Alright guys. So, it’s time for my last reading post for a while. We’re going to talk about home libraries. I know that I said we’d talk about the ideal home library but after doing research I discovered something (that probably shouldn’t have surprised me). Everyone’s ideal library is different. So instead of writing about what the ideal home library is I am simply going to gush about home libraries. I’m sorry if its not the post that you were expecting. So here we go.
My ideal library is a home library. There is one downside to a home library though. You can’t read books that you don’t own. So, if there’s a new book that you want to read you can’t borrow it from your own library, you’d have to buy it first. So, I won’t say that home libraries are perfect. But I do love having a roomful of books. Especially when you haven’t read some of them (or at least ¾ of them in the case of my bookcase). I also like to use home libraries for things other than reading.
My ideal home library would have an area to do stuff other than read. Crafts like sewing, writing my novels, or simply do art while listening to an audiobook. All of these things should be able to be done in a personal library.
But there should also be a large window. Whether there’s a window seat for reading or just a really big window you have to have one. A large window is for good light. Good light is perfect for doing said crafts or reading a book from the library. But of course, if you have a really big window you have to have really good curtains to go over them because I don’t like it when people can look into my window and see me. Sometimes I don’t care but other days I like having a curtain pulled. So, the library should also have good lighting so even at night you can actually see the things that you are working on.
Now we come to the closet. There should always be a closet somewhere in the library. I like it when it blends into the walls though. Then it doesn’t distract from the beautiful books lining the walls. But you should have a closet. I would use this closet to store all the stuff for the crafts that I would be doing in the library. But I would also store all of my writing supplies including notebooks, paper, binders, pens and pencils. Ah, the perfect closet library. (I put this picture here because I typed closet library into google and it came up with home libraries that literally fit into closets. I also think this would be a fantastic room library—an extention of a home library in your room containing all your favorite books for re-reading).
Now we get to the most important part of the library. The books. To make a good library you have to have all kinds of books. On the bookcase(s) that I have now I have high fantasy adventure novels, comic books, manga, classic literature, modern YA fiction, junior fiction books (that I actually still read once in a while), nonfiction books (including old textbooks from High School that I still use like my Personal Finance textbook), and of course, little kid books. All of these books are loved, treated kindly and read (or at least are on my to read list). And of course, you have to add to a library. What’s the point of a library if it only contains books that you have read multiple times and loved them enough to buy. Sometimes you have a risk a new book, buying it and reading it all afterwards. Some of my favorite books are books that I found at a secondhand store, bought, and have enjoyed for the rest of my life. Of course, I also collect books that I enjoyed reading as well.
Part of having a good home library, I think, is having good books that you like so that you can share them with people. One of my favorite things is when you have a book that you like and someone asks if you can read it. There’s nothing like sharing something that you enjoyed with someone else and finding that they enjoy it just as much as you do. (It helps when they decide to fangirl/boy over it with you). I love having a personal library. On top of that having an area full of books is just calming to me. I don’t care what anyone else says.
So that’s my home library spiel. You don’t have to agree with everything I think, and you can add things that I didn’t even think about. Your home library can be your home library. Do with it what you want.
So next week I’m going to write on Choosing Titles. I don’t know exactly what that entitles so I guess we’ll figure that out when it gets here. I love writing these posts and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. See you next week!