Good morning. COFFEE is good today as I sit in the early light anticipating a full day. I work today and have an event to assist with tonight so I suspect it will be one of those days that I have maybe an hour or so between work and event so may just be at work all day and night… home around 9:00 pm.
Right now though, I am still relaxing and thinking about my book room.
If you have been around here lately you know we are in the process of revamping the book room. It was way too crowded with all the individual book shelves and I finally made the leap to putting the selves on the wall. As of yesterday the person working on the room had run out of the wood that was needed for the shelves but half of the room is done and the other will be once the wood comes in. The wood is on back order and has a 14 day lead time, they (the wood store) is unsure when the wood was ordered so while that is frustrating, the project is looking really good and I am hopeful it will still be done before the family gathering I have here at the end of the month.
When I came home yesterday I started working on the part of the room that is done and by that I started organizing by
1. Creating review shelves (books to review)
2. A food shelf (all books food related – memoirs, cook books, healthy eating…)
3. I started alphabetizing my non review books (but many still need to be read) by authors last name.
This…
is quite the project.
I worked on this from 3:30 – 8:30 and then decided that was enough for the night. I have been sorting out my personal books between keepers, books for my book club to get first chance at, and books to donate to the library. I have 4 big bags of books that will be leaving the house and that feels good.
When the project is finished I want to find some sort of library check in that I can scan in all my books and know what I have. I can not wait until it is finished and I can share the whole thing with you. 😀 I did post some before pics the other day… it will never look like that again.
Another thing to perhaps do with a book or two is give it to this great online program ran by Book Soulmates – RAK. RAK is Random Acts Of Kindness and book lovers can sign up with a list of books they have on their wish list and the point is that participants check the list – send a book off someones wish list to them and hopefully someone sends you one off your wish list as well. It is a monthly program and this month I am finally participating. I am watching the wish lists for books that I have and may be willing to pass on to someone else. You can check out the program here.
Book Journey 
Good question…and one I have been struggling with. I recently became more active with PaperBackSwap with the intention of building up credits that I doubt I will ever use. But sending off one book at a time is s..l..o..w when you have 6000+ books at home.
I love to put books into hands of book lovers!
Wow…your room looks awesome. Love how you are organizing it. It will be super when you are done.
Is it a brand new room?
I give my books to friends or to our library who has an annual sale in the summer. They collect beginning in January so I have to keep them hanging around until then.
ENJOY your new room and your day.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
Its not a brand new room Elizabeth, it was ourt old office before we moved it out of the house. I have been using it for the books with many (MANY) book cases but I had outgrown that system.
That’s so great that you are building shelves! I’d love to do that but it’s not an option for me at the moment! I’d never heard of RAK either so thanks for sharing. Good luck in your construction endeavors! 😀
Its a lot of work Liesel but I think it is really going to improve my system all around 🙂
How exciting! I really need to redo my shelves but it is such an intimidating task!
It is that Kathy… I really had no idea how much work it would be!
Those shelves are beautiful! Fantastic idea, love it. The RAK thing sounds cool too. For scanning, I use LibraryThing and I got their CueCat barcode scanner. It’s awesome – looks like a cat and works really well 🙂
I was wondering how you would scan…Pretty neat.
Thanks for the explanation.
I was wondering how you would scan…Pretty neat.
Thanks for the explan
Thanks for the explanation. Not sure why my other comment was messed up. Yikes.
I am going to check out that Cuecat Amy, thank you!
I love the shelves! They are just what I need!
Mostly I bring the books I don’t want to the senior center. They love getting them. I also have brought books to the hospital and some to the library for their book sale.
Thats a good idea too Carol, I just went to the senior center sale a couple weeks ago.
Good job Sheila, your room is starting to take shape. I just donated a ton of books to a big book sale we have every year in the city and all proceeds goes to a womens shelter. I also give books away to friends and family who share my passion for reading and books. I only keep books that I would love to reread in the future, but somehow never seem to do. Always too many good new ones being released. Too many books, not enough time!
Joan I keep books for the same reason but also to share. love being a go to place for my friends and family to find their next great read.
First let me tell you my daughter and I envy your room! It is amazing!
When I am done reading my books and they are not a keeper –
I pass them on to someone who I think would like to read them,
I give them to my daughter to put on book swap,
Both my daughters use them for craft projects
I will give them to the thrift store – hope someone who can’t afford bookstores can get a good book.
All great give away places. I love that our books are getting to those who would love to read them.
I don’t keep books that I didn’t care for. I used to try to sell them on half.com. Now I give them to the library for their used book store or their “free” box.
I offer the library choice – first to the library and then those they do not want can move on to the Friends book sale.
I wish I had one room in which I could arrange all of my books…yours is going to be a LIBRARY! It already has that feel.
I do love having books all around me, though, but do need a better organizational system (other than alphabetizing within each shelf).
I have given away books to the library; taken them to the gym; and yesterday I had a bag of ARCs that I was planning to take to the gym, but my daughter-in-law was visiting and had borrowed a book from my bathroom shelf, so I let her browse and take books from the bag for the gym.
The room is pretty awesome Laurel. I cant wait to see what the finished look is… I have some ideas for when it is done. 😉
I have a big bookshelf wall upstairs in my house. And I feel such joy and satisfaction, every time I organize it. I know, weird.
You know, that’s a good question and one I need to do something about. My house overflows with books and I really do need to pare down the ones that aren’t keepers. I just came back from a vacation in Northern California and I noticed this lovely tradition there. In most of the small towns, there would be bins outside different shops, advertising free books. You could drop off or you could take. Great concept.
Its not wierd Joann… I get that 😀 I love seeing my books in some sort of order, now I know exactly where all my Adrianna Trigiani books are, all my Sandra Brannons….
The shelves are beautiful! We are moving so shelves will soon be a priority for me as well. I definitely want a separate area for TBRs (and a better area than just banker’s boxes!). Generally I donate all my leftovers to the public libraries for their sales. I tried taking them to women’s shelters, especially the kids books, but they wouldn’t take them! :–(
Moving Jill? I want tot know more about this :). The library is always such a great donation place – I am excited to see once you move what you do with the books 😀
Since moving my books and desk into a spare bedroom I have been working to get more organized. I have my review and giveaway shelf, my TBR shelf (which is overflowing) and my PaperbackSwap shelf that was organized by author before moving it in here and needs to be alphabetized again. I have two keeper shelves in the living room and another in my bedroom. I love being surrounded by books.
I love being surrounded too Lori, it makes me feel adventurous… but also down to earth 😀
Your shelves are AWESOME!! 😀 I’ve joined Paperback Swap in the hopes of weeding out my collection but I’ve yet to get going on it.
I used to enjoy paperback swap…. I had heard once they were considering audio books and movies and i was super excited about that but have not seen that be true as of yet…
I love your new shelves. I am drooling over them. We have bookcases (none that match) in several rooms and then books in closets. What a mess! My younger daughter gets all of my mystery books, older daughter gets legal thrillers, niece gets contemporary fiction and friend gets romance/christian books. Any left overs and there seem to always be a lot of them, go to the library book sale. Sometimes I swap books with other bloggers.
Thats what I had Kaye, many many book cases, some nice, some antique, a few I put together from wal-mart… I think I still have one yet to be assembled in the closet… 😀
Your shelves are starting to look awesome! I usually give away my books to friends, other book bloggers, and the library.
Thanks Laura, I am really anxious for the finished look – I started dreaming about this and planning it before I went to BEA this year.
I will confess-I donate all my books except cookbooks and food memoirs. They go to the library, people I work with and friends. Many times if a blogger mentions that they want to read a book and I still have it I will send it to them. Books are like chocolate, meant to be shared. Thank you for the link.
I do that too Esme, send books that I do not wish to keep to other bloggers who express an interest. That’s fun to do and the book has another opportunity to be reviewed. 😀
love, love, love your room! I’m trying to do something in my daughter’s old room. It will still need to be a guest room but two wall will be all shelves. I’ll be doing bookcases (Ikea) and will need to save room for other stuff 😦
I use to take my books to a used bookstore, also the library (have you ever bought your own book back? {blush}) I’ve left a couple at a hospital and given to friends.
I use LibraryThing and bankers boxes right now, and a storage unit. I’ve promised my husband a usable guest room by Christmas so I’m hoping a lot of the books will be home.
If I had the space…one section each for Review Books, YA, picture books, Non-fiction. Not sure how to do fiction. I have mystery and romance that have a strong cat theme so I don’t know if those will go together or now. I’m thinking fiction will be by author/anthology with all the genres mixed together
I’ll have to remember to take pictures!
GIna, yeah – I have bought my own books back….LOL – its for a good cause right? I also had to put a dog in to the HART home we have here in town because he did not get along with my youngest son, I felt bad, found him a home, and then paid to get him out so I could give him to a friend – so see – I buy things back all the time….LOL 😀
ANd yes – take pics, I would love to see what you come up with!
That organization process looks like so much fun! 🙂 I donate some books to the library, others I save for giveaways (like advance copies, since our library won’t take them), and some I swap via paperbackswap and bookmooch. I just did a reorganization of my books a couple of weeks ago and now have about ten stacks under my bed. That is the storage option of last resort, so I’m going to have to weed again in a few months.
I am having fun with it Alyce, I am listening to an audio book while I set it up – its a win win. 😀
I give to friends and donate to the library book sale, but I think I’ll start sending a few to other bloggers too. I know I’ve loved receiving books from them.
That is fun to exchange books Barbara! Once I am organized I will be better off to see what I am missing from authors and what I would like to own.
Your new shelves are looking good!
With my old books, I usually donate them to the free table at work or the library and sometimes I send them off to my blogger friends. They go all over the place.
OOH I like the idea of a free table at work April!
Wow – this is great. Most rooms in my place are book rooms – but specifically the living room and home office. I love all your walls of books. Good luck as you finish construction and organization.
For many years Tam I had books all over the place too… every room, and still kind of do but mainly because I like the look of a book on an end table or a night stand. 😀
If the book meets the Paperback Swap conditions, I’ll post them there. If not, they will go to one of the libraries. I gave some to my sister in law for my nephew, since they were ones I read in school near his age, but she’s asked for no more books for that one. Also, since they are currently going to a private churchy schools, I have no idea if they read the normal books the public schools read at the same age groups, if at all.
I just sent off a few duplicates I had to someone on the RAK list this month. I have a couple arcs that I will put up on Arcycling once I do the review on the last one.
I am watching the RAK list for books I have that are duplicates as well – hoping I can surprise someone and fill something off their wish list 😀 I never heard of Arcycling. I must check that out!
I didn’t read through all comments but there is http://www.littlefreelibrary.org. It’s a great program.
OOH thanks Belle, I will look at that!
I usually go to a store that has a book buy back program.
Thats a good idea!
This is seriously cool! I love your shelves and I am jealous of your collection. I used to have a ton of books, but I had nowhere to put them, so I gave them away to a friend of mine who’s a reading teacher. I have a Kindle and get books from the library…but if I had the room, I would totally have something that look like that! 🙂
Its funny Susan because right out of high school I had books everywhere. I had boxes and boxes and I dont even know what I did them… probably gave them to some one for a garage sale – then through the years I slowly worked my way back from a select book shelf… to well, this.
Looks like an awesome room for all of your lovely treasures. I always feel so good when I donate books to the library (makes room for more):)
I do too Diane, I just took two large bags in today for them.
I sell the ones I can, and the ARCs go to the library booksale or to work!
I do love those Library Sales! 😀
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Your book room is looking so good! I hope to have my own book room one day. When I’m finished with my books, I usually donate them to my local public library.
I always send unwanted books (that sounds so sad…) to the library. I take so many out, I figure it’s good to put a few in!
Your book room looks amazing–have fun setting it up!
I’ve been saving my non-keepers for a yard sale in the Spring. Other than that I give them to a local church rummage sale and to Goodwill. I get so many from Goodwill…I feel I need to resupply them…that way I’ll get more in return!
Words cannot express how jealous I am of your shelves! I am happy for you though. I know it’s a lot of work to organize everything, but I would love to be able to do that. I hope you get things finished soon!
I’m a bit of a hoarder… I love owning books. That would explain why I buy so many…
But lately I’ve been donating. I go to the Lifeline bookfest (a giant second hand book sale run by charity) a few times a year. I buy a couple of dozen second handbooks. I read them and what I don’t love I donate back along with other books I buy that I don’t adore.
It means that my total book gain is fairly close to zero lately.
I adore your shelves!
I would love to have a project like this. Since I’m currently living with my parents (financial reasons), I don’t have the space. But I dream of having a library in my home. And I’d love to get them all scanned in some program.
Good work so far. =)