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 We've a few shelves in the study with a few technical manuals etc, but these go out of date so quickly as to be obsolete as soon as they're printed, so we go online mostly.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?

'faux naivety / virtue signalling?'

Well get the smelling salts at the ready OP as we are the uneducated degree-less adults with a large study full of bookshelves and books. Do we need them? No, but they're a nice thing to curl up with of an evening and there are a few that I do read again and again. Some of them don't even contain pictures!

of your green and orange penguin editions eddiemairswife

Seems that you're the only one with the issue. Do you not have the books you think you should have ?

Currently on my bookshelves I have

• cooking books (hate the electronic versions)
• books in my mother tongue that would be hard to find again
• some classics I love to read again
• some books I find inspiring for various reasons.

And .... reference books I use for work.

I have quite a lot of them around.. The type you mentioned (like fiction) is more of a throw away/electronic in our house

@1Morewineplease

Hmmm... We have a room that has a long wall, floor to ceiling and wall to wall full of books. These shelves are double deep too , so all the books are two deep. We read A LOT and we regularly revisit old books. We see them as old friends. Some are many decades old and in a few cases. Well over a hundred years old.

It's whatever you love.

This ^

I haven't got this many, but only because I don't have the space, but I keep a lot of much loved novels (I wouldn't dream of getting rid of Barbara Pym or EF Benson, for instance), and a lot of theological books (I'm a lay preacher). Like morewine I have many books that I've had since my late teens and still occasionally re-visit.

There are other books that I read and pass on - most novels I won't re-read, but some are just so fabulous and well-written that I couldn't bear to part with them. I've also got a lot on Kindle (a LOT), but I like a "proper" book.

@Bluntness100

I’m with you on this, but it’s not an attitude ive never encountered in real life, only on here, along with not answering your foot and a small chicken feeding a family of six for a week.

My books are predominantly in a cupboard, you know a book shelf with doors. I don’t feel any need to have them out on display. We can access them just as easily by opening the door. 😂

I always answer my foot.

It's just rude not to.

I did see a comment on the third thread about that big silver and white house for sale, asking 'where are all the books?' But I have seen nothing else

Oh - that was me. So sorry you were offended by my erudition, @Babysharkdododont.

We have three book cases but they don't have many books on them tbh.

Kitchen one is full. It's a stack of books about 6 feet tall all of cookery books.

Living room is half other stuff. Book half are some 'classics', Ohio to books and holiday guide books.

Study one has some of teen DD's older books and rest are files etc.

We all read daily bu me abd Dd read on kindles. Dh reads a mix of real books and kindle. He doesn't re read books and oases all his books onto others after reading them.

So we don't really have many books on show but all three of us read every day.

These days not having books on display doesn't mean the household are not readers.

Btw, as far as I am concerned if you think it’s about virtue signaling then, that says more about you and your attitude to books than it does about me.

I’ll keep my shelves and ignore your judgment about me.

@LexMitior

John Walters said that if you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them.

Obviously I don’t think he counted a Haynes manual or a copy of Delia Smith’s how to cook, but it’s a good maxim. A kindle however well stocked would not have the same impact.

I like my books. I will not read the vast majority ever again but I like the memories of them. Same as photos really.
I really don't like reading online. I'll print off wherever possible and certainly if there is any requirement to remember what I've read. If it's impractical to print off then I'll make notes.
I do feel a bit embarrassed though because now through wfh and zoom calls my bookshelf is on full display and does feel a bit virtue-signally. But it and the desk have been there years. Maybe I should curtain it off!

So many avid readers with no comprehension skills.

OP is complaining about people who judge others for not having lots of books on display. Nothing else. She's not judging avid readers, nor is she judging non-readers.

I know this attitude is around, and I know people who not only judge people for the amount or non-existence of bookshelves but also which books they have on their shelves. And ridiculously I've allowed fear of being judged that way, to prevent me from having the book cull I need to have. I'm one of the people who does have a whole wall full of floor to ceiling bookshelves. Full of books I'll never read again. I'm getting older and finding the amount of stuff I have oppressive. I would love to get rid of 90% of those books. But because those sorts of people are around, I find myself channeling them and judging myself, for potentially not having many books! Now that is nuts, and as soon as the charity shops open, they're going!

Now I judge people for judging others for not having many books

I feel like someone really touched a nerve with you, op.

I doubt anyone genuinely cares whether you read a lot of books or not, but I feel like you care.

I love books and have shelves in virtually every room. I don't keep the paperback thrillers I might occasionally buy - they're on my kindle or given away. I keep the heirloom books I've inherited, the beautiful stories I won't reread but want to own or lend, the favourite childhood books that bring back happy memories every time I look at them, the classics I keep meaning to read.

When I go to other people's houses I always notice their books, or lack of them. I don't do it intentionally, and I would never say anything about it. I just assume that they're not big readers or have different hobbies - it's not a big deal really.

Cook books, books I read at school which I bought and re-read as an adult, classics, lots of travel books, books I DO want to re-read again. And, they're colour coded.

We have books stored in the loft as we currently have no space for shelves. When people visit they may well believe we are not readers. I am more likely to expect to see bookshelves in a large family home with a study/several reception rooms but not a standard three bed house with one reception room.

This post is very timely, we’ve just moved most of our books from piles in the lounge onto the newly built bookshelves in the study.

Not sure how many books we have (hundreds I guess) but now I only buy books for my kindle as I can’t stand wearing reading glasses.

I don’t find it odd if people don’t have books on display as I grew up in a home where adults didn’t buy books but used the library instead. Most of my family are not readers so there are never books to be seen. I couldn’t imagine judging them though.

OP, I have about 5,000 books and no TV. I like books, though I dare say I will never read all of mine. I am not interested in what's on TV. I don't much care what anyone else does, though.

I read a lot. I will have to pin my kindle to the wall when the 'oh I couldn't possibly live without books' visitors come to visit.

Just in case they think I'd rather watch my big TV than read a book.

What I don't quite get is people exclaiming that they couldn't possibly live in a house that's not full of books, as though it's some sort of value judgement.

I think there are people who have bookcases to display books and portray an image. DH’s aunt displays all her hardback classics. She loves to read so that in itself isn’t weird but you never see her latest read left on the arm of the sofa or at the dining table, which would be a soft back crime book. Books are displayed but books that are actually being read are hidden away. I always wonder where she hides her books and why she hides them when she’ll quite happily tell you all about her latest book. I think it’s these people who do the fake naivety.

Personally I couldn’t live in a house without books, not because I care what image I portray (there are some really crap books on that shelf) but because I like having books. Generally, I like some clutter in my house. I’m envious of those who can live in uncluttered houses but I don’t seem to be able to give up my clutter. I do try to keep on top of the clutter so I read a book and pass it on but sometimes I love a book so much I just can’t bring myself to part with it yet. Things have sentimental value to me and so for me, a house wouldn’t be a home without my crap, including books, dotted everywhere.

@Faith50

We have books stored in the loft as we currently have no space for shelves. When people visit they may well believe we are not readers. I am more likely to expect to see bookshelves in a large family home with a study/several reception rooms but not a standard three bed house with one reception room.

Well... mine is a three-bed house with one reception room, and every room is lined with bookshelves, including the bathroom. Other people would hate it. But I like it.

I think it's a bit sad, btw, that people might think that bookshelves are only there so that people can "portray an image". Some people just love books, and want to live surrounded by them. Others don't. Either is fine. Neither is making a statement.

High five saraclara

And even so I feel the need to clarify that I have lots and lots of books, most I've read and reread. But I don't bang on about it, nor do I judge others who don't. Maybe they're huge readers who use the library, maybe they keep their books in their sex closet. Maybe they use a kindle. Maybe they had a flood which ruined a book collection.

Or maybe they don't enjoy reading much 🤷‍♀️

I did have lots of books on my lovely shelves. But apparently buyers don't like to see them, so they've all been boxed.

If you see a house on Rightmove with lovely, empty shelves, it's because my books have been banished.

The OP isn't against books or people keeping books.

Just the people who can't understand how anyone can't have lots of books. And usually the tone of these people is judgemental.

Op yanbu.

I used to keep a lot of.l books for sentimental reasons but got rid of most due to moving and travelling alot. Such a pain in the arse to lug around. I'm minimalist so to me bookshelves just collect dust which sets my allergies off, and look cluttered/dated as fuck. I dont tend to re-read things though I have in the past. But i feel life is too damn short for that now. I grew up reading alot in a house full of academic type books, i even had a varied library career for about 5 years (public and academic) But now i barely read at all and if i do its on a kindle app. But i work full time, young child and im just to damn lazy tbh. I live rurally and cant get to library easily - they are always open weird, non practical hours too. Same with library buses. Im sure I will come back around though as im a bit of a flake, but certainly dont want a bookshelf on display ever again. My daughter's room has one though and a zillion books 😁