Housekeeping: Pain Free Ways to Streamline Those Bookshelves
Tips for keeping a book collection under control are always of use, particularly when coming from a self-confessed 'over-reader'
Years ago I was chatting with an acquaintance, and she referred to a weekly meeting she attended without naming it. I asked her what it was. ‘Over-readers Anonymous,’ she said. I froze. I had no idea there was such a ‘twelve-step’ group, but if anyone was an over-reader, I knew I was. And then my auditory memory caught up with my fervid imagination, and I realised she had actually said, ‘overeaters,’ and I resumed breathing. Now, I openly acknowledge: reading is my drug of choice, and I know I’m in good company. For some of us, a house just isn’t a home without masses of books.
Before our house fire, our family library included thousands of books. And this was with continual donations and a thorough going-over during our house-wide decluttering. Now I can see I held onto books I didn’t love for one or more of the following reasons:
- Sentimentality. I owned three copies of Pride and Prejudice alone, because one was the first volume I had read, another was a part of a set and one was a gift.
- Cost. If I had paid full price for a hardcover, there were times I’d hold onto it even if I knew I was never going to read it again.
- It was part of a set. If you are a book collector, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
- It was a gift. Did I think guests would be doing an inventory of my shelves?
- Pretty cover. I may not have judged the book by it, but that could have been the reason I kept it on my shelf.
- Having it on my shelf made me look smart. It’s embarrassing but true.
If you read my ideabook ‘Declutter Your Home Once and for All’, you will recognise a crossover in the excuses. As I decluttered my entire house, I became quite ruthless in what I got rid of to achieve my goal of, for the most part, getting down to food, clothes and books. But I completely missed the fact that I needed to extend that ruthlessness to the books themselves.
Read ‘Declutter Your Home Once and for All‘
Read ‘Declutter Your Home Once and for All‘
When the carpenter was building the bookcases that now flank the living room fireplace in the new house, he asked me, ‘Are you going to be able to fill these?’ All told we were looking at about 40 linear feet. Less than a year after our fire - even under the new regime of restraint and minimalism - our books already numbered in the hundreds. ‘I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,’ I said. And yet 18 months later, I still have room to spare. Of course, my kids all have bookcases in their bedrooms, and I have a small one in the entrance to ours and a large one in the study, but in the living room I still have room to spare!
I'm a book reviewer, the friend of many authors and a committed book buyer, so there is a constant stream of books into the house, but this is what I ask myself to get some of them back out:
- Do I love it?
- Will I read it again?
Some Housekeeping Tips for Books
Pull all the books to the edge of the shelf. This simple thing makes a huge impact. Don't worry about the varying sizes of the books; pack them in tightly and pull them forward, and they'll look great even if your shelves aren't as beautiful as these.
Pull all the books to the edge of the shelf. This simple thing makes a huge impact. Don't worry about the varying sizes of the books; pack them in tightly and pull them forward, and they'll look great even if your shelves aren't as beautiful as these.
There’s no need to hide your paperbacks. Note how this homeowner pulled them to the front of one of the shelves and stacked them horizontally.
Don’t forget to dust. At least once a month I give the tops and edges of the shelves and books a quick going-over with a feather duster, and the difference in the room can be felt.
Don’t forget to dust. At least once a month I give the tops and edges of the shelves and books a quick going-over with a feather duster, and the difference in the room can be felt.
If your library is sizeable, don’t try to style your shelves but allow the books to take first place. Even if your shelf space exceeds your collection (lucky you!) put other things on the shelves sparingly to allow the eye to rest.
Here the books aren’t rigidly placed, but because there are only books, the feeling isn’t messy - it’s merely relaxed, which is perfectly suited for this weekend retreat.
If your home doesn’t have built-in bookcases, you can create attractive shelves relatively inexpensively with wooden boards and simple brackets.
If your home doesn’t have built-in bookcases, you can create attractive shelves relatively inexpensively with wooden boards and simple brackets.
As always, you’ll know what’s best for you; only you can decide the line between enough and too much.
Check out this 5-step series to creating a clutter free home
Do you have a large collection of books? Where do you keep them?
Check out this 5-step series to creating a clutter free home
Do you have a large collection of books? Where do you keep them?
