Saturday, February 21, 2009

Bookshelves: Before and After Blog

So this is what my bookshelf looked like in July 2007:


This is what it looks like today (I added some shelf extentions on the middle and right shelf, but not the left shelf...yet):


Oh, and I had to buy another bookshelf. Review books and catalogs are double stacked here:


And here's the shelf of unread YA hardcovers (the unsigned ones) that I keep on the shelf above my desk:

There is another shelf next to my desk too, but that is just work related books and office supplies mostly.

63 comments:

simply nerdy book reviews said...

you have to read Evernight (has a bit of sexual content, but not much) and extras and peeps and a lot of those hardcovers!

Love the shelves!

Yan said...

omg omg the Summoning! mail it straight over here Lemore!

di said...

Your bookshelves are so neat! Eventually my bookshelves got so full that I had to start storing some in the attic D=

I waited a bit too long, though. I had a shelf collapse first.

Ana S. said...

Blogging is a dangerous, dangerous thing :P I very nearly doubled the amount of books I have since I started two years ago.

Amy said...

I wish I had all those nice pretty shelves! (and all those nice pretty books. and maybe 4 times the space I have now!)

Alea said...

Oooooh! I want to come visit and look at all of your catalogs, looks like you have a lot!

Yan said...

stupid typo...

Anonymous said...

I don't feel quite so bad about my books now. Thanks for posting this.

Genevieve said...

So many good books! Read Graceling, that one was amazing. : )

H said...

I'm jealous of your bookshelves as well as your books =) I wish I had that much room devoted to just books. And so neat too!
By the way, I loved Just Listen. You should try it.

Adele said...

So jealous.

And it occurs to me that you lucky Americans get hardcovers of everything. Here in Oz our only options are paperbacks sigh.

The only YA hardcovers I own are Harry Potters and Octavian Nothing.

Alea said...

Wow, apparently I need to move to Australia! I hate Hardcovers!

Kelly said...

I had an extra bedroom that I was stashing books in. Slowly, without letting anyone in on it, I was transforming it into the library I'd always wanted. Then...disaster. My niece, (hubby's sister kid) moved to the So. Cal area and needed a place to stay for "a little while, until she found a place she could afford". That was October 1st. Her Navy boyfriend proposed to her in Jan., wedding is set for the end of Sept. It looks like I'll have a houseguest a whole lot longer than I thought I would. Now I have books stacked all over the place again. And I wistfully look at that bedroom door, knowing I was so close. Sigh.....

Shooting Stars Mag said...

nice! i still really need to get Identical. It sounds great.

Lauren

Unknown said...

I'm a little bit in love right now!

Ladytink_534 said...

Goodness! Oh there are quite a few here I would love to read. Love your bookcases :)

Linda said...

I used to have bookshelves and books like that...now I tend to sell most of my books at garage sales. However, once we have an empty nest in the fall, I can see my collection starting to grow again!

bethany (dreadlock girl) said...

Those are great!! thanks for sharing your books with us :)

prophecygirl said...

Your bookeshelves look amazing! So neat and tidy :)

Anonymous said...

You have Generation Dead waiting for you! I looooved that book. Seriously loved. And Graceling was very good, too.

Thanks for posting the pics - I always love seeing what other bibliophiles' shelves look like!

PJ Hoover said...

That's a serious lot of books!
Over spring break, I'm building bookshelves!

susan said...

Full shelves are as beautiful as pieces of art.((sigh)) I have 5 bookshelves. To keep the peace in my house, I have not asked for another one.

Mari said...

I am loving seeing everyones bookshelves. Thanks for sharing. Lots of great books to read!

Mishel (P.S. I Love Books) said...

I absolutely love looking at bookshelves (= I have yet to acquire any but I'm working on it. My books are nestled quite snugly in a extra large plastic container. I miss seeing them on shelves though.

Janssen said...

Wow, those are fantastic. What a fun bunch of pictures.

Bookworm said...

Luvvv your shelves, so organized and full of great books! (:

Thao said...

I love your bookshelves, looks so neat and beautiful. I hope you'll add more in the future

Beth F said...

Love your photos! I like the clean look of the white shelves. We have natural wood, which can look a bit heavy.

Staci said...

Love those photos...what a dream!!

Darlene said...

Love these pictures. I love your shelves. I wish I had that many and so neat too.

Nurin said...

You have to read just listen!


Your bookshelves are awesome! My mother won't let me buy any more bookshelves and my whole room is cluttered with books...

I have no idea what's going to happen to them in september when I'm not at home O_o

Anonymous said...

Your bookcases are lovely!

I shelf my books by author's last name in alphabetical order. For fiction and literature, I single out the ones to be re-read and put them on a different case. I only put away my books when I have finished. New Books usually sit on my desk.

Marie Cloutier said...

looks awesome! :-)

Luanne said...

I don't know why - but I love looking at other people's bookshelves - a different kind of voyeurism!

MySharonAnne said...

I just got a new bookshelf from my brother for my birthday. I've only been blogging for 6 months and my book collection has doubled.

wrigleyfield said...

Oh, crap. Mine already look like your "after" and I've just started blogging. What will happen to me???

Amy said...

omGOODNESS! I have like 1/8 the amount you do...
-Amy

Beth Kephart said...

I squint, searching for Undercover and NBG.

(just kidding; I'm so amazed by the abundance)

Lenore Appelhans said...

Beth - They are on the very top of the right shelf. That's where all my signed books are (mainly so the cat can't get to them!)

Serena said...

Gee what has book blogging done for you! LOL Where did you find those shelves...those are great...do they come in black?

Lenore Appelhans said...

I got the shelves at IKEA. Sure had fun putting them together! Don't recall seeing black, but then I wasn't really paying attention. IKEA visits are always super stressful because it is so crowded.

Serena said...

I know what you mean about ikea trips being stressful. If you remember the name of the shelves, I would appreciate it.

Lenore Appelhans said...

Ok the bookshelf in the middle is called LACK. It has heavier, thicker shelves so it can hold art books. It does come in black. It is flanked on both sides by BILLY shelves. They come in black.

The one in the other picture is EXPEDIT. It comes in a brownish-black. It can be placed horizontally or vertically.

Alea said...

I was wondering if that was a Billy! I have one but it's in pieces in the basement. It was my bookshelf at college, no room for it at home!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Yeah, this the third apartment the BILLYs have moved with us to and parts of them look pretty scruffy actually! The shelf in the middle (that you can't remove) is starting to really bend on both of the BILLYs. We made the mistake of putting heavy books on them at one point and they've never recovered. That is what is so nice about the LACK shelves. They don't bend.

Alea said...

Oooh yeah. I noticed that with mine too and ended up keeping all the heavier stuff on the very bottom. The LACK does look nice! And I really like the EXPEDIT! That's the one I've been lusting after for a few years. Now I'm wondering if I should lust after a taller one, it's a rather short one.

Lenore Appelhans said...

Lust after this one:

http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/40047675

Alea said...

Yeah that's the one. It's kind of short though. I think I need something that almost goes to the ceiling lol! I like that you can double stack in it though!

Serena said...

Lenore: I think the ones with the square cubbies are the ones that would work best for me and my book stacks. Is that the Expedit? I think I've seen them at IKEA. Time for me to head back there and grab them

Serena said...

Does the Expedit come in taller? Or are there ones like it with a different name that are taller? OOO

Lenore Appelhans said...

Yes, the sqaure cubbie one is the EXPEDIT. I love mine!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Yes, follow the link in my answer to Alea. It has 16 squares.

Alea said...

I know the Expedit comes 4 squares tall and 2 squares tall, what about 1 tall? I think I'd like to do 4 tall + one more on top! :P

Lenore Appelhans said...

I am so NOT going to answer that question. Since when did I become an IKEA product manager?! ;)

But no, I don't think a one column exists. There is a really thin LACK, but it is 5 squares wide. Maybe you could put it on the bottome :P

Alea said...

HAHAHAH! You know, maybe a 4 and 2 wouldn't be bad. The 4 only goes up to like my neck, as long as the 2 stayed and didn't move/fall on me, that might be SWEET!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Please ask your local IKEA is that is possible. I don't want to be responsible for your death.

Serena said...

Lenore: You should be getting paid for this. :)

Alea said...

Haha! Will do! You know who I am jealous of, people with built in bookcases...

Lenore Appelhans said...

I just read that entire thread to Daniel and we are laughing so hard that we are crying.

Alea said...

HAHAHAH! That's the best kind of laughter!

P.S. Unless I'm imagining it I saw you wrote something about the The Season on someone's blog, READ IT NOW!!!! I have 40 pages left, I love it!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Yeah, on Vanessa's blog. Well, I wish I could read The Season now, but they sent it to Kansas and I have to wait until my father sends me a box. *Cries*

And yeah, built in bookcases are made of awesome.

Alea said...

Oh no! I hope it's soon! I'm in love with the book!

And you know what else is made of awesome, bookcase ladders!

Kathleen said...

Wow! I'm using only one new bookshelf at the moment and it's small but that's becuase I have stacks and boxes of books and I've made shelves out of other things like my computer desk.