenty that need to be organized tho. I can't find one of my very rare books and fear hubby put it in the basement. I have asked him repeatedly about it.
There are still plenty that need to be organized tho. I can't find one of my very rare books and fear hubby put it in the basement. I have asked him repeatedly about it.
I've got one BIG shelf that covers my whole wall, which probably is 4metres width and 2 metres in height? Anyway, I place my books in accordance to my height, favourite books right in front of me and everything else that I love surrounds them, In my favourites I order them by, size and in series/ or if they're by the same author, then I organise that by favourite book of that author.Not so much like, maybe a 0-3 rating, goes on the bottom right on the lowest shelf (I hate bending down to reach things); Loved ones go by how big it is, author/series.
=)
Joseph wrote: "Schnaucl, are you sure you want me to answer that question? You are asking a librarian, you know. lolOk, here I go.
In my appartment I currently have 10 bookshelves in my living room, for a t..."
I think i'm in love!
Kate.x.
i have mind by when i read them but if it is series they are all together. i also have a post-it with ~ rating on it. anything under a two i give away
My organization system is probably pretty puzzling to anyone but me. I have a small home and only have three book shelves. I have a large one in the living room and a large and medium size one in a spare bedroom.I like my favorites to be right there when I look at the shelf. I put my favorites at eye level on the living room shelf and work my way down, keeping each series together. Not that I dislike the others...I just tend to reread my favorites and, for some unexplained reason, I feel like they represent me...like they are an indicator of my personality or something...so I want those to be the ones that people see first thing when they look at my shelf. The stuff in my spare bedroom tends to be things that I loved and can't bring myself to part with but probably won't reread. The smaller shelf is mostly novelty stuff, quotation books, yearbooks...whatever is left.
I am fortunate enough to have space for one giant 9' wide by 6' tall bookcase in the living room - it is all fiction alphabatised by author's last name. Then there are two more "regular" bookcases on each side of the couch one holds non-fiction by topic and the other holds new books to be integrated into the other book cases as well a my two "collections" Nancy drew and victoria holt. Then I have four bookcases in my craft room that hold all my craft books by craft and all my paperbacks by author last name. I use an App caled Book mobile to keep track of what I have. I have been known to buy the same book twice :)
I currently have 3 book shelves which are loosely organized by topic/genre. But I need to reorganize them because some series need more space and some sections have grown.
No organizing any more... when I realized that organizing my books had turned into an hours long workout that would leave me panting and trembling, I gave up lol. And that was just the books I wanted to read first. I have books triple stacked in one book shelf in my walk in closet, a couple of boxes of books beside those, a couple of boxes of books in my bedroom and a couple of shelves of unread and read books in my office. I have a night table full of books that will be read next. I'm just concentrating on those now.
You all are making me feel very disorganized....because I have very little organization when it comes to my books. With over 700 books, I just don't know where to begin. I do keep a basket by my main bookshelves in which I place books that belong to others (my friends and family do a lot of swapping)...but other than that, it is pretty much hit and miss. I am always coming across another book that I forgot that I had....a pleasant surprise. Maybe I need to hire a librarian to put some order to my collection!!!!!
I have 4 shelves, and they are deep enough that I've had to double layer my books just to get more organized. I have too many tucked away in boxes.
Right now i live with my parents and so I have books all over the place, in 5 rooms, but I plan on having a system when I move out.
I try to go by author, as i have and collect quite a few favorites!
Since my husband and I are both incredible book junkies, we have an enormous library. I use a database to keep track of our books (book collector 7.1 pro). We have book cases dedicated to Sociology, Journalism, Psychology, Philosophy, Political Science, Bibliographies/Autobiographies, Classic Literature, Poetry (famous and local poets), Plays and Novels, Religions from around the world, Hobbies/Arts & Crafts, and we have a separate children's library that is split into infant, toddler, series, teen,ghost hunting, fairy-tales/folklore/stories from around the world and Kids Arts & Crafts.
Personally I enjoy NOT having my books organized in any way. For me it's all about the chaos--I like knowing that I can look at my shelves and have no idea what I'll see. I also enjoy having books everywhere, e.i. on the floor, on the window sills, on the bedside table, on the couch, on the actual bookshelves...There is something about having books tucked away all over my apartment that makes me feel comfortable. :)
I organize them by genre around my house, and all of my favorite authors that are in the same format (most of them just mass market size) I have on a special shelf, so I can look at them every day. It's a weird sense of satisfaction just to look at a massive book collection.
This is an ongoing battle in my house, as my husband is just as OCD as I am about our books. I insist on having the shelves organized by size/type of book. Trade paperbacks, large hardbacks, small hardback, coffee table books, etc... Then I like those to be in alphabetical order by author. My husband believes it is better to organize strictly by genre, then alphabetical regardless of size/type of book. Obvisiously I win, but occassionally I come home from the office to find an attempt has been made to rearrange my order.
Since I'm currently looking for a bookshelf, I basically have 2 piles on the table. The read pile and the TBR pile. I told my boyfriend I want a bookshelf and he may as well buy 2 or 3 of them because the way I've been buying books lately, the first one will fill up fast!
By genre and then by author - I prefer alphabetically but since I have way too many books and can't stop buying, books seemed to shift around more often than I'd liked it to be. Only Harry Potter have its own very special shelf heheh...
Nyla wrote: "Since I'm currently looking for a bookshelf, I basically have 2 piles on the table. The read pile and the TBR pile. I told my boyfriend I want a bookshelf and he may as well buy 2 or 3 of them beca..."hi Nyla...
see if there's a borders books that closing near you; one near me is closing and i just paid for and reserved two of their bookshelves for when they actually close. i was able to choose which two shelves (as some are in better condition than others) and they are tall and very sturdy...just a thought!
genre then alphabet at the moment but sometimes i get bored and change it around i'm also wait on a second book self to be put into my room so some are just stacked out of order, i'm small and its hard to reach the top of my bookcase as its a floor to ceiling one so ones i dont read a lot are at the top :D
Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "my method of organizing madness (aka non-existant)...lol!1.go to borders/ B&N/ order books from Amazon/ troll used bookstore
2.get home, remove books from bag, place books in random stacks on ..."
LOL....my kind of organizing. I pretty well do the same thing at first. You can find my books on just about every surface in my house. One of these days when the house renovations are finished, I HAVE to get some nice bookshelves...so I can think about using them. My e-books on the other hand are organized in a specific way. By genre, then author, then series. They also go into folders for series, challenges, read, and to be read first. I am always re-organizing them on a weekly basis. Coming up with new folders to put them into and adding and removing from others. I don't even want to think of how I will organize my paperbacks and hardcovers when the time comes to actually do it, lol
Well, I´ve partly renovated my house, I am living on the first floor in a 3 room flat. There I have books in shelves in the living room, in double rows. I try to order them into English-American (I am CZ, graduated from English) translated to Czech, then Czech and other authors, then separated shelf for books in English, separate shelf for ezoteric and spiritual literature. Then lots of books from my grandparents are still in the garage, then another big amount at my parents´house. When I´ll be doing the second part of renovation (joining the first floor with the flat on the 2nd floor), I would like to have a part of the living room as a library, just shelves and armchairs, dictionaries and literature for my professions to have in a future study, and spiritual books in shelves in the hall of the 2nd floor with a view on our "small hills":-)
I have shelves throughout my house, many shelves, devoted to 6 categories(Pop Fiction, Classic ,Music/Film related, Non-fiction/sociology, Self-Help/Health, to be read). I've found I can fit every book into one of these genres the only problem I have is between Classic and Fiction. What makes something Classic? I don't alphabetize, more into the color and aesthetic organizing.
I have three main bookshelves in my bedroom, two of which are eight feet tall. The third is smaller and more for decoration, so I put some of my "prettier" series on that shelf. The other two basically hold all of my other books (at least, as many as I can fit - I'm seriously in need of new shelving.) The books don't have a particular order, except that I put them where I feel they should go. That makes it easy for me to find books, but near-impossible for my family.I do have one method of organization, and that's for my manga. I have a loft bed, so underneath the bed is a desk. On one side of the desk is a shelving unit, which I use for manga. On the top shelf are my three "big" series; from back-to-front, Naruto (the first thirty volumes,) Rurouni Kenshin (all twenty-eight volumes,) and Fruits Basket (all twenty-three volumes.) On the shelf below are my more scattered manga, a lot of them with only a few volumes. One Piece is probably the biggest of these, with the first three volumes and all of the Skypeia arc.
I too have a shelf just for manga, but as I said earlier this is about as organized as I get. I don't organize much any more now that it exhausts me lol.
I wish I had a bookcase :( They're all just crammed in my room wherever I can fit them. I just organize them by series nothing too special.
my ebooks are just organized by publisher in folders on my computer - that's about it...Nessa wrote: "Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "my method of organizing madness (aka non-existant)...lol!
1.go to borders/ B&N/ order books from Amazon/ troll used bookstore
2.get home, remove books fro..."
Hi,I'm single and manage 3-4 reads a week. I just had surgery so that number has significantly increased as i recover.
About LibraryThing. I love and hate it. If you have a list of books that includes the ISBN number, you can import the books. Otherwise you can buy the cat scanner (mine lasted about an hour) or enter them manually. Manual entry is time consuming but easy. I started using LT because I was having a hard time keeping track of what books i needed to complete a series. Before I go shopping I print the list.
In LT i sort my books by author. you can dig down into the author links to find other books by that author. It does have a gap though, it only tracks books that someone on LT has catalogued, not all the books by the author.
LT also let's you categorize books by their categories or make up your own. I find that to be too time consuming so I don't do it, but you can.
Beware, when you are looking at 'your books' it doesn't always list all the books. To print off a complete list you need to export the list as a csv file or tab delimited file. The files include a lot of info you don't necessarily need, so
Physically, i list by authors regardless of genre. The blur between SciFi, fantasy, urban fantasy is just too fine. It also allows me to keep all books from an author that writes more than one genre together. I also store books in bookshelves and dresser drawers. I like drawers because they are easy to search. I have a few collections I keep on their own, because they are so large (like all the Laurell K Hamilton books). If they have great cover art, I display them. I have books in every room in the house, even the kitchen!
Library books--i like to find my new authors there so that i only buy books i want to read again. The best method I've found for keeping them together and not accidentally on my shelves is to have 2 library bags. The unread ones in one bag and I put them in the read bag as i finish it.
I also keep a separate basket of books that I have purchased and not read in my living room. It's small and fits under my end table. I shelve them appropriately as I finish them.
I use 13 gallon RubberMaid boxes. I numberthe boxes, and keep an index file with contents. I rotate my books monthly, and I cover these boxes with Mexican serapes, and top with featured books of the month. I also place toss pillows for sitting and reading. I only stack two high.
I am the RM queen. :)
I have a HUGE bookshelf, as well as a Kindle which I got for Christmas (which saves a lot of space and a lot of money!)
It's supposed by by genre and then I have 4 shelves for favorites. But it's constantly getting out of control & the books are often 3 deep. I go through them about once every 6 weeks so I remember where all the books are & what I own.Also the Kindle has been a great help!
Renee wrote: "Hi,I'm single and manage 3-4 reads a week. I just had surgery so that number has significantly increased as i recover.
About LibraryThing. I love and hate it. If you have a list of books tha..."''
You're so right about the blurring of genres-I put all my "fiction-type- books together. I separate philosophy, poetry, biographies, history, and theological. And even then it can become difficult.
But I just don't have the energy to alphabetize them all.
Any reason you use LT instead of GR to organize your books? It sounds like you can do similar organizational-type stuff on both. For example, I have a "next-up-to-read" shelf to which I transfer books as space becomes available ("space" being my decision) & I print out this shelf-page when going shopping.
My solution to number of books I have is to buy a new book case, I have run out of room, so now I purchase books from Kindle and Kobo and read them on my IPod Touch, or Netbook, works great. I do try to keep authors together.
I do the same with authors-I'll disregard my genre "rule" if necessary in order to keep authors together.
i dont organise books. well once i read them i do either a part exchange with the bbok stall at my local market or i try to sell them on ebay.
