Most of the books are in the garage. I started to organize them, then Hubby started to "help." Some of the books are still in the storage shed, some are on shelves in the living room, some are in the back bedroom, some are . . .

I need more shelves. I need one of those smut libraries to keep things in.

Wait--so those of you who shelve chronologically or alphabetically within an author will break up series to fit that pattern?

DH would like all the books to stand straight - no lying down on the job. There issn't room, I must stack. so he tried to question my georgette heyers. I sicked Deb on him.

ita, good point. I keep series together, regardless of date of release.

And thinking about it more, it's usually just the authors who don't write in trilogies, etc that get put in chrono order by release. If I tried plain chrono with Nora Roberts, I'd never find a damn thing.

I shelve most things by author. Except for when I don't. Like, sometimes related non-fiction goes with the fiction it's about (so the the LoEN annotations are with the Alan Moore stuff). And also except the Sherlockian books, which I just put on their own shelf because it seems silly to have it all scattered under each author, and equally silly to put it all with Doyle. Oh, and then books of essays and stuff like that are mixed in, also by author, because am I going to put Last Chance to See across the room from Dirk Gently? And what do I do with Ellison? That leaves, let's see, anthologies and collections with multiple authors, and some assorted nonfiction & reference books. Which in theory is collected together on a separate bookcase in some kind of coherent system, but in actuality is in a large pile on the sofa because that's when I got sick of dealing with it last time I tried to put my books in order.

As a librarian, I shelve everything at home by size because it's the most efficient method and shelf space is limited in my small apartment.

And also except the Sherlockian books, which I just put on their own shelf because it seems silly to have it all scattered under each author, and equally silly to put it all with Doyle.

My sister in Sherlockiana! Nothing makes me happer than to have my two-volume Annotated Holmes next to the books written by modern authors.

I feel lucky if I manage to get all the books by one author in one place.

Yes, this. The only exceptions are the Neil Gaiman books (because they live on the shelf with the Sandman bookends), and the Terry Pratchett books (because his books don't leave room for another author on those shelves). Otherwise, books go where there's room.

thinks more

Joe's and my books are not combined.

Now granted, there isn't a lot of overlap, but he has his bookshelf - Monstro - and I have mine. Some of mine are on Monstro, because they won't fit on mine anymore, but only at the very bottom of the bookcase in three very specific spots.

Huh.

Aimee, have you read Anne Fadiman's essay on marrying book collections together in her book Ex Libris? It's really a funny look at the subject.