Need Tips

[pen_grunt]

I have a wonderful problem. I just got a new bookshelf and I'm going to re-organize my books this weekend (pure bliss...I'm nuts, but pure bliss).

What is the best way to shelve books? In the past I've tended to organize them loosely by look (older/valuable hardcovers go in the shelves with the glass doors, all others go in the shelves in a way that looks good so that I don't get a short paperback next to a tall hardcover, etc), and somewhat by genre (kids/ya books in one area, series in another, fantasy sorta in one place, classics sorta in another).

This SEEMS to work okay, but I never know where to find new books.

I know I have some fellow book-lovers on my friends' list...so how do you organize your books? What works for you and what doesn't?

Should they be separated by genre, by author, by title? HC/SC? YA/Adult? Alphabetically?

It's a hugely pleasurable, yet monumental task.

Comments

[liquid-siftings.livejournal.com]

I sort mine by genre, then by author. Before I ran out of shelf space, I tried to keep one shelf open for new books. Alas, that is long, long gone.

Straight alphabetical doesn't work as well for me.

[lisa-e-is-me.livejournal.com]

I tend to just go alphabetical by title, but I do separate hardbacks from paperbacks. If I don't keep things simple like that, I am inclined to WAY overthink them, and the next thing you know, I would be implementing my own Dewey Decimal System, complete with a card catalog. Which actually sounds nice...

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know! To have that level of organization...

I was thinking about, as I was sorting books, putting them all into an excel spreadsheet by author, title, genre, and "read" status...

But then I rethought and decided that that sounds kinda like a lot of work.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Hmm..running out of bookshelves...that seems to be a very, very common problem amongst book lovers.

I've promised myself that if I ever start stacking books, I'll stop getting books. They must be shelved!