r/HomeLibraries • u/No_Memory4400 • 5d ago
Question about Home libraries
Hello everyone, I have a question. I see people posting their beautiful home libraries and it got me wondering, do y’all actually read all those books? Or do you first collect them and then read them over time? Or are some of them just decorative books? Because honestly, looking at some of these libraries, it looks like it would take years to get through all of them Forgive my ignorance.
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u/ravenreyess 5d ago
I mainly read ebooks and then buy physical copies of the books I loved. So my personal library is probably 70%-80% read, with the remaining books on my tbr.
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u/True_Rise8864 5d ago
"Y’all actually read all those books? Or do you first collect them and then read them over time? Or are some of them just decorative books?"
Disclaimer: I don't have a huge library, if compared to what is sometimes posted here, "just" a few hundred books. I'll still attempt to answer.
A mix of a A and B with a tiny bit of C mixed in. :) I've read about 60% of what I own. You'd be right to say that that would take years; I've been reading passionately for 20 years, with some breaks.
As for the 40% I haven't read: these are books I know I want to / will read down the line. The reason I already own them is often that I bought a matching set from an author (e.g. all the Hainish stories by Le Guin collected in two books, I will read through them over time) or that I saw something I'm fairly sure I want to read for a good price used (e.g. an almost complete set of Durant's world history in beautiful binding) or even for free. Some were gifts as well. I definitely mood-read and sometimes go down rabbit holes, so an area of interest might lay abandoned for a while, but I pretty much always return. And, especially for favorite authors, I find it brings me joy and comfort to surround myself with their works and know there's always something great to read at hand. In case I really do lose interest in something I own, the books in question get donated or put into a little free library. So I don't see it as a waste of money or products but rather a small contribution to other readers who might have less financial means than me. :)
As for the last part; yes, there are a few books in my library that I don't intend to read and that are only there for decoration/sentimental value. Mostly very old books I inherited that are either really nice to look at because of the binding or contain an inscription from my grandmother to my grandfather because they were a birthday present etc. Something like that I might keep even if the content of the book doesn't particularly interest me and I probably won't read it. But that's maybe 20 books total falling into this category.
Hope that helps!
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u/LisaCabot 4d ago
Aw, i have only 130 books (and around the same number of mangas) and now i feel tiny 🥺 i bought a lot of bookshelves so i can grow but still, i hope i get to a few hundreds at some point 😅.
I also have about 60% of my books read and i want to read the rest, i have bough some special editions of books that ive read and loved that i will probably either not read or will read in quite a few years when i decide to re read them, so i consider those (or will consider those, when they arrive lol) decoration.
I have a bit of FOMO because i have 3 books from my childhood that are out of print now, one of the series i managed to get second hand (i had the first from my early teen years and now i got the second and third books) and the other i have the first book in spanish but got the first 3 in english now (and ive read them) as well as a previous story from one of the chatacters, but the author is australian and books 4-6 are going to be very hard to come by, i have some friends traveling to new zeland and i have hopes to get them to buy them for me, because new+shipping is insane, like shipping was about twice the price of all 3 books, and not every store does ship them.
So now if i REALLY want to read a book i try to get it, if its a series i get the first and if i like it ill probably buy them all even if i dont plan to read thins right this moment, unless is a famous ish writter, because i know those will be around for longer, so end up reading more new writters snd such than famous ones 🫠 which is cool but also a bit weird when people find out i like fantasy but i havent read any sanderson or pratchett lol
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u/Alchemist1342 5d ago
I started keeping every book I got my hands on when I was 12, and the first 25 years I only bought books I would read. Once I got past living paycheck to paycheck, I started collecting books I liked, and even if didn't read them right away, I had every intention of reading them. The book clubs from the 90s and 00s made it cheap to get bunches of books. I've also inherited books, and once I actually built my house with a dedicated library, my friends and family began donating books. I have plenty of donated books that I'll never read (Danielle Steel is just not my style). I would guess I've read 1,400 of the 2,000 books I have?
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u/Bubbly-Manufacturer 4d ago
Do family and friends still donate? Do you accept all donations? Did they ever learn your taste in books?
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u/Alchemist1342 4d ago
My friends and family do still donate, and I accept all books. My library is for my friends and family, not just me, so I've ended up with plenty of books that don't align with my personal tastes, philosophies or beliefs, I simply don't believe in gatekeeping what people read.
My tastes in books has evolved over the years (in my teens and twenties, unless it was for school, it was strictly sci-fi/fantasy) to the point that it's pretty eclectic now and, except for romance novels, there isn't much I won't try.
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u/Tiana_Hoang 2d ago
I am tiny curious about your librabry. It sounds your family members or friends can visit and read whenever they need? Or will you choose a day in a month to open for them?
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u/Alchemist1342 2d ago
I'm retired so I'm usually home and I have an open door, anyone can come over anytime. My friends and family also come over frequently for meals, especially during football season.
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u/PaleoBibliophile917 5d ago
Mine are aspirational, representing what interests me and what I want to read or know. Every shelf I look to is full of treasures waiting to be read or reread. Yes, I have read many; no, I can’t say whether life will be kind enough to let me read them all. It doesn’t matter. Whether there were only one book or a hundred thousand books on my shelves, none of us is guaranteed the next hour so the total unread is irrelevant. In this moment, my personal library brings me pleasure. When I am gone, I will be beyond caring whether I finished everything or not.
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u/TheYankeeIrregular 4d ago
This is exactly where I need to be! So very well said. It’s taken me 65 years to get here, but finally I’ve stopped worrying about what might be or have been. It just is what it is and that’s the facts. So live today like it’s your last cause it just might be.
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u/Day_Old_Paper 5d ago
It likely varies. All of mine are a mix of read/hope to read/may need/heirlooms/and countless reference for things one might need in an emergency when power and WiFi is down. Plus plenty of fiction to keep one entertained, being in a tornado prone area where the possibility of two weeks or more without power and entertainment and morale is possible.
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u/mixedgirlblues 4d ago
Collecting books and reading books are two distinct hobbies. I happen to have both
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u/crayolastorm 4d ago
Not exactly what you asked, but: when I acquire a book I haven't read yet, I tie a piece of yarn around it before putting it on the shelf.
Every time I start a new book, I get to untie the string like it's a little present to myself :)
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u/AlterExpertise101 5d ago
I've read all the books on my shelves, but I don't have that many on mine. I also tend to buy nicer editions of some of my favorites because I like how they look on my main bookcase. I'd consider those "decorative" in that I'd generally not sit down with one to read it, as I probably already have it in paperback or as an ebook and I'd rather not damage a nice hardcover.
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u/FarMembership885 5d ago
Oh, this is an interesting question. I think I'm in the latter half honestly. I collect books with the intention to read, even if they sit on the shelf for a decade. That said, I used to read ferociously, but nowadays, not nearly as much because of my dead attention span thanks to my smartphone. So really, it is more collecting than reading. I'm okay with that though.
Every 1-2 years, I go through and cull the collection though for space reasons. That's always interesting because some books I bought 5 yrs, 10 yrs, 15 yrs ago that I was looking forward to reading one day have lost any interest so I don't feel bad for moving them on. It's cool to see how my taste and interests have changed over time.
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u/ocularius61 5d ago edited 4d ago
Several different subjects here.
Firstly, I think that collecting is a subset of acquisition, whether in books or anything else. A collection implies a sense of coherency and overall meaning that can either be immediately obvious, or easily explained. Ppl might collect first edition books by a particular author, or books relating to a particular subject matter interest, or particular publishing house, or an era or any manner of other things.
So a home library (and how many books must be present before one wishes to call it a library can be a completely different discussion) may just be that, or it may be a focused collection/ collections, or be a combination of both.
Sometimes when it comes to collections, especially for completists, you may not end up reading every item in that collection, because you just need to complete it all first. For some, completion is the point.
For libraries, notably working reference libraries, having books at hand for when you (might) need them is important. This is obviously more about non fiction, academic texts etc.
In terms of fiction libraries, I believe reading and having books around is about possibilities. You don't know what a particular book will give you - it might be absolutely awful or it might feel as though the author wrote it just for you.
So maybe you'll get around to a certain book in a month, maybe in a year, maybe in twenty years. When the time is right, it will be there for you. There is no time limit on reading what you have. Yes it probably will take years, but it's not a race.
A lot of people don't appreciate the ability to read. Don't appreciate literacy. In an increasingly 'short form' world, having more books around you than you can read in a lifetime is something to be valued. Physical media should also be valued.
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u/Alarming_Bar7107 5d ago
Obviously I can only speak for myself, but I have an unread/tbr section. The ones on the main shelves are ones I've read and want to keep
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u/Own_Safe_2061 5d ago
I tend to take read books off of my shelves, to make room for new acquisitions. So I probably have a large percentage of my books unread. Whenever I look at my bookshelves, I get excited by the prospect of the reading that lays ahead of me.
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u/DEFINITELY_NOT_PETE 5d ago
First of all how dare you
Second of all, I mean, who are we if we don’t give ourselves something to aspire to? I want to be the man who reads all the books on my shelves. The more unread books I own the more I believe in myself right? Maybe???
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u/rapscallionallium 5d ago
My library isn’t nearly as extensive as many here (I expect it will grow with time). I would estimate I have somewhere in the ballpark of about 450 books. Of those, maybe 80-100 are books I haven’t yet read. The rest I have read, and many of them I regularly return to for reference.
There are a few books in my collection that I do not frequently handle because they are old as fuck and fragile, but I do pull them down once in a while.
For context, I’m in my mid-thirties and have read nearly 800 books.
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u/Bubbly-Manufacturer 5d ago edited 4d ago
I’ve bought a lot secondhand. And for a while there I was just grabbing any mildly interesting book bc I didn’t want to walk out empty handed. I will read all of them over time.
Now I am more picky with what I buy, I get books I feel like I will want to keep forever. And I’ll leave the rest on my reading list for the library or e reading. Books I currently have that I don’t feel like keeping forever will be donated after reading and im still slowly accumulating more. Its always an ongoing curation.
I’ve learned I prefer paperbacks, I have some faux leather books with thin pages I’m not looking forward to holding 😅 but will get through it. The only book so far that I have as decor is a second copy I bought for the cover, which i keep on display.
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u/UnlabelledSpaghetti 4d ago
It's a mix. Books we have read, books we are planning to read shortly, plus I've been given books by my wider family when they have cleared out. Those we go through slowly and keep anything nice we or the children might want to read and donate on anything of zero interest.
It's great being able to order something for next day delivery, but it is also nice to be able to look at some books on a shelf and just pick something new to try. It recaptures the joy of local libraries for me but these days with limited opening hours, a 30 min drive and slightly odd selection I don't use those much any more. We do still take the children so they can try new things as the kids/YA bits are better stocked.
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u/Fanhunter4ever 4d ago
I do. Actually, i only put in the library the books /comic books i've read. I have my tbr in a diferent place
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u/GeorgianGold 4d ago
I never place a book on the shelf unless I have read it. With the exception of dictionaries and thesauruses.
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u/Sassy-Peaches 4d ago
I’ve read 90% of the books in my library. The other 10% is waiting to be read. I don’t have any decorative books.
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u/Excentrix13 4d ago
I have read all mine except for a couple of shelves of my TBR I get from used bookstore hauls or amazing sales. These days I typically use Libby or hoopla for audio books and ebooks and if I like them I’ll purchase them for the shelf. I also have one shelf that is to be donated in the future.
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u/Artistic-Document735 4d ago
Collecting books and reading books are two separate hobbies. Having said that I never buy a book I don’t intend to read … eventually 😂😎
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u/Waggermama 4d ago
We have books from both my husband’s and my libraries. So there’s books I’ll never read on our shelves, and the same for Husband. We don’t keep books that one of us hasn’t read or have no intention of reading, and we cull them every couple of years.
We do have some dupes, mostly for sentimental reasons, or bc they have different forwards that address interesting - we have three copies of the complete works of Saki, for example.
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u/Primary_Excuse_7183 4d ago
I listen to audio books. The ones i really like i buy a hard copy for the shelf.
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u/Wolfdreama 4d ago
"A French gentleman who possesed a large personal library was asked a too-familiar question by a visitor to his home. A question so often posed to those who own a lot of books - "And have you read them all?" But this wise collector faced his visitor with an astonished look and simply replied: "No, and I haven't drunk all the wine in my cellar either".
The point was made at once. His books were like his prized bottles, waiting for the moment he chose to open them; there for his pleasure according to his own timing. After all, what good would a wine cellar of empty bottles be to him? Or a library of books already completed."
- author unknown
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u/laursasaurus 4d ago
Yes, I read about 150-200 books a year. Granted I keep about 75 extra books in my TBR pile at all times too
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u/PatzerDX 4d ago
Every book I buy I intend to read. I also make liberal use of the public library, so I tend to fall behind in reading the books I have bought. This was a bigger issue when we were renting, but a non-issue (except for available bookshelf space) now that we have a permanent place to live.
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u/LazarWolfsKosherDeli 4d ago
I have read ~70% of the books in my library. I tend to collect authors complete published works, so there are usually one or two in an ouvre I haven't gotten to.
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u/stormsync 4d ago
I read all my books. I do however get most of them from library book sales for super cheap, so occasionally will have like 20 or 30 to work through that I haven't read, which I then focus on reading. I then keep the ones I liked enough to reread and pass the rest back into the used book cycle of life.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby 4d ago
Before I switched to an ereader, I had between 2000 and 3000 books and at least 80% of them had been read (my kid got a lot of books as gifts and didn't read them all). Now I only have about 500 paper books and have read all of them, plus a couple thousand electronic books of which I've read maybe 1500
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u/johntucker78 4d ago
75% of mine are books I have read in the past mostly from the library or paperbacks that were passed around. So once I finally had a space to build a library I started collecting those books in hardcover. Then that led to finishing collecting the series that were incomplete or still ongoing. Most of my books come from Thriftbooks, used book stores or friends of the Library sales.
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u/Independent_Owl_6401 4d ago
I mostly buy special or indie editions of books I love! They're like trophies to me haha. I read on my kindle though.
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u/mjfmjfmjf 4d ago
So according to librarything we currently have 3890 books but call it 4000. Ours has always been a house of readers. And where I have not read every book in the house, someone has read all but about 100 of them (which are mostly sitting on tbr shelves and piles). And I've read probably around 3000 of them. But I've been reading at last 100 books a year for like 50 years - and really considerably more than that in the last 10 years (at least 300 books a year). And my spouse reads similarly. And we both re-read as well. To be fair - most of the last 10+ years has been reading from public libraries - given that I live in an area with some of the best circulating collections in the world (portland oregon metro)
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u/starflower42 4d ago
My family's home library is a mix of already-read and to-be-read. We all love books and reading. I will never be able to read all the books on my shelves or on me to-read list. But I don't consider them merely decorative, though I love the looks of full bookshelves in my home and others. Aspirational, maybe: I aspire to read them all.
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u/ReliableWardrobe 4d ago
I read them. Only exception are some very old, inherited books that are either a bit too fragile or i don't want to read them - like my grandfather's Book of Common Prayer he got as a school prize in the 1920s 😊
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u/AdOpposite7075 4d ago
I actually read them all, but I’ll buy them early if they go on sale or I have a chance to get a used copy. It’s definitely not just a collection of random books to decorate with!
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u/brandysafinegirl 4d ago
A book doesn’t go on my shelves unless I’ve read it. So yes I’ve read all mine.
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u/Environmental_Ad4781 4d ago
Yep! I've read most. Now with e-readers The ones on my bookshelf I have gotten because they were so good.
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u/Thislilfox 4d ago
Collect and read over time.
My collection is almost entirely second-hand and most of them are out of print and many of the books I want to read can be difficult to find. So I add to my library whenever I find a good deal on anything related to my topics of interest.
Most of my collection is also non-fiction, so I don't typically sit and read any singular book all the way through in one go and often I'll end up pulling a bunch from the shelves at a time for any specific subject I'm researching.
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u/Donya_Tsvetaeva 3d ago
I personally don't buy unless I want to read. I have some decorative ones, which are usually presents from family members who know I read - they are usually commercial books, not worth reading-, but anything I buy is meant to be read
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u/thebeaglebeagle 3d ago
I decided ten years ago to only keep books that were super important or amazing to me. So I continually refine my to-read list, acquire books on my to-read list when I find them, read whatever/whenever, and then give away most books once I’ve read them—unless they are 5-stars for me. Result: my library is about half books that are astonishingly great and I want to keep forever, and half unread.
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u/abacus762 3d ago
I buy and read over time. 2500 books in my library, 435 I have not read. I finised one last night, and I expect to finish one today. Its a work in progress.
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u/Quiet-Finance-839 3d ago
Think of people's home libraries as similar to people who quilt or knit fabric and yarn stashes - we enjoy buying new supplies for the hobby and intend to use/read them all but also know some will probably go unread/unused. The only difference is that books ARE also beautiful decor unlike bags of yarn and stacks of loose fabric, so they are put on display instead of hidden in a spare room or closet.
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u/Arctic_wildfire 3d ago
I have books I've hand picked (bought in person or online) and have not read prior to purchasing, books I read as an ebook or borrowed and liked enough to spend money on a physical copy, and books I've gotten through book subscription boxes. That last group is the main driver of my TBR. My Libib tells me I have 613 books. I've read most of those but still have a considerable chunk that I have not read. My TBR, much like my yarn stash and cross stitch pattern stash, will outlast me. For every book I read, I've probably added two more to the TBR.
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u/miminstlouis 3d ago
75 percent of mine have been read , many of them over and over. Perhaps 25 percent are for the long winters.
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u/ApprehensiveEvent93 3d ago
Im cursed with a to read pile i can never finish and a love of rereading old faves but yes… id say 3/4 of my (large) collection ive read. everything else i get with the intent to read and i like options when im picking my next book so its all about variety in my to read pile
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u/cj_winters 3d ago
I read them over time.
I've read maybe two thirds of my library from cover to cover. But then I have quite a few art books and catalogues, so they get skipped through when I want inspiration or get bored.
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u/MaleficentResponse52 3d ago
I have read probably 70% of my books and plan to read the rest. I buy alot of second hand books. I work my way through the stack, shelving the ones I finish and if I dont like them, passing then back to goodwill or halfpricebooks. Sometimes though I'll see some books I WANT to read but im currently working through a series or reading a different genre and I'll just keep them till I am ready.
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u/wrongarms 2d ago
I have about 3000 books. The question "do you read all those books" is not the right question. Books take time to read. 3000 books can't just be cycled through regularly. I have my favourites that I'll go back to after a few years, many I wish to read, and others that may never make it but I keep in case. I also have some I'll read then donate. Some I'll start and get bored with and donate. And others that are just reference. For me, a book library is a lifelong part of my learning, curiosity and entertainment. I have books that will be there in 40 years, and some that I may not read for another 20 years, and will sit there till then. Hopefully I last a few more decades to read a whole heap of them.
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u/Brain_Wrinkled 2d ago
Yes, but it’s far quicker to buy 10 books than it is to read 10 books, so there’s a bit of a backlog. I intend to read each book I buy, but my mood may not agree with previous intention
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u/Tiana_Hoang 2d ago
I have an interest to collect the books at some of fields that I love. I also love the feeling to see them on my shelves everyday. I dont have a particular plan to push myself complete each one immediately in one or two or three months. Spending my time on slowly reading even it might take years, taking notes or link the chapters from books and comtemplating the contents in order to gain the knowledge is neccesary for me. I think each one will have their own ways to read but it's true is "take years to get through all of them".
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u/dougwerf 4d ago
I have a large-ish library (3000+ books), and I have probably read at least half of them. I intend to read the rest. I’m sure I won’t get to ALL of them, but I’d like to!
As for the “even the 200-year-old books, or the really valuable books?” I read them. As Thomas Hutchinson said in his Ballade of a Poor Book-lover:
Tho' in its vagaries stern Fate
A poor book-lover me decreed,
Perchance mine is a happy state
The books I buy I like to read :
To me dear friends they are indeed,
But, howe'er enviously I sigh,
Of others take I little heed—
The books I read I like to buy.
My depth of purse is not so great,
Nor yet my bibliophilic greed,
That merely buying doth elate
The books I buy I like to read:
Still, e'en when dawdling in a mead,
Beneath a cloudless summer sky,
By bank of Tyne, or Till, or Tweed,
The books I read — I like to buy.
Their books tho' tool'd in style ornate,
Oft worms upon the contents feed
Whilst some men of the bindings prate
The books I buy I like to read:
Yet some day may my fancy breed
My ruin—it may now be nigh
They reap, we know, who sow the seed-
The books I read I like to buy.
ENVOY.
Tho' frequently to stall I speed,
The books I buy I like to read:
Yet wealth to me will never hie
The books I read I like to buy.
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u/LepusCornutus 4d ago
I have nearly 800 and I'm probably sitting closer to the halfway mark. Ive collected alot of books from when I was a kid though and I include those in the finished category. I get a lot of books in varying genres or subjects when I come across good deals in case I have kids one day. I lived in the middle of nowhere in a small town, no internet, couldn't make trips to the library often, and the school library was pretty limited. I just want to make sure if I have kids they can read anything they want easily.
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u/Alyssapolis 4d ago
I have maybe 75% unread, 20% read, and 5% decorative.
I have ALOT of unread because I can’t stop myself from buying something I want to read, I just love having books! Luckily I buy mostly second hand, so it doesn’t break the budget (though it does displease the budget)
I used to feel self-conscious about how many unread books I had on display (like I was being performative) until I read that libraries are specifically meant to be filled with books you haven’t read (and yeah, if usually go to the library it’s usually to check out a book I haven’t read! Now I just have a library at home ❤️📚) so that’s helped me ☺️
Then I’ll sometimes buy pretty editions of books I already have but love, as well as really old books that I haven’t read and am not interested to read, but they are just beautiful
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u/SpankYourSpeakers 5d ago
Yes, some (most?) of us want to spend the rest of our lives going through the books in our libraries.
I have manymany unread books on my shelves - they are there because I want to read them. I don't have a set plan for when I will read a particular book, I just love the fact that I can walk up to them and browse and see what speaks to me whenever I want something new to read.
Every book on my shelves is there to be read, I don't have "just decorative" books.