Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dealing with the To-Be-Read Piles



Since I started blogging and reading book blogs, my To-Be-Read piles have been growing at a much more rapid pace than they did when I was simply browsing in bookstores or finding in places like Republic of Pembereley's Library board. Sometimes I feel as if my reading world is expanding like the universe...

But hope is in sight.

My husband is half-done with this built-in bookcase that we're adding to one of our bedroom walls, which was blank except for the ballet barre which I haven't used for years. Down with ballet for exercise, and up with new shelves.

I'm thinking about all those lovely shelves to fill with not just books but bookish objets d'art. I'm thinking about a bust of Shakespeare, and I already have a shelf earmarked for my Austen paraphernalia. The world is my oyster.

16 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! That's fantastic! What a wonderful husband you have--mine would just complain that building me bookcases would feed an addiction that shouldn't be fed!

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  2. WOW!!! Wonderful idea! Books are scattered all over my little flat at the moment. Just everywhere in the house...First I'm in need of a bigger house, then of a higher wage (win on a lottery?) to pay for it, finally I might ask you: May I borrow your husband's amazing project, Jane? Waiting for the photos of your books up on those shelves and ...of Shakespeare's bust, of course!

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  3. My poor husband is always building new book shelves, but you're right Lisa it really does just feed the addiction. Empty book shelves look so lonely and bereft you just have to purchase more!

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  4. Oh, I wish I had a blank wall to fill! There are too many books and not enough walls around here. Even though we now have more wall space than in our previous house there just isn't enough space for all our books - the more space there is, the more we fill it!

    That design looks fabulous - I hope you'll post a photo when it's finished.

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  5. Your shelves are going to be so cool! I always wanted a pointy wall filled with bookshelves. Can't wait to see a picture.

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  6. Jane, I am so jealous of your newly designed book shelves. It must be nice to have a crafty husband. enjoy

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  7. We're moving in May and our plan - intended for an unknown point down the road - is to fully line the living room with book shelves. As my husband and I are both voracious readers and hoarders, our personal library has long been a problem. No matter how many bookcases we buy, they are still overflowing. I can't wait to have all the books in the same room, constantly accessible and totally surrounding me. What are entertainment systems to paper and leather? Enjoy your fabulous new decor!

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  8. Instead of a dining room we have a library but nothing so wonderful as this! I need to get on and design my built-in shelves already!

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  9. I love the design of the bookshelves! I hope to see a picture when they're completed. :)

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  10. I will definitely post a picture after it's finished. I'm particularly interested to see how the lights in the top third will turn out. Going for the candle look.

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  11. That looks fantastic, Jane! I'm so happy for you! The house we are renting right now has a built in bookcase in the office room, which I use as a music room as well and it is so wonderful! I don't know how I lived without it! I look forward to seeing te pictures when you post them! Enjoy!

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  12. How lovely to get new shelves! Those shelves will be wonderful, and you will have such fun filling them.

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  13. What a fabulous bookcase, I sure wish my house had something like it. I have the perfect spot for it. perhaps I can get my hubby on a building streak.

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  14. Jane - I'm jealous! I wish I had space for more bookshelves. I live in a converted barn, so bedrooms are downstairs, open-plan lounge kitchen is upstairs in what was a hay loft (it used to be a stables) - so it has a very low roof and not a lot of wallspace. Unfortunately I'm up to my limit on bookshelves and have books piled up, waiting to be read - have to resort to culling them and donating ones I know I won't read again to charity shops or bookcrossing them.

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