21st Century Literature discussion

If you have physical books, how do you organize them?
Are they in one single room or spread through several rooms?
Are they in piles, on shelves, or everywhere?
Are they organized by genre or author or size/color?
Do you mix unread with read books?
Is there any priority or organization to the books you still want to read or reread?

Do tell...

Everywhere, unfortunately. Remember that show about people who hoard stuff..... Actually, I have most of them in bins and am in the process of trying to give some of my older books that I've already read and do not want to hold onto to the local library. But it's a process organizing and I have some of my to read books out on the bookshelf. I am trying to be better about buying digital books but I have always preferred physical books.

I think I pretty much have books in 80% of the rooms in the house, mostly on bookshelves (all of which I got for free over the years). I have some piles on, around, and under my nightstand (all unread but for the 2 to 5 that I usually have in progress). I think fiction permeates just about every location with certain shelves holding concentrations of non-fiction, art, short stories, and poetry. I usually try to group books by the same author together, but they're in no particular order otherwise (except there's a whole bookshelf dedicate to unread books because, yes, I'm one of those readers who acquires books at a much faster rate than I read them). I try to donate books I rated 3 stars or fewer (unless they're by a press or author I really like). And then I re-sort maybe once a year or every other year depending on space issues, changed reading priorities, general household re-arranging.

Fiction used to be chronological by date of publication. One day I switched my 1000's of fiction books to alphabetical by author and I've never loved my shelves in quite the same way again.

History is chronological. Nonfiction is by topic. I have four feet of books about various mathematical topics. Most of these books are aspirational, which makes them darned hard to get rid of, because that would be like giving up on myself ("Someday I WILL understand the enigma of 𝜋+e!")...

Just read this sentence in Gary Shteyngart's new novel, in a chapter on a fundraiser by a progressive mother: "Daddy liked his books in alphabetical order, but before big events Anne Mom paid Vera ten dollars to reorganize the books in such a way that authors “of color” and women were “front and center” at eye level. Then she would have to re-alphabetize them after the event was over."

Ruben wrote: "Just read this sentence in Gary Shteyngart's new novel, in a chapter on a fundraiser by a progressive mother: "Daddy liked his books in alphabetical order, but before big events Anne Mom paid Vera ..."

I love this! I wonder how many of us have have done similar things, even if it's just putting a book we have out back on the shelf so as to not call attention to it.

My books are sorted by author/ genre. But yet all jumbled together but I know where each book is and that's all that matters. My books are on shelves in my bedroom, and it gives me peace to see them.

Lark wrote: "Fiction used to be chronological by date of publication. One day I switched my 1000's of fiction books to alphabetical by author and I've never loved my shelves in quite the same way again.

Histo..."

Lark, the way you organize your books makes total sense.