Atlanta!
Think Scarlett O’Hara….the scene in Gone With the Wind where she decides to go visit Melanie and Mammy shakes her head saying she should stay away from Atlanta because Ashley will come there and Scarlett will be sitting waiting for him juss lahk a spidah.
Sue me if I got the spelling wrong. I’ve only lived in the south for a couple of years.
At any rate, I like how Scarlett says Atlanta in that scene. It’s been eons since I’ve seen the movie, yet I still think of it every single time I hear someone say the word. Kept repeating it last weekend during the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Fest. Ahhht-LAN-tah. Couldn’t help myself. Good time, the book fest. Found another beer I love: Mysterious Stranger Brown Ale. Brewed at Twain’s, where I’d gone to hear Jon Clinch read. He did a fantastic job–what’s better than a great reader working with great material? To top it off, we ate Huckburgers during his talk. You’ve gotta love it.
However. One small disappointment: Mysterious Stranger Brown Ale is not available here in Middle Tennessee. But that’s no surprise, is it?
What is a surprise, however, is the fact that it’s illegal in the State of Tennessee to buy wine on Labor Day. That’s right. Labor Day. You know, the holiest of all days. Beer? Sure thing; have at it. But don’t even think about trying to acquire wine or (perish the thought) hard liquor. Wii boxing champion Renee Rosen and I learned this the hard way and were less than pleased. We were fortunate enough to stumble on a knowledgeable gentleman in my friendly neighborhood beer and cigar shop (!) who made a good suggestion when we asked for help. Help that we clearly needed. We were making a good run of it, sounding like we knew what we were talking about–me muttering about Black Bavarian, Renee musing about the differences between stout and extra stout–until she made a slight blunder, saying lager with a long “a” and exposing us for the naïve frauds we are. Nonetheless, our new friend pressed some Mackeson Triple Stout into our happy little hands. Good stuff!
Pictures from Atlanta here. Never thought I’d come so close to a place called Naughty Girls….
So.
You may (perhaps) have noticed that there’s no mention of a Virtual Cocktail Party today. Sorry. I’m busy. Really busy. Excruciatingly busy. And you would be too. When have you seen anything better than this? No, they’re not the beautiful hardwood, perfectly finished built in shelves of my dreams, but they are empty. Which means they’re waiting to be filled with books that for longer than I care to admit have been stacked in front of one another, piled on the floor, stacked on tables.
I put them all together yesterday and then I started alphabetizing. Fiction, organized by author. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. Because there’s the little matter of my other shelves (Lord knows I love them, but is there anything sadder than a solitary bookcase? You really need at least two next to each other.)(And, yes, that is the FABULOUS Kristy Kiernan’s Catching Genius, still on co-op at my house…). I don’t want to start with “A” downstairs and continue in the library. So these shelves are going to remain their eclectic selves. There are also two bookcases in my office: one for research, the other for books written by my friends. So much for alphabetical order.
But for the novels that are finding a home in the library, the order is easy. I’m making progress Ignore the fact that the room is in desperate need of paint; I loath and despise white walls. And please restrain yourself from mentioning that it would be a good idea to paint before loading the shelves with books, will you? I know. I know. But right now, I don’t want to paint.
Where was I? Right. Cruising through fiction. But what about the rest? Non-fiction, poetry, plays, etcetera? This is how it looks now. That and numerous other scattered piles. I think I need to sort them by subject. The Iliad is poetry, but I feel like it should go with Greek history. And while we’re on poetry, do Shakespeare’s Sonnets go there or should I keep them next to his plays in the drama section? I have a feeling I’m going to be up all night.
So tell me…..what’s your philosophy on organizing books? I need suggestions before it’s too late for me to turn back…..
xo
Tasha
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Organizing? Me?
Ha.
Haha.
Hahahaha!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!
Tell me another funny one, Tasha.
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If I could figure out how to post a picture, I’d show you my collection of DVDs. A picture is worth a thousand words and you would know not to ask me.
I’m with Dusty on this one.
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HA!
You’d only need to see my bedroom to understand that I, too, am far from taken with organization.
That said, I do have my DVDs in alphabetical order. It’s a haphazard thing, making order from chaos. There are some things that I must have organized, others whose mess I can willfully ignore for eternity. I’m one extreme or the other.
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Alphabetical seems so logical and yet, it just doesn’t seem to work for me…at least with books (movies are an entirely different issue). I tend to arrange the books by type, and it doesn’t bother me in the least that there’s no real rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to avoid looking like a real library because that brings back too many research paper memories. I’m not sure. I think the only books that are in any sort of order are the two sets of Harry Potters sitting right in the middle of all the other books…and of course the myriad versions of the Tasha Alexander books. 
by Carrie
on September 7th, 2007 at 8:16 am
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Carrie, see, that’s how I feel about non-fiction. It makes more sense to group things by type instead of author’s last name.
I need to get you copies of the foreign editions….
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Actually, I’m extremely organized. I live by lists, so organization comes naturally. I tend to group my books by genre, then subgenre, and then by author. However, my library is basically a nook above my closet rod, so any new books I buy just get shoved into place. It irks me to no end, but I get through it by imagining my dream house with library. I’m so envious of your wall of books!
Also, I loved A Poisoned Season, Tasha. I even wrote a review of it at my blog: here
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Belinda, thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. What a lovely review!
Believe me, these shelves have been a long time coming. I’ve had three that are on the fiction wall for years and gradually added to that side. But now to have the second wall covered is like a dream.
At least it will be when I finally get the rest of the books off the floor….. : )
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After spending all day Sunday, and most of yesterday, organizing my library, you have my deepest sympathy. I’m hoping your back muscles fair better than mine. Ack.
For ease of locating books, I separated fiction from non and organized the fiction according to last name of author. I still have some things to shift around, and the non to organize, but I’m making progress. (I’m a compulsive book junkie, so it’ll take some time.) Have fun with your books. =oD
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I think there was a guy named Dewey who’s been through this before…
Fiction, you say? Oh. Alpha by author is the way I go - I’m horrible at remembering titles, and individual plots, for that matter. I go back to the bookshelf in search of a particular mood usually. Mood is always dictated by author, I’ve found, so I usually find what I need by author.
Have fun - and call me if you need help painting. Me love paint.
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Love your site, btw, Worderella - glad to see you here.
B.E. - I owe you a book still, from way back. Email me.
And now that I’m finished highjacking Tasha’s post…  ops:
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Too much organization is bad for the creative juices! My theory is put books together so you can find ‘em again, and if no one else can find a certain title without directions from you, so what?
by Cynthia
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:03 am
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The majority of my purchased books are non-fiction, and they are arranged by topic. Looking at my largest bookcase, used for history texts of various subjects and biographies, I have them arranged by women’s, world, U.S., and Ohio history, with mostly a chronological basis. There’s a small selection of individual country or cultural history that are arranged in the order of the interest level I have on each (Irish, Scottish, English, other European, Nordic, Australian, African, and Asian) and then works concerning specific events such as the Panama Canal, various wars, even history of fashion and of the Volkswagon Beetle! Biographies are separated by American, European, and ancient.
Other non-fiction concerning natural history is also by topic, and I arrange them by height, so that I can place the overflow on top of the shorter books (I need more bookcases). I have books about specific domestic animals in another bookcase arranged by dogs, horses, cats, with non-fiction first and fiction after. Series or multiples (Jim Kjelgaard/Walter Farley, etc.) are arranged by publication date. Other children’s books are oddly arranged by subject matter and I can’t explain my rationale about that any further because I set them up years ago and looking at them now, I just don’t see a specific rhyme or reason. My fiction (mostly sci-fi/fantasy purchased years back) is arranged by author or publication date, depending on what it is. Oddly enough, my cds are all strictly arranged in alpha order by artist’s name, no matter what kind of music it is - go figure.
by Kate Hathway
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:23 am
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Wow, I didn’t realize how long and boring that was - sorry!
by Kate Hathway
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:23 am
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B.E., I was in dire need of a Body Slave to rub my shoulders after building six bookcases.
Regina, yesterday I actually considered Mr. Dewey. But it sounds like too much work. Alphabetizing I’ll do, but cataloging is going a bit too far. : )
Cynthia, I just love having books in a rational order. Not entirely sure why…
Kate, it’s never long and boring when you’re talking about books!
I like how you’ve got things organized. Very appealing. I’m not doing anything to put the children’s books in order–except keeping series titles together (and in order of publication). But I’m definitely going to group non-fiction. I’ve got one wall of shelves for fiction, the other wall for non. Not quite sure if that’s a good way to divide in terms of numbers of books, but it’s somewhere to start.
I’ve never before in my life actually had ENOUGH bookshelf space. I figure I’d better enjoy it while I can, because I’m sure that before the end of the year (month?) I’ll be back in overflow land.
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My wife describes my system as a random file - but she pronounces it “pile.”
It’s in there somewhere, I know - and whil searching it is truly amazing what other things I find that demand my attention.
I guess that makes me a watz. Which is like a ferkel. Who’s going to tell me the meaning of those two words?
by Bob Rudolph
on September 7th, 2007 at 9:52 am
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How about BIG to little.
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Not sure about watz, but I think ferkel is the German word for pig - it’s the name of the starship in Aliens Ate my Homework.
by Kate Hathway
on September 7th, 2007 at 10:18 am
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I’m with Will. I tend to group things, books I’ve read, books I need to read, books I loathe to read but if I don’t I will burn in hell, books I desperately want to read, but haven’t gotten to, and library books. And they are grouped by size accordingly.
The new bookshelves are mahvelous, dahling!
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Hehehehehe. Big to little would work….
Bob, I’m stumped!
Thanks, JT. You’ll have to come see them live and in person!
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I haven’t been able to group anything by size since I read Elizabeth Peters’s ‘Trojan Gold’ about twelve years ago.
Yes, Tasha, I’m envious of your shelves, too.
by JennieB
on September 7th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
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Tasha, no problem! I read a lot of books and it’s easy to get jaded, but your book was like a breath of fresh air. And I’m so glad to see other writers focusing on the High Victorian era!
By the way, I also group my books by size. And depth. I like running my fingers along the spines.
And thanks Regina! I re-did my website a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been debating whether I should add more color. It’s simple, and understated, which I like, but so many other author websites are rich, which I also like. But then, that’s the nice thing about coding my own website: If I don’t like it, I’ll change it!
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Wow, I heard that size doesn’t matter. Sounds like it does.
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Will, Will, Will…….of course size matters. But it alone isn’t enough. A book can possess perfect dimensions, but if the author doesn’t write well, what good are the pages?
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I won something? Wow. I just looked at your site, Regina, and I can’t find an e-mail link anywhere. Help.
LOL Tasha. I could use a slave myself this week. After tackling the library I went outside and pruned trees. I look like I got in a fight with my cat and lost.
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Yay! I’m still on co-op SOMEWHERE!
SO jealous of the bookshelves, wish I were there to help you place books 
When I DO have bookshelves, I group by author, but not alpha. I usually put my favorite authors on eye-level shelves, classics on the bottom shelves, ho-hums on top shelves. *shrug* Works for me, and really, isn’t that all that matters?
by Kristy
on September 7th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
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Nevermind, Regina. I found the link. D’oh. E-mail’s on it’s way.
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Watz = ferkel - but it is not without the realm of possibility that watz would be heard only in small farm towns in Land Hessen - such as Griesheim (d.h. Griesheim bei Darmstadt.)
Wildsau is also often heard - but I thought that that would be too easy to guess.
Local dialects are fun.
by Bob Rudolph
on September 10th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
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Okay, so I’ve come out of lurkdom once again. I just can’t resist those shelves! Tasha, I have to ask - did you not put a bookshelf in the middle because your thermostat was there (don’t you hate that?). I think I would have cut a whole in the back of the bookcase, even if I lost a whole shelf. Just think what I could do with all the rest of the shelves!
As for organizing, I definitely organize nonfiction by subject (not enough to organize by author within the subject). Since 98% of my bookshelves consist of fiction, I always organize alpha by author’s last name (although I cheat and put Elizabeth Peters with Barbara Michaels). I am usually in the mood to read a particular book or author, so, like Regina, that’s what I look for.
I also can’t stand it if my DVDs are out of order. I like my DVDs in alphabetical order, but lately I’ve found “Type”, then “Alpha” works better. That way, if I’m in the mood for Pixar, I can just look it up. Or Jane Austen. Or X-Men. Or Johnny Depp. Wait, he is definitely not a “Type”. His movies are scattered all over my collection.
by Laura Phelps
on September 10th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
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Laura, yes! I have the thermostat in the way. Actually did think about cutting out the back of a tall shelf…..
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[…] So I went back and watched Gone With the Wind after all my Ahhht-LAN-tah talk last week. Scarlett and Ashley? Wow. What the hell was that girl thinking? I know we’ve all made bad choices in our time. But really! Could he be more boring? More wishy-washy? I’m getting tired just thinking about him. And let’s face it–he’s not even cute. Now, I’m no fan of Rhett Butler’s cheesy little mustache, but still. At least he knows how to show a girl a good time. I mean, who’s going to resist that whole you should be kissed and often and by someone who knows how thing? And he turned out to be as devoted as devoted can be. Well, except for the whole Belle Watling thing. I’d like to believe that he would have given Belle the boot had Scarlett ever pulled her head out of her….um….parasol. But Ashley? Bad choice, Scarlett! […]
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motorist canicule pending vaginofixation pariah scholastical electrochemist discontented
Pentagon making contingency plans to return crew
http://www.geocities.com/wanderingleopard/sfguide.html
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