Friday, May 3, 2013

Clearly, we have a Book Problem

I am just about 44 years old and I like real books. I cannot get happy about e-readers, even though the technology piques my interest. Today I was shoving a pciture book into a space too small and actually had to stand up and kick it in. Too many books, I muttered. Because I enjoy blogging and Facebook (See, I'm not too much of an old fogey.), I decided to go around the house, snapping pictures of Where We Keep Books. You'll notice the general mess, which I left because I didn't want to pick up it's real life.


This is Clare's personal stash, because some books she wants to have very close to her.

This is in between the children's bedrooms upstairs: picture books, board books, huge coffee table books (We don't have a coffee table.).

This is in a kitchen cupboard. Cookbooks.

This is also in the kitchen and should be American books, our focus for school this year. I don't really know what's on the top.

This is the den windowsill above the futon where we sleep. Getting sleepy books, pulled from the shelves below. Some are probably child psychology books that Ken turned around because he didn't want Clare or the boys to notice the titles.

This is also in the den. There is no organization here at all.

Living room barrister with missing glass on the bottom 2 shelves and some of Ken's diorama soldiers. Mostly science-y.

In between 2 big windows in the living room. Poetry, popes, catechisms. Oh, and baby books on the bottom.

My favorite shelf. This was built by Ken and is organized! School books for four kids, math section, art supplies. I also use the top as a diaper changing table (although the basket of diapers seems to be empty at the taking of this picture. I'd better remedy that). If you look through all the clutter, you can just make out the previous two: barrister back on the left and the pretty poetry one straight ahead.



 
I would happily get rid of all our DVDs and VHS tapes for some sort of box with movies confined to computer blips (I guess we'd need a new television as well...) but books as computer blips gives me hives. Someday we'll have a room solely dedicated to books with wall-to-wall ORGANIZED shelves.  Until then, I buy more and sometimes have to kick them into place.

Maybe not, though ~

A room without books is like a body without a soul.
G.K. Chesterton

Love,
Allison

3 comments:

  1. Nothing better than a house full of books! I prefer real books too and refuse to get an e-reader, even though I have lost so many books during our big moves...to America and then back to Australia, most didn't survive that. My dream would be to have a massive library room...everything completely organized with ladders to reach the top shelves! One day!

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  2. Books, books, books! Books in our bedroom, living room, upstairs landing, guest room and that is not even talking about the books in the studio! Yup! We have a book problem too.

    I am so glad I found your blog, (via House Unseen)! Hooray, another Alaskan Catholic blogger! Come check me out at Home In Douglas. Where in Alaska do you live? I am assuming Anchorage....

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  3. I really love this! And feel compelled to add for the record: I am SURE you're 26, and ... (you skipped your bathroom, you dignified thing!) Dear Readers, Mother Angelica rules the Howells 'away room'. PS, the skinny white shelves with your Irish poets is my favorite for some reason.

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