Cheap Therapy

New Favorite Book
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

Ok, so we all KNOW I'm pretty weird...but today I embarked on something superfluous...even by my standards...

I organized my library.

It took almost four hours, and came out quite well. I'm pleased. However, I'm also quite sure the system makes sense only to me. Sure...one shelf is all reference books...(where else would one expect to find my Far Side Gallery?)...and one shelf is all history / biography / conservative writing...

The rest of it is arranged...by, well...appearance....

I wanted each author condensed so that all the books by one person were together, but didn't want any one author on different shelves unless that particular author already took up one entire shelf. So - the authors with the most books got priority, and others filled in as needed to complete each shelf.

(This is where I miss being a video store manager who took inordinate pride in "blocking" the new release wall)

Tom Clancy got his own shelf. WEB Griffin got a shelf and a half, John Grisham and James Patterson each got 75% of their shelves. Ken Follett, Ayn Rand, and Michael Crichton filled out those shelves. Paperbacks were still left segregated, even if they were first editions and/or completed sets. Undersized books, for the most part, were also segregated. Antique, or truly valuable books are all on one separate shelf, with few exceptions.

I have the complete works of Ferrol Sams, James Clavell, and Jay McInerney. A few authors like Clancy, Grisham, and Crichton are each within 2 or 3 books of being complete sets. 4 of the 5 series written by Griffin are each complete. Shockingly...I have only two books by Pat Conroy...though over the years I've bought enough first edition copies of "Prince of Tides" to earn me some sort of special prize. (As gifts, no less! For ungrateful women!) One shelf is all books I hated. (I should trade those in, and complete a few sets, huh?)

Many of my books are inscribed to me as gifts, one with an admonition it never better be found in Powell's where almost 15% of my books were purchased used. Four are signed by the authors, one to my Mother that came with a matching set of Robert Carrier kitchen knives - which I use much more than his cookbook - but definitely the weirdest combo.

Two are from my Grandfather Clarence's library. Almost 30% have receipts tucked away from when I got them. Many more have airline ticket stubs, movie stubs, or other random bits of flotsam from my life. 454 volumes. 5 that once belonged to the Fairfax County library system. 3 duplicates. 15 cookbooks. 3 bibles. 1 missing book that was loaned out to a pretty girl 3 years ago.

Someone once told me to never to lend books, give them as gifts from the heart. Are you KIDDING me?

DAMN WOMAN, I want my book back!