Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

[Lord Kyuubi]

My bookshelf is a mess, most of the space is taken up by stuff I used to enjoy as a child, and just don't want to get rid of. Anything I actually intend to read ends up on my bedside table and can't always be tidied away to anywhere else afterwards.

 

[AceTrainer14]

Physical copies. I think that's one reason why I have yet again failed to complete one of @kintsugi's word wars. I work on a computer all day, I write my stories on a computer during free time. Trying to read stuff on a computer at the end of all that just tires me out and my confidence wanes. Plus when I'm on an electronic device, my attention wavers more than when I am utterly disconnected with a slab of paper in my hand.

I have one eight-cube bookshelf but a few other smaller cubes that have been overtaken by mainly review copies of books I have been asked to read. These are neatly arranged but are also largely hidden behind my small army of Pops.

 

[Beth Pavell]

In theory I have three bookshelves and a bookcase. In practice I have a fourth bookshelf in the form of my tortoise's vivarium and a book floor.

I almost never read digital books - in fact probably the few I've ever owned have been RPG sourcebooks, simply because you can never be sure how good they will be and it's almost always easier to download them than to buy a physical copy.

 

[kintsugi]

Physical copies. I think that's one reason why I have yet again failed to complete one of @kintsugi's word wars. I work on a computer all day, I write my stories on a computer during free time. Trying to read stuff on a computer at the end of all that just tires me out and my confidence wanes. Plus when I'm on an electronic device, my attention wavers more than when I am utterly disconnected with a slab of paper in my hand.

bruh we have 11 hours left we can make it!!!
jk i'm fucked too

I have one bookshelf that's about 8x4. It's one of those block ones with artsy asymmetric divisions, it's heavy af, and I bought it on Craigslist because I couldn't find one that let me arrange my books into categories the way I wanted lol:

• books I still want to read that I haven't read but for some reason purchased
• books I keep around to appear smart
• books I keep around to appear mainstream
• books I cried while reading
• non-fiction/reference books
• reference books specifically about engineering

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I have a bookshelf that's getting full. There's four shelves on it, and the two in the middle have two layers of books. The topmost and bottom-most shelves have references books and discs. Whenever I read books, I leave them by the side of my bed.

 

[Cresselia92]

It’s been ages since I’ve read a physical book, mainly because they all have been thrown away when I moved to my new house. ;-;

Though, I have my shelf full with magazines and comics of all kinds, as well as many kinds of dictionaries. Nowadays, I prefer to read e-books while using special blue light-filtering glasses. They’ve been very useful so far: my eyes aren’t itchy anymore.

 

[AceTrainer14]

• books I still want to read that I haven't read but for some reason purchased

• books I keep around to appear smart

• books I keep around to appear mainstream

• books I cried while reading

• non-fiction/reference books

• reference books specifically about engineering

#peakkin

My eighths are divided by size, series or a mix of the two. We have:
- Horizontal Long Paperback/Vertical Short Paperback
- Harry Potter w. Cormoran Strike
- Horizontal Long Hardback / Vertical Long Paperback
- Neil Gaiman w. Assorted Paperbacks
- Game of Thrones
- Anthony Horowitz
- Oversized and Theatre Programmes
- CHERUB (held on to for nostalgia only)

On my other shelves they are divided into 'Should Read' and 'May Read', with my current pile by my bed - even though I haven't touched four of the five books currently there

 

[Nitro Indigo]

Though, I have my shelf full with magazines and comics of all kinds, as well as many kinds of dictionaries. Nowadays, I prefer to read e-books while using special blue light-filtering glasses. They’ve been very useful so far: my eyes aren’t itchy anymore.

Most smartphones and tablets come with a blue shade option nowadays.

 

[Cresselia92]

Most smartphones and tablets come with a blue shade option nowadays.

Alas, my computer and phone lack that option, so I had to resort to another way. However, the glasses are useful for when I watch TV and go to the cinema as well, so it's not like I use them only for work stuff.

 

[Ereshkigal]

I was forced to switch over to electronic books because my bookshelves ran out of space and I don't have room for another bookshelf.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I am having to - reluctantly - clear my bookshelves of books I'm unlikely to re-read or reference, before they reach critical mass and my room turns into a library overnight

 

[Ryoma Maser]

I was forced to switch over to electronic books because my bookshelves ran out of space and I don't have room for another bookshelf.

I refuse to read electronically with stuff like a Kindle unless it’s fanfiction or a graphic novel/manga. So I always go for a physical book, though I might have to cave in one day.

I am having to - reluctantly - clear my bookshelves of books I'm unlikely to re-read or reference, before they reach critical mass and my room turns into a library overnight

That’s something I have do a few times. Since I have about three or four bookshelves in my room, I have to clear out the books I never really plan to read or books I just didn’t like and want to get rid of.

The pains of being a Physical Book reader in 2018.

 

[UselessBytes]

I has a question for you all because I'm a curious fella: what do your bookshelf setups look like? How many physical books do you own, or do you prefer to read almost exclusively on technology devices?

My bookshelf in my dorm is pretty sparse, mostly due to a lack of space. I've got all the english volumes of My Hero Academia, The Martian, The Inkheart Series, and a few other random novels. Back home, my bookshelf is an absolute mess. I've got a good sized bookshelf filled all the way up and then some, and then a wardrobe packed with about half as many. I by far prefer physical, if only because every time I try digital reading I get distracted. Maybe that's why I struggle to read stories in full here on the forums, haha.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Oh, wow, thanks for all the responses. o: My last bookshelf setup had 3 shelves - one of which was put in backwards because, uh, I built it and am not a builder by any means - that was overflowing. Oh, and it was slanted because... well, I don't know what I did wrong there. Anyway, I plan on getting a much bigger one soon.

Every book I have, I'm likely to re-read for one reason or another. I even have a few textbooks I think I'll want to reference in the future (which generally decides if I rent vs buy them for school, if the price is reasonable). Before I decide if I'm going to buy a physical copy of a book and keep it, I either read an eBook version of it on my Kindle or get it from the library. I do this because I like to spend without thinking occasionally and this keeps me in line. >.> It's fun comparing the different reading format experiences, though, and seeing how my thoughts differ from the first vs second time reading.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I should borrow new releases from the library more often (Despite incessant funding cuts, they're actually pretty good at updating the catalogue) rather than buy books that just end up annoying me

 

[AceTrainer14]

I basically only ever get books from the library. We haven't had cuts as severe as in the UK, and they are pretty willing to buy anything that you request (which may not be entirely economically viable, but it seems to work). If I read something that I fall in love with, I usually end up buying it as well.

 

[Ereshkigal]

It's been awhile since I visited my local library. Work has been rather busy and I've not had the time to fit visiting in with other things I'm doing.

Which is too bad. I wanted to continue my argument with one of the librarians. She's a rabid Fifty Shades fan and I have a few concerns over how it influences those not educated in the subject matter.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I really should have borrowed John Julius Norwich's France, even if it was £5 off RRP in Waterstones (The book ended up being more a history of the kings of France, than France, and more interested in the banal details of their mistresses, at that).

The only problem is avoiding the students, who I've complained about before. Luckily it seems I'm getting Saturdays off work for the time being

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

I'm writing DE on my lunch break today. Not much, but it's happening. Gotta appreciate the small victories when you're ill.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo after all this year, but I'm being a bit of a "NaNo rebel". It's a CYOA project and I'm co-authoring it with my partner. I really hope it goes well!

what do your bookshelf setups look like? How many physical books do you own, or do you prefer to read almost exclusively on technology devices?

Two massive old bookcases in the lounge. Once with our favourite standalone novels and small series, and one with everything else we've read between us, pretty much. Then we have a stack of loose books we have yet to read in the bedroom, waiting for a new shelving unit to be installed for their sake. Further, there are two modest bookcases in the study, home to our collected nonfiction. Lastly, we each have our own digital reading habits. Partner has a kindle library, though I don't recall how modest or extensive. I have my fanfiction reading history, not to mention miscellaneous works in general, microfiction, and the SCP Foundation.

 

[Misfit Angel]

My bookshelf is literally a drawer full of old books that I haven't read in 20+ years. Yes, yes, I'm a terrible person.