Well (most of) the boxes are unpacked and I’m feeling quite settled into my life in Vancouver now. I took some time off for the move but I’ve been back at work for a few weeks now, though I can’t get over how strange it is to be working from home – I started missing the office about two hours into my first work day. But employment, regardless of the locale, is good and pay cheques particularly so!
My greatest excitement so far this year has been unpacking my books and organizing my shelves. The two tall bookcases from my Calgary apartment ended up making the journey back to Vancouver with me and, having been firmly secured to the wall (this is an earthquake zone after all), are now loaded down with books. While my preference would be for more shelves and less books per shelf (as in Calgary where I had my lovely white and green storage boxes displayed on the shelves) the space limitations here make that impossible. I don’t adore the cluttered result but it’s practical and certainly preferable to having my books banished to storage (a number did end up there).
I went a little mad while organizing the shelves, trying to figure out some reasonable method. What I came up with seems logical enough to me though when I tried to explain it to my father he slowly backed out of the room while giving me a strange look. Happily, he did not come back with a straight jacket. But since book bloggers are just the audience to appreciate just such enthusiasms, here’s a shot of the shelves and a glimpse of the logic used to organize them:
The top shelf has my old reading diaries (I catalogue everything I read in black, lined notebooks) and my essential comfort reads: Alexander McCall Smith, Eva Ibbotson, and my Persephones, followed by my minimal collection of Viragos and Bloomsbury Group novels which shall be demoted as the Persephone collection expands. The next shelf begins with assorted Canadiana and then flows into a motley assortment of histories and biographies that are arranged in vaguely chronological order. Very vague. The third shelf begins with an unfinished Mitford collection (I can’t find my copy of the Lovell book – I think my Aunt ‘borrowed’ it, which means it will never be seen again – and there’s a copy of Wait for Me! enroute), followed by collections devoted to Czechs, Germans, Austrians, royalty, the Crusades, travel memoirs, and then general biographies/memoirs, organized by profession (politicians, actors, writers, cooks). Then there’s the Regency shelf, beginning with Austen, flowing quite naturally into Heyer and Lauren Willig’s books. I’m quite pleased with this progression. The bottom two shelves are fiction, sorted alphabetically, with reference books and cookbooks at the end. As my library expands these final volumes can be relocated elsewhere – the world will not end of I do not always have my German dictionary to hand.
I may have spent just a bit of time working on this. They were very happy hours though, I assure you!
I then appropriated the small bookshelf in the hallway outside my ‘study’ (aka my brother’s old room/the guest room):
It was half full before with our children’s books and I added the top row of Puffin Classics and then random leftovers that seemed to suit the not-too demanding standard set by the earlier occupants. There are a few books here on the bottom shelf that are also currently in purgatory as I struggle with whether or not to give them away or at least send them to storage. We shall see.
And there we have it, my Vancouver bookshelves! They hold far more than I had dared hope and everything has worked out splendidly. Thank goodness I don’t buy too many books; otherwise I’m sure I’d outgrow these far too quickly! Then I’d be in real trouble: though I have measured the room and know I can fit two more bookshelves into my study if the dresser is removed but my mother is not too keen on that plan, understandably as its still her guest bedroom!
The Captive Reader 
I couldn’t bear the thought of books in storage either, which is why the car sits on the drive and the garage has been converted into a second library. And as to the logic of organisation, well my Persephone and Virago are all together as well. And the rest are organised by gender before being organised alphabetically.
Gender? Interesting, that’s certainly not a category I’d considered organizing by.
Love that your garage has been turned into a library!
Ooh – I love those Penguin classics – they look wonderful arranged together.
Don’t they look lovely? I have so many fond memories with those books that I do like to keep them near.
Don’t worry, we certainly do understand the enthusiasm! I know what you mean about preferring more spare shelves, but on the other hand I find that there’s something so comforting and homelike about a shelf practically bursting with books. In my apartment here I only have one shelf that isn’t anywhere near full yet (though at this rate, it probably will be before too long :S) and I find myself missing the really cluttered ones I had back home.
I’m glad to hear you’re getting settled in nicely!
I get kind of flustered when things are cluttered, so this is not ideal for me! But it works and it means I have my books near me and for that I can stand a few full bookshelves!
Looking good. I have a friend who has organised all her spines in colour order. Although it looks beautiful it brings me out in a rash – all of those authors, shoulder to shoulder with unsuitable friends :O
Organizing by colour looks nice enough but it’s certainly not for me! Far too confusing when you’re trying to find something, particularly as your library gets larger and larger!
Nicely done! I had to laugh at your father’s reaction. My dear daddy still is overwhelmed at the number of books in our house (after seeing them for years!), but he always finds something while he’s here that intrigues him and makes him say, “Where did you find this one?” 🙂 He was never a big reader, but he’s finding it more appealing these days. (Grandkids influence, maybe? 😉 )
Thanks for sharing your shelves…it has increased my desire to redo my own, though! Happy Sunday to you.
My father used to be a big reader but really isn’t anymore, which is inconceivable to me. How does that happen? Glad to hear that your father is going the other way!
Lovely! It always feels like you’ve settled in once your books are all in place! I miss my books – most are boxed up in my mum’s attic and they’ll be there for some time as I tend to move at least once a year and I have so many books that it’s just not practical to keep lugging them around with me everywhere I go. When I’ve actually settled on where I’m going to be for a few years I’ll finally get them all out, and that will be a joyous day!
A joyous day indeed! I’ve moved six times in the past six years, taking my books with me every time and they are heavy! Both they and I are staying put now.
Love reading about your bookshelves. I’ve never had enough. Have decided what I enjoy in life is reading and arranging bookshelves. So glad you are back in Vancouver.
what I enjoy in life is reading and arranging bookshelves
If I could arrange a new bookshelf every week, life would be fantastic!
I’m glad you are settling in. Vancouver is a fine city, we usually visit there once a year. Glad you have all your book organized. I’m going through a period of reading and culling and still need at least one more. Have a great week!
I’m certainly rather fond of Vancouver so I’m glad to hear you like it!
I had no idea that Vancouver was in an earthquake zone! But that makes sense since it’s on the Pacific. And I have spent many satisfying hours arranging and rearranging my books to suit my whims — just the other day I rearranged my entire TBR bookshelf. I put all the nonfiction on one shelf, all the short-story collections on the second, and the other shelves are totally random — just thought I’d mix it up a bit. Of course my unread Persephones are mixed in with the read ones, since all the dove-grey books belong together. I wish I could zoom in on your shelves and read all your titles!
Yes, Persephones must be kept together! The idea of a TBR bookcase seems rather daunting to me but then I usually only buy books I have read and know I want to reread so I doubt I could even fill a full shelf.
The first thing I noticed were you Persephone books! My books are all in piles while my basement is being renovated, but I will definitely have a Mitford shelf when all is said and done!
I hope you post pictures once everything is done! A Mitford shelf is a wonderful thing to have.
Looking good. As long as it is organised how you understand and like it – then it does not matter what others think even if they think it is slightly strange.
My logic ranges from the normal to the abnormal.
Thanks Jo! It’s definitely organized as I like it right now…we’ll see how that changes over time! Rearranging bookcases is always a delightful occupation.
I think your organisational system makes perfect sense! I’m not sure why your dad was so concerned! You have made me think, yet again, about organising my shelves – they are at nightmare point unfortunately and it is getting hard to find books!
Thanks Karen! As for organizing your shelves, take a deep breath and dive in! It’s such fun to create order out of chaos and to spend a few hours/days surrounded by books.
Reading about your bookshelves is causing me to miss mine very sadly. I brought one bookshelf with me, a turning one that my daddy made me, but the big ones all stayed behind. 😦 Your organizing principles seem very reasonable! It’s all about finding a system that makes it easy for you to find the books when you want them.
For four years at university I only had one short little shelf. It was tragic; I completely understand your pain.
Loved the tour, and I love your idiosyncratic approach to organising them. 🙂
Thanks Eva!
It sounds like you had a lot of fun. We just spent the weekend packing up our books in boxes for our impending move. I’m looking forward to putting them back out again!
Yes, unpacking and getting to organize them at least partially makes up for having to haul them around during a move. As much as I love my books, they are heavy!