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  • Tag: TBR jar

    • Plowing Through the Piles

      Posted at 9:24 am by Laura, on April 24, 2014

      Since graduate school is at an end, I finally had a (rare) free afternoon to sit and stare at the piles and piles of books that I couldn’t fit on my bookshelves in the last few months. Not only did I need to do another rearrangement, but I hadn’t checked my inventory in several months and I didn’t know how many books I hadn’t read yet.

      I went to the Container Store (side note: that place is HEAVEN) and bought a jar for all of my TBRs. Many readers have done this before, but I’d always relied on my Goodreads to-read list. Now that my bookshelves are out of control, having a jar to help choose a book at random would make things more efficient and convenient. I pulled all of my colorful notepads, cut them into strips, and prepared to pen all the titles and authors.

      jar

      My personal library inventory is all on an Excel spreadsheet, alphabetical by author and categorized by genre and readership (children’s, YA, adult). It helps me keep track of everything I own (books on display and books still in boxes under my bed or in the closet), and I put numbers next to them for the number of copies or editions (very important for my collections). Highlighted books are TBRs, and books in red I’d planned on selling. I penned all the highlighted books, folded the strips, and put them into the jar. I then went back through my spreadsheet, deleted rows of books I no longer own, added in books I’ve purchased and read, and books I’ve purchased and haven’t read (and then penned those for the jar, too).

      Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 9.04.23 PM

      I’m absolutely astounded to say that, according to the spreadsheet (that does not include nonfiction titles like Chicago Manual of Style, home organization books, publishing/editing books, etc) I own 418 books. I’m scared to see the number if I add in the nonfiction titles…

      After the initial shock, I tackled the bookshelves and rearranged them, forcing books to fit wherever they could. Stacks and stacks on several shelves, very few actually standing the way a book should. I’d buy another bookshelf, but I live in a 190-square-foot studio, so you can imagine the available space.

      black

      A-F, with some ARCs stacked on the side that might already be published…

       

      tall

      G-W, with my Narnia, Picoult, and Shakespeare collections. And an assortment of stuffed animals. Hi, I’m 24.

      TOP: Jane Austen collection, Jane Eyre editions, Wuthering Heights editions, Harry Potter collection, and DoSaB collection BOTTOM: W-Z, children's books, and Harry Potter-related books. The following shelves on this bookcase contain photo albums, nonfiction essentials, and pantry items. This bookcase acts more like a junk drawer than anything else.

      TOP: Jane Austen collection, Jane Eyre editions, Wuthering Heights editions, Harry Potter collection, and DoSaB collection.
      BOTTOM: W-Z, children’s books, and Harry Potter-related books. The following shelves on this bookcase contain photo albums, nonfiction essentials, and pantry items. This bookcase acts more like a junk drawer than anything else.

      For the time being, my bookshelves are arranged alphabetical by author, unless they’re part of a collection. My collections (Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Harry Potter, Daughter of Smoke and Bone) belong on my desk shelves.

      How do you arrange your shelves? Do you hoard books? Have you created a TBR jar?

       

      Posted in books, Update Post | 13 Comments | Tagged book hoarding, books, bookshelves, personal, TBR jar
    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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