It has come to this. Over the past few days, I have been reshelving my books in alphabetical order. So, when Zoe enquired if I had a copy of Normal People, I was able to tell her that I had and that it would be a cinch to locate it as I had just completed the 'R's.
I'm on the 'T's now. S took up a lot of shelf space as did M. The downstairs bookcase accommodated A-N and it looks like the Billy bookcase in the bedroom will hold O-S. I will have to steal Bert's bookcase, install it in a spare bedroom and hope that it will do V-Z. There are no 'U's but a good few 'W's.
My books reflect my years.
I own more volumes by Murdoch, Steinbeck, Atwood and Lessing that any other author. In the second league would be Tyler, Trapido, Faulks, Lodge and Munro.
Whilst engaged in this task I thought of books that I used to own and no longer have. P.G. Wodehouse, G.R.R. Martin, lots of Stephen King, C.S. Lewis (adult), a nice old copy of Titus Groan, illustrated. The only ones I regret are the Wodehouse.
There are two shelves of children's fiction, again showing my age, E. Nesbit, Joan Aiken, Alan Garner, Arthur Ransome, John Rowe Townsend. Then there are the other books, the non-fiction, the reference books. They will go in the main bookshelves where five shelves have been left empty. I don't think they'll all fit. A cull might be necessary.
Postscript.
I was wrong about U. I have two Updikes.
4 comments:
I always remember you having a great collection of books - your house in Drumtara had the biggest amount of books I'd ever seen - still have a copy of Fantastic Mr Fox somewhere which I think you gave me
I have even more now and I've given hundreds away over the years. Still got a copy of Fantastic Mr Fox on the children's shelf.
FOX...as in "You've got mail." (Joke.)
Yes, I have so many shelves of books, and they are in order by author.
It's the only way, Mage. I keep experimenting with different methods but I always come back to alphabetical.
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