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.

Aimee, have you read Anne Fadiman's essay on marrying book collections together in her book Ex Libris?

That was a terrific essay. It was how she knew she was really keeping the guy.

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.

I did, at Kristin's urging. I liked it a lot, but I can not remember what she said on the subject.

We are fully integrated, with a couple of Me Only shelves. Our books are by author awith different sets of bookshelves for types of books--bedroom has modern novelists, dog and cat reference, sets of books (like Narnia or Little House) home angd garden books, and my favorites.

Desk has film/TV and car reference, car reference. Living room has humor (one entire shelf is Python-related and another is SJ Perelman and Thurber), books by friends, and art and photography books. One last seprate bookcase is childrens' lit, including Oz first editions, sets of Bookhouse and Childcraft, and all the Alcott books.

We have a lot of books but try to keep winnowing. We don't keep stuff like mysteries or celeb bios unless one or both of us want to read them again. Better they go to Goodwill and someone else get to enjoy them than they gather dust and take up space.

Oz first editions

Can I come over and stare at them if I promise not breathe on them???

I usually alphabetize by author and title. I don't have that many series, so that isn't a problem. I am out of shelf space though, so some books are still in piles in the corner of the livingroom. TCG and I haven't intergrated our books. Most of mine are in the livingroom, and his are in his office, which doesn't really seem fair.

My paperback romances are all in author alphabetical order, with series/trilogies together and in order, which makes it easy when I want a certain book in that particularly overstuffed bookshelf (double stacked, so hard to find). My non-romance fiction is organized by genre, and authors with multiple titles are grouped together, but other than that, it's a bit jumbled. All my nonfiction (other than the oversized titles, which are grouped together on the bottom shelf) is organized by subject matter, and all my history is subdivided (military history is grouped in chronological order by war, European history is together, as is medieval history).

Mine used to be.

Now, books are Where There Is Room.

The exceptions are: most Pratchett is together; most Gaiman is together; TPBs have their own bookshelf, loosely arranged by area of the DCU and/or other publisher/series (the Rucka novel of No Man's Land goes with the Batbooks, and the Rucka Queen and Country novels go in the Queen and Country section), with Alan Moore's works sharing the shelf with the Gaiman, and books on critical readings of comics filling in the remaining blanks.

My books get shelved by author, either alphabetically by title or in chronological order if it's a progressive series.

Then life and reading and book purchasing happens. And it all devolves into chaos.

Eventually I get snowed in or move or something and reorganize everything all over again.