On Bookcases and Book Hoarding

Oh my gosh. Guys, I have quite a conundrum going on. I own over 1200 books. This does not include unsigned ARCs, because I don’t keep unsigned ARCS, instead I choose to pass them on via contest, donation at work, and occasionally goodreads swap.
I would love to move into a two bedroom apartment, and designate one of the bedrooms to be a library/office.
If I could have a dream library, it would look something like this but like, every wall covered:

As of right now, however, I do not have the space to do something like this. So perhaps I should turn to an option more like this to organize my review books:
It’s tall, so it would probably be easy to place anywheres, and plus the cubbies would make it so easy to organize the titles by date.
Either way, I think CSN has some excellent variety compared to the two types of bookcases at my local wal-mart, and it looks like they have more quality too. So I will definitely keep my eye on this site when I find an apartment to move into! And of course, any library needs some excellent mood lighting. Can we say ew gross to florescent lights and hello, beautiful lamps?
So, friends, what does your ideal home library look like? Do you have pictures? Can you link me to some pictures? I would LOVE to see!
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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. We do have an extra room for our office/library. But our shelves are still overflowing.

    I don't keep unsigned ARCs either, though I still have a lot I haven't read yet hanging around.

  2. My dream library would be what is probably the world's ultimate library (well, one of them), that of Mr. Neil Gaiman:

    http://blog.shelfari.com/my_weblog/2009/09/neil.html

    I also love this:

    http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1220_superlibraries/image/shelflife.jpg

    and this:

    http://winewriter.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/home-library-of-a-new-york-lawyer.jpg

  3. April (BooksandWine) says

    Lenore – I am glad I'm not the only one who isn't into unsigned ARCs. Also, am a bit green with envy that you have a library/office! I hope you post pics on your blog someday!!

    Allison – Neil Gaiman's library is quite saliva inducing. I am off to check out your other links now, remind me to pick my jaw up off the floor.

  4. My "office" is currently our tiny spare bedroom. I have 3 bookcases and a desk in there now and the walls are still completely white. It's my project for the summer…I'm considering doing this rather than a traditional desk:
    http://www.containerstore.com/shop/elfa/bestSellingSolutions/officeSpaces?productId=10023260

    And painting the walls yellow. More shelves on the walls will take care of at least one bookcase!

  5. April (BooksandWine) says

    Amanda – That's very modern, and I love love love the idea of shelves on the walls! I may consider something like that for when I do move!

  6. This one is my fantasy. BUT, only if I can add at least one more wall full of books.

    My friends think I'm crazy because I've filled one bookshelf in 6 months, and have 14 more boxes of books stored at my parents' house.

    Maybe I am crazy. I like it that way, though.

  7. I would love to go for IKEA's billy bookcase system. I want the narrow bookcases because like you I like the cubbie concept (and my books weigh so much they have warped and broken shelves before so smaller shelves mean fewer books mean lighter weight!).

    Plus with the system I can add doors, higher shelves, a ladder, lighting, and slant the shelves to display books if I want at a later date. It's also pretty affordable and the bookcases are well reviewed both on and off site.

    Hate to sound like an advertisement but it's what I've always wanted when it comes to a personal library.

    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/11683/

    Click the "build your own" tab, it's addicting!

  8. Avid Reader says

    My books were stored in boxes for years as I moved between apartments. Then six months ago I finally got a house and turned the second family room area into a giant library. It is perfect and I love it every bit as much as I thought I would.

    http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2010/01/library-before-and-after.html

    p.s. Since I took that pic I've managed to fit one more little bookcase in there, behind the green chair.

    p.p.s. There's also one more bookcase on another wall that you can't see… I may have a problem.

  9. BookChic says

    WOAH! 1200+ books?! Where do they all go?!

    I'm not sure how many I have, but it's manageable. I own one bookcase, one spine bookcase (which I got from CSN!), a double sided, two shelf bookcase, and a three drawer dresser that I put books in instead of clothes, lol. Then I've got some books in boxes or just sitting on the floor.

    I try to clean up by donating final copies to my library. I get a ton of finished copies of books that I either already have the ARC for or don't care about. Or if I do care about it, I donate it after reading. I keep all my ARCs, unsigned or signed, because they're cool, lol.

    Anyway, for a small place, a spine bookcase is really awesome. Here's an old picture of mine (which also includes my bigger bookcase) after I assembled it several months ago (it's now been moved since my roomie and I got a townhouse and now new ARCs sit on it, lol): http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8e0leyn-UlA/SueP7lBK29I/AAAAAAAAApE/qZBVnzVf244/s1600-h/005.JPG

  10. Mrs. DeRaps says

    My ideal library would be wall-to-wall bookshelves on three walls (all white) with the fourth wall being solid glass and a set of french doors.

    I'd have it all white and use funky furniture and throw rugs to give splashes of color. I can totally picture this!

  11. reviewsbylola says

    I used to have a spare bedroom devoted entirely to books . . . then I got married and the room went to my stepdaughter. Good tradeoff I suppose πŸ˜‰

  12. I have a new bookcase coming my way and I can't wait until it gets here. My bookshelves are reserved only for books that I'm going to keep reading. Everything else is piled on the floor. And I have way too many piles.

  13. Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com says

    O I dream of built ins πŸ™‚

  14. Charleydog says

    I have 3,719 books, all catalogued on a Microsoft Office Access database. Most are stored in my studio where the windows are blacked out by special material. I use both tall and short bookshelves. In the house, I try to close the blinds during the brightest hours of the day to protect the book spines from the bleaching effect of the sun. It is hard to house the books in the house because of the large number of windows. Books are sorted by author, and by category: fiction, children, cooking, gardening, reference, submarine, medical, pet. If I read a book that I don't like, I give it to my library or a neighbor.

  15. I also own over 1200. Currently only my classics are on display and everything else is in boxes in one of the closets in our second bedroom. I WOULD LOVE to have the second room devoted to bookcases and comfy chairs, but I don't think that is going to happen any time soon…

  16. April (BooksandWine) says

    Celia – Nope, you aren't crazy for having that many books… or else we are all crazy here.

    Bitsy – Introducing me to that IKEA Billy site is dangerous, b/c I was playing with it most of last night. Me wants.

    Avid Reader – Thanks for sharing the picture, your library is gorgeous!

    BookChic – They all go on lots of shelves, I am currently at 9 shelves. Also, I really want that spine shelf, it looks awesome!

    Mrs. DeRapps – Your ideal library sounds completely gorgeous!

    Lola – That does sound like a decent trade off.

    Donna – I wish I had floor space to pile books on, but regardless, I love having straight up book shelves!

    Juju – Built ins seem very space-convienent.

    CharleyDog – You take great care of your books πŸ™‚ Your library sounds ideal.

    Allie – Hearing about books trapped in boxes makes me sad πŸ™ Release them!!

  17. Alexia561 says

    Add me to the list of people lusting after Neil Gaiman's library! I love the man and am a huge fan of his books, but want his library even more! *L*

    I keep most of my ARCs, signed or not, as I think they're pretty cool. May change my mind if I start receiving more, but for now they're still infrequent enough that each one is precious. πŸ™‚

  18. We had a wonderful "foyer" in our house in Wisconsin that had floor to ceiling shelves that provided so much room. We could fit thousands of books on it. I miss that so much.

  19. lexorjunnel says

    Organize them by color. For example, place all your blue books on a shelf and place your books green below them. Or you can even organize your books in a similar type. Group books on similar or size.

    Antique Book Cases