Do You Have Too Many Books?
If you’re like me, whether you’re both a writer and a reader or just an avid reader, you probably have stacks of books that don’t fit on your burgeoning bookshelves in your home.
A display of a set of antique Harvard Classics in the living room . . .
A “brag” shelf displaying my books in the living room . . .
A crate of Ransome’s Honor and Menu for Romance in the living room (and a corner of a crate of books I’ve purged from my shelves that are going to my grandmother in a couple of weeks) . . .
A box of Stand-In Groom in the floor of the office . . .
Books in the corner of the office by the closet . . .
Books between the office door & closet . . .
And books all across the wall over the computer in the office . . .
So what got me interested in showing my “library”? This article about a flat in London where the renters have so many books, they got permission from their landlords to bring in an architect and add a loft bedroom to their apartment—with a staircase library to house their massive collection of books:
Have your books outgrown your bookcases? Have you had to find unique ways of storing them?
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KayeDacus.com 
I have HUNDREDS of books — I started to catalog them once and gave up when I got over 500. Every time we move, my husband “comments” on them as he packs and schleps the boxes and boxes of books. Every house we’ve lived in for the last 12 years (we’ve been married 30), he has found places to install built-in bookshelves to supplement the freestanding ones we own. And still there are stacks of books on my bedside table, the spare bedroom, various closets. . . . Mike has been known to gently suggest that perhaps I could get rid of a few that I’m “not going to read again.” He knows better than to say I have too many, because I’ve explained to him that there’s no such thing as too many books. But I do love him, so a few months ago I went through the shelves and pulled out . . . five books that he could take to the used book store. 🙂
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I’m learning to (dare I say it) give books away. There are so many I have yet to read and that I’ll probably never read, that I packed up about 30 books to give the teachers at my school for Christmas.
If I had more bookshelves, I’d probably keep more!
I’m trying to be picky about the books I keep and getting rid of the ones I didn’t love! BTW, your book is still in my TBR pile! 😉 I’m usually a year or two behind!
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Well I don’t think I have quite as many books as you do but I sure do have a lot! I have them stacked in double rows on my bookcase, stashed under the bed, in bags in the closet, in old wooden pop bottle crates in the dining room and my TBR stack is under my stereo shelf…whew!
I think I need to do that staircase bookshelf thing! That’s soooo cool! Thanks for sharing it!
xoxo~ Renee
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Going down those stairs would scare me—especially at night—with the way one side is wider than the other. I’m certain I’d always either go down with my foot on the wrong (narrow) side, or that I’d put my foot down too close to the center and go off the edge between the wide and narrow parts.
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I would love that staircase bookshelf – or even just a space like that with the shelves on the sides, not necessarily the steps as well. Just fantastic.
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Never too many books. Always too few shelves!
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That staircase is WOW!
I have a lot of books, but not as many as I could. Probably because I went through a few years where I didn’t buy any, but just lived at the library due to low funds. And when I did… I’d eventually sell them at a garage sale even though it broke my heart… but I’m a frugal mother, what can I say.
But now… my bookcase is overflowing, and my husband growns when I bring home a new book! I LOVE my collection, but not sure where I’m going to put everything when I outgrow it. I have a few ideas though…
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I have always dreamed of having a room in my home that is the library. In this library the walls are lined with book shelves! I would love that!
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Is there such a thing as too many books? I love my books and have two book cases full plus many boxes, and smaller book shelves. My husband made me a huge beautiful built-in in our last home, I hated to leave it behind. I loan books out all the time and do give them away, but I somehow keep acquiring more!
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That loft book staircase is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
As I know you’re aware, I really don’t read books much. I own the majority of Michael Crichton’s library and I have a dream of buying all the books that have been turned into some of my favorite movies, but that’s more to accent my awesome movie collection than anything. I also plan on stealing all of my old childhood favorites back from my parents once I eventually have kids.
I haven’t run out of space for my DVD since I have three five shelf bookcases for them, but I did have to rearrange them so that the dogs can’t get to them. Fortunately the first time they were ever “bad” they only ruined my recently purchased copy of My Bloody Valentine, but it could’ve been worse since there are a variety of special editions that were in that same area. So I’m kind of running out of space, but I shouldn’t be (my collection just crossed the 500 movie mark).
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That is the coolest thing ever! I have two bookshelves that are bursting at the seams…need another one but where am I going to put it? 😉
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I do have way to many books – and my collection really bloomed in the past year. I’m currently trying to reorganize my living room so I can take advantage of my new bookshelves. If I end up filling them all up, I will likely weed out some books that I won’t likely read again, but my intent is to have them so that people can borrow them.
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I’m having to pack up books again. I just can’t take them all to New York with me unfortunately. 😦
That is a way cool bookcase!!
I would marry the Beast just to get the library in the castle…
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