Where are the bookshelves?!

[Babysharkdododont]

Inspired by another thread, do people genuinely not believe its possible to live without shelf after shelf of books in a house, or is it, as I suspect, faux naivety / virtue signalling?

We've not got many books in our house, both adults are degree educated professionals, but feel no need to have books. When I've finished a book I pass it on, as I've no desire to read the same book twice. We've a few shelves in the study with a few technical manuals etc, but these go out of date so quickly as to be obsolete as soon as they're printed, so we go online mostly.

The dc have books of course as they don't tire quickly of rereading, but I certainly don't think we're slobs for not having lots of books.

What are these books people are so keen to keep, and tell everyone that they must have?

I really wouldn't care if Amazon or whoever suddenly withdrew a book for some reason, I only e read fiction books and I have never knowingly read one more than once. If I did want to eg am.contemplating reading Animal Farm again which I last read in English A level, I would quite happily pay the couple of quid to redownload it or, more likely, find a copy on the internet. I would be pissed about the 1 or 2 books I was halfway through on my Kindle and I would take my custome elsewhere, but I never save books I have read, in fact I delete than as soon as I have read them. Even non fiction books like cookery books or work books I hardly use anymore, I'd get the recipe up on my phone or laptop and follow it from there. Work stuff is all available as pdf which I sometimes print out of I want to read in the bath or whatever but I am happy to read on screen now ith good quality monitors. I feel no desire to own books.

I read every day despite not having loads of physical books anymore - have read every night before bed for the entirety of my life, always have and always will and, now with the joys of peri menopausal insomnia, read on and off all night. If I have a day off in the summer I will lie in the park allmday reading, schedule allowing. and yet we would be judges as a "non-reading" family from zoom backgrounds and brief visits. Silly.

For a lot of us, there is pleasure in the object of the book just as much as in the story.

One of the positives of the advent of e-readers was the push for publishers to make physical books more appealing - the Clothbound Classics series by Penguin, for example or the Lauren Child edition of Pippi Longstocking, or The Sleeper and The Spindle.

All of these merit a place on shelves as lovely things. I have a shelf at the top of a staircase with all my pretty hardbacks on because as well as being much loved books, they are attractive items.

It's not all dogeared paperbacks. (Although I love those too.)

About using books as props background there was a time a few years ago when it was chic to have lots of books as decoration in bars - may still be the case. I stopped drinking so don't go in them - once I was in a restaurant and noticed an E Nesbit book I had never heard of on the shelves- it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it.

I absolutely love this debate and recurring theme on Mumsnet, it's one of my favourites.

I honestly don't care if you have 0 books or 20,000 books in your house and doubt I would notice particularly. Just don't make a virtue out of owning loads or judge people who own none. It makes you look a little bit silly imo.

A particular recent favourite of mine was someone who wanted recommendations for books to have on display on a special shelf somewhere that every visitor would see in her house.

Just don't make a virtue out of owning loads or judge people who own none. It makes you look a little bit silly imo.

By the same token don't make a virtue out of not owning loads and judge people who do. In particular, don't judge those who own loads to be judging you for not having them as they probably don't give a toss.

@NRCS - I can see why it wouldn't bother you if Amazon removed your licence to read a particular book - or even, I guess, all your fiction books - but as someone who rereads the books I love over and over again, the thought horrifies me!

I had been giving serious thought to putting a lot of my library onto kindle, and getting rid of the actual books - and just keeping the ones that aren't in print or are particularly precious to me - but finding this out put me off completely.

A particular recent favourite of mine was someone who wanted recommendations for books to have on display on a special shelf somewhere that every visitor would see in her house.

There was a thread earlier this week where someone was contemplating buying a completely blank coffee table book. A stunt book. She reckoned that would look better than her Sophie Kinsella novels. Eh, no!

There are too many books I haven't read that I want to read, and that I why I don't re-read books over and over again. IMO it's the same as going on holiday to the same place every year. I want to visit other places.

That doesn't make me better or worse than someone who does, just different.

Actual, physical books that I keep are travel books, books about art, recipe books, classics, biographies, natural history and other reference books. Fiction books that I want to read just once are on my kindle.

I have a foot in both camps.

@RampantIvy - I think the reason I reread books a lot is, at least partly, the fact that I skim read, so I do miss things first time round, and when I reread, I find new things. I know I also like the familiarity of well-known books when my mood is particularly low - and I judge myself negatively for both of these things.

I have a foot in both camps.

No you don't. You're a reader with books in your house.

I had been giving serious thought to putting a lot of my library onto kindle, and getting rid of the actual books - and just keeping the ones that aren't in print or are particularly precious to me - but finding this out put me off completely

Me too. This is a complete rip-off.

A particular recent favourite of mine was someone who wanted recommendations for books to have on display on a special shelf somewhere that every visitor would see in her house

Well she's clearly not a reader is she? Passionate readers ask for recommendations to READ, not to display!

once I was in a restaurant and noticed an E Nesbit book I had never heard of on the shelves- it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it

I'm genuinely shocked at someone doing this.

To me, that's not being a lover of books. That's something else entirely.

[quote SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]@RampantIvy - I think the reason I reread books a lot is, at least partly, the fact that I skim read, so I do miss things first time round, and when I reread, I find new things. I know I also like the familiarity of well-known books when my mood is particularly low - and I judge myself negatively for both of these things.[/quote]
Why judge yourself for rereading a book when you're feeling low?
It's no different from watching a comfort film over and over again, which picks you up on a crap day. 'Comfort reading' is the same. I do it all the time!

it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it

That's nothing to do with liking books and everything to do with being a thief.

A particular recent favourite of mine was someone who wanted recommendations for books to have on display on a special shelf somewhere that every visitor would see in her house.

But that is someone who clearly doesn't have books. Not the fault of the people who have books. Those people would never think to buy a pretend book.

You need to decide who you have a problem with.

@Bishbashbosh101

it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it

That's nothing to do with liking books and everything to do with being a thief.

Yes. Shameful.

When I reread anything I start remembering the words ahead and it puts me right off. I used to use charity shops like a library. Now I use a kindle. It’s at the side of my bed. If I fancy a new book at 11pm I’ll get one, read it in a few days and buy the next when I want to read again. @JaninaDuszejko I read tens of books a year. I won’t pretend they are highbrow. But they are now all kindle. I keep cookbooks because they are handy to have physical copies of, but the rest, I don’t see the point. I can read a book so much quicker on a kindle, not wasting paper. Not having to drive to a library. Audiobooks aren’t the same as reading. Not that there’s anything wrong with them! But you say everyone who is a reader uses a mix of paper, e-reader and audiobooks. They don’t. You don’t know everyone. Also again people nobody is judging you for having books. We just don’t want looked down on for not having bookshelves on display. Look, a bookshelf, but you don’t see the books!

*once I was in a restaurant and noticed an E Nesbit book I had never heard of on the shelves- it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it

I'm genuinely shocked at someone doing this.

To me, that's not being a lover of books. That's something else entirely.*

I thought the same

Basically I am way too good at being unkind to myself, @adrianmolesmole - but you are right - nothing wrong with comfort reading.

@TheSandman

About using books as props background there was a time a few years ago when it was chic to have lots of books as decoration in bars - may still be the case. I stopped drinking so don't go in them - once I was in a restaurant and noticed an E Nesbit book I had never heard of on the shelves- it turned out to be a first edition too. So I stole it.

Why would you steal a book & why would you brag about it? @TheSandman

I love books. I hate bookshelves. I hate clutter but I love technology. So whilst I have all my books in print, I also have them on audible so I can clear out books that don't need space.

DH loves books. He loves bookshelves full of books, clutter and dust 😩 I thank my lucky stars we have an office we can hide it all in.

I don't care whether other people have books or not though. I have 5 sisters, some of them have never read a book let alone bought one (outside of school of course). Now that I cannot contemplate.

Why would you steal a book & why would you brag about it?

Because I wasn't stealing a book. I was stealing an unconsidered 'shabby chic defurb, isn't this twee?' interior design wank prop that would - if I hadn't rescued/saved it - never been read and been thrown in a skip the next time the place was redecorated.

@TheSandman

Why would you steal a book & why would you brag about it?

Because I wasn't stealing a book. I was stealing an unconsidered 'shabby chic defurb, isn't this twee?' interior design wank prop that would - if I hadn't rescued/saved it - never been read and been thrown in a skip the next time the place was redecorated.

It's still theft no matter how you dress it up.

IME, if books are just props in restaurants they are stuck down, for health and safety reasons. If they are not stuck down they are there for people to read.

There’s about 10 books in my house in various cupboards. No shelves though! I used to have loads but I didn’t re-read them so gave them to charity. I use my kindle now or audio books. I’ve bought the kids hundreds over the years but they’ve never had any interest in books so they’ve been passed on too.