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What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

how many books do you actually own? and keep in your house?

135 replies

juicychops · 23/05/2011 13:58

i have about 250 books in a book shelf in my front room. ive read about half of them, and the other half i will get around to once ive finished my degree at the end of the year- im planning on reading straight for a good few months! but they do look quite cluttered now

but the thing is, i like keeping the books i read. i dont know why, but i just do. i would rather buy and keep one than borrow it from the library. and when i read them i like to keep them all nice and neat and try not to bend the spine too much so that they still look reasonably new on my shelf

does anyone else keep loads of books like me? or am i just silly?

OP posts:

dittany · 23/05/2011 14:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 23/05/2011 14:02

You're not silly I keep all my books. I grew up in a house that has thousands of the buggers so it was inevitable really.

ChristinedePizan · 23/05/2011 14:03

I do too - have no idea how many books I own but it's nearer 1000 than 250 :) One of the reasons that I bought this house is that there are acres of built in bookshelves. I haven't managed to fill them yet :o

stickylittlefingers · 23/05/2011 14:05

we have 1000s. The whole family loves books, DP writes them and we can't keep up with shelving them all. They're everywhere!! But - they're great soundproofing, great insulation, look beautiful (we think! Remember the old reading room in the BL - now that was beautiful, and we're going for that look...) Books are great, make life worth living and should be everywhere.

Be proud of your books!!

nickelbabe · 23/05/2011 14:05

you're not expecting a count are you?

I've got about 2000 at least.
maybe more.
haven't got a clue!

(and many more that live here at the shop until I can persuade DH that we do have room for them....)

WomanOfMassDestruction · 23/05/2011 14:06

I think I've probably got over 1000 in the house but I only keep the ones I will re-read or that are reference books. The rest I regularly box up and send to the Samaritans shop. Nearly all hardbacks and often new releases

I think a house feels a bit odd if it doesn't have books in it...

wildstrawberryplace · 23/05/2011 14:07

Over 1000, maybe 1500?

I keep books I like, I give away books that I don't.

nickelbabe · 23/05/2011 14:08

there's nothing wrong with keeping the books you read - it saves on wallpapering, too.
they do look good, and as sticky says - great insulation!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 23/05/2011 14:10

I'm the same WOMD When we were househunting I found it very strange that the majority of houses we looked at appeared to have no books at all. There were some that had bookcases but they had DVD's on them!

wildstrawberryplace · 23/05/2011 14:10

Mine are chicken feed compared to my parents...the two of them live in a 7 bedroom house and they can't downsize now we've all left home because they need the room for their books

stickylittlefingers · 23/05/2011 14:11

one word of warning - when invited to a new person's house, once they're out of the room I tend to peer at their bookshelves and totally judge them by the contents ...

mousymouse · 23/05/2011 14:13

we own about 3000 I would guess. but have "only" around 1000 on display (5 billy bookcases full). some in boxes under the bed and some in storage. we are book-keepers :)

Original poster

juicychops · 23/05/2011 14:27

oh thats good then - my figure is only a drop in the ocean!

i one day would love to have a big enough house where one room can be a library with floor to ceiling shelving for 1000s of books - like in movies where they have a large 'study'

OP posts:

Hullygully · 23/05/2011 14:32

an awful awful lot

i love them

they make me feel safe

posey · 23/05/2011 14:33

Another book house here. I keep books I've loved, and charity shop those I haven't. We just don't have the space to keep all the books we ever read.
I too love browsing someone else's bookshelves and when a teenager much preferred babysitting in a bookish house.

bonkers20 · 23/05/2011 14:36

About a million? Actually, more like a couple of thousand. I had to bag up loads and take them to my FILs attic before we had DS2 because the bookshelves became storage for his things. I sold and gave away a lot then, too. I am now more of a library borrower, but I just can't stop buying books from charity shops. On the bookshelf downstairs I keep my more highbrow ones, knowing that people will have a wee look at my tastes. My chic lit is upstairs!

SerenaJoy · 23/05/2011 14:37

Oh I love my books. They're like old pals. I moved house recently and getting all my crappy old paperbacks out of storage (after nearly a year!) was one of the best bits. Houses with no bookshelves always feel a bit empty and sad to me.

The only problem is that I would happily have 10 times as many, and miles of bookshelves to store them, whereas DH would prefer to have an annual cull and keep only a select few. (I've resisted so far )

SerenaJoy · 23/05/2011 14:40

I forgot to answer the question. Despite watching DH unpacking them all a few weeks ago, I don't know! Not as many as some on the thread - maybe 500 odd.

Gandalfthedyed · 23/05/2011 14:42

Thousands.

CroissantNeuf · 23/05/2011 14:46

I hate to think how many.

Shelves of them in the dining room (in fact DP needs to build some more as the books are now being stacked on top of other books as the shelves are full), also the DC have huge built in bookcases in their rooms too.

Ragwort · 23/05/2011 14:51

I used to have 100s of books but I did a serious cull (gave them to the Oxfam book shop) as I realised I would never re-read most of them (university texts from the 1970s for example ). We now have about 200 left and to be honest I prefer the less cluttered look. I order anything I want from the library and that works really well.

My parents have lots and lots of books and my heart sinks at the thought of having to clear them all out in a few years .................

WidowWadman · 23/05/2011 15:00

There's about 25 meters of shelf space full with books, plus a couple of boxes in my in-laws' attic. And then of course the various piles next to bed and sofa etc.

When I moved to the UK I had a ton (as in 1000kg) of books to move, but that was 6 years ago, so obviously a I've got a few more since then.

The husband and I have got rid of some duplicates and "married" our collection properly, but it took us years to commit to this (this was after getting married and having a child..), and I still find it difficult to shed books.

Ephiny · 23/05/2011 15:03

Never counted them, but hundreds definitely. I can't imagine not having lots of books, and I do re-read many of them. I get quite a lot of books from the library as well, and a few on my Kindle.

BlooferLady · 23/05/2011 15:07

Upwards of 2000 here too - in a tiny 1.5 bed flat

I can't get the hang of libraries. Giving books back?

doesn't make sense.

I'm finishing my PhD at the moment and must be one of the few people that didn't have to go to the library much - I have most of it on the shelves. Which suits my laziness down to the ground.

inthesticks · 23/05/2011 15:13

1000s. No idea how many but bookcases in every room including the kitchen. (Ok the bathroom just has a pile rather than a bookcase).
I have , though, got rid of loads and I try only to buy genuine keepers. Most of my reading and DS2s comes from the library. I now have a kindle so that may stop the piles from growing a little.

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