Friday, September 2, 2016

Book Blogger Hop No. 65: To Bookshelf Or Not To Bookshelf!!



Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,
hosted by Billy @


For more information, and 
to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.


What to Do

1.) Post on your blog answering this week's
question:

 Do you have books stacked in every
room of your house, or are you
strictly a believer that books
belong on bookshelves?

(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

2.)  Enter the link to your post in the
Linky list on Billy's blog.

3.)  Visit other blogs on the list and
comment on their posts. 

4.)  Be sure to find out next week's
question when you visit
Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!





My Answer

Of course books belong on bookshelves! This is the only sane, logical answer to this question. BUT. Are MOST bookworms, especially if they're also bibliophiles, really "sane" and "logical"? Well, at least THIS bookworm/bibliophile is not! And I am being very honest here. 

I want to own as many wonderful books as I possibly can. I am totally insatiable. I am aware that I need to curb my bookish appetites, because we (my non-book addicted hubby and I) are now living in a one-bedroom condo, and there's only so much room for books.....

We used to live in a three-bedroom apartment, on the other side of town, and I had books EVERYWHERE! (Well, except in the kitchen and bathroom, lol.) In addition to having books on the living room shelves, I had books on shelves in our two small closets. Also, one of the couches in the living room was entirely taken over by books! No joke. My husband used to get on my case about it. No one could sit there! But the thing is, the living room shelves were entirely full. I had FIVE floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the living room, two more floor-to-ceiling bookcases in our bedroom, two small bookcases in one of the spare bedrooms, PLUS more than TEN boxes full of books, right in that bedroom....The other spare bedroom was really not a bedroom, but a sort of den. It was full of tools and other odds and ends, and we rarely, if ever, went in there.

All of the above changed when we moved, back in March of 2015, into a one-bedroom condo. Hubby told me that he wanted "no more book clutter in the living room". Our new, very comfortable couch was to be used for sitting and reclining exclusively. Lol.



In order to achieve this new state of affairs, I had no choice but to donate boxes and boxes of books to Goodwill. This was not as gut-wrenching, though, as I had originally thought. I discovered that many of the books I had collected were really not books I would ever read, so I was able to give them away without any qualms.



I could NOT give ALL of my beloved treasures away, though! There were MANY books that I just couldn't bear to part with. It would have been entirely heart-rending. Tears come to my eyes from just even thinking about it.... So I put them in storage. I had originally thought that a 5 X 10 unit would be enough. My husband took me to a place that had units of several sizes. The lady I spoke with there said that she would reserve a unit with the above dimensions, until I was ready to start bringing in boxes. But, when I was finally ready, it turned out that she didn't have any units of that size. Since she had promised to save me one, she then said that she would give me a 7 X 10, for the rental fee of the 5 X 10. That was really very nice of her! And I'm SO glad, too, because, as things turned out, I REALLY did need the larger unit! It's now completely full of boxed books, from floor to ceiling!!

This was my night table, 
in our old apartment.


This is  my night table, in
our current condo.
  
So, at our new place, most of the books are in my seven floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the living room. There are no books on the couch. But....I do have two tall stacks on a small table right next to me, in my reading nook. And, I also have three tall stacks on my night table. And I have a small bookcase in our bedroom that's not only holding books on its shelves, but books on top of THOSE books. AND, I have a couple of shelves holding books in our walk-in closet. I'm really starting to run out of space now, lol. The other day, I stuffed two new paperbacks, purchased at Target, inside two purses I'm not currently using. These purses hanging in one of our closets! 

Bottom line: books are supposed to go on shelves, but a book addict's love of these things can be SO strong, that said book addict will go to any lengths to keep cramming books into their dwelling, even if they really don't fit anymore! 

I am now making a REAL effort to stop buying any more books, because I don't want to risk getting nagged and criticized by hubby. I need to read the books I already own. Yes, I know.... that was my New Year's resolution in January of 2015. Of course, I have bought several more books since then.....

It would be very helpful if there were some vaccine to counteract compulsive book-buying and hoarding..... On the other hand, I wonder if I would voluntarily go and get a shot, if such a vaccine existed!        

   

What are your thoughts on
this topic?
Please leave a comment,
and I'll go check out your post!





25 comments:

  1. A very interesting and amusing post Maria.

    I had a lessor case of book buying mania over the course of much of my life. I seemed to have gotten over it with the realization that I would just never get then read.

    My wife tends to be the book organizer in my house. We have most of our books on shelves but they tend to escape and there are always a few roaming about the house :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Brian!

      I think that most of us who love books are 'afflicted' with this condition at some point along the way. Non-bookish folks are addicted to other things, but those are toxic. At least book addiction is not! Well, at least, only for one's bank account! Lol.

      Your last sentence is TOO funny!! LOVE it! so they tend to escape and roam about the house, eh? Gee, mine do the same thing.....lol. Except that now they don't have very far to go!

      I think that every bookworm who tends to leave books all over the place has a spouse or other relative who is very organized, and puts them on the shelves. Lol. Some couples in which both members are bookworms are also like this. Then there are others in which both are disorganized, or shall we say 'creatively progressive in regards to book placement'. Hahaha!!

      I have tried to stop myself from buying physical books by buying ebooks, but, as you know, these will NEVER replace the real thing for me!

      Well, I AM trying..... :)

      Thanks for the great comment!! :)

      Delete
    2. P.S. Thanks so much for the compliment! And I think that we book addicts are indeed amusing -- in a very cute, lovable way! :)

      Delete
  2. You are a true book addict - that is a lot of books. I have to say that whilst I love books a move overseas saw me giving away most of mine bar a few special books, first editions etc. Since then I am brutal - once the shelves are full, the books go to family, friends or charity (though I have been known to rebuy them when I fancy re-reading!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Emma!

      Yes, I am indeed a TRUE book addict!! Lol.

      Oh, you had to move overseas? One of my previous supervisors had to move from Mexico to the U.S., and it was much too expensive for him to transport all of his books here to Miami, so he sold and/or donated most of his books....how sad....

      In my case, I was actually astounded to discover a LOT of books that I somehow ended up collecting, but had no real interest in! Can you believe it? It seems I bought them just for the sake of buying books. OMG. So I was able to donate them. There were lots of romance novels in that group!

      So you've re-bought books you had gotten rid of? Lol. I have actually done that myself!! It's incredible how much one can get attached to these objects, isn't it?

      Thanks for the wonderful comment!! :)

      Delete
  3. Hi Maria! Loved reading this post! Oh so true. But I have a bit more book fortune than you. We live in a nice big house and I have bookshelves in just about every room. Three of those are built-in and I am currently contemplating putting in new shelves in the patio. LOL. I still manage to have books all over the place as well. You can read more about that on my Friday Meets: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/2016/09/friday-meets-another-one-down-drain.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Mareli!

      Thanks so much for the compliment!!

      Oh, how I ENVY you!!! You actually have a BIG house with plenty of room?! Why, oh, why, couldn't I have been that lucky? Life is just NOT fair!!

      Now, let me ask you about your patio. Is it enclosed by screening, or is it open to the air? If it's the latter, I don't recommend you put shelves up there, as your books will be attacked by bugs. I don't know where you live, but down here in Florida, we have these VERY ugly and BIG roaches....so I would never do that down here! So be careful!

      Thanks for the awesome comment!! :)

      Delete
  4. I have several bookshelves and I try to keep my books in one of them, but sometimes I leave out a few when trying to decide which to read or when I buy a few too many and trying to rearrange!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Judy!

      That's just what happens to me! I leave a few out when I'm deciding which one to read, too, and then clutter starts to appear, all by itself! Lol. And when I buy a new one, I have to look for someplace to put it on the shelves. When there's no room, I just leave it on top of one of my already tall book stacks. Lol!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! :)

      Delete
  5. Another fantastic answer as always. Love reading your answers, Maria. :)

    Love the cliparts/graphics especially the Jane Smiley one.

    Thanks for sharing your awesome comment.

    Happy Hopping!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog Hop Answer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Elizabeth!

      Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoy reading my answers!

      Yeah, the Jane Smiley clipart is great! That's exactly how I feel, too!!

      Thanks for such a lovely comment! Happy Hopping to you, too!! :)

      Delete
  6. Oh I am all about the bookshelves. My father has awesome carpentry skills and built my mother and me beautiful wooden bookcases. I am getting into ebooks now though because after a while you just run out of room.. but at least the physical books I still have and will always keep (like some literary classics my grandmother had from the 1930's) are front and center! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, there!

      Oh, you're SO lucky!!!! I totally ENVY you!! Lol. But yeah, there comes a point when you do start running out of shelf space.... I've been reluctantly getting into ebooks myself....VERY RELUCTANTLY, mind you! I LOVE physical books, and ebooks will NEVER EVER replace them for me!!

      You are also very lucky to have those precious books from your grandma!!! WOW. Of course you have to keep those!! They are real treasures!!

      Thanks so much for the terrific comment!! :)

      Delete
  7. Now that my daughter has her own apartment I'm turning her bedroom into my reading room. Bookshelves galore! I figure it will take me at least 6 months to completely fill them :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Katherine!

      Oh, LUCKY you!! That's AWESOME!!! I know you'll really enjoy filling up those shelves!! Have fun!!

      Thanks for commenting!! :)

      Delete
  8. I have books everywhere and I mean everywhere!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Johnna!

      Well, I do have bookshelves, but I still have books in other places, as I mentioned in this post! Lol.

      If you have them everywhere, you're a DIEHARD book addict, like me! Welcome to the club!!

      Thanks for commenting!! :)

      Delete
  9. I have books everywhere! My living room is referred to as "the library" -- the entire room is built-in book cases and my computer desk... but I have a bookshelf in each bedroom and there's always a stack of books on my nightstand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, there!

      Oh, how nice!! I guess I could refer to our living room as "the library", too, since I have seven floor-to-ceiling bookcases there! Four of them form a nice corner reading and computer nook. (See my BBH No. 63, which shows a picture of part of my home library.) But I still have books in several other places! Lol. See the new pics I added above!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! :)

      Delete
  10. I love books but just have no room for lots of bookshelves full of beautiful books, so instead my external hard drive is full of lots of ebooks. Kind feel like a fraud reading ebooks but if had all my ebooks in paper format would have to make a extension on my house.
    https://rockabillyreadsblog.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sarah!

      Yeah, I feel like I'm "betraying" printed books by having ebooks on my phone...but I'm running out of room, too. I have all of these WONDERFUL books in storage...boo-hoo.... They're in plastic boxes, one stacked up on top of another. So, if I should want to go get a particular book, I don't even know where I would find it!

      We book addicts sure lead a hard life! Lol.

      Thanks for the nice comment!! :)

      Delete
  11. Your post describes me 6+ years ago. LOL I visited a bookstore every other week and would come home with new books each time. And not just one or two. I visited every bookstore in town on those book runs. I just couldn't get enough books. :-) I think what made me step back from my book collecting and acquisition behavior was our financial situation and having a baby. When I realized how much I spent on books I ended up giving away and never reading . . . It was a real eye-opener. I don't think my husband would let me keep a storage facility. That's pretty awesome that you are able to do that. Are you planning to move somewhere bigger, do you think? So you can get your books out of storage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Wendy!

      I know that this is something I need to really face, as I do think I'm kinda still in denial.... This is an addiction that I really need to control. Aside from the expense and the lack of space for printed books, I'm a slow reader, so I don't even know if I'll be able to read all the books currently in our condo.....this is a very sad and sobering thought.

      Like you, we moved out of our old dwelling, and I ended up giving away a LOT of books, as you read in my post. That should certainly have cured me! And, unfortunately, my husband is neither a bookworm nor a bibliophile. And he's also a neat freak, so he dislikes any type of clutter, even though we have a rather small one-bedroom condo.

      As for the storage, it's a problem I need to solve, as I'm spending money on it every month. It's not that much -- $69.55 -- until you multiply it by 12 months!! (It started out at $63.00/month, but then they raised the price on me. I am now worried about the long-term. They might keep raising the price....) However, the books in those boxes are very dear to me. I just can't see myself letting go of them. And it took me YEARS to collect them, too...

      For now, this is where we're going to live. Perhaps, in the future, we could get a two-bedroom, but then we would have to sell this apartment..... I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. The whole move was really very rushed, as the primary motivation for it was a neighbor in our apartment building who was giving us a lot of trouble, and the landlord wasn't helping at all. So we wanted to find another place as quickly aa possible. We did try to get a two-bedroom in the same area we live in now, but they were much too expensive, and actually not that easy to find.

      So, bottom line, I really don't know what to do about those books in storage. Meanwhile, however, I am indeed trying to get a handle on my book buying. I do have 100+ books on my cell phone's Kindle app. Unfortunately, not all Kindle (or Nook) books are cheaper than print books. And I REFUSE to pay more than $4.99 for an ebook. I've seen some priced at $9.99 and more!! I'm not paying that much money for a simple download! NO.WAY. I have bought a lot of $.99 to $3.99 ebooks. A lot of books in my phone collection have been free. A lot of them are paranormal romance and urban fantasy collections. More 'serious' books are more expensive, I've noticed. But $4.99 is really stretching it for me.

      Sigh.....life can be rough for us who LOVE books...

      Thanks for the terrific comment!! Hope you guys are having an AWESOME Labor Day weekend!! <3 :)

      Delete
  12. A little over a year ago we turned an office that was never used into a library. Shelves from floor to ceiling and it's overflowing! I still have books on my dresser and on 2 more books shelves in my bedroom so I totally understand!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, there!

      I think that all of us bookworms have this problem of book addiction. We compulsively buy books, even though we haven't read the ones we already have. Lol. Some of us, though, seem to be better than others at controlling ourselves. However, it's not easy.... The lure of a book is a POWERFUL one indeed, for those of us who are born book lovers!! We somehow always think that we need any book that looks fascinating, because we'll "read it later". And "later" may never come, sadly enough....

      I can see why you understand, as you, too, have overflowing shelves, and books everywhere! I'm glad, though, that you guys are turning an office into a library!! AWESOME!! Hope you continue to enjoy your books for many years to come!!

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving a nice comment!! :)

      Delete

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