Bookcase Showcase: Blogger Grete from Book Thing

My love for books started when I was a young girl and my appetite for reading outstripped my ability to buy them so I re-read a lot and became a regular haunter at my local or school library.  I would often get the comment of 'didn't you just borrow this the other week?' Yes, yes I did and would probably be doing it again in another few.  My family are only just now starting to understand that book tokens really are the best present I could have and not at all boring for me.  Not only was I in love with books but I was a precocious reader as well and started reading authors like Jilly Cooper when I was about 13.  I also read Lord of the Rings, David Eddings and Anne McCaffrey for the first time then, so hopefully that balances out ;)

My collection has always been on the large side, unruly and a bit of an unstoppable force.  When I started reviewing, it was mainly books from my collection; since then availability of books from charity shops, bookshops and some very kind publishers, my book mountain grows each month.  It might be a bit of an addiction (but please, no cure!)  My 'to read' pile became a shelf, then two and it has gotten to the point where I do have to cull books now and again or my husband might go loopy!  He is very tolerant of my addiction but when it starts building on every available surface, it's time for a sort out ;)

So, what are my shelves like at this moment?

This is the spare room, affectionately known as the Library.  Both walls have double bookcases along them and are full. When we have guests, the sofa turns into a comfortable double bed and sometimes I lie on it and just look around and wonder how people don't have nightmares from being surrounded by books ;)  They always find something to read though so it can't be all bad! The shelves look reasonable right now as I've just done a cull but they are still double stacked.  I used to have them in alphabetical order but I have too many to do that now.  I have a dream of one day having proper floor to ceiling bookshelves where I can just single stack them in alpha order.  Having said that, when I'm hunting through to find a particular book, I come across others I think 'ooh I must read that (again)' so there is the joy of rediscovery involved right now.


This is my shelf in the lounge where books I want to read more immediately are kept.  I used to take up a few of them but my husband's passion is films so he needed somewhere to keep his DVD's and as his collection grew, I gave up space (mostly happily) ;)

This is my immediate go-to shelf right by my desk.  Review copies and ones I've bought that I really want to read go here.  It gets out of control very quickly and the filing cabinet and my desk usually have a few stacks on them.  It's a bit like playing book Jenga sometimes, trying to get to one that is at the bottom of the pile ;)  There is also a dining table behind me but I don't actually recall ever eating off it, but it is a good place to temporarily store books ;)

And there you have it!  This feels a bit like a confessional so... My name is Grete Evans from BookThing! and I am a book addict!

Thanks for having me Kirsty!

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