More BBAW fun: Show us your TBR pile. And as luck would have it, I’m actually really, really prepared for this post (which is quite an odd thing, as I’m not particularly well-known for preparedness).
A while back, I was tagged for the What’s On My Desk Wednesday meme, and I posted the following picture of the tidiest TBR pile in my house – the tidiest one at the time, that is:
Needless to say, this particular TBR pile only grew untidier. As TBR piles have the tendency to do, the books in this pile got up to some very naughty hijinks in the middle of the night and they all reproduced– over and over again. Until finally, it got to the point where I couldn’t get to my desk without heavy-duty lifting.
I’m not kidding.
Since I work from home, this was not a good thing. It was either clear up this TBR pile, or starve. Although I’m on the untidy side, and a master procrastinator, I also like to eat. So I decided I’d better clear this pile up.
My Great TBR Shelving Idea
That’s when I got my great TBR shelving idea. It’s such a great idea, I bolded it so it would catch your attention.
We recently bought this very cheap “shelf” thing which is supposed to hold about 250 DVDs or 150 VHS cassettes (remember those?). It cost about $30; we bought it at Walmart. It was a cinch to put together – although a little bit on the wobbly side, but that doesn’t really matter because you’re going to be putting books on it. Books = heavy.
The beauty of this shelf is that it’s got an extremely small footprint (as far as a bookshelf goes) – it measures, roughly, 6” X 22” at its base, and is about 46” tall. You can took it away in almost any corner. Here it is, when we first put it together, tucked in between my six-year-old’s toy and book corner and his Geotrax trains box (which you can’t see in the picture, but trust me, it’s there).
Here’s a closer look, so you can see that this baby doesn’t actually have any shelves! (I think that’s why it’s so cheap – it’s just dowels, basically).
And here it is, fully loaded with that renegade TBR pile that had grown to enormous proportions on my office floor.
Guess how many books it’s holding in this picture?
It’s holding 99 books!
I’ve added a bit to it since then, so it’s holding about 103 books right now – but that includes a lot of thick hardcover books. If you used one just for your paperbacks, you could probably get a lot more on it.
Want A Closer Look?
Here’s a shot of each shelf – I wanted to get close enough, so some books at each end didn’t make it into the pictures.
The top shelf:
Second shelf:
Third shelf:
Bottom shelf:
And in conclusion: (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase in a post!) I love these little DVD shelves! I have several other TBR stacks lying around the house, and I plan to tuck more of these shelves all over the place, just for them. And I might use a few to house my permanent paperback collection, too.
I just have to find some nice little unused spots around the house, and I’m good to go.
What do your TBR piles look like?
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmm, I always love looking at TBR piles/stacks/shelves! Great idea, using one of those DVD shelves.
.-= WordLily´s last blog ..BBAW interview swap: Meet Nora St.Laurent =-.
I do too. I’m not sure why other people’s TBR piles are so appealing to me. Actually, I love people’s book piles, period! When I go to parties, I always lurk by the bookshelves, checking out all the titles. I figure, that’s better than looking in their medicine cabinets
OMG, what a great idea!
[thinking of way to approach he-who-wields-the-wallet]
Hehe.
.-= J.C. Montgomery´s last blog ..In Your Face TBR =-.
These DVD things are so much cheaper than actual bookshelves. Tell he-who-wields-the-wallet that it’s so much better than tripping over books everywhere. I can attest to that!
Brilliant! Bravo on your superior TBR wrangling abilities. Now, can we all steal the idea?
.-= Janel´s last blog ..Mailbox Mambo: Crescent =-.
Yes! I was absolutely hopping with joy when I discovered these little DVD stands could hold books, and not just books, but so many of them!
Wow! Quite a pile of TBR books you’ve got going on there.
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday: While I’m Falling =-.
I know. I have so little restraint. It’s sad. But then I look at my stash and I perk right up. I think that’s the sign of a book addiction, isn’t it?
Great job bringing order to the chaos! I’ve done that with a small piece of my TBR universe, the rest isn’t even organized enough to get a photo of.
.-= Laura/BookingIt´s last blog ..BBAW: My To Be Read Shelf =-.
Laura, you should see the state of the rest of my TBRs. Under my bed, for example, where they get to both multiply and romp with the dust balls. No way I’d ever take a picture of that for you all!
That looks great! I want to come over and borrow some of those books!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..BBAW: Blogger Interview – Meredith of Dolce Bellezza =-.
Kathy, I wish you could! And I’d make you stay for dinner.
That’s quite a transformation! I’m starting to think that my piles of books would come in handy should we ever need to reinforce the walls of the house … the shelves are full, so they’re stacked around the perimeter of the office, like decorative wainscoting!
.-= Dawn – She is Too Fond of Books´s last blog ..BBAW: You asked for it! My TBR (and TBF!) =-.
Have you ever seen those decorating magazines where they use piles of books topped with a sheet of glass as end tables? Your decorative wainscoting idea reminded me of that!
Actually, we’ve been in the middle of renovating for the past seven years. Using my books to reinforce the walls sounds like quite a good idea, come to think of it …
Wow! I wish I had the budget for that big a TBR pile. Right now they’re mostly in my head. I really should make more lists.
Cara, I am really big on sales, especially online bargain book shopping. It’s a good thing there isn’t a used bookstore close by or things could get much worse around here. Much, much worse.
Lots of good ones and quite a few I’ve been meaning to read too. My TBR pile takes up an entire big bookcase with several piled in front of the other books. It’s getting a bit scary over there!
.-= Ladytink_534´s last blog ..Come Meet Little Georgie =-.
Wow, what a great way to use what looks like a useless piece of furniture! We have a Walmart close by home, maybe that’s how i can get that last pile of books off the floor….but my TBR shelves? they grew!! lol I love your pictures and amused myself by trying to read the titles. Irresistible! That’s what any of us do when we see books! Thanks for the fun post
.-= Susan´s last blog ..A book that broke my heart and patched it up again…. =-.
And you have more….? That’s quite a pile!
.-= Just Mom´s last blog ..The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch =-.
That’s an awesome solution! My TBR isn’t nearly so organized; I’ve got books just crammed onto some shelves in my basement, with a few more piled on a chair nearby. It’s messy, to put it mildly.
.-= Memory´s last blog ..BBAW: 4 Questions for the Olive Reader =-.
Wow. Nice job. My books are stacked all over the floor and on every horizontal surface. The more floor that is covered, the less floor I have to sweep!
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..BBAW: Brevity Game and Giveaway =-.
That is such a fantastic idea! My parents have one of these shelves for actual DVDs, I never thought about using it for books.
.-= Meghan´s last blog ..A Medieval Challenge? =-.
Clever!
Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVE peeking at folks’ bookshelves! I got excited just looking at all the awesome titles on yours! Your shelving system is great… who knew it would work so well?
My TBR stack was really three enormous, teetering stacks on the floor of my bedroom until June — when I bought a HUGE bookcase from Ikea! It’s floor-to-ceiling stuffed full of (almost) every book I own. Most are still unread! I really need to get on that…
I blogged about it, if you’re interested!
Of course, it’s not nearly as clean now as it was back then… sigh!
.-= Meg´s last blog ..GIVEAWAY: The Weight of Silence =-.
That is such a great idea! I actually keep my TBR pile virtually at Shelfari, but once I get another bookshelf I am going to start shelving the books in my TBR pile together. It does seem more efficient.
.-= Zee´s last blog ..BBAW Meme =-.
City of Ashes is still in your TBR pile?! You have to read that. Series is so good
.-= Debbie´s last blog ..What book did a blog introduce you to? For me-Vampire Academy! =-.
I know exactly what you mean when you TBR pile begins to take over. I recently had to clean up my TBR pile becasue, my already small bedroom, was shrinking quickly. Now all my books are all over my book shelves waiting to be read. I love the book shelves you bougth they look perfect!
.-= sammy25´s last blog ..When Blind Dates Go Wrong =-.
I hope that these dvd shelves can hold up under all that pressure.
.-= Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..An Open Letter to Bloggers from Paul Samuelson =-.
Wow! What a great idea!! I’ll have to try it out myself!
.-= Jenn’s Bookshelves´s last blog ..Winners of BBAW Contests! =-.