We know that we can be hard on the Los Angeles Times. It’s tough love and someone’s got to do it. Frankly, we know of nobody better suited to the job*. And just when we think our voice remains unheard (or posts unread), they go and do something just too sweet for words: they address the number one decorating issue faced in the Booksquare household. You know, the discussion that is always preceded by “we have to talk “?
This is one with so much to quote that the appropriate thing would be to point you to the article. Which we’ll do in good time. First, allow us to guide you through a few happy moments, like the lead (or lede, if you must; we rarely feel the need):
People who fall in love with books usually do so early in life, long before they consider issues of interior design. At some point, though, the ability to live with cinderblock bookshelves ends, leaving bibliophiles with massive collections, nowhere to put them — and nowhere to turn for advice.
The collections of true book lovers — scholars, writers, editors, collectors or just insatiable readers — look nothing like this.
Then the article traipses happily through the age-old dilemma of what to do with books because, unlike the husband’s CD collection, they cannot all be relegated to the garage (hey, it forced him to convert the mess into MP3s for ease of use). It even has a fun Q&A section. We’ll give the Qs, you can click through for the As:
- Is it acceptable to double-stack books to fit more in a small space?
- How high can a bookcase go?
- Is it OK to fill every inch of the house with books — even dining rooms and already-crowded halls?
- When you marry or cohabit, do you merge collections, disposing of the duplicates?
- Should books always be kept on shelves or is accumulating a bedside stack acceptable?
- Should shelves contain art objects to offset the canyon-of-books look?
- And how do you keep thousands of volumes clean?
- Finally, of course, there’s the issue of why so many books at all. Is it really necessary to keep shelves full of 30-plus-years-old copies of “Siddhartha” or “Ionesco and Genet: Playwrights of Silence”?
We realize that the answers to these questions are mostly easy (the final question is really a no-brainer). A related story discusses the myriad issues to consider when building your personal reading space. Do not underestimate the importance of taking a book of average size into the store with you to test reading positions — this piece of furniture will be as important as your mattress in years to come.
But wait! There’s more! The Times even takes a few pages from the Calendar section to explore Los Angeles’s libraries. It was a strange day in the world of our newspaper, and we’re hoping that this isn’t a case of a parallel universe.
* – Well, yes, him. And him. And her. Nobody else. Except that one guy.
- When you’re buried in books – It’s an ever-expanding issue for readers who refuse to part with a single volume, yet resist living in a canyon of books
- Plotting a page-turning setting
- The latest chapter in libraries – L.A.’s new libraries give a reason to check out the architecture and activities, as well as the books.
