Last week, Elisabeth talked about how she organizes her library books and asked us to tell her our own book organization tactics. I took that time to write a novel in her comments about my bookshelves and figured, why not take everyone on a tour of them on my blog? So that’s what you get today!
I am a book collector through and through. I wasn’t always this way, but a few years ago, I decided I wanted my core apartment aesthetic to be BOOKS. I wanted tall bookshelves and colorful stacks of books displayed throughout my home. There is something so cozy about books, and it delights me to no end when people fawn over all over my bookshelves when they come over. “It’s like you have your own library!” Yes, yes, that’s everything I want in life.
Let’s start the tour in the living room.
I have an affinity for Target cube bookshelves. I use the bottom part of this shelf for storage but the top shelf is where I keep my Book of the Month books. I have organized them by color because it just makes me happy to look at. Many of the books on this shelf are unread, but a fair number are books I’ve finished. If I’ve taken a book off this shelf to read, I’ll slot it right back into place when I’ve finished it, if there’s still room on the shelf.
Let’s venture over to my dining room, where I have three more cube bookshelves – two 8-cube shelves and one 4-cube shelf. I am thinking of buying another 8-cube shelf so I could have a full wall of bookshelves in my dining room, but I’m not sure yet.
All of the books on these shelves are organized by author’s last name. At one point, they were organized by color, but let’s be honest: It’s very hard to find a specific book when I have to recall the color of the cover. It was just easier to organize them by the author’s last name so I can find what I’m looking for more quickly. The books on these shelves are both read and unread. I couldn’t tell you the ratio of unread to read, but I would assume more of them are books I’ve read than not. But probably not.
You may have noticed that I have a small stack of books on top of the 4-cube bookshelf that is wedged in between the taller bookshelves. That’s where I keep my “upcoming” books! Usually, I have a few library books here, but I’m currently reading the one print library book I have checked out, so it’s not in this stack. I try to keep this stack five books deep, organized by height. I have a very detailed TBR list that I keep in a tab on my reading spreadsheet, and I pull a few of the books from that TBR list to sit in this stack.
Okay, let’s move onto my bedroom! This is where I have a ladder bookshelf with all of my favorite books.
Isn’t she so pretty? She makes me so happy, since this is the view directly across from my bed.
This bookshelf is organized into four distinct shelves.
Shelf 1 is for my Anne of Green Gables collection. I’m not sure when I decided to start collecting different editions of this book, but I’m so glad I did because there are so many adorable ones! (Side note: That little piece of decor that says “Stephany’s Library”? I have two of them because somehow, both Bri and my mom bought me the exact same thing for Christmas without knowing it! This story delights me to no end.)
Shelf 2 is for my nonfiction favorites.
Shelf 3 is for my romance favorites, as well as my collection of Christina Lauren romances. At some point, I want to put these on a separate shelf, but for now, they are part of the favorites shelf.
And, finally, shelf 4 is for my fiction favorites. (Same deal as the Christina Lauren romances for my Taylor Jenkins Reid collection – these will someday go on a separate shelf. Not all of these would be considered favorites.)
I would like to reread some of the books on my fiction and romance favorites at some point, and I keep those nonfiction faves on hand to reference when needed. And some of these nonfiction books are ones I will never reread, but cannot bear to part with.
The final stack of books you’ll find in my home is in my closet. On one of the shelves, I keep a stack of books that I want to give away. I’ll often bring these books to book club to give them to friends who want to read them. And anything not taken by friends is lovingly added to any of the Little Free Libraries around my city.
Other tidbits
- What happens after I finish a book I own? It depends. If I loved the book, it might find a place on my favorites shelf. If I liked the book and there’s room to stick it back on the bookshelf, that’s what I’ll do. If I don’t see any need to keep it, it goes into my closet.
- Do I keep track of my unread books? I do! I have a separate tab on my reading spreadsheet where I have a list of all of my unread books. Whenever I buy new friends (books) to put on my bookshelves, they have to be added on the spreadsheet first before being placed on the bookshelf. (If you’re curious, I have 162 unread books on my shelves.)
- Do I regularly cull my collection? Not really. I’ll probably do a big cull when I move, but right now, I only do a mini-cull if I can’t fit new books on my bookshelf. When that happens, I take a look at the books in the cubby where the new book will go and see which ones I want to part with. It’s usually just one book at a time, and typically a book I’ve already read and want to donate. That book will go into the stack in my closet.
- Where do I keep the book(s) I’m currently reading? The book(s) I’m currently reading do not have a specific spot in my home. They just sit in the last place I was reading them, usually. For example, right now I’m reading Stamped From the Beginning, and it’s sitting on my coffee table. I’m also reading The Three Lives of Cate Kay, which is sitting on the table next to my reading chair. A good bet is that the book(s) will either be on my coffee table, the table next to my reading chair, or my bedside table.
- What’s the point of owning so many books? It brings me joy. I love having so many books right at my fingertips and knowing I can escape into a new world whenever I want, whether that’s a world I’m unfamiliar with or a beloved favorite. I love having a wide array of colorful books in my home, and the way they elevate my decor. Bookish coziness is the aesthetic I’m going for, and I’d like to think I’ve achieved that.
Do you collect books? If not, what is something you collect? Where do you keep the book(s) you’re currently reading?
It brings you joy to own these books, and it brought me joy to read this post <3 Plus I got to see the living room and dining room collections IRL.
Over the years I've culled a lot of books, and I've been almost exclusively a kindle reader for a long time, so that's stopped the acquisition of new books. Some of the books that I own are a reflection of Past Me, and I most likely will never read them again, but I also don't want to get rid of them. For example, I have all of Ayn Rand's books, and they meant a lot in the college years so they have a spot on the top shelf of my bedroom bookshelf, but there is zero chance that I'm going to sit down and page through Atlas Shrugged anytime soon.
Sometimes, books are there as decor and they don’t need to be ones you will necessarily read again. But if they make you happy to have them in your home, that’s all that matters! That’s how I feel about books anyway. It doesn’t bother me to have so many unread books – I love that it means I can have so many options for books to read whenever I want!
I like this spread sheet step. I go from browsing books online to filling my Libby and library holds but there’s no master list– I may need to revise my process.
The master list is so helpful for me so I hope it helps you, too!
You know what, Stephany, I also am going to do a post like this! I was inspired by Elisabeth and now by you! So I’m not going to go into details, I’ll save it for my blog. But I loved seeing your shelves!
162 unread books! Wow! I think I have five, unless you include the ones that belong to my husband (I let him have a shelf) because very few of those I have read.
I am really really really possessive and attached to my books. I don’t like lending them out, because sometimes I don’t get them back. If I know and trust a friend, I will lend a book, but I will never lend one of my very favourites. My friend Allison said that if she lends out a book she just expects to never get it back, and buys a new copy. I wish I could be like that. Alas. I am not.
I use the library more than I buy books, so I want to really love a book to buy it. I don’t do a regular cull, although I did donate a lot when I moved. Typically – but not always – if a book is on my shelf it’s because I love it. Occasionally there will be a book that didn’t hit but I keep it anyway. Why am I so greedy? I don’t know.
Oh! One last thing! I am a huge rereader. I have reread many books that I own, so I think it’s important to keep them after reading them! Also, like I said, I get emotionally attached to certain copies.
I love this and can’t wait to see your bookshelves! I am not all that precious about my books so I’m happy to lend them out and if I don’t get them back, I don’t worry too much about it. I don’t lend out my Anne books, though. I AM precious about those!
This all just brings ME joy. I love seeing books in people’s homes. I’m actually running out of shelf space & need another book shelf & have no where to put it – its dire times over here.
I tend to donate books to the library or give to friends or scatter to little libraries…. but only if its something I dont love or something i know I’d never want to re-read. Its still hard to let them go – I still have some books from when I was a KID. Some books, you just connect with & will never let go
I wish I hadn’t gotten rid of some of my favorite books I loved as a kid. It would be amazing to have those now (and those 80s/90s covers!). The worst thing is to need a new bookshelf and have nowhere to put it. That’s sort of where I am right now. Eeks!
I absolutely LOVE the “bookish coziness” vibe. And I love how organized your books are. I recently needed to find a non-fiction book that I knew was in my house, and I had to hunt all over before I found it- so annoying. Well, this can go on my goals list- along with a reading nook somewhere in my house.
And, I’m taking note of your favorites! The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has been on my TBR for a very long timw.
Yes, make yourself a reading nook! One of my favorite things is to have this little chair in my bedroom for reading.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is so good! Definitely give it a try. 🙂
I used to own many many bookshelves of books but I got rid of most of them when I moved in with Phil back in 2016. I had something like 6 bookshelves and we did not have that much room/open walls for shelves in his last house. I think we have even less in our current house because of the layout. So I only kept books that I really, really loved (like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), my HP books, and Paris-themed books. That’s it, though! So those books now reside on the shelves that line our window seat. I rarely buy books unless I can’t get a book club book through the library. But since we plan our reading far in advance, it’s rare that I can’t get the book from the library. My challenge was that my reading tastes changed so much from my 20s to my late 30s so the books I owned no longer represented my taste in books. Additionally, 99% of my reading is done on my kindle now. I love the idea of reading a physical book but ebooks are so convenient! I’ve really mastered the use of the libby ap and now use it to track my TBR so I can’t imagine going back to physical books!
But – we have so many kids books! So there are still plenty of books in our house. And I feel good about buying kid books since they get read over and over. I have been working on culling our kid books to make room for the chapter books that Paul now reads. But Will still likes to read board books at bedtime occasionally (and I am happy when that happens as they are typically shorter and shorter bedtimes = best for the tired adult).
I’ll be curious to hear what you think of “Wild Dark Shore.” That is such a buzzy book but I DNF’d the last book by that author as it was just TOO literary for me. But if you like WDS then I will check it out!
You are definitely the Queen of the Libby app! Have you written a post about how you manage your e-books and borrowing habits? You definitely should! I would be interested in something like that. Hint, hint! 🙂
I love how you have so many great kids books now. That’s definitely worth it since they read them over and over again.
I think I’m going to start Wild Dark Shore soon so I will let you know what I think!
“What’s the point of owning so many books? It brings me joy.” I could not agree more! I have a lot of books by most people’s standards, though I have culled them every time I’ve moved. I only rarely buy books I haven’t read before; my list of auto-buy authors is a small one. In general, I’ll get a book from the library first to make sure I want to own it. I am a big re-reader, so I want to have “my” books close to hand. I’ve gotten more into ebooks via Kindle in the last few years, but even then I wish I could easily see the whole collection the way I can see my print books.
There is just something so cozy and life-affirming to see so many books in my home! Whether they are favorite reads or books on my TBR, I love it so much.
I need to be better at rereading the books on my favorites shelf! That’s a goal for sure.
I absolutely LOVE seeing your collection! It is beautiful and brings me joy both to see and to read about how much joy it brings you. Maybe I need to do a post like this too!
Please do a post like this sometime! There is nothing I love more than seeing people’s bookshelves. <3
I love books! Your shelves are so cheery and colorful! I also love browsing friend’s bookshelves! I used to keep mine sorted by favorites, unread, fiction, travel, reference, and non-fiction! However, I had some that were pretty colors and I would put a few of each color (coordinated) in my living room rather than in my reading nook.
However, given the amount of books I had but did not re-read, or ever read, they definitely were often more due to bringing joy than actually reading, at times! But that is okay. On the flip side, I don’t really miss them, but they did bring me a lot of joy for a long time.
I consider owning and buying books a separate hobby from reading them. 😉 That’s how I justify it in my head, at least! I just love having so many books at my fingertips.
And hey, there may come a time when I can’t have all of these books around so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
This made my day! Such a happy post, Stephany and I’m so glad you followed up your comment with pictures. I love visualizing your book shelves.
I love to read but don’t generally buy books. The ones I have I love and those are special. I’m especially entranced by things arranged by colour, but the only place I’ve done that is in my daughter’s room.
My current to-read book is on my bedside table and all the rest are now (BY DESCENDING HEIGHT!!!) kept on a shelf in my closet.
Thanks for giving me such a great topic! It was fun to take pictures of all my bookshelves and do a little tour. 🙂
I love your library shelf! Descending order is the way to go!
This makes me so happy.
I love book shelves.
And after you commented on my blog that you have 160+ unread books I was wondering where you kept them since I only remembered the ladder shelve. Now I know.
I also collect books. Currently I have 94 unread books on the shelves. After the last move I have adopted the husband’s comic book collection and his thrillers to my room. I am planning on doing a real inventory one of these days. I have a pretty good overview since I have been keeping track of them for almost 10 years on Goodreads but I feel some have fallen through the cracks.
So many bookshelves! And I want more. Muahaha. More places to store unread books!
I just recently made a tab on my spreadsheet to list out all of my unread books, which is how I know the actual number, and it was eye-opening. There are a LOT of books I bought years ago that I’ve never read, and I need to decide if it’s time to just give them away or not. We’ll see!
Stephany, wow! I love your beautiful book collection! I’m especially enchanted by the ladder bookshelf. The Stephany’s Library sign is the best! What a wonderful thing to see when you first wake up in the morning. Books do make lovely decor, especially as you’ve done it. (And Elisabeth’s too.) I haven’t used books as decor. I keep some books for reference, but I generally give away or donate other books. Hmmm. Maybe I should keep a few with pretty covers to use as decor! I’m rethinking my whole life now!
Thank you, Michelle! I love having books as decor. All of the colorful spines make me so happy!
I love the idea of just keeping some books with really pretty covers around to put on a shelf. The covers for books keep getting better and better!
I LOVE this post so much!
I was totally zooming in on all the photos so I could see what the titles were.
What do you do when you run out of room to add more books on your “favorites” shelf? Do you stop having favorites?
I loved this tour! And especially that two people love you so much they got you the same sign. That made me smile 🙂
I do not collect books 🙂 I collect Goodr sunglasses LOL.