Lifelong Readers

Hail, my fellow twenty-somethings! This is a fun idea for a group; often I feel so young in the other groups. People talk about when they first read a book, "several decades ago" or some such ridiculous thing. No one here will be doing that, I hope :-P

Anyhow, I wanted to ask: what are your plans as a lifelong reader? Do you have a specific goal for what you want your library to be? We have our whole lives in front of us, and we're already smart enough to know that reading is a joy that time doesn't diminish.

For myself, I want to continue collecting children's and young adult books in preparation for when I have children of my own. I plan on homeschooling my children (as I was homeschooled myself) and the idea of a fairly extensive library of our own really appeals to me. Not that we won't haunt the public library too, of course! But all the books in my library are handpicked by me.

I also want to continue collecting the classics. I pick up modern fiction here and there when it's recommended, but I will buy a classic on nothing but a faint recollection of having heard the author's name before. I'm also trying to build my library as much as possible now before we move to a more rural area and I can't slip in to a library booksale somewhere every month.

So what are your reading/library plans, with all your life and the books of the world in front of you?

To have the best Sci-Fi, Fantasy and vampire library this side of eternity.

I don't have specific goals beyond acquiring a room just for me and my books someday. I don't know if that's going to be a possibility with my current job path, but it's a dream I've had for some time now. Mostly, regarding my collection, I'd just like to get as many books as possible, but not so many that I can never read them all.

I haven't got any real ideas about what I want to have, just the books that I love. I've been collecting certain types of books for a while and I'm hoping to spiff up the collections over time. I'd also like to get some really swank editions of some of my very favorite novels, just for show. (This set of the Anne of Green Gables books, for instance: http://www.eastonpressbooks.com/leather/product.asp?code=0804 )

I dunno, I'd never had a grand plan for a library, just amassing what I liked and hopefully having a place to put it all. (At the moment, that's proving rather difficult.)

Hahaha! Great post!

Let's see... decades ago I was reading/collecting the Bernstein Bears books and the Little Miss/Mr. Men books!

Right now, I have about 400 books cramped in the smallest studio apt in nyc. (I love it though!)

One day, I'll have a house... with a cute little library inside. I'll probably have thousands of books by then with a few of my own titles (dream big!) nestled amongst them.

Okay, confession time. Have any of you seen the animated Disney Beauty and the Beast? You probably have... You know the part where Belle is in the bookshop and she rolls along on that lovely little sliding ladder across the shelves?

That's what I want. A sliding library ladder. LOL.

Yeah I could go for one of those. Or else a library like the one in the movie Ever After, where you actually have to climb flights of stairs to get to the books highest up...

*drool*

philosojerk,
gods, i loved that library too. i forgot about that one.

but i'm with you, wisewoman. although, i want the library Beast actually ends up giving to Belle.



no definite plans for my library besides that i one. i do know that mine will be filled with worn books, since i only keep ones that i will re-read over and over again.

i'm also in the process of re-collecting the Baby-Sitters Club series. why oh why did i ever give them away?? well, i can't lament too long since the girls who received the bulk of my collection just absolutely loved them-

Well, I'd love to have a library filled with books I've read and like or love (books I would give at least, say, 3 and a half stars or better). Right now, I have too many unread books on my shelves and many that are probably very forgettable (old textbooks anyone?). I would want this library to have a fair representation of classic fiction, science fiction, and a smattering of children's classics, for my future children (it's funny you should mention the Mr. Men/Little Miss books, Lhea, because I decided just the other day that these would be a part of my future library, since they're a fond childhood reminiscence for my boyfriend). I would also want a wide selection of non-fiction books, the kind of library a person could educate themselves with.

Oh aznstarlette, I'm just itching to get my BSC collection up here to my apartment. I haven't looked upon them in many years, but I know I have many (60?). And I know exactly what box they're in and exactly where they are at my Mom's house. I just couldn't extricate it from beneath the pile they're lodged in. They are definitely among the next books I'm bringing up here (along with a set of at least 15-20 hardback classics my Dad said I could have). LibraryThing has definitely stoked a hitherto neglected booklust. (And my brain keeps throwing out $10 words tonight, for some reason -- ignore that.)

Hmm, personally I would like a nice collection of biblical commentaries,(I'm in seminary to be a Lutheran pastor.) Also the complete collection of Luther's Writings. 50+ books, rather expensive. And I like to collect Old Hymnals, especially Lutheran. And some of our other Liturgical work.
On the fun side. I'd like to own all of Stephen King's books, and a nice collection of Ender's game series books.

Also I'd like a nice illustrated edition of a children's bible along with children's books to read to my kids. I think the reason I started reading at such a young age was my mom reading to me every night, I mean every night.

A couple years ago, I saved this book series titled "Great Books of the Western World" from being tossed out by my parents. I missed saving a couple, but I'd like to read through the whole series over the course of my life. It's got everything from Darwin to Melville to Aeschylus to Marx to Smith.

Well, most importantly, I'd simply like to grow my collection. For whatever reason, I lost interest in reading when I hit puberty, and have slowly begun to rebuild my library after selling off just about every book I owned.

Aside from that, the only real constant in my library is as many classics as I can get my hands on. The reason being is simple -- they're classics. If nothing else, I'll know I'll have a copy to show my children.

Everything else is whatever I happen to take a liking to, mainly fantasy and science fiction, but there's a smattering of Grisham and Brown, and an alarming increase of books that simply deal with someone's point of view of the world, or some informative piece. Anything that's worth reading.

That's so funny.

I used to read the Baby Sitter's Little Sister series... it took me a while to actually catch on to BSC.

I think I could go for a sliding library ladder, too.

I would like to get nice editions of the Agatha Christie books. And also a BSC lover overhere!

I would also like to build up a nice non-fiction collection. That would be great!

I would like my library to be a three-dimensional map of my mind.

I want a house overflowing with books, at least half of them unread, so that I always have something new to pick up and read. They should be on old wooden shelves, slightly overflowing, and the walls should be decorated with all kinds of literary paintings. Most of all, I need to meet people who enjoy buying me books as gifts to cut down on the cost of filling all those shelves...

I want a house lined with bookshelves up to the ceiling, full of mostly books that I have already read, and nothing that I don't think is good enough to recommend to a friend. I already have a collection that I am rather proud of, because every time I read a book that I don't think is particularly good I go and trade it in the the used book store.

My parents have thousands upon thousands of books, including everything I read growing up (I prefered Narnia and Madeline L'Engle to BSC) but I have moved to the other side of the world, so I have had to start from scratch! In a way it makes collecting more satisfying, because I had a clean slate at 20.

But who wouldn't want a library fit for a French castle?

I want to have a diverse, varied library with a lot of classic literature..... I basically want my library to base my library on two criteria: Books I find personally interesting and valuable, and books I find so important to the existence of human knowledge and thought itself that I would protect them with my life.

Weird, huh?

I also would like a huge library, with dark wood shelves, a sliding ladder, a globe so large that it has to be suspended from a frame bolted to the floor, and a large dark wood table.

I do international relations, and do a lot in military strategy and history, so I want to collect all the great strategists (I have many already), and as much military history and history in general as I possibly can.

Other than having lots of bookshelves, I don't really have too many goals. Some day I will read more Charlotte Bronte. Right now when I'm shopping for books and there isn't any new book in any series I'm following, I pick up a Heinlein (touchstone malfunctioning), as I intend to read all of his adult works, though I don't keep anything I don't want to reread.

Hi Everyone,

Add me to the list of people who want Belles library. Currently, I have to content myself with one wall of bookshelves (not built yet but in process) in our den to hold my 900 books :(

When I was in grade 5 I was a member of the Babysitters Club and got 3 books delivered in the mail every month (which I would of course finish the first night I had them) but I did at one point have the whole collection along with almost the entire collection of Fear Street books. I so wish I hadn't given them away when reading became totally "uncool"
in grade 8.

Ah well, you live, you learn. That probably explains why I refuse to get rid of any books now unless I absolutely loathe them these days.

Danielle

>22 dbolahood: My sis and I were members of that same club! At one point we had pretty much every BSC book written. That was the greatest thing ever! But eventually we sold all of our BSC books off so we could buy, guess what, more books!

As for my library, I don't know that I have any plans other than BIG! I try and limit it to mostly books I've read, keeps me from going in debt buying too many books.

Right now I'm into Catholic books and want more classics written by the Saints, or books about the Saints.

I also love collecting books from my childhood, both contemporary ones and classics. It is great fun to be able to read some of those to the kids where I work.

Funny that everybody in this thread was in a BSC-phase when younger. Did someone also got through a Goosebumps and/or Fear Street-phase ?

haha i did! i'm re-collecting those, too! i wasn't too interested in fear street, though. probably because that series was just starting when my interest in books was moving to more mature titles (i had discovered clive cussler)

I had about 30 Goosebumps at one point then donated them somewhere. Not too interested in getting them back though.

I read a few Goosebumps, but I was never into trying to read them all. I did the BSC thing from about second grade to sixth. I got somewhat past 100 in the main series, and all of them in the other series that were out at that point. I believe I donated all of them to my elementary school library to make room for new books. I still have #4, though, because it's autographed.

I never did the BSC thing, but I did Goosebumps. The other big series for me growing up was the Boxcar Children. Both the Goosebumps and Boxcar Children either went to charity or to one of my younger cousins. I rather wish I still had them now, although I don't have room for them anywhere.

I'd just like to have all my books in one place! I'm in London, but most of my books are boxed up in Australia, and I miss them. I'll have to leave the books I've acquired here in storage when I move on to Canada next year as well. But one day I would love to have a room lined with built-in wooden shelves, a couch or two and a table, where I can shelve my complete collection (not that it will ever be "complete" - I don't think life is long enough for all the books I'd like to read!).

I read some Babysitters Club books from the school ibrary when I was a kid, but I didn't really enjoy them. I liked reading pony books, especially British ones from the 50s and 60s. I had quite a collection - they're all still in a box somewhere too.

I guess I consider myself a freelance reader...lol. I will read just about anything! I am attempting the 50 book challenge this year so maybe I will have a better understanding of what book attracts me more at the end of this year.

I never really got into BSC-read a few, but just not my thing. I was heavily into Goosebumps though, when I finally sold them (to a used book store, in middle school) I had around 80 books I think. I do still have my Animorphs series (60+) and I have no intention of giving those to anyone.

My goal for my library is to have a huge history section, organized in a timeline: books about ancient times organized up to more modern times. I'm working on collecting all the Newbery winners and honor books. I also want to have a Star Wars collection that is the envy of every SW nerd in the world!

A big goal of mine is to own all of the books that Ambleside Online uses in their homeschooling curriculum.

I'm sure somewhere along the way I'm going to require the use of a sliding ladder. :D

Someday I will finish all of Proust's In Search of Lost Time series.

Someday.

I'm nearing the end of my twenties (29 in march) and never read BSC but i did read the Sweet Valley High books. My passion started when i got my first library card, or maybe a bit before that with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory my copy fell apart i read it so many times!
At the library i fell in love with the Romance genre, Mills and Boon etc.
I would love to have a whole room dedicated to books, sadly i live in a small house in the UK and dont have a spare room for books, but any spare space i can find i fill it with books.
I like some of the classics but still mostly romance and Belle's library in Beauty and the Beast would suit me down to the ground.
:)

I loved the Fear Street and the Christopher Pike young adult horror books...and Anything by LJ Smith. And, I have to admit, I've always always wanted a sliding ladder in a library. I do sort of have long term aspirations though. I grew up near a wonderful little used bookstore that a retired teacher opened up after retiring, mostly based off of all the books she'd accumulated all the years. I don't think it was meant to be a long-term business so much as a retirement hobby to get rid of her oversized library, but it's thrived, and they've had to move to bigger spaces twice... I always thought that would be a great thing to do in retirement, so, once I'm totally exhausted from teaching years and years from now, that's how I'd like to spend my time--unless perhaps I have a child or grandchild that's as addicted to books as I am...

Belle's library always made me so envious (and did anyone else want to cry when Gaston put his muddy boots on the book on her table- heartbreaking!).

As for my library, there are a few goals I have. Classics, of course, because I think it's important to have a collection of the classics (plus, I really enjoy them). I'm trying to make my way through the 1001 books list (and at only 44 down, I have a long way to go), and I've purchased probably 100 of those so far, but I'd like to purchase more as I make my way through the list.

When I have kids, I'd also like to develop a good collection of kids books. I read the BSC and Goosebumps books as a kid of course, but I missed out on a lot of classic kids books. I went to a small Christian school, so most of the books I read were either from the library there or from the Christian book store. My parents encouraged my reading, but I wasn't really exposed to a lot of really "literary" kids books. And I'd like for any kids I have to read the books that have won the Newbery, or are critically acclaimed.

I have to agree with post #9: I want a library I can educate myself with. But I also want to have books that are mindless fun, too. Because sometimes I just want a book I can escape into, without having to *really* think about it.

My mom introduced me to the Trixie Belden series--as far as the YA mysteries go, Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew books included, I'd say those are up there with the best if you're looking for classics for children that are fun to read as well.

Hi everyone!! So great to see a group here for 20-somethings. My boyfriend and I have often discussed (the same as most of you) having an over-flowing library of some sort. Not possible now with an apartment...but maybe someday?

Like so many here, I covet the library from Beauty and the Beast. That's my completely unrealistic dream library.

My goal is to have a library that is constantly broadening my horizons. I have a lot of different interests, and I'm trying to expand my library to reflect that.

I'm also trying to track down all the books I read as a child but never owned. I practically lived at the public library, so a lot of my favorite books are ones I've never possessed.

>35 shootingstarr7:.. seriously shottingstarr7! I always hoped that one day i'd watch it and she'd pick up the muddy book and fling it at his head. ah... how it would be different if i wrote the film :)

I remember seeing the beasts library and as much as I wanted it i wondered how anyone could ever finish all those books, how heartbreaking would it be to have all of them and not get to read them? I remember thinking.. those poor books!

Of course, that wouldn't stop me from having them if it were possible! Although nothing ever feels as nice as giving a book to a friend and having them love it.

>39 dancingstarfish::

Haha. That would have been great! Of course, Belle probably wouldn't have abused the book further. However, I wouldn't be opposed to her thumping him on the head with those nasty boots of his!

I'd love to have a large den or office filled floor to ceiling with books. But I'll have to work my way up to it, because I would hate to have so many empty shelves. Right now I have three or four book cases overflowing, but so many more books I want to add to my collection.

I always used to envy my grandpa's VHS collection. He had two walls in his basement with floor to ceiling shelves filled with movies ... I wouldn't mind this for all my media (except even more shelves).

But also to be able to say that I've read everything I own as well would be great.

Somehow I mostly missed out on popular tween fiction. Can't say whether this is good or bad, but I seem to be in the minority. My most constant reading experience as a child was reading encyclopedias. We lived out in the middle of nowhere in a town whose only book store still today is Wal-Mart. So when I finished whatever my grandparents had sent me, I just read the encyclopedia.

My dream for a library is a largish room with lots of windows. I want built-in wooden shelves with the windows receased into them, so each window has a window seat (the very best place to read a book, in my opinion). A large table for studying or art projects. Several comfy chairs with their own reading lamps. Nothing dark or stuffy like so many home libraries, but airy and inviting and peaceful.

As for the books, I'm jumping on the more is more bandwagon for this. I will read almost anything at least once, so I want books galore. Classics and pulp and children's lit and humor and religion. Anything.

In a few more years I'd to have all of Plato's 26 dialogues. I'm halfway there. I've read 6 of them. I'd also like to expand my collection of those novels deemed most important in the history of the novel.

Other than that I think I'll be fine with a slow trickling of more of the Great Books. I read deliberately, slowly, with much study. I can read quickly when I need to, but there is no reason to hurry. I would rather know few books incredibly well than to have but merely glanced at a multitude.

aneffigy: That sounds like a very good goal.

Belle's library is pretty good, but I think I could settle for any one that had one of those built in ladders on a track.

As of now I still live at home. With that being said, hopefully once I graduate in June I can start looking for a place of my own that has room for all my books. I don't go to the library much so most books I could ever see myself re-reading are in the house somewhere. Since my parents are also big books nerds it's kind of a struggle just to see whose books we have room for and whose are going in the attic. Most of the books from my childhood are collecting dust. Hopefully with my own place I can bring them out again to clean off for my *cross my fingers* future kids.

While I could go for a massive, Beauty and the beast-esque library, something more.......manly would be nice :)

Of course, I want the classics, from fiction like Dumas and Tolstoy, but also classical political writings, like Kant, Smith and Marx. Of course, collecting books from T. E. Lawrence's library has become a distinct interest of mine as of late, but I have yet to do anything with it.

^ You could swing on a library ladder and sing too, Kordo. We wouldn't mind :-P

I've always wanted an old house with all kinds of nooks and crannies - a cape cod, or an old victorian maybe - with bookshelves built in to any bit of wall that can accomdate them. Although I wouldn't say no to Belle's library, either!

Judging by the number of people wanting a real library in their house, I have to wonder why no home builders ever made a neighborhood of homes with extraordinary amounts of built in shelves? Imagine - a whole community of bibliophiles!

That would be lovely!

I'm actually in the process of building a home right now, and we're putting in three very big built-in bookshelves. I cannot wait to get all my books on shelves for the first time!

I, too, fetishize those shelves with ladders and would love to have them. But honestly, I don't buy that many books because I love love LOVE going to the lbrary and picking out books from the shelves to bring home.

I imagine it's how people who love to shop for clothes feel, but I'm not getting something much more valuable than clothes, for free!

My intentions for my library are multifarious.
-At the moment, I'm attending a Great Books school and purchasing all of my texts in an attempt to create the skeleton of a good library of classics later to be expanded.
-I also toy with the notion of homeschooling my future child(ren), but, regardless, I intend to raise (a) reader(s), so I plan on seriously expanding my collection of children's literature, most of which has yet to have been entered into my library.
-I'd like to read/own every book that has won a major award within the past 100 years or so (Booker, National, Pulitzer, prix Goncourt, Caldecott, Newberry, et cetera)
Mostly, though, I'd just like to have a library full of books that I love, that will keep me forever thinking. I'd like to decorate my walls with shelf upon shelf of books. All dark wood and puffy chairs and worn covers.
But I am jealous of Belle. I want that ladder.

I want to have hard cover copies of all the classics. I also want to get all of the Berenstein Bears easy readers/first readers and complete my collection of the Big Chapter Books... all my first readers were lost when we moved 10 years ago. I cried. I also want to complete the Little Golden Books collection with the actual cardboard books (not the ones with the plastic covers)

My ultimate dream is to have a HUGE library. It'll have a pool table towards one end with a cozy area by the fire to read with floor to ceiling book shelves and a library ladder on each wall... it'll have a bar and be all warm rich colors with dark woods... it'll be a room my future husband enjoys too... even if, by some oddball chance, he hates books LoL

I also write children's stories for my sweet lil Jenny (best friend's daughter) so I'm currently trying to expand my collection with pieces with exceptional artwork. I have a short list currently that I want to get... Book Barn here I come this summer!

^_^

One of my aunts has an amazing library. Amazing, I tell you. Built-in bookshelves in every wall, wheeled ladders, a second level... It's heavenly. I'd love to have something similar in my home. Minus the permeating stench of cigarette smoke (she's a professional journalist and does most of her writing in there, so it's turned into something of a smoking den).

WOW! that sounds fabulous kabrahamson and I must agree... cigar smoke is ick... much prefer a nice Yankee Candle or something of the like ^_^

I want my brothers bedroom. He has an entire wall of his room with books stacked along it in no particular order. No shelves, no tables, just floor to ceiling books. I am already on my way to rivalling him.

Also I collect fairytale and folklore books that I find in second hand bookshops, I hope to continue that for as long as there are second hand bookshops and one day pass them on to my children who, hopefully, will also be bookworms.

Lastly I love when I find second hand books that have messages in them, whether just "Happy Christmas" or "Congratulations". So I hope to add a lot more of these to my already massive collection over the years.

Over the course of my childhood, I've had to fight with my parents to decide what books are mine and what are theirs. Most everything I read was shelved in one of the common rooms and thus I've even forgotten whom they belong to. As a result, when I get married in a few months, and move out most of the books that I accumulated over the past 24 years will be staying with them. I will have to start from scratch.

aw readbabe, that must make you feel a tad sad. but think of this way, starting from scratch! thats an amazing excuse to go out and buy all the books you want :)

I of course also loved Belle, the bookshop and the library. I big reason why I love that movie.

In my library I trying to collect all of the books in Gyldendals Udødelige. A Danish series of complete translated versions of over 40 classic books. So far I have around half and it is getting difficult to find the rest.

I have also been collecting bilingual picture books for some months now. So in 20 years I am planning on a good collection.

Besides those two collections I just collects book and hope to have a huge loved library with a big and soft chair to curl up in when I retire

Like most people here I would like to have a library of my own in a room of my future house.
I also would like to have all (or most) of the classics, I haven't read many of them by now, but almost always enjyoing them. And I also would like to have a great amount of children's literature.
In my youth I read some Fear-Street and some Gossebumps but mostly Hanni and Nanni, which I gave to my cousin but will get back some day.

PS A ladder would be nice, I loved it in the film, But just as I imagine my library now it has no ladder in it..

This might be a very old post, but I think it's fantastic. It's really nice to see so many fellow 20-somethinger's with dreams of future libraries.

My life isn't very stationary at the moment, but my library does a good job of molding itself to wherever I end up. It's always my favorite part of unpacking when I get to the books and bookshelves and my library never takes the same shape twice. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to dedicate an entire room to it (like now) but my last apartment forced me to have everything scattered.

I hope my library is always like that though. Mine and personal, but flexible and ever evolving.

The first book I ever read was Catwings, about, obviously, some flying cats. (Excluding picture books like Dr. Suess, which my Mom probably read aloud to me anyways). It's funny how well I still remember the book - it really made an impression on me.

As for my reading and my library, I have big plans for it. I want to have a house filled with books everywhere. An entire room devoted ONLY to books, where I would keep all of my fiction, since that's what I focus on collecting. I would probably keep other books (non-fiction) in different places all over the house, wherever they could find a place. They are great decorations, of course.

I want to own every possible classic. Even if I really dislike a certain classic book that I read, (for instance - Daisy Miller by Henry James), I still keep it. I'm not really sure why, because I'm very strict on what fiction besides classics that I allow to stay on my shelves. Average (3 stars of lower) isn't good enough to stay.

When my library was at its best, 2 years ago, I always loved proudly showing it off to people who came over.
Technically, I do still have all of those books, but more than half of them are in another state, at my parent's house. They would not fit into my current apartment.
People would come over and marvel at my book shelf of nearly 700 books. I had positioned the shelf so that it was the first thing you saw when you came in the door, and, I have to say, it looked pretty impressive.

One guy I didn't even know (a friend of my room mate's) once looked over my collection for about half an hour, commenting on different books, and it was one of the best 30 minutes of my life. I felt so proud.

Another friend of mine (who was constantly dropping in to visit my library, read a book on my couch, and then go) once described my library on the phone to a friend. I heard him say that it was "the best" and that I "had books on everything you could possibly imagine."

Best praise I've ever heard!

I definitely want to share my library more in the future. Find trusted friends that will come browse my shelves, borrow books, and actually return them.
I love sharing my library with other people - maybe I should open a private library. :)