The Top 10 Piles of Books at My House
Things have gotten out of hand. I’m sure you can relate. After looking at these pictures, you might ask yourself, “Why doesn’t he get some bookshelves?” I have some. They’re pretty big. But not as big as my problem.
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Here, then, are the Top 10 random piles of books that I found around my house the other day.
#10: This Pile By the Bed
Huh, interesting. Seven books. Seven. You’re really going to read seven books at the same time?
#9: This Pile on the Dresser
You’ve completely run out of flat surfaces, haven’t you?
#8: This Pile Behind the Chair
Behind a chair? You really have a problem. And what is that backpack thing?
#7: This Friggin’ Pile
#6: This Pile in the Kitchen
You have a pile of books in your kitchen. You are insane.
#5: This Pile on My Desk
You realize that a desk is a place for getting work done. You realize it isn’t considered a storage place, right? Tell me you know this. Also: way to go keeping the used ink cartridge around. I know it can be really tough to part with those.
#4: This Pile on the ???
I can’t even tell you where this is. Looks vaguely familiar … no, can’t tell you where this pile is located. In my own house.
#3: This Very Small Pile Under the Couch
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN HAVE A BOOK UNDER THE COUCH? COULDN’T YOU HAVE PUT IT ON ONE OF THE MANY OTHER PILES AROUND THE HOUSE?
#2: This Pile on the Stairs
What could be more embarrassing than having books on what appears to be every flat surface of your home? That this cute little pile is essentially a booby trap for people to injure themselves as they take to the stairs in an attempt to escape all the other piles of books.
#1: This Pile of One Under a Chair
You put this here for the picture, right? This can’t be real.
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About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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the trick is to make sure the little books are on top 🙂
(i’ve got the same problem)
I’m going to try this trick…
Unless The Pile on the Dresser is your Already-Read pile, I don’t understand how Selznick’s “The Marvels” isn’t open and being read right at this moment.
–Tom
I should have noted that these piles mostly consist of already read books. I cracked that Marvels as soon as it showed up!
My idea of heaven.
Travis, this is NOTHING! Nothing, I tell you! Oh, for the day when I only had ten piles…. (But you won’t catch me publicly posting pictures of them.)
It might be therapeutic…
Don’t even LOOK in my car!! 🙂 Hey, some of those stop lights can be loooong…….
Ha! Now I want to do this.
Except that the saddest pile of all would be the pile of books I set on the ground next to the car while I was cleaning it out, and then forgot to put away before the rainstorm. 🙁
Ugh – sorry about that!
Wait. Did you sneak into my house to take pictures? Cuz that is totally not cool.
Suffice it to say, your post is a perfect example of my favorite decorating style: Too busy reading to clean.
Sisterhood!
Travis,
I was struck by a wave of nostalgia when I saw the pile with the Sesame Street Book Club books. My son belonged to the book club and we spent many happy hours reading those books. He also loved Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book ever, fittingly on the same pile.
Yeah, those Sesame Street books belonged to my wife – it’s been fun to share them with our kids, too
Glad to know I am in good company. I could have easily done this post. My family just shakes their heads when I start a new pile.
If I have a stack on each side of my nightstand, is that one pile or two?
Hmm – good question. I’d say if they’re within two feet of each other – 1 pile. Any further – 2 piles.
Oh, then maybe I only *do* have ten piles. Because there are multiple piles within 2 feet of another pile, so the whole chain counts as one! Right? Right?
This is hilarious! And something tells me this is the top ten out of forty.
Oh Travis,
Not to go all Grinchy on you, but come back to me when you have serious book piles!