Library Shelving

I am almost a librarian, so you would think that all the books in my house are immaculately shelved. But they're not.
They might be on or near a shelf, but are they organized? Nope.
Books I've already read are usually upstairs. Books about architecture are usually in the living room. Books in the 'to be read' pile are in the office. Writing and design books are in my studio in the garage. In my bedroom are 4 glass enclosed cases that are doubled up with fiction. That means you can't see all the books because inside the cases are two rows of books one in front of the other.

I'm a librarian. All fiction should be organized alphabetically. I don't think I would ever recreate the Dewey Decimal system in my house, but I would definitely organize my non-fiction into categories and then alphabitize from there, but I don't.

It frustrates me to no end. I buy duplicate copies of books because I can't find them. I have a number of different cataloging software, but I can't keep up with it. I just buy too many books. I also don't have long linear lengths of uniterrupted wall to organize everything.

What does one do? Weed? Heaven's no! Take over the children's bedrooms? Not yet. Take over the children's playroom? Maybe. Buy more bookcases? Always the best solution.

The Studio

 

 

The Bedroom

 

The Nightstand

 

Kids Room

 

Kids Room

 

Living Room

 

The Office

 

The Desk

 

Thank You Anne Rice

I just wanted to take some time to gush about Anne Rice. I've been a fan for years and years and was first in line when the Wolf Gift came out earlier this year, but I have to say I became an even bigger fan when I found Anne on Facebook.

I had always limited myself to a very small circle of FB friends, but this year I stepped in to the future and finally started to become a fan of other FB pages. I joined the New York Public Library, Publisher's Weekly, some local businesses and news feeds, but buy far the most amazing page I found was Anne Rice's.

Now I have to state that I'm not big on current events. I tend to stay away from world news and politics. It's just not my thing. If it's not book related or big enough news to make a post on Perez Hilton, I don't usually know about it. But, Anne's FB posts have opened up a whole new world for me. I've always been passionate about women's issues, but never knew where to find out the latest and greatest. I have found a place where things are discussed intelligently and fairly. My mind is challenged. I feel like I've found a place to learn new things. Her posts on archaeology, the separation of church and state, abortion, and authors get me riled up and excited. She recently even highlighted an incident that happened here in Flagstaff when a local female judge chastised a women for being out late at night and getting fondled by an off-duty police officer.

It's just so great to see an author really reach out to her fans and be a part of a productive community. She is a genuine role model for me and I don't have many of those.
Thank you Anne Rice!

Fahrenheit 451

    It wasn't until recently that I re-found a story that I remember vividly from my childhood, All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. You can find it here. I don't want to give you a synopsis because the story is so short and I don't want to give anything away. This story has stuck with me for the last 20 years and I have thought of it often and never knew where to look for it. I googled it a couple of weeks ago and found it again and it started in me a thirst to read more Ray Bradbury. As an avid reader I was astonished that I hadn't read more of his work. I then turned to his Zen in the Art of Writing'which was fantastic. Finally I picked up Fahrenheit 451.
     Now it's a no-brainer that every librarian needs to read this book, but I didn't even know this book was about book burning. When I read the summary I was totally on board, but after I got started I was really disappointed. Yes it's a dystopian future without books, but it just didn't give me enough to be totally convinced. I think it might have been more controversial in 1951 when it was published, but I was not the least bit moved or astonished. This was groundbreaking stuff then, but now, not so much.
Even though I didn't love it, I am going to go ahead and read Something Wicked This Way Comes, and  Dandelion Wine. That's the way I look at literature.... there are somethings you just need to be familiar with in order to have a rounded education. Ray Bradbury is a great storyteller and his imagination cannot be beaten. Fahrenheit 451 did not push any of my buttons, but that single short story from my 9th grade English class has been burned into my mind forever as one of the scariest stories I've ever read. So I will keep reading Bradbury until I find another one that speaks to me.

New Aquisitions September

These are from the past couple of weeks, and I am itching to dive into a few of them.

• Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
• Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury
• Road Trip USA - MOON
• Lost City of the Incas - Hiram Bingham
• A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America - Ronald Takaki
• The $100 Startup - Chris Guillebeau
• Click Millionaires - Scott Fox
• Winter of the World - Ken Follett
• The Domestic World - Time Life Books