Books are in every household, regardless of much one loves or hates them.Their presence brings the need to arrange them, so what are some ways to do so?The way one keeps their books says a lot about a person; do they prefer books organized by author, series, or language?Maybe a more academic approach would have things arranged by genre, topic, or alphabetical order.Aesthetics is important too so how about shelving books by color or size?Let chaos reign with no apparent thought to where books go when ordering them by likeability or year published.There is no right or wrong answer; sometimes the answer is that there are multiple ways to organize books.So have some fun.Mix and match.The possibilities are numerous.

1. Author

As libraries and bookstores have shown, arranging books by their author is probably the most effective way to do it… as long as one remembers the author of the book they are looking for.This way also helps book lovers to realize if they have bought a duplicate.Oops.

2. Series

Following the topic of authors, series is a favorite for organizing books.And let’s face it, it’s not like someone would break up The Chronicles of Narnia just to organize all of their books by color.

3. Language

Keeping one’s foreign languages books separate keeps them handy rather than digging through a shelf for that book you know you have in Spanish (or Italian or Japanese or Korean). Learning new languages is fun and how better to put one’s skills to the test than to be able to read a book in that language.A classroom, or even Duolingo, can’t teach everything, so whether it is a side-by-side translation or just a book in a foreign language, put the pedal to the metal and read that book!

4. Genre

Whether it be steampunk, high fantasy, or realistic fiction, everyone has their favorite genre.And hopefully everyone branches out and tries a different type of book every once in a while.If that is the case than what better way to organize than by genre.This can also help people to realize if they need to broaden their horizons some more.

5. Topic

What to do with all those school books after the semester?Put them on a shelf and never touch them again.Or until everything learned in college is forgotten and a refresher is needed.In any case, keeping these books together will let one know right where to look for knowledge.

6. Grade Level

When one is planning to become an elementary teacher, it is never too soon to begin collecting a library.Seeing deals on books but not knowing what grade one might be teaching simply means that all the books must be bought.Organizing these books by grade level will make it easier to transport them to their eventual classroom library.

7. Alphabetical Order

The ever practical alphabetical order will never fail as long as the book title is remembered.Though tedious when trying to make room for a new book, this method works well for those who don’t cling to a particular author or series.Remember to have the dictionary handy when trying to remember what letter comes before ‘Q’!

8. Color

What is perhaps the prettiest way to arrange books is by their color.Who hasn’t been drawn in by the perfectly placed books in pictures posted on social media?Well try it and see just how awesome it can look.

9. Size

Perhaps the most satisfying way to arrange books is by their size.For some reason, publishers can never agree on a set standard, thus bookshelves are left looking like a roller coaster.While finding books the same height can be challenging, try a less conventional approach: have taller books on the left and gradually decrease in size so the shortest book is on the right, have taller books on the rights and shorter on the left, or even have the tallest in the middle and have each side decrease in height.

10. Likeability

Why go searching for favorite books when one can have them all lumped together on a shelf or two.Harry Potter will obviously be first on the shelves, followed by lesser books of little importance.This method should only be used by those willing to put themselves through the agony of deciding if The Picture of Dorian Gray really should be ahead of Eragon or not.

11. Year Published

When showing off one’s wild side perhaps they could include rearranging their books- by year published.What a way to throw people off.Might even be a good conversation starter.

12. Multiples

Who hasn’t been excited to add a fresh book to the pile… until its already-owned duplicate peaks out from the shelves.What to do; what to do.There are the simple solutions to return the book, or to make it someone’s present.Why not get creative and try blackout poetry or make it into a faux book?A quick Pinterest search will leave one with a dozen new ideas about what to do with their extra book.

13. Order To Read

For those who can’t wait to begin reading that next book, this allows for them to see what they have to look forward to.For those trying to read a more diverse variety of books, this method would help keep them accountable with the eyes of the passed-over titles ever watching.

14. Disorganized

Anyone can have nice, neat bookshelves, but it takes a special kind of person to have so many books that they take up space on the floor, the bureau, the dresser, and just about every other flat surface.These disorganized heaps are certainly the easiest way to ‘organize’ one’s books; but let’s face it, this method is not aesthetically pleasing and makes finding any particular book a hassle.