Today’s Booking Through Thursday question is:

So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.)

Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”

When I used to draw floor plans and clip pictures for my dream house, the fantasy always included a formal library with floor to ceiling wood shelves filled with books. For years, that fantasy drove an inability to get rid of books. I could get myself to give mass market paperbacks to the book fair on the theory that those wouldn’t be the most attractive books to put on display anyway, but hardbacks, especially ones with classic titles or interesting covers, were kept for the future fantasy library.

Then, we bought our dream house. And, guess what? No library. The closest we’re likely to get is the front room that is meant to be a formal dining room, but functions most like a foyer since the front door opens into it. Thus far, it’s been the staging area for projects going into and out of the house. One day, I hope it will be a kind of cross between a library, entrance hall, overflow dining area, and project room. As you might guess from all of that, however, the library functionality is not going to accommodate a vast number of books. We are suddenly finding it much easier to let go of books we’ve stored in boxes for years because now it is quite obvious that we will never have room to show them off. So, unless they are really titles that we will read again or use for reference, there is no point in holding on to them.

That didn’t really answer the question, but I liked writing about it! So, I’ll end with a classic quote:

A house without books is like a room without windows.
–Horace Mann

How about you? Do you prefer your books on display or stowed in quiet places? Do you share my fantasy for a formal library in your home?