7 Ways to Organize Your Bookshelves
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I’m a little obsessed with organization. There’s a place for everything in my apartment. However, every season I’m inspired to move furniture around and change up my living space. My bookshelves are always the first to change. Right now my books are arranged by category (I have specific shelves for fairy tale anthologies, graphic novels, middle grade novels, etc.), but I assure you they won’t stay that way for long.
In honor of Get Organized Week, here are seven different ways to organize your bookshelves. Take advantage of proudly putting your books on display.
1. A B C: This is the most common method of book organization since it so perfectly mirrors our favourite bookstore’s system. Still, there are many options for the home library. You can organize by authors’ first or last names,or organize by book title (for those times when you can’t remember who wrote what).
2. Color Coded: Like the option above, this method provides many options. Turn your bookshelves into a giant rainbow or mix and match colours to match your home decor. An entire shelf of black and white spines makes a bold statement and a section devoted to bright, neon colors will surely get noticed by your guests.
3. Publisher: While this is often an option for those who work in publishing, many causal readers may not have considered the benefits of organizing by publishing houses. All your penguins can sit in a row. Build a mansion of Random House houses. Proudly display your collection of Quirk.
4. Content: This is the easiest way to find what you’re looking for. There’s no need to look through all your books to decide what to read next when everything is separated by subject. Let YA books hang out together. Separate fantasy and science fiction once and for all. Place all your poetry books together so you know where to go when you need a quick read.
5. Emotional Response: Arrange your bookshelves based on emotions. The next time your friend asks you for a sad book recommendation, you can point them in the right direction. Possible labels: Books that make me cry. Books that make me laugh. Books that make me want to throw things. Books that make me nostalgic. Books that make me want to write love letters to my significant other.
6. Spine Poetry: Take the art of spine poetry to a new level. Make it a creative game: Can you match up all the books in your collection? Have every shelf tell a story.
7. Keep Them Secret: Turn the book spines facing in and keep the mystery alive. Simply choose your next read at random, or lend books out to friends that way too. You’ll discover something new every time.
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Maria Vicente is a literary agent intern living in Ottawa, Canada. She likes coffee, books, snail mail, and magic. You can find her on Twitter (@MsMariaVicente) or check out her website (mariavicente.com)
