I Guess You Could Call This A First World Problem...

Alpha Echo · Aug 11, 2014

My husband is building the sitting area in our master bedroom into a huge walk-in closet/wardrobe. We already have a walk-in, but I take up most about 90% of the space and could really use more.

I'm super excited about this, but...

All my books are currently in the sitting area. They fill the built-in shelves and cabinets and cover the counter.

There really aren't many other places for us to put them. We are going to put book shelves in the new closet, but I will have to drastically cut down on the number of books I own.

I don't want to have to choose favorites!!! I love ALL my books. I have a hard enough time getting rid of books I don't even like. But I like every single one in my home right now.

Maybe I'll just...shove them into bins and put them in the basement or have my husband put them in the attic.

Then again...I could get some serious credit at the local used book store for...wait...more books.

shakeysix · Aug 11, 2014

We just moved into our house after a 7 week remodel. Everything is so clean and house magaziney because I haven't moved the paper backs onto their shelves. The hard backs look nice and neat but so many of my "friends" are paperbacked. Do I invite my raggedy, dirty, lifelong cronies to my new country club neighborhood or do I turn my back on them and haul them to the (gasp) dumpster? -- I share your pain, Alpha! --s6

Cathy C · Aug 11, 2014

I have the same problem! I had to pack all of mine into banker's boxes because they simply wouldn't fit in the (much smaller) house than I used to have and I refused to pick favorites! But I can still wander out to the storage shed outside and pick through them when I want an old favorite. I just did the boxes by genre and put them alphabetical and viola! Off-site library!

Alpha Echo · Aug 11, 2014

Thanks guys! I sort of edited my post because it sounded so...kinda snobby.

But yeah...shakey - that's exactly why hubs asked me to get hardbacks. They DO look so much nicer on the shelves. And I get that. I do. But...they're so much more clumsy to read.

Cathy - very smart to do them by genre and in alphabetical order. I am going to have to keep some order to them too when I pack them away. I'm just not sure there's a good place to put them, even if they are in bins.

My husband still hasn't taken the Christmas decorations back up to the attic. What makes me think he'll take a heavy box of books...let alone 10 of them? LOL

And the basement...there's my workout area, a family type room with TV and wet bar...a huge closet full of DD's stuff and bins of my husband's random stuff...and another room that isn't finished yet and filled with tons of junk. The garage is filled with my husband's tools...the spare bedroom is filled with Christmas presents and decorations...

There's no where.

*sigh*

shakeysix · Aug 11, 2014

My shed is full of garden stuff. Wonder if I could fashion the paperbacks into fun garden ornaments. Will look on Pinterest--just kidding--s6

Alpha Echo · Aug 11, 2014

Haha.

I bet you're only kidding that you're kidding, and you're on Pinterest right now...

Lavern08 · Aug 11, 2014

Alpha Echo said:
I bet you're only kidding that you're kidding, and you're on Pinterest right now...

(And No, I'm not stalking you)

Maryn · Aug 11, 2014

I've been after Mr. Maryn for literally years to build me custom paperback shelves. They'd be just the depth and height required, with only a little extra for ones that are just a little big, and--here's the biggie--they'd have doors, possibly repurposed shutters. I could totally see two walls of our basement workout room made 8 inches shallower because they hold my paperbacks. Yet the room would still look as good as any workout room does.

On the other hand, I'm finding my older paperbacks are calling it quits whether I read them or not. The paper's moving from beige through yellow into damned-near-brown, and the glued spines are failing as well. So I'm trying to cull the collection of books which are more than, say, twenty years old. That's a lot of them.

Maryn, who still has books sold for 35 cents

shakeysix · Aug 11, 2014

I had the idea of making shallow selves behind old doors to hold paper backs in the living room. I had two great old doors and was going to paint them to match living room but when the contractors tore down the plaster and paneling they found a giant brick chimney that wasn't going anywhere for under 2,000$! So I had to abandon the door idea--any who wants is welcome to it. I was even going to paint the panels in the doors to match the tray ceiling and put on fancy antique knobs. Just as well-- I am sick of paint and hammers--s6

sassandgroove · Aug 11, 2014

If you do put them in boxes, get nice plastic bins. We had books in cardboard in the basement and the ones that didn't get wet when we had a leak are dusty and musty and hubby can't read them or he'll get sick, not that I fare much better.

More shelves? MY parents have bookshelves in every room. (excepting bathrooms.) come to think of it we do as well. Even the kitchen.

MaryMumsy · Aug 11, 2014

shakeysix said:
I had the idea of making shallow selves behind old doors to hold paper backs in the living room. I had two great old doors and was going to paint them to match living room but when the contractors tore down the plaster and paneling they found a giant brick chimney that wasn't going anywhere for under 2,000$! So I had to abandon the door idea--any who wants is welcome to it. I was even going to paint the panels in the doors to match the tray ceiling and put on fancy antique knobs. Just as well-- I am sick of paint and hammers--s6

Did you keep the brick exposed? I love exposed brick, if it is old and has character.

MM

shakeysix · Aug 11, 2014

Not this brick. It looks like the chimney in the illustration for "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe." It is going out in the next reno--next spring I hope. I did have a dream when I first moved into this house about a little old lady taking me by the hand and showing me a beautiful marble fireplace behind the ugly 70's paneling.

When the demo was going on I was sweating that they would find that fireplace. It would confirm as ghostly some of the "old house" noises and shadows that make nights in this house interesting. No marble fireplace--just an old rickety chimney. WHEW! --s6

StarryEyes · Aug 11, 2014

Oh, I feel for you. I recently moved abroad and could only take one suitcase of belongings with me, which means I only have about a dozen books now (yes, I packed in as many as I could fit). It was so heartbreaking and I already miss all the books I had to leave behind. I didn't sell them (I gave them to my mother) but in all likeliness I'm not going to see them again for a while, boo hoo

I hope you find find a place in your basement or attic to keep your books. It sucks to get rid of them.

CathleenT · Aug 11, 2014

Hey Alpha,

My suggestion? Cut back on Christmas decorations. I donated three-quarters of mine several years ago and don't miss them AT ALL. We've still got a big Christmas tree, a little tree, two garlands, and a creche. What more do you need? You do more gifts and cards every year anyway.

Christmas lasts maybe a month, and I can set it all up now and enjoy it in a couple hours. But your books are for all year. Do whatever works in your life, but I'm just suggesting it in case you haven't thought of it.

I suppose the alternative suggestion is to go electronic with your books, but I miss holding them. Somehow, it's just not the same.

Ona Mission · Aug 11, 2014

I feel your pain. I'm divorcing and moving back home (700 miles away) in a couple months. And I can only take SOME (and by "some", I mean a FEW) books. I'm dying here. Seriously, I'm not the least bit heartbroken over the destruction of my marriage, but I am almost in tears over the abandonment of my babies. What to do, what to do? I mean, sure, I can get them replaced in time...but where's the fun in that? OK, lots of fun. But still.

benbradley · Aug 11, 2014

I learned to efficiently store books in portable bookshelves - my walls are lined with these, and they make it a lot easier to move without having to box up books and then move the boxes and bookshelves separately. This is for the common octavo hardback book size - also included are dimensions for the larger quarto size:
http://blog.freesideatlanta.org/2013/11/a-portable-storage-system-for-dead-tree.html

Even so, I've donated a few hundred books (that I'll never read again, or never read in the first place and decided I won't get around to) to the library sale every year. I may donate more than average this year, because I still have more books than shelves and need the room.

I also have a couple (thousand) LP's, but as with any ~~hoarder~~ collector, at least I can stay in denial by pointing to a news article and say "at least I'm not as bad as this guy:"
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/m...s-buying-up-all-the-worlds-vinyl-records.html

benbradley · Aug 11, 2014

sassandgroove said:
If you do put them in boxes, get nice plastic bins. We had books in cardboard in the basement and the ones that didn't get wet when we had a leak are dusty and musty and hubby can't read them or he'll get sick, not that I fare much better.

I think it's equally important to keep books in the same climate-controlled space you live in. Only put them in the basement if it's finished off and you have heating/AC going to it.

Alpha Echo · Aug 12, 2014

StarryEyes said:
Oh, I feel for you. I recently moved abroad and could only take one suitcase of belongings with me, which means I only have about a dozen books now (yes, I packed in as many as I could fit). It was so heartbreaking and I already miss all the books I had to leave behind. I didn't sell them (I gave them to my mother) but in all likeliness I'm not going to see them again for a while, boo hoo

I hope you find find a place in your basement or attic to keep your books. It sucks to get rid of them.

Thanks.

I'm so sorry all you had was a suitcase! That would be hard enough without having to worry about putting books in there too! I hope you refill your collection soon!

CathleenT said:
Hey Alpha,

My suggestion? Cut back on Christmas decorations.

We actually do not have many Christmas decorations. A tree, a bin full of ornaments and a few other things, a bin full of wrapping paper and ribbon (one of those tall bins), and...a reindeer my husband made out of a small tree we cut down.

I forgot to mention in the attic we also have bags of stuffed animals. We made our daughter go through and pick a bunch to pack away because they were taking over her room. And it's a large room! She still has about 50 in there, and she refuses to get rid of any. She adds sentimental value to more things than anyone I've ever known. Threaten to take away toys she's never even opened, and she fights back tears. But that's a story for another thread...

Ona Mission said:
I feel your pain. I'm divorcing and moving back home (700 miles away) in a couple months. And I can only take SOME (and by "some", I mean a FEW) books. I'm dying here. Seriously, I'm not the least bit heartbroken over the destruction of my marriage, but I am almost in tears over the abandonment of my babies. What to do, what to do? I mean, sure, I can get them replaced in time...but where's the fun in that? OK, lots of fun. But still.

I'm sorry to hear about your divorce AND your babies! Even if you're not upset over your divorce.

I'm sure you will have loads of fun replacing the books.

sassandgroove said:
If you do put them in boxes, get nice plastic bins. We had books in cardboard in the basement and the ones that didn't get wet when we had a leak are dusty and musty and hubby can't read them or he'll get sick, not that I fare much better.

More shelves? MY parents have bookshelves in every room. (excepting bathrooms.) come to think of it we do as well. Even the kitchen.

I already bought a few plastic bins that can slide under the bed.

As far as more shelves...we've recently redecorated...kinda...by buying a bunch of cheap oil paintings of ebay. My husband is building awesome frames for them (eventually), and there will be little free wall space left.

benbradley said:
I think it's equally important to keep books in the same climate-controlled space you live in. Only put them in the basement if it's finished off and you have heating/AC going to it.

I agree. Thankfully, our basement is finished and has heating/AC. The attic...not so much. If I have to pack away more books than can fit on my shelves or under the bed and I just can't get rid of them, I'll try to put them in bins and in the basement somewhere...

But I'm going to be ruthless. Honest with myself. If it's a book that was just "eh" or that I know in my heart I'll never read again...it's time to take them to the used book store.

jjdebenedictis · Aug 12, 2014

Ahem. How tall are you and your family members? Maybe some of them could slouch more?

Yeshanu · Aug 12, 2014

I'd suggest getting rid of most of the clothes and turning the walk in closet you have into a walk in library, but that's just me. :tongue

benbradley · Aug 12, 2014

jjdebenedictis said:
Ahem. How tall are you and your family members? Maybe some of them could slouch more?

Wow ... be sure that's well secured to the joists in the ceiling!

Dallionz · Aug 12, 2014

That's a tough one! We moved about 1.5 years ago and when we did, we seriously downsized in both house and storage area. Once we moved and realized we had no space for our large collection of books, we took 2/3 of them to a bookstore and sold them.

I regret selling most of them now.

So I suggest definitely boxing them up, putting them in organized bins, something. But DON'T sell them! You will regret it! lol

C.bronco · Aug 12, 2014

Is the hallway wide enough for shelving? Your hubby will be bored a month or so after the renovation... He may want to build you a library. Permits aren't that hard to come by. Don't mention my name to him if you use these ideas.

Alpha Echo · Aug 13, 2014

jjdebenedictis said:
Ahem. How tall are you and your family members? Maybe some of them could slouch more?

Ha! I'm short, but hubs is 6'3, and DD is well on her way (about 5' and just 10 years old).

Yeshanu said:
I'd suggest getting rid of most of the clothes and turning the walk in closet you have into a walk in library, but that's just me.

I can't do that...I just can't. Clothes and shoes are my next weakness after books.

C.bronco said:
Is the hallway wide enough for shelving? Your hubby will be bored a month or so after the renovation... He may want to build you a library. Permits aren't that hard to come by. Don't mention my name to him if you use these ideas.

The hallway is wide, but...it wouldn't look right. We already have pictures and stuff on the walls. I wouldn't really want to take those down.

Dallionz said:
I regret selling most of them now.

So I suggest definitely boxing them up, putting them in organized bins, something. But DON'T sell them! You will regret it! lol

Well...I went through all my books last night. Boxed up about 2/3 of them to take to the used book store. No..maybe 3/5. Somewhere between the two. I kept quite a few but boxed up even more. My husband ordered about 6' of bookshelves to fit into my closet. He did go with more than we were originally going to use, and I sacrificed a 4' double glass door into the closet for a 3' single so I could have more book space.

If I can't fit all my books on the shelves, I have some bins that slide under the bed. I can keep them there.

Which is good because when I take all those books to the used book store and receive credit for MORE books...

It will be a lot of credit.

But I really did need to sort through the books. There were a LOT that were just okay or kinda cute but not really the genre I prefer. A lot of "fun" reads for in between my heavier reads. Those can be exchanged for more.

So I sort of fixed the problem, but now I face the "problem" of getting a lot more books in exchange for the ones I'm getting rid of. Fortunately, I can't ever get quite as many books with the credit as the number of books I turned in. It's probably about 2:1. Turn in 2, get 1. Or even less depending on the cost.

Wow, what a ramble.

But the closet is coming along! Hubby took down the cabinets and shelving where my books used to be and put together a bunch of stuff. I get to put together new drawers today while Hubby lays down hardwood where the built-in cabinets used to be. Bookshelves are ordered...need to put together the shoe racks.

And then it's basically just the island we have to figure out.

swachski · Aug 13, 2014

Alpha Echo said:
But I'm going to be ruthless. Honest with myself. If it's a book that was just "eh" or that I know in my heart I'll never read again...it's time to take them to the used book store.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here... mainly because I'm in a downsizing, declutter, KISS* stage of my life. I moved into a hassle free apartment recently and only took a couple dozen of my most beloved books. Yes, there have been times when I regretted donating something, but 1) books love being shared, 2) I can always go to the used book store and replace the one or two that I miss, and 3) there's nothing wrong with having less stuff.

And I'll bet you five bucks that when you take your 'eh' books to the used book store, you'll hear the siren's call of new used books waiting on those shelves...

Have fun deciding which books to pass on to other readers!

*Keep It Simple, Stupid..

eta: Hehe, looks like your problem is solved!

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