Monday, May 28, 2007

Bookshelves

This is way more than any of you want to know about me, but it's the only way I could respond to Kevin's post.



This is one wall of the library. It holds all Mormon books. One shelf is devoted to notebooks containing my notes on Isaiah. Another shelf has books on Isaiah. A shelf has OT, one has NT, one for BoM, another for D&C/PoGP. I have a shelf for my Seminary materials and lessons, and one with Primary games/ideas. The Work and the Glory are there, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, etc. One shelf is packed with a bunch of random Mormon fiction.



Here's another wall of the library. Shelves are arranged loosely according to subject. Books on Joseph Smith, Books on each of the prophets, Church manuals, Sunstones, Dialogues, notebooks with my kids' certificates and report cards, Childcraft, lots of other Mormon stuff. See the Journals of Discourses hiding in the back, on the top right shelf?

Below are extra books stacked up in the library!



Moving to the next room:



This one's in my bedroom, and has scrapbooks of my children, with more hiding in two closed shelves underneath. Also the Great Books, World Book Encyclopedia, and some really old Bobbsey Twins.



This is also in my bedroom--it's all Genealogical material, well-organized at last!
uh, looks like I need to clean that big cobweb in the corner--didn't notice it till I posted this pic!

Next come several boxes of duplicates and extra Mormon stuff awaiting more bookshelves. Some of this stuff consists of old manuals. I have many of the Priesthood manuals back to the late 1940's.









Following is a bookshelf in the garage with some books nobody reads. Also in a storage room (not pictured) are every Ensign ever published, and an incomplete set of Improvement Eras back to the 1930's or 40's. With them are some Liahonas, Friends, New Eras, 7th East Press (only a few, I wish I had a full set!) and other magazine type things.



In the kitchen is a bookshelf with art supplies, scissors, yarn, beads, tape, staplers, calculators, etc. Under the counter (not pictured) are about 100 cookbooks and magazines.



The next bookshelf pictured is next to the piano, and has a bunch of music books and sheet music. It includes the Baptist and Episcopalian hymnbooks, and at least 4 editions of Mormon hymnbooks and Primary song books.




Next bookcase shown is in my daughter's bedroom. She just barely graduated from high school, and all the books that used to be on it are scattered on her floor, along with papers for her final exams. I'll give her a few days to relax, then force her to clean up in there!



A book case in the room that 2 daughters share:



A book case in the room that my daughter who just came home from college is now using:



My 12-year old son is sleeping on the couch in the living room since above daughter took over his room. He keeps about 10 library books behind the couch, for easy access.

My 8-year old daughter has about 50 childrens books in her closet.

15 comments:

Connor said...

::: drool :::

Téa said...

My library bows to your printed splendor.

amelia said...

so my question is: where are the non-church books? :) cause it seemed like all that stuff was tied to church somehow. not that there's anything wrong with that; i'm just curious...

Bored in Vernal said...

amelia, we read tons of non-Church books, we just usually get them from the library. I find that once I read a book I don't usually go back to it that much. But I am constantly referring to Church books for study and for talks and lessons, so it's nice to have them. I also refer to the Classics, so I enjoy having those 100 or so volumes of the Great Books. I'd like to have more poetry in my collection, but I can usually find what I need faster online, so it's not really necessary.

Kullervo said...

Daaaaang

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/092405/original-dangster.gif

I thought we had a lot of books, but we've got nothing compared to you.

amelia said...

makes sense, BiV. there are times when i think i should get rid of the books i don't refer to regularly. but i just can't bring myself to do it. even if i could find them again in the library. of course, my career path has to do with those books, so i have myself a nice excuse for continuing to own them...

JohnR said...

BiV, we *have* to get together! What an incredible collection! Where's the closest Bookaholics Anonymous chapter?

When I walk into a home for the first time, the first thing I look for is a bookcase. I feel a connection with people who do the same.

The Remys have a similar setup. We live in a little over 700 square feet and have between two to three thousand books between the four of us (though we just culled a few hundred, and we're constantly acquiring and culling). Two walls in our living room are lined with bookshelves, and there are more in the hallway and in the kids' rooms. Piles of books are in corners and flat spaces everywhere. Each of us generally has a book on hand whenever we go out the door.

JohnR said...

Ooh, just noticed the sequence of Harry Potter hardcovers in the daughters' room. And the 4-volume set of Encyclopedia of Mormonism (luckily for me the UCI library has these). Is that the Left Behind series in the library stacks?

Bored in Vernal said...

haha John, yes, the Left Behind series is there. DH brought them home from the Friends of the Library sale at 25c each! Just more proof that I will read anything and everything. The Harry Potters are all over the house and are fought over by young and old.

Would it be very snarky of me to say that I don't think they have a chapter of Bookaholics Anonymous here in Vernal?

S.L. said...

I am so jealous. Yet another facet of BiV's life to aspire to. :)

Mark said...

Wow!

m_and_m said...

This was probably one of the best posts I have seen in a while. What a kick! Thanks for sharing. Do you allow people to check out books? Oh, wait, you live in Vernal. Will you ship? :) :) :)

littlemissattitude said...

You have the Great Books set. I am so jealous. :P

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to be unkind, but with the exception of the enyclopedia and the Great Books, there is not a single volume that I consider readable. All the Ensigns...oh my.

Bored in Vernal said...

Anon, Well! Obviously, owning all the Ensigns is of no use of all, and is in fact the sign of someone who is deeply disturbed!

Many of our books are reference materials, and although I have not read them through, I have referred to them often over the years. These would include things such as
Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Church History in the Fulness of Times
Historical Atlas of Mormonism
Mormon Doctrine
Principles and Practices
Messages of the First Presidency
Josephus
Church Manuals
The Doctrinal Commentary series on the Book of Mormon, OT, NT, D&C, and PofGP
and all my Isaiah books.

Many people have found the Work and the Glory very readable, and the whole series has been read and enjoyed by everyone in our family over 12. I especially liked Lund's Fire of the Covenant, the story of the Willie and Martin Handcart company. I've devoured each of the biographies of the Presidents of the Church, GBH by Sheri Dew, HWH by Knowles, ETB by Gibbons, the one by Sheri Dew, and the Teachings by my husband, SWK by his son, HBL by Goates, JFS by McConkie, GAS by Gibbons, JFS by Holzapfel, LS by Romney, WWW by Matthias Cowley, the short version of his diaries edited by Staker, JT by BH Roberts. Also BY biographies by Arrington, Palmer/Butler, Cooley, Widtsoe, and Gibbons, all make fantastic reading! Mormon Enigma is one of my favorites. Have you read any of the JS biographies I have in my library such as Cannon, Madsen, Evans, Barrett, Backman, Morton, Black, or both of Bushman's?

I could go on and on. What types of Church books do you find readable?