On the Booklovers Shelves: Special TBR-Shelves

Filed in On the Book Lovers' Shelves , The HEA Lover Posted on November 3, 2011 @ 6:29 am 31 comments
Ahem, please don’t look at the mess
This week it’s my turn to show you some of my shelves! I thought I’d show you what my very tricky TBR-shelves look like. See, my parents think I am crazy for getting so many books all the time. They asked a few times if I read them as fast as I bought them. I don’t outright lie…I just don’t tell them these shelves are reserved to the TBR-books *wink*
I’m pretty sure they’d have me interned if they knew.  Even more if they realized that these shelves have TWO rows of books! LOL So today I’ll show you what my parents can see…and what’s hiding behind the appearances 😉
The only single row shelf is the one reserved to Hard Covers. *cough* Ahem…the Dating for Dummies was a gift (Thanks Christine! lol). Mr Moose is the TBR-Shelves Guardian. He’s making sure none of them try to escape


Now let’s move to my Historical Romance shelf. On the left is what my parents can see and on the right here’s what’s behind. I’m slowly working my way through the Lisa Kleypas and the Julia Quinn. I <3 Historical Romances!

Now the UF/PNR shelf.  Yes I tend to buy whole series at a time. I’m slowly making my way through them.

Here’s a little bit of everything. I’m hiding my sexy books (HOT Eroticas) on the bottom shelf (less chances they would be noticed *g*). But the back row is for books I’m not yet ready to read. Ah! Yeah..I can’t get myelf to read book 2 of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. *sigh*
Again a bit of everything.Many contemps found their way to this shelf.  And in the back books that are even farther down the queue. You can see the book that killed the BDB series for me…Phury’s book *gag*.
And look at this! Gribouille has agreed to model to show you the new additions I received this morning (Thank you  Carien!). Now I just need to find them the right spot on my shelves *g*
Now is time for you to reassure me that I’m not the only one with crazy full TBR-shelves. (or just tell me I’m crazy).  The craziest part is that I haven’t showed you my E-TBR shelves. I have MANY MANY books waiting on my E-reader. LOL  *sigh* Maybe it’s time for an intervention =P

Do you also fear the growing TBR-pile? Anyone knows how to tame it? 
Don’t say stop buying books…I just can’t! There’s got to be another way right? LOL

About Caro The HEA Lover


Caroline is a HEA loving, yarn addicted French who's desperately hoping to get a HEA of her own. If she's not reading then she can be found knitting while listening to Audiobooks or watching Tv shows. Her secret addiction is reading websites that make fun at other people's expense (DYAC, Failbook)! Caroline also blogs at the Secret HEA Society with Susi.

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31 Comments

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  • Birgit November 3, 2011 at 6:46 am

    I hate to ask, but aren't you scared your parents might read this? 😀

    But seriously, your shelves are so well organized which makes me a bit envious when I look at the chaos I refer to as TBR piles. Actually they aren't so much piles as safety hazards. One earthquake and yours truly will have gone missing. I'm not joking!

  • Aurian November 3, 2011 at 6:47 am

    You are not alone! I have the very same problem. My TBR shelves contain at least 2.000 books I still have to read. One of my biggest problems is to figure out what to read next. I also keep buying books, as I have to keep up with all the new releases from my favourite authors. And the more I read, the more authors I like, and follow, so the more books I need to read! Neverending cycle. My boyfriend new when he fell in love with me, that I am a book and reading addict, so he doesn't complain very much.
    I am also a huge Lisa Kleypas fan, still have to start reading Julia Quinn, though I have two stacks of her books waiting for me.

    I have no idea how to post foto's on my blog, or somewhere else without them being huge, so picture this:
    7 shelves 2 meters long, and 40 cm the other side. I can stack 4 stacks of books behind one another, so I can still see what is on the next stack. A little. Every book I have read, goes to my bookcases upstairs … which are filling nicely, but slowly.

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 7:04 am

    @Birgit Hehe nahh they won't see this post. First I they don't really speak English and second they don't care much about my blogging life (I'm 25 they stopped caring about what I do online a long time ago LOL) 😉
    I started by having huge unstable piles…but THAT had them realize something was wrong. Wondering why those books weren't organized =P Now the books are organized so they think it's just a normal bookshelf Muahahahahah

    @Aurian OMH Aurian you're my hero! Wow! O_O I would love to see those shelves *g* You're lucky to have a comprehensive Bf *g* And I know what you mean about it being a vicious circle. =P
    My question is…if you have so many TBR books…how many read must you have! LOL Welcome to the crazy Book Addicted Club

  • Sarah November 3, 2011 at 7:21 am

    Oh, I feel you. My TBR Pile is out of control. But, how can you pass up buying a good book? Especially when it is on SALE. You just can't plain and simple. Besides, now I don't ever have to go to the library anymore. I have my very own 🙂

    Sarah
    That Bookish Girl

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 7:54 am

    @Sarah Hehe indeed Sales are made of Evil! I just can't resist! Having your own private library is pretty awesome. But people around me should know better than touch any of my book (I bite! *g*)

  • Tamsyn November 3, 2011 at 8:56 am

    I have the same problem! Only my books are piled up on my apartment floor! haphazardly too as I don't sort them according to genre, etc. On top of that, my e-books are also growing. Someone – HELP!

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 10:36 am

    @Tamsyn In my opinion Ebook are even more dangerous because it's way easier to forget you have a huge pile threatening to kill you at any moment. Be careful not to leave a huge pile close to your bed!

  • fishgirl182 November 3, 2011 at 10:38 am

    Awesome. Now I want to see everyone's tbr shelves. I love how organized it is. And phury's book wasn't so bad. He is very different from the other brothers but I still love him. Thanks for sharing!

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 10:42 am

    @fishgirl182 I love looking at everyone's shelves. *g*
    I still haven't read Phury's book that's the worst of it! I can't make myself read it. Meh! I've been stuck on this one for more than 2 years LOL And OCD me won't just skip a book in the series. =P

  • Na November 3, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    My TBR pile is growing daily, hourly even. I am ALWAYS finding new things to want to read and I can't resist a great sounding story. Books are my weakness. I love seeing other people's book collection and I double stack mine too and arrange them by author and then genre.

  • LSUReader November 3, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Caro–You are a brave, brave woman for showing us your shelves. Gribouille is adorable!

    Y'all need to include another rule of Book Lovers…something about having a large and messy TBR shelf because I think that's a given for most of us.

    As much as you love historicals, I can not believe that Elizabeth Hoyt's four soldiers series is still on your TBR list! What's up with that?

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    @Na Ohh you organize them by author and genre? That is a great idea! *g* I try to keep my "Read" shelves organized by authors but there's not much room in my room so sometimes series are split *gasp* Also there should be a law against different formats, paperback, trade, Hardcover? Completely kill the continuity!
    YAY another double stacking addict! *g*

    @LSUReader *hangs head in shame* I KNOW! I keep meaning to read the Hoyt books but there's always something else coming up before I can read it. I will I will!
    Lol I think the messy TBR shelves is a given indeed 😉
    Big sloppy dog kiss from Gribouille

  • fishgirl182 November 3, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    wait – you haven't read phury's book yet? ahhh! you have to. i know it's not people's favorite but there are some good parts in it. and z – z's in it! that means you haven't gotten to rhev or john matthew which are both AWESOME.

    and i love seeing people's bookshelves. mine aren't really organized by read or tbr but they are organized by genre. maybe you can start a flash your stash type of meme where people show there bookshelves. does one already exist?

  • Sullivan McPig November 3, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    My tbr shelf has about 30 books on it, but that's only because I have a limited book buying budget. If i had more money to spend the tbr-pile would grow to enormous proportions!

  • pattepoilue November 3, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    @Fishgirl182 I know!! I know! I so want to get to Rhev's book *sob*. I need to read Phury's book I know I have to because otherwise I'll miss the other good books in the series. Thing is, I read a LOT of spoilers and I read a lot of bad reviews and now it's really hard to get over it and just read the damn book! lol
    Oh I love the name, Flash Your Stash *g* I should look around to see if there's something like that already.

    @Sullivan McPig I'm telling (kidding) myself that I'm making reserves for when I won't be able to afford books anymore. And only 3 years ago I thought people with big TBR piles were CRAZY and that I'd NEVER be like that.

  • draconismoi November 3, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    I have no bookshelves right now. Temporary living situation with relatives. No redecorating the guestroom allowed. My TBR shelves are incognito. Hidden in plain sight where the untrained eye slides right over them.

    Thus, I am prone to prevarication when new books appear in the house:

    "Nnnnnoooo, of course I didn't waste some of my extremely limited funds to buy books! That's RIDICULOUS. I won these. On those book blogs I read all the time. Seriously, they give away millions of books a week online. I'm always winning books."

    always winning books = once every 6 months or so.

    Your shelves make me jealous. I want SHELVES! I want to display my books with pride! Not hidden away like evidence of an addiction I swore I'd quit years ago.

  • miki November 3, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    i guess my tbr is a big high ( still not as long as yours) at the moment but that's only because there was a big promotion^^;; and also thanks to a giveaway i won. Normally i only have 5 books in it because i don't have a lot of money to buy them even if i want so i have a huge huge wish list but my tbr list is way shorter ( in fact my wish list is only has a part on my blog teh rest are on sticker and paper all over my desk and i need to check it to put in on a big one list ( more easy^^;;)

    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

  • fishgirl182 November 3, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    that's why i hate reading too many reviews or spoilers. sometimes it ruins it for me. but you must read phury soon. rhev's book is one of my favorites. and tor's book is coming out soon. you have to read tor's book! sorry, i just love the brothers.

    and i would love to see more people flashing their book stashes.

  • Blodeuedd November 3, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    I survive the TBR pile by keeping books at my parents place 😉 But then if we get a bigger place I will totally move them there so…best not think about that

  • Diane November 3, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    I must have 100's of books in my TBR pile; all I say is that one day, hopefully soon, I will retire and won't be able to buy books, so I'll be ready!

    dsadler53 at yahoo dot ca

  • Susan T. November 3, 2011 at 8:51 pm

    I don't see anything wrong with a healthy addicition to books. I have 20 paperbacks and 150 ebooks on my TBR piling.

    Kidsue99@yahoo.com

  • Lesley D November 3, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    My TBR pile feels out of control! If I don't reign in my desire to buy books, pretty soon I won't have any more room on my shelves for unread books. But then, of course, there's the floor, which is essentially a very large shelf… lol

    drakeLa90 at aol dot com

  • chandragay November 3, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    I am very sorry however a TBR pile cannot be tamed. Attempts to do so are as funny as The Taming of the Shrew, a comedy by William Shakespeare.

    My suggestion? Buy a Kindle. That way you only have to look at book titles and can pretend the list is not that long. That's exactly what I did! *giggles*

  • pattepoilue November 4, 2011 at 4:05 am

    @Draconismoi Bwahahaha I resorted to that too. Now when I get a package that I can't hide fast enough from my parents they ask if I won it or if I bought it! LOL =P
    Awww your poor books!It should never have to be considered as a bad addiction! Books are the best way to escape everyday life.

    @Miki Believe me I know how hard it is to resist sales. The only thing saving me from all these sales is that I know I won't read the books in French at the store. (I compensate by buying books for my cousin)

    @fushgirl82 I know I'm trying to stop with this bad habit of reading spoilers. I ruined a LOT of books and series for myself like that. I do love the brothers too….so I will read it. I will! <==sounds like a Good resolution for 2012

    @Blodeuedd Hehe that is a good solution! Since I live at my parents for now it's a bit cramped.
    But yep it's my dream…having my own library in my future home. *looks dreamily in the future*

    @Diane See that is a good plan! Having a stack for when hard times strike. =)

    @Susan T. Book addition is not bad at all (aren't we all book addict?), but the worrying part is when it grows way too fast! It's hard to keep under control. =P

    @Lesley D AH! That IS the threat! But at least you still have the floor to invade *g*

    @Chandragay *sob* I still had hopes to tame it but I was kidding myself wasn't I? Well the worst part is that I also have an Ereader…with at least 150 unread books on it O_O
    LOL You're right thought it's way easier to 'ignore' the huge pile when it's on the Ereader LOL

  • Morticia Knight November 4, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Then I guess I'm crazy too! You are waaaay more organized than I am, I ran out of shelves – lol. My worst habit right now is stopping at the local thrift store every couple weeks to paw through their old school romances. They're only 50 cents each, so when I see a good bodice-ripper in there, gotta have it! BTW, I read Blood of the Rose having no idea it was the second in the series. Mistake – you really can't read it as a stand alone – so I think it ruined the series for me, I was lost half of the time!

  • pattepoilue November 4, 2011 at 1:02 pm

    @Morticia Knight Hehe as you can see I'm running out of shelves too so I won't stay organized long =P Ohhhhhh I soooooo wish I had local thrift store! Ok maybe it wouldn't be good for my addiction but damn I love boddice ripper too *g*
    Eeeep damn about the book :/ I always check 10 times on Goodreads before I start a book just to make sure I'm not missing book 1 or something. I think book 3 will be a 'stand alone' though, with other characters. So maybe you can hop back in =)

  • Di November 4, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    Looks very organized to me. I use the cardboard boxes that plastic containers of berries & tomatoes some to the supermarket in. They are very strong, hold 2 rows of paperbacks, stack well & slide under the bed & couch.

  • pattepoilue November 4, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    @Di Ah! That's a good technique *g*, I use those too but to hold my stash of yarn LOL Because yes of course I had to have another very space invading hobby 😉

  • Alisha (MyNeedToRead) November 5, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Sadly, I gave away many of my books before making the move abroad. So looking forward to rebuilding my p-book collection, even if it'll exasperate the hubs. lol

    I'm also really glad of the portability of e-books. I was able to keep my compulsive book collecting (CBC; it's a sickness!) to a minimum over the last two years, and it's because I just bought my books in e-book form.

    But no matter what, there's absolutely nothing like having shelves of books staring at you from a corner of the room. Should I one day become disgustingly wealthy (highly unlikely, but a girl can dream), I will absolutely have a whole room set aside as a private library. Mmmm…

  • pattepoilue November 5, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    @Alisha What an excellent dream! *g* We just need to get extremely wealthy lol.
    I do like the name of your sickness, CBC…there might be a 10 steps program to get cured (stay away from those!).
    I can't agree more. I LOVE looking at books on shelves. I love ebooks too but it's definitely not the same.
    You know your comment made me feel happy because it's exactly how i feel about books. Healthy addiction 😉

  • Alisha (MyNeedToRead) November 6, 2011 at 3:16 am

    Hehe. Yeah, Caroline, the unfortunate part is that CBC is sometimes in direct opposition to making or keeping money. Darn! Oh well. Money well spent. ^_^

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