Real Simple

I treated myself this morning to a copy of Real Simple magazine. I like this mag for its pretty pictures of pretty, neat homes although my own flat is not pretty or neat: I have pet spiders; my sofa needs a new slipcover; my bookshelves are sagging. Etc.

Actually, speaking of bookshelves, this post is about a feature (in the mag) that caught my eye: Book Smarts, a guide to organising your bookshelves. Yeah. Right.

This is the picture of a bookcase that is supposed to represent "lots of books". Are they kidding? Maybe for Real Simple's regular readers, this what "lots of books" means. Maybe, in order to have a pretty, neat, dust-free home, it's imperative to NOT have "lots of books" - lots of books, in my opinion, means you must have at least 500 books. And at least one shelf that sags.

Tips for those who supposedly have "lots of books":

1. Mix and match - This means you should arrange your books vertically and horizontally - to spark interest. I do this when there is space on a shelf (a very rare occurrence) - not to spark interest, but so that the horizontal stacks can act as bookends to the books that are placed vertically.
2. Add decorative items - Personal organiser, Meryl Starr, says she never places more than 30 books or so vertically without "breaking the line" with a pretty object. When I do this, it's so the "pretty object" can act as a bookend.
3. Don't overdo it - You're supposed to leave at least one quarter of each shelf free to give a sense of "airiness". Well, I know it's not a good idea to cram your books together as it puts stress on the binding, but I wish I had the luxury of leaving a quarter of each shelf free. All together now: "So many books, so little space!"
4. Illuminate your books - If you browse at night, it's a good idea to attach lights to the shelf. My eyesight's not so bad (yet) that I need to do this.
5. Treat your books well - Large volumes should be laid horizontally to protect their covers. "When vertical, large books need to be suppoted by books of equal size to prevent warping." Good advice but, once again, impossible to follow as I just don't have the space.

I was woken up at the crack of dawn the other morning by a loud crash. One of the shelves in my recently acquired red bookcase from Ikea had come crashing down! My fault: I'd overloaded it with picture books. My picture books are now on the lowest shelves of my bookcases. (The red shelf is rather beat up from its experience. The red foil is torn on the underside and is coming away from the chipboard.) It's now home to my Penguin 70s box-set, Griffin and Sabine trilogy, the Little Tim books by Edward Ardizzone and my Maurice Sendaks [right].

Comments

[basri]

Like you, I'm also a great fan of children's lit.eventhough I'm now 43 years.Puddle lane series with its beautiful illustration is one of my favourite.probably it a form of escapism or redemption for my unpleasant childhood.What is your reckon?

[basri]

Like you, I'm also a great fan of children's lit.eventhough I'm now 43 years.Puddle lane series with its beautiful illustration is one of my favourite.probably it a form of escapism or redemption for my unpleasant childhood.What is your reckon?