'Books'' is a suggestion by Jar.

I don't think I could let this theme pass without posting. Here's a shot of the books which line the shelves of the playroom:



Hope I got the new size right!

Wow, that's a lot of books! And very nice bookcase

I second the wow! I would kill for that much shelf space!

"I would kill for that much shelf space"

The sad part is that it's not nearly enough

The shelves, by the way, are from IKEA - the 'Billy' range, which I chose for functionality more than anything else. We needed lots of space and hadn't got a fortune to spend. I don't know if you can see it in the photos but most of the paperbacks are stacked two deep on the shelves.

The kids have shelves in their bedrooms groaning under the weight of the books (all well read and loved), the landing of our attic has more shelves full, and I would still like more space. I have been reduced to not buying any more books as I no longer have the space for them I don't even have a library nearby where I could borrow English books, so my reading is severely reduced these days I still love a browse in Waterstones, when I get home to Dublin, and usually leave loaded down with several tomes to get stuck into

Wow...that's what the book shelves in our old house looked like... I really miss them. What a wonderful space you've got going there, Santana.

Nearly opposite my home is a lovely second hand book shop situated in a town cottage. It is extremely homely, with original beams and doors, a big open fireplace, old leather sofas and coffee available which the proprietor always offers as soon as you enter. You could miss this tiny gem, if not for the small sign he sometimes remembers to put out. At the top of the old winding staircase are more rooms where today I found just what I wanted - a particular book on sea birds. There are antique cabinets crammed with rare editions, children's annuals from many years ago (I particularly like the Rupert ones), also copies of most recent novels and biographies - basically everything you could want! Just so many must-have books I have to set myself a spending limit before I enter.

First of all, Santana I absolutely love your bookcases!
I picked up a book in a charity shop over 15 years ago. It's Reynard the Fox by John Masefield. I consider it quite a unique book. One of the owners had his name as a label inside it, and also signed and dated it (May 1929 , yes ninteen twenty nine ) And then someone has pasted a picture of John Masefield - I am guessing out of a newspaper, inside the book too.

My bookcase.

What a fabulous book, Jane, and ozzz when are you coming over here to tidy up my shelves??? Yours are so neat!!!

This is about 1/4 of my beloved books! There are bookcases in other rooms and piles and piles of books on the floor.

I'm drooling over all the books and bookshelves - we have to limit ourselves since we move often and books add to the weight allowance. But some day!

Here's the bookcase of an 11-year-old that I know. She's definitely a "tween" - in the phase between little girl and teenager.

Ooh, I am so jealous of some of your bookshelves! I have books on shelves and in piles all over my house. This bookshelf was the cheapest, though, as I found it by the side of the road! A neighbour of my sister's was throwing it away!

Wow, you got a great deal, then, Liz! It looks in perfect shape, too!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it! I think they were moving, and couldn't be bothered shipping it.

What is so special about these books? I bound them myself. Back in the late 1980s and 1990, I did some bookbinding courses through the local technical college.

The books standing upright on the right are books I picked up in second-hand books which were in a shocking state and I recovered them. The four books on the left are "blank" books that I created for people to use as journals or for writing poetry etc. I made a lot more than four but have given a lot away as gifts. These are all I have left.

If you are wondering what the titles are - from left to right - Little Women, Alfred Hitchock Presents, three Anya Seton's (Green Darkness, Devil Water and Dragonwyck), Anne of Avonlea, Myths & Folklore, and Unique to Australia.

P.S. Santana, at first glance, I thought you'd posted a photo of my study. That's exactly what the bookshelves in my study look like. And I have bookshelves like Liz's throughout the rest of my house. I have one in the dining room with all my cooking and gardening books, one in my sewing room with all my craft books, and one in my bedroom with all my favourite fiction. The wall units in the lounge room are full of classics and those in my study are full of reference books and a little fiction. Even the bathroooms have magazine racks. I don't think I'll ever move as the mere thought of packing up all those books is overwhelming.

Thanks everybody. 'Aeroplanes' is this week's theme.