I don’t remember a time when I didn’t own books. Being avid readers themselves, my parents put books in my hands long before I could read a single letter. Trips to the book store weren’t as frequent as those to the library, but they were always special events. The books my parents bought for me were often ones I had already read from the library and loved enough to re-read often. That’s how I ended up with full sets of the Little House books and the Ramona Quimby series. I wore out a paperback copy of Redwall by Brian Jacques and got a new one—but still kept the original for sentimental reasons. The second copy ended up being so worn that it’s now impossible to tell which was the original and which was the replacement—and yes, I still have both.

So it’s safe to say that my book hoarding tendencies aren’t a recent phenomenon. I’m loath to get rid of a book that I’ve read and enjoyed, even when I know the chances are I’ll never re-read it. I’m the kind of person who would give a decluttering expert nightmares.

I was a preteen when Disney’s animated classic, Beauty and the Beast, came out in theaters. I practically cheered when Belle rode a rolling ladder while dramatically singing about how much she loved books, but what really stuck with me was the castle’s library. My eyes lit up in wonder at the cavernous room and its elegant staircases curling around seemingly endless shelves of books. Unless I was named the heir of a long-lost billionaire relative, I knew I would never have a home library like that, but it was a fun recurring daydream through the years. Meanwhile, my books were scattered across decidedly non-magical shelves and boxes throughout the house.

Fast forward a couple decades, and, while I haven’t inherited a castle, I did recently remodel a small bedroom into a study. There are no terraces, rolling ladders, or magic sparkles, and the bookshelves are the plain, mass-produced kind. I considered many ornate, whimsical bookends before buying a handful of plain, clear ones for those few shelves that aren’t stuffed full already.

The Beast’s castle, it is not, but I still grin whenever I see the columns of neat white shelves holding a lifetime of beloved tomes. At last, for the first time, the majority of my books are together! Despite the lack of fairies and wizards, it feels magical to have so many memories and so much knowledge all in one place. If you love books as much as I do (and if you’re reading a blog entry on a public library’s website, I’m going to take a guess and say you do) you know what I’m talking about.

Working in a library involves a certain amount of chaos. Our shelves are constantly “breathing” as books come and go, and with so many browsing hands it’s a never-ending battle to keep them tidy and in order. To have my own beloved collection looking (nearly) perfect is a breath of fresh air at the end of the day. (And no, it’s not in Dewey Decimal order, just grouped by subject. I’m not that eager to bring work home with me!)

Luckily, you don’t have to be employed at a library to set aside a room, bookcase, nook, or corner as a special place for your favorites. Here are some titles to get you started:

From Our Catalog