EarthWoman's Profile

Heinlein's NUMBER OF THE BEAST has the best organizer as a fictionional character -- a self-aware computer "who" understands speech, constructs lists -- as the 4 OTHER characters name-and-stow items within the "spaceship". (ex: DJ's left boot, right wheelwell)

I dream of this.

In our family, because we'd rather read than do anything else, we have books all over the house --

Over 45 years I organized & shelved them -- & reorganized and reshelved --

Fiction by genre and author; non-fiction by section and chunks (religion had its own chunk, philosophy another, but not Dewey decimal after the first debacle with six children who READ ... whoever read a book last didn't necessarily re-stow it where it belonged.

& our daughter hated our flat-surface syndrome -- & redded up while we were traveling --& her philosophy was to find the closest empty space to stow what was out of place. Closest empty space did NOT mean "nearest".

My philosophy -- like belongs with like.

Her philosophy meant that some cook books might be upstairs in the bathroom linen cupboard.

And giant packs of TP might be in a cedar chest in someone's bedroom.

Interesting.

& right now -- about 4,000 books (all I have left after the last massive 10,000-book donation effort after she died, then my husband died) -- they're all in boxes in the garage -- while we paint shelves. In all 5 bedrooms & living room, dining room, kitchen, porch (and I confess, one bathroom has a small bookshelf over the toilet.

& are these 70 boxes of books organized & labelled using my system?
Nope.

Sons and grandsons subscribe to Robin's system -- space in a box? grab a book. Any book.

Labels?

Sigh.

They are coming back in the house this summer --one box at a time.

& thx to this discussion, I'll scan & build an inventory --
& this time -- books to sell and donate aren't coming back in to the house.

Still need that self-aware computer -- or learn how to build my own app that says WHERE a book is (garage, box #3) & value (some of my 1950 romances have value still, until the pirates get them.)

Thx for the info.

Now I want an app for my e-books, in 4 iphone apps -- want to know what I have bought or added from Gutenburg, and I want it in a list, with a link to reading it NOW -- no matter where it is.

Hmm. While dreaming -- I want to organize the books, too -- by genre for fiction, then alpha; by chunks of non-fiction, subject, then author and title.

& I want it to talk to MSOffice, so I can continue to compulsively organize, label and stick my opinion on it (Mom, born in 1921 -- her remaining 4,000 books have a shorthand notation on the title page -- for keeper, useful, spicy (:-)

Yep. This discussion was useful -- & gave me another opportunity to tell a family story -- & send it to 20+ grandchildren/great-grandchildren who didn't know their Aunt Robin.

Book discussion as therapy. History. Genealogy. However, it didn't address my original problem -- how to add a whole CHUNK of e-books to my iphone from my computer. (:-) Time to head to the Apple store later.

Warm regards,
EarthWoman