Do you have bookcases filled with books at home?

[CatteryCatss]

I grew up without books at home, but my DM frequently read magazines.

Surprisingly, I turned out to be a big reader in adulthood. I have bookcases either side of the chimney breast filled with books (as well as LEGO sets and a couple of ornaments) I also have a bookcase on my stairs and in the office, which are filled.

Whenever I visit my DM, I’m reminded of my childhood without books and it makes me quite sad!

I've got an app to scan the bar codes to make a digital library of books.

What a good idea. I have spent a happy couple of hours updating a spreadsheet with all of our kindle books - how sad am I?

I don't consider myself morally superior. Yes, I have over a thousand physical books. But I also own 2 Kindles AND my trusty library card.

But at heart I'm a literary Luddite. I love the feel, heft and scent of books. They are wonderfully tactile. I like to inspect their binding and assess the quality of their paper stock. If I buy a beautiful but damaged hardback book I will spend a very contented couple of hours repairing it properly.

For me, books are about so much more than just the reading of them.

Nice little bit of reverse snobbery there.

People are allowed their opinions, you know.

We have floor to ceiling shelves in our spare bedroom absolutely crammed with books. We also have a bookshelf on the landing, in the hall and in the living room.

I have a pile of books on my bedside table and on the floor next to my side of the bed.

We have just bought 3 Billy bookcases for our living room.

I do have a kindle but don't like reading books on it. I like the feel of books, particularly hardbacks, and the look of them on the shelves.

I’m a big reader but don’t see the point in books. I just don’t value them as physical objects, and as I rarely re-read anything I’m happy with my Kindle.

I do think it’s important for children to have physical books, though. They can decide for themselves later whether they like them or not.

It's not about saying you love books, have a house full.

It's when people are rude about other people's houses.

As you say, we're all entitled to our own opinions and we can all live how we want to. Slagging off other people's houses because they are not like yours is mean.

Hundreds of books. The kids (1&4) have about 200 books. I’ve got several hundred. Charity shopped over 1000 books when I moved a few years ago as we wouldn’t have space at the new house.

Found space. Buying books.

I have a Nook and a Kobo. I prefer real books.

No. I don’t really understand it. I keep some that I reread or use for reference or am yet to read. I’ve read hundreds of books. No way I want dusty funky books all over the place just so people can see I’m well read.

I did have more books. But last year we had to make space. So in an almost heart wrenching situation, I had to get rid of most of my books. I kept ones that meant a lot, or that I've read multiple times.
The children still have their books and I still read, just pass the books on now.

My next task is to part with my uni books, I'm not in the career they are for, and are out dated now. But I worked hard with them and would have been in that career if it hadn't been for an injury I had no control over. But keeping them isn't going to change anything.

Yes but not as many as I used to - I used to love piles of them, but it makes me feel a bit claustrophobic now - too much stuff. Also I mostly use a kindle these days.

My parents weren’t big readers - although they read the papers religiously - but they had quite a few bookshelves and they were big on us reading.

These threads come round on MN often. Everyone competes to have the most books.

I think the difference is that I don't get attached to material possessions the way some people do unless they have a sentimental association. I get attached to people and animals rather than things.

Everyone competes to have the most books.

Indeed.

Excellent!

Some people just like books as objects, and find them familiar and homely. You could insert fire place or art or pot plants or a garden in the PP’s sentence, it doesn’t carry extra weight because it’s about books.

i don't get attached to books. Plus no one can see my collection of chick lit books set in Cornwall on my Kindle.

I used to have loads but feel I want less stuff now for ease of cleaning. I use a kindle

I have more books now I have dc. I read a lot myself but give books away or use my kindle.

It's pretentious to keep books for the sake of it.
I disagree, for people who love books it's quite hard to get rid of them, I feel attached to them to not to just discard them immediately after they've been read.
I did hugely downsize after I moved 2 years ago and I do regret losing so many.

We have loads of books and have two large bookcases plus one small one. The biggest one downstairs is mostly non-fiction, ie gardening, hobbies, cookery, various wildlife ones, a dictionary, Shakespeare and a few other real classics, and some about music. Novels are in a bookcase on the landing. The one behind our bedroom door has genealogy, more cookery, architecture & other history, and some of DH's stuff, mostly things like Bill Bryson and the like.

These threads come round on MN often. Everyone competes to have the most books.

You can apply that to most MNs threads!

Always competition re who eats the least, exercises the most, goes to the most exotic or remote holiday destination, has the worst treatment from their mother, washes their towels the most, is the best driver, etc. 😆

No.

Because I rarely re-read a book and don't see the point in keeping them.

Probably about 20-30, if which 3 reading now, maybe 4 in the "to read" pile, and the rest are sentimental/regular re-reads
So like I have my granny's copy of Lord of the Rings.

Many, many bookcases here, and boxes filled with booksn and piles of books everywhere. I pass books on regularly but still they breed.

We have a library upstairs which doubles as my (wfh) office, bookshelves in the upstairs hallway and bedrooms, and piles of books on bedside tables. Very few books downstairs - and a big TV on the wall of our grey living room 😁.
Most people coming to the house don't go upstairs so wouldn't know.
We are both big readers and the books are for our benefit not for show.

When did you last read a Shakespeare?