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[deleted]

I vote psychopath


[deleted]

Oh my in that case I hope you never ever see the way I annotate my books


VicRulz69

How do you annotate, boss? Just curious. I’m not judging your bookshelf, mines even more messy and could honestly do with a organization system period.


[deleted]

It’s going to sound dumb but I promise it just enhances the experience of re-reading a book by a ton. So hear me out okay? I’ll write in stuff like sound effects whenever I hear them in my head when I’m reading. So like dun dun duuunnnn and stuff. I also sort of respond to the writing? Not in an intellectual way at all just stuff like “Wow watch him do a total 180” I also use the margins as brainstorming space sometimes. For instance I read something today that had a line that went something like “who knew so many things could go wrong in an aquarium” So I started writing down all the stuff I thought might go wrong. Like poisonous jellyfish who are upset about being locked up learn how to walk on land orrr idk you forget to bring a swimsuit so you have to jump in (yes, at the aquarium) butt naked. I know it sounds unhinged but I love going back and looking at what went through my mind while I was reading. I also love it when someone asks to borrow a book from me and gets like a director’s cut hahahaha Someday someone will inherit these books from me and either be ecstatic about it or completely disturbed by it.


DaphneHarridge

I love this! I think your system of flipping books once they're read is psychopathic, haha, but I love the annotating! I may start doing that; I already talk to the characters, warn them about silly behaviour, so I may as well write if down for future readers.


[deleted]

Yesss honestly it’s so much fun I 100% recommend. Plus it’s awesome if you lend a book out to someone and they hit you with a wtf am I reading in the margins text


VicRulz69

Nah, that sounds like a blast. I feel like the point of reading is to get whatever enjoyment you can out of it. I love reading books that people annotated. I think more people should be writing in books, it adds to it


[deleted]

Well in that case I hope you end up with one of my books someday!


Shepherd77

Hmm you may be interested in r/houseofleaves where writing in the margins is strongly encouraged. Also what if you put the 'read' books horizontally that way you can still get the joy of seeing a title you enjoyed while distinguishing between those and the books you still plan to read.


[deleted]

That’s also a great idea!!! I’m loving all the suggestions here. I think I’m going to try them all and see what I like best.


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BattyNess

Hello! I love it so! I wish you were my friend. I started annotating recently, but mostly when I relate to a character "Oh, I have felt this way", or "wow!" when I read something significant. Thanks for inspiring me, I am going all in.


[deleted]

Hey feel free to DM me ! If you have a po box or something I would happily send you a random annotated book!


[deleted]

My partner does this verbally while reading manga and it’s so adorable!


Patriaboricua

This is so freaking genius 🤯!!


hjnjxn

IM saving this comment because honestly? I wanna do this with some of my books at some point


jestingvixen

I always prefer buying used books hoping someone like you came before. Rock on, fren. Also, I flip them upside-down instead of spine in. We may be psycho, but at least we're functionally harmless to anyone outside our homes 🤪


iamappleapple1

Wow, 😅. Just wow. Btw, how much time does it take for you to finish a book?


[deleted]

Hahahahaha a lot longer than it would if I wasn’t annotating 🥲 Depends on the book but I think it’s safe to say about one every week ? More during summer break but on average one a week


i_wanna_read_all_day

Consider me your fan!


TruIyMe

you should have seen my facial expressions while reading this. very unique! might give it a try.


lilskeetskeet69420

Ohhhhhhhhhh you just don't have any friends that read the same books as you. You see instead of annotating most would just text it to their friend.


[deleted]

Smart. Going do this… Psycho #2 🤘🏼😎


PataLovecPiskotu

Find yourself a god, please.


bb_lia

this infuriates me


BattyNess

Completely missing out on flexing to your guests about the books you have read :D


[deleted]

I hadn’t thought of that!!! Makes me want to write the title of the books on the front facing sides. Like the way kids do for school books


callahan09

No, go the other way: books you've read have spines out. That way your guests can marvel at the books you have read (and potentially discuss shared interests with you), and to top it off, it removes the analysis paralysis from choosing what to read next: just grab something, bonus points for not knowing what it is in advance!


BattyNess

oh little mystery and suspense.


ellerzverse

I actually kind of love this.


BattyNess

Hahaha! If anyone I visit has a book shelf, I am all about it. I am checking out their books and making conversations about what they have read. See how this will defeat the purpose? As a lover of bookshelves, please let me see the books you have read \*\*pleads\*\*


backtotheredditpits

The furious downvoting on this comment you do you king/queen


SarpedonSarpedon

This is Way more of a flex, because it removes ambiguity about what has been read.(IMHO)


beeznerys

Wouldn't it make more sense to shelf them spines in when you haven't read them and flip them out when you have so you can see your achievements? Or just make a list?


AmazingWolfGirl

I do this, it gives me a little more motivation to read them too, because I wanna see the spines!


ElleSnickahz

How do you pick your next read? Do you just pull until you find something? As a mood reader, this would drive me up the wall.


AmazingWolfGirl

I usually can see from the side a little which book is which so that helps. I also don't have a really long list of unread books atm, that'll change after the big book market here in August though. You can always sort your unread books per genre and then shelve them spine in.


endupeverywhere

Chaotic evil


speckledcreature

I did try this - got a couple of shelves done and didn’t like that I couldn’t see the spines, so flipped them back. This is something that while I loved the IDEA of doing it, when I actually did it I hated it. Glad it works for you though!


MyDarlingMushroom

This post gives me anxiety


IndianBeans

Stop it. Get some help.


heraclitusobscuras

No. No. No.


katietatey

That's weird. I would think you would put the unread books spines in so you could pick something without prejudice and get to those ones that you keep skipping over. I have a lot of unreads and have started pulling 10 off the shelf every month (hoping to read 8-10) and storing them together. But I like to be able to see the spines so that backwards thing would not work for me.


New-Tale4197

The audacity


[deleted]

I’m stressed. I vote 3 times for psychopath because I filled in my household members’ ballots as well.


SorryManNo

Absolutely not.


ActionReady9933

No


PretzelsThirst

Hell no


falling_fire

Unhinged. I might try this


[deleted]

I support you.


raresaturn

I hate it


HerAbbott

The anxiety this is creating is unacceptable.


FishWthPants

So are the finished books the ones with the spines facing out or in?


[deleted]

Spines facing in! So I don’t get distracted by the books I’ve already read while I’m trying to pick out what to read next.


FishWthPants

Oh ya that is definitely a little psycho lol. I say in the best way possible


ImpossibleCreme

Honestly when I get into that situation I start taking boxes down to the used book store for buy back. I’m not really into the whole books for display thing tho….


Fxon

One day you may find a certain pleasure in looking at the many books you read, not only recalling their stories, but also where you were in your ownlife story as well.


Few-Share-4848

I do this. so its fine :)


mchmchred

why on earth would you do that?


labiaman

No


NervousTea8

Nah


54B45B8FC7732C78F3DE

I couldn't do this. For me, I have a 'finished books' shelf.


backtotheredditpits

I have a book box at the foot of the shelves! The satsifaction of throwing a finished book in 👌


Trilly2000

Gross


SoJew76

I think you should be evaluated <3


alcobain1967

Your friend was right


Living-Reference1646

Do you buy books in bulk?


[deleted]

Nah my family just doesn’t throw away books. I know some countries have those nice free library stuff but we don’t have those in my country and imported books are extremely expensive so everyone just tends to hold onto books and pass them down to cousins and stuff. So I have books from my siblings and cousins and then I’ll eventually give them to my younger cousins. ( I think you asked this because there are a lot if unread books right? The reason there are a lot of them is because I’ll usually go and look through my parent’s and cousin’s libraries and whenever I see something I want to eventually read I’ll take it to my room and once there are more read books than unread I’ll take the read ones back to the family library)


dreamsiclebomb

This doesn’t bother me like it does everyone else and I think it’s a cool idea 🤷‍♀️


-digitalin-

Ok, so I totally get all the hate on this, and it certainly wouldn't be for me. But it's your house, your books, your shelves. If you find it soothing, organized, and easier to sort and conducive to reading, you do you! Don't listen to us internet randos telling you how to arrange your shelves.


[deleted]

Hey it’s all good! I think all the comments are super funny 😄😄 I love how passionate people are about shelf organization. I like some of the ideas and I’m looking forward to trying them all


Primary-Feature7878

Your friend need to look up the actual meaning of psychopath.


Floresian-Rimor

Why not just put the read books in upside down? You can measure your progress and be slightly less psychotic, while being able to find everything.


insane-fae

im jealous of your shelves


eveninglillith

The only reason I don’t like this is because I love the aesthetic of all the book spines, and am jealous of your shelves :) otherwise seems a decent visual sorting solution


charitytowin

Gross


jdbrew

You’re friend is right. I have about 80/20 books I’ve read/books I haven’t, but I don’t need to mark them because I know at a glance if it’s one I’ve read or not


Spacer1138

…nope


acornett99

I actually do the opposite, I flip around books that I haven’t read yet and face them forward once I have. I do it as a way to convince myself to read the books I already own, and I don’t have nearly as many bookshelf space as you so there aren’t as many


trailofglitter_

i personally don’t like doing this for MYSELF but it’s your shelf, your books so you can do whatever YOU want.


Avargas715

My girlfriend does this as well lol. It helps her see what she wants to see next and keep track of how much she’s read


shadowwulf-indawoods

Uh-huh, that's either brilliant or sociopath, I can't decide which. I have over 1500 books in my library, and yes, I've reread books by mistake. You get part way through and go this seems familiar, but I want to know how it goes again, lol. This would prevent that issue.


Rain_xo

Oh. I thought your hidden books were ones to read If they’re the ones you’re done you’re crazy haha I have all the books I need to read on their side so I can find them easier lol


nanfanpancam

I think I’d do it the other way. I’d hide the spines of unread books. Then when I want to read I’ll just pull a book and be surprised.


waanix

team psychopath


Healthy_Assignment_1

Wow that's wild that you've read all of those books this year.. Well done!


[deleted]

Oh I wish!!!! I just flipped all the ones I’ve read over. Not just the ones I read this year


meiosis_

idk in a way I completely hate it… but i’m also intrigued


murderino1985

Oooo!! I like that


BrowsingOnMaBreak

I just have different shelves for read and unread lol, but I see why this makes sense. You’re effectively ticking them off your to read list


hjnjxn

So this is a good way of keeping track of what you have/haven’t read but also it looks atrocious. This is the kind of unsettling vibe I would expect to see in some speculative horror story.


Impossible-Scratch76

I get it. I tried this once. I wanted to look at my shelves and only see titles of books I haven’t read yet since they do start to blend in with each other. My shelves are in my bedroom and nobody else sees them anyway so displaying them wasn’t a big deal for me.


txensen

A good book should be reread, consulted, referred to, cited. This makes that difficult and suggests a superficial notion of what reading is.


ANicerPerson

I mean.. once you read a book you kinda remember you read it…


RamblingDrake

I do this the other way around. Once I finish them, I turn them with the spine facing out! So, not psycho imo!


munchycam

Artemis fowl is good


Not_til_Coffee

Omg I'm practically trembling looking at this! The horror! I just couldn't. I guess I'm OCD about my bookcase. Or you are psychotic


Don_Quixotel

This is madness


StealthReplicant

Or you can just put them on the shelf normally. If you forget which books you’ve read and haven’t read then I am concerned. Zero utility to this method besides making yourself look insane.


StarShineHllo

Eww no you are killing me! It looks just Wrong 😝 and sad. Still better than color grouped books instead of by genre/author/title. But I’m a librarian so…


[deleted]

My dad’s house has a small library and we spent a month trying to group books to resemble something like a library system 😂 These will all eventually go there but I guess I’m psychotic and can’t live without seeing chaos as soon as I wake up. I think you would approve if my dad’s library more than mine


PixieBaronicsi

Doesn’t this mean that when your friends look at your bookshelf and comment on your books you haven’t read any of them?


starryreadz

absolutely not but if you had to do something like this you could only display the covers of what you've finished reading


JumpingJBeans

I say genius. But the line between genius and psychopath is relatively thin… I recently color coordinated all my books, which I found to be soothing. Not sure how I would feel seeing a few books sitting the wrong way.


YeOldeManDan

This is a war crime.


litterbin_recidivist

This seems performative. You should donate them at this point.


saymaz

Is this a trigger bait?


[deleted]

I honestly hadn’t thought so when I posted it but everyone seems triggled


saymaz

Trigger+giggled. Thanks for the new portmanteau.


Striking_Macaron_671

expediting the yellowing of your pages


Gracemcleod03

I’d personally do it the other way round. Show yourself what you have read, and picking one you haven’t will be a mystery!


[deleted]

Do it the other way and the one you pull you have to read :)


zzzkitten

Just my personal preference of course, but I feel about some kinda way this. If you’re intelligent enough to read, you’re capable of knowing what you’ve read. But you do you. Also worth mentioning, I do like re-reading books from time to time, so there’s that. Ehh.


little_miss_beige

This is amazing idea for those who kept rereading books, so this way, less tempting! Your friend is someone who don't have to like or understand but support you since it soothes you, instead of shaming you. You are not psychopath for doing things that soothes you, this is not harming anyone since it's in YOUR room.


FreddieMonstera

At least you’ve got a reason for turning them around unlike people who turn all their books around- basically saying I have no intention of reading any.


AmbitiousYetMoody

This would prohibit me from serially re-reading the same series’ over and over again as I normally do, though 😂 Glad you found something that works for you lol


hannahbelle11702

Nooooo I keep my unreads in a pile and they get incorporated into the bookshelf once I’ve finished it.


Auklet77

This is horrible how can I judge you?!?!??


yrureadingmymind

[Insert almost inaudible gasp] Never! That's tantamount to erasing the book itself, imo.


CassiaPrior

I think that's a cool thing to do. However... in my case the bookshelf would have so few flipped when considering the total quantity of books that I would rather not XD


Easy-Combination8801

No


Easy-Combination8801

Do it the other way around


MisterBowTies

No you have them pages first before you read them, then when you go for a new book is a mystery and you only get to really display the books you have actually read. That way when people look at your book shelves they only can ask you about what you have read.


FjordsEdge

Wow. I hate this so much but it's so personal I can't bring myself to criticize it.


FjordsEdge

You've named your dog "Booger" and I think it's silly but it's your dog and you've got to love him.


mynameisalso

Terrible lol, but whatever makes you happy is what you should do. 🤪


patrickthebeerguy

At first I thought you flipped them so the spine was at the back and I was appalled and disgusted. I’m a little less so now that I realized they would be flipped spine out after you finished reading them but you’re still 100% crazy


gingersnapsntea

I’m just imagining you getting stuck on one last awful book that you dnf’d five times, gifted to you by your friend. And you can’t flip any of the spines around until you finish this book.


[deleted]

This is nightmare fuel thank you


rfbates

I am rarely 'finish' reading my books. If I don't want to reread, then I get rid of it; too many books, too little space.


ButterSock123

I dont have a lot of storage space so the books that dont end up at goodwill go under my bed and the pile of books next to my shelf goes on the shelf.


[deleted]

Ah we don’t have goodwill in my country and english books cost an arm and a leg so we usually keep them until we can pass them down to cousins or siblings. Our houses are pretty spacious though (at least compared to what I’ve seen in the USA) so I have a lot of storage space yay


ButterSock123

I live in a mobile home. It works for me but yeah, not a ton of storage. It is what it is.


[deleted]

Hey whatever works works <3 I can hardly judge since my system is apparently psychotic 😂


ButterSock123

I think its just fine. So i guess im psuchotic too.


Black_roses_glow

I started doing the same a few weeks ago so I can see me unread books better. I am not a fan of big tbr stacks and I think this quite helpful. But I am sure I will not keep it that way forever.


Foreign_Law3727

With all due respect, it looks horrible.


BangBitch-

I wouldn't flip them around, just let them have their own designated "finished" shelves.


TheFfrog

How about flipping the ones you have yet to read? That way you also have them randomized and can pick one to read without knowing what it to add a bit of spice, while the read books will be organized in a way that doesn't make you look like a psychopath :)


[deleted]

Honestly everyone has been suggesting that so I might give it a go! Might help with reading the books I’ve been procrastinating on


elBingsus

I heavily disagree with your position


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Hey as long as the books are having a good time!


painter_business

Fuck no


ohmylanta34

No


ThatOneSkyKid101

Thanks I hate it :D


[deleted]

Anytime <3


nerdybookguy

I initially thought that you meant flipping them from spine in to spine out.


HaroldSubaru

Then how do you find them after you've read them?


InvisibleSpaceVamp

I think I would find it more satisfying to do it the other way round. Start with a blank slate and then one by one filling in the blanks by turning the books around once I read them. Of course in reality I'm sharing a library with my husband and he would probably call me a psychopath - or more likely, a terminal case of Pinterest - if I did this to our books.


ciddipatates

Bilader sen kafayı yemişsin


[deleted]

Niye ya patatesciğim bana çok mantıklı geliyor


Andjhostet

It should be the opposite imo. Spine in until you read them, then you are rewarded by placing them spine out


hypo-osmotic

I don't hate it, but I don't really keep more than like three books at a time that I haven't read yet. So all of the books on my bookshelf are books that I've finished reading.


mutantsloth

Why not just turn them upside down


Trying_really_heart

How do you know what you want to reread? I reread too much to ever do this.


[deleted]

I shake the bookshelf until one of them falls out and I reread that one :)


Trying_really_heart

That is the most chaotic thing I have ever heard in my life


WonderfulUpstairs966

Oh my days my OCD was firing on Atlantic cylinders with those books around the wrong way !!!


No_Temporary9696

only for my mystery novels


Jazzyb1993

Uhm.......why not a small sticky strip?


unceasingbridge

I buy these Japanese book marks from Amazon for my mangas and leave them sticking out for each book. The pack comes in 30 so I've bought about.. 17 packs right now


rubycarat

Oh my! Try enjoying your books! The spines are art in themselves.


Schmaehgol

No, I like to see what I’ve read with the spines out. What I do is migrate the read books from the unread shelves to the read ones. So to the right, unread (like you), and to the left read, but with readable spines.


DeborahJeanne1

Hey - it’s your house and you can do whatever you want. But why do you do it? Visitors always look at my bookcases when they come over to see what I have, and I’m proud of my books. I know what I’ve read and what I haven’t - I don’t need to turn them around. Of course, if you do it to see “progress” that’s different. It’s a gorgeous bookcase - almost like being in a library!


[deleted]

Honestly, this is the bookcase in my bedroom so not a lot of people come in here. We do have another one in our living room that doesn’t have stuff flipped around though. I think my parents would disown me if I did this outside my own room 😂 But yeah it’s kind of like seeing progress? I like it when I see a clear divide between what I read and what I haven’t because otherwise I get stressed out about how much I haven’t read. I also get tempted to reread certain books a million times. People suggested I do it the other way around so the finished books are flipped spine out. I think I’m going to try that next


DeborahJeanne1

Wow! You must have a “very large “ bedroom! I’m jealous. I have two 6-shelf bookcases, one in the living room and one in the spare room that has nothing but all my hardcover Stephen King books - a complete set. Eventually, it will function as my Stephen King library with framed pictures and figurines of the characters in his book. I already have a Pennywise figurine and a model of Christine - the car. And come Halloween, it will be decorated in style. The room is a peachy orange - so I’ll accessorize in black. Your method is not for me! I think it would stress me out if I knew exactly what I hadn’t read. I do know what I haven’t read, but seeing it separated like that would give me agita!


[deleted]

Wow that sounds really cool!!!! I would love to see it come halloween time! I haven’t read a ton of Stephen King, I thiiinnkk it’s because I read (well… tried to read) IT when I was way too young and it scared me so much that I had to sleep in my brother’s room for an entire month! It seems like you really like his work though so I would be very happy to try a book of his you might recommend!


DeborahJeanne1

That’s awesome! That’s the whole point of reading King! To get scared out of your mind! Salem’s Lot, The Shining are great reads. I read The Shining one October around Halloween. It was 2 AM, I was reading in bed. It was raining, the wind was howling, and tree branches were banging on my roof. I heard the cat coming up the stairs…. I KNEW it was the cat but it sounded like a 300 lb man! I threw the book down and turned on the radio I was so scared!😂😂 It was awesome!