paperback book storage

[juldea]

Can the kind people on my friends list assist me in finding easy solutions for paperback book storage?

I scoured Craigslist for bookshelves, but every single result was for bookshelves that are deeper and have taller shelves than required for paperbacks. While I do have hardcover and otherly-sized books, the majority of the books I own are the standard seven inches tall, five inches deep paperbacks. They're currently in boxes under my bed, and that's fine, but if there is a cheap and easy way to instead put them on a bookshelf in the living room, I would like to pursue that. However, I don't want to pay a bunch of money, where a bunch might be over $30 but is not set in stone, and I don't want to get bookshelves not fit for paperbacks that take up too much retail space in my living room. I know that a common alternative for other thrifty folk is bricks and planks, but getting either requires (as far as I know) a car and money. I'd also prefer something that looks slightly nicer than that, honestly. ;)

So, do you have any ideas? And yes, this is an actual call for help; no yelling will occur at people who offer assistance. ;)

Comments

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

What about a video/DVD shelving unit? We had one overflowing with cases before we changed our storage around in the living room. I stuck the emptied shelving unit in the dead corner space between the sewing carts and have paperbacks filling out the bottom two shelves for stability. (The upper shelves hold assorted sewing stuff and my thread rack's on top of the whole shebang.)

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Can you find an online picture to demonstrate to me what you mean?

[freerange-snark.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest the same thing, so instead I'll chip in an example. I know this one is more than you said you wanted to pay, but it's late and I'm lazy. This at least gives you an idea—shallow, short shelves, suitable for CDs, DVDs or paperbacks.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Hmm, neat. Thanks. :)

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

Ours was around $20 at Wal-Mart a few years ago. I found a similar but larger model on walmart.com, twice as wide and about a foot taller than the unit we have: Atlantic Oskar Cabinet for 449 CDs or 240 DVDs, $41.97.

[invader-haywire.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much what I used to do. You can get varying size units at any Best Buy, FYE, or any place that sells videos or cds.

I ended up just making my own because it was cheaper.

[zigdon.livejournal.com]

I just tend to stack my paperbacks multiple to a shelf - might be committing some sort of librarian sin, but that's what I've been brought up to do :)

[juldea.livejournal.com]

It certainly makes them less easy to pick from, though, if you're going to knock a book over by picking another!

[zigdon.livejournal.com]

Surprisingly, not really. If I hadn't already packed all my books, I'd show you.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

One more way in which your moving is inconvenient for me. :P

Oh, hey. Do I remember that you were willing to give us a working VCR?

[zigdon.livejournal.com]

And you know how much this pains me!

And YES, IT IS YOURS. Comes with a free hat.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! Hat!

[pryder]

I built my own. Pretty simple stuff; boards held together with drywall screws. (Much better than nails; things assembled with nails come apart.) Having a table saw (like we do) helps, because it makes it easier to get all the boards cut to exactly the same length, but it can be done without.

oddharmonic's suggestion is also good; videos and mass-market paperbacks (the small cheap ones) are about the same height, so the books will fit well on most shelves designed for videos. You can buy such shelves in electronics stores, music stores, and unfinished furniture places.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I don't have a table screw or any experience in building furniture; not to say I wouldn't object to doing so, but I wouldn't know where to start, and it wouldn't satisfy my "easy" requirement listed above. ;)

I'll look around for video shelves. Thanks! :)

[redknight.livejournal.com]

I've got a table saw AND a radial arm saw (although the radial arm saw still needs to be properly set up and tuned). I could use some more paperback-sized bookshelf space, too.

If you'd like to get together and work on a bookshelf making project, let me know.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

I was reading this because we need exactly this solution in our front hallway (because my new room is too small to allow for bookcases - the front hall is pretty wide, but not so wide that I want to take 9" off it to store a pile of paperbacks that don't need that much space). So I would also be interested in doing this, and I'm wondering if enough people might be interested to get into discount areas...I need to make about 3 bookcases, and was thinking of 5x1 boards for it....though I was also thinking instead of 3 cases, doing one long case with a lot of small 8" tall supports instead.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

OK, if it turns into a big social event, I'm more interested. ;)

[redknight.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest maybe using 6" X 1" (nominal) boards, which will actually work out to 5 1/2" X 3/4" (actual dimensions) and save cutting.

My thoughts are to use a dado blade to cut grooves to hold the shelves in vertical members. We could do something similar with your idea, cutting grooves in both the long vertical ends as well as in the horizontal members (to hold the short intermediate uprights).

One concern, I'm not sure how stable such a narrow bookshelf will be, you may want to look into attaching it to the wall or including some sort of foot/leg in the design.

Why don't we take further discussion to private e-mail?

[juldea.livejournal.com]

While I totally appreciate the offer and certainly enjoy spending time with you, I seriously don't think I could be arsed to actually put the time and effort into making a bookshelf from scratch. There's a reason the books have been under the bed for four years. ;)

That said, if you are all kitted up one day and say, "Today I will start making a bookshelf," and you call/email me and say, "Want to join in?" I might be free that day and decide to come over and do it anyway! :P

[goldbug.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are Boston-area Freecycle groups. You should check those too.

[siderea]

Can't help, here to commiserate. I actually forked over $100+ to have a pb bookcase custom made. I am now out of space and need another0 one, and the place I had the work done is now out of buisness.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Boston Wood down in Allston will make custom bookshelves. They hvae no prices on their bookshelf page, but they are nice, and their shop smells wonderful -just like a woodshop should.

http://bostonwood.com/bookcases/1_bookcases.htm

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I just don't get why paperback bookshelves are a custom item! *rant, rave*

Thanks for the link. :) Their stuff looks nice.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Looking at some of their designs (and if I remember correctly- I haven't beeen there in a couple years), I think they make shallower cases with more shelves than standard as a regular item.

And i *think* in the jumble of plain, unpainted bookshelves Raymonds has in from of their store in Central, they have some paperback shelves.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Sweet, walking down to Central isn't a big deal. :)

[brewergnome.livejournal.com]

It's way over that 30$ but you there are 80$ floor to almost-cieling book shelves. They're deep, and designed with shelves that will be too tall, but are movable. You can get spare shelves (2 or 3 more probly) and make them all paperback size.

Books are a problem for storage in my house too. Some of my most expensive suff is bookshelves.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I suppose how deep then becomes the limiting factor, as the place I have now that would hold a bookshelf is behind a door that would hit it if it were too deep. But I'll look in to - were you referring to a specific brand?

[brewergnome.livejournal.com]

"billy" makes the one i like best

[juldea.livejournal.com]

ok thanks :)

[karldark.livejournal.com]

One: Cut a hole on a box
Two: Put your junk in that box

[sandrylene.livejournal.com]

But what about making her open the box??

[karldark.livejournal.com]

Being that she cut the hole herself i think she already looked

[kishpa.livejournal.com]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90086985

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00102145

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70106814

You have an ikea, right? :)

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

There's an Ikea in Stoughton. If you need transportation to get there, I can help out.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I am hesitant to use Ikea because most of their furniture items are made out of particleboard, which is fucking heavy to transport.

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

That's true, it is.

However, it's much cheaper than pine. Since you have offers to help, it might be better to go the Ikea route, unless you're planning on moving sometime soon.

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

Dude, I totally lied.

Mill Stores have a pine DVD stand (It's number 3-1244 for 17.99. Pine is light.

It's unfinished, though, so it wouldn't fare well against liquids, er... sprayed on it.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Looks like a Mill Stores is a good place to go look! :) I'm actually more tempted by the "DVD stackables," but I would have to bring along a book to stick in there and see if it fits.

There's one in Malden; sweet.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I always assume I'm moving "soon." Growing up in the military, it was just the way of things, and it hasn't changed after leaving my parents' house. ;)