And now...

[soldiergrrrl]

proof positive that maybe, just maaaaybe, we have too many books.



This is the upstairs hallway.  The niche that was there, and is now covered in books, appears to have been *made* for paperback bookshelves.  Since no one actually *makes* affordable paperback bookshelves (AKA DVD shelves, which are STUPIDLY expensive for some reason....), my Best Friend of Awesomeness and Kitten, and her Husband Who Does Not Suck, came down to help us make these.  YAY!  Now, since we know how to do it, we'll be making a LOT more of them.  In fact, there's another spot, on the opposite side of the hallway, that will have deeper shelves in it, such as craft books.

Seriously, why is it that I can get sorta-kinda decent bookshelves...okay, never mind. Good shelves, for ANY thing, are stupidly expensive.  The total cost of materials for this set was probably $175 total.

Comments

[cornute.livejournal.com]

I don't understand what people put on shelves that's not books!

Seriously, the first thing I did when I moved into my house is paint the built-in shelves, and then when it dried, I filled them up with books.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, sometimes we have stuff that goes on shelves with books. :-)

[nilo.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous!

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Too many books?!?!

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

I... I don't understand. Those words have meaning in isolation, but they just don't _go_ together.

Re: Too many books?!?!

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

The really do become a bit much when your books run you over your weight allowance by several thousand pounds.

There's no such thing as "too many books".

[piroshki.livejournal.com]

I forget...you never did make it out to my house, did you.

That's how many books are in my bedroom.

Please note this does not account for the books in the hallway(s), books in the breezeway, books in the basement (by computer), books in the basement (bedroom), more books in the basement (TV wall), books in the living room, books in the foyer... This is of course not counting the books that still have not been unpacked...

I relocated with seventy-two cases of books.

About a third of a twenty-four foot straight-truck, floor to ceiling.

I have not stopped acquiring books. Books are like friends; the weight of a book in your hands, the frail, fragile scent of paper and ink and glue (especially with the older ones) awakens a warm coziness that not even tea with lemon and honey can create.

(And for any who don't know me in your reading audience, yes I really do read them all, and if you look hard enough, you may even find the ones I wrote.)

"Too many books" as a phrase does not compute.

Oh, and for the most part I build my own bookshelves for the very reason you noted: you just can't buy a good set of shelves for anything less than $OMG!RIDICULOU$.

Re: There's no such thing as "too many books".

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

have not stopped acquiring books. Books are like friends; the weight of a book in your hands, the frail, fragile scent of paper and ink and glue (especially with the older ones) awakens a warm coziness that not even tea with lemon and honey can create.

This is lovely...and also why I don't "just get an e-reader".

[pancua.livejournal.com]

1) No such thing as too many books!
2) Me next! :D

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

We'll have to get together and measure, and then work them out. :)

You'll get to help sand and paint/stain. :-)

[lorihalia.livejournal.com]

You guys have books like my ex-husband has books. While his storage methods left a lot to be desired (stacks and stacks of moving boxes filled to the brim) I never once thought the quantity to be a bad thing. =)

No such thing as too many books. ;D

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

:-) John makes sure they're stored and organized well. He's a weeeeee bit OCD about it all. I just smile and agree.

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Shelves in the hall, bathroom, bedrooms, kitchen, living & dining rooms, more in my storage locker. Yeah I know the love of books. What's even better is having a guest ask if you've read them all.

[tudorlady.livejournal.com]

Okay, that IS a cool thing. Awesome and tabby cats, even.

I have (according to Librarything) somewhere around 1,460+ books. So I tend to concur that there's no such 'too many books'. You could get snowed in for weeks, then what would you do? ;)

Anyhow - in my case, I'd say 90% are hardbacks and/or not the small paperback novel size, so my needs are somewhat different, but what's worked for me (until I get built-ins that replace the original built ins that got pulled out of my house before I got it) so far is having several of those folding, stackable bookcases. Places like Target have them, Ikea probably has their own upscale version. Three shelves, usually some sort of light colored wood - and the magc thing is that you can stack them, so you can put 'em practically up to the ceiling if you want. When I first started getting them years ago, I could get them on sale for less than $30 each, now it's a little less than $45-50. Either way, don't pay MSRP, they go on sale several time a year. They've held all of my huge costume books like champs, and you have a bit of flexibility with them. I have several these and my one 'good' glass-fronted bookcase which has my childhood library in it. It's still overflowing, I grant you, but it's an okay solution for now.

[logospilgrim.livejournal.com]

*admires the thing of beauty* :-)

[tygerr.livejournal.com]

Seems to me that this is a perfect example of the fannish maxim: "There is no such thing as too many books. It is sadly common, however, to have NOT ENOUGH BOOKSHELVES."

[dracphelan.livejournal.com]

The sad part is, I'm running out of space for shelves.

[ldy-anne.livejournal.com]

Ooo! Very nice! I have bookshelf envy. Now I'm eyeballing the half-wall in my upstairs hallway to figure out if I can do something similar. Mine doesn't have the handy niche that yours does, but I might be able to make it work.

Are the shelves made of 1x6s? What did y'all use to fasten the shelves to the wall?

[sengokudaimyo.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons I hate moving so much is my 2.5 metric buttloads of books. In the reno being carried on in my new house, I'm having a special bit of work done -- built in shelves -- in the study. 17 linear feet of floor to ceiling bookshelves. And I think that still leaves me a need for some shelves. And then there are all the paperbacks, which are intended for some more custom shelves in the guest bedroom.

I'm *starting* to think there's such a thing as too many books, but I'm not quite emotionally there yet. ;)

[tradarcher.livejournal.com]

Wonderful bookcase. BTW there is no such thing as too many books, too much jewelry, or too many knives.

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

You can't have too many books - there is room on the shelf for more!

[whirled.livejournal.com]

Shelves! Books! Yay!

I can't believe you did it all yourself... but you know the problem with building more bookshelves? You'll just have to fill them up again. :)

[ladytwnks.livejournal.com]

al has this...ratty tatty shoulda been tossed years ago armoire that holds his printer. and takes up beaucoup space.

he needs (yet another) bookcase. so he's building one. yesterday he started, there's already a bottom shelf, top shelf, sides, and back. its taller than i am. and other than rough-wood-looking, its VERY nice.

which is what lead to the "you arent going to SAND that thing in the middle of the living room" post yesterday. ;)

your shelves look gorgeous! and should we ever buy a house, i'm keeping this idea in mind.

[guruzilla-lj.livejournal.com]

I don't understand -- what would that mean, "too many books"? Sounds like crazy talk to me...

:D

[amber-gold.livejournal.com]

I love this picture!