How are your shelves organized, and what are your reading habits?

Ray and Dorothy thrive on books. "Ray's shelves are organized by topic, Dorothy's by author. He prefers state-of-the-art books with fresh copyrights. She needs to communicate with the distant dead, alien souls as different from her as possible. Once Ray starts a book, he force-marches through to its conclusion, however hard the slog. Dorothy doesn't mind skipping the author's philosophies…"

How are your shelves organized, and what are your reading habits?

Fiction and non-fiction are on separate bookcases. Both shelved in alphabetical order by author.

Most of my shelves are electronic these days. While I still buy actual books, I generally pass them on to share the reading wealth with my friends and local libraries. I do have a small selection of actual books that I arrange by height so they fit properly into their shelves.

I keep books in several places:

Small shelf for books that I own but haven't read yet but that I'm meaning to read soon. These I try to organize by height with fiction and non-fiction starting at opposite ends of the shelf.
A large, square wicker basket filled with books I borrow from the library (always too many at once) and those (yes, plural) that I'm currently reading.
A small, out of the way shelf for books that I've read and love so much that I like to keep them handy for re-reading.
Another, bigger shelf for books that I own and have already read but don't really plan on re-reading.

I prefer to read print copies of books, so I try to limit my purchasing of them to special editions that I really enjoy—try being the key word. I currently subscribe to three book programs, borrow from the library, and peruse offerings at used book sales.
Once books are in my possession, I keep the collectible versions in bookcases, maintain my challenge piles on easily accessible shelves, and store library books out of my puppy’s reach. Once read, which I conduct in a Ray-like fashion, I pass my non-collectible books along to friends or donate them to the library.

I read both print and electronic, and I listen to many books. My home has many bookcases and those are filled primarily with fiction titles that are organized alphabetically by author. Other, non fiction shelves, are organized by genre such as history, poetry, art, sports, religion, etc. All these shelves are just there - no organization beyond genre. I also have a huge collection of children's literature which is alphabetized by author. I find that most children's books are really written for the adults who share them with little people.
One good thing technology has done for us - the ereader and electronic books - less paper usage.

Read vs To Be Read shelves, hard cover books at the ends of shelves, paper backs towards the middle, sometimes laying flat in piles- Largest looks at the ends, shorter books towards the middle, always 2 on my night table.

I organise more to prevent sagging of the shelves i.e. the heaviest books to the sides and the lighter books in the middle. Aside from that, I keep my To-Be-Read and Read-And-Keeping books separated. I pass books on very quickly once I've read them if they are not keepers (The Overstory is a definite keeper!). I only read one book at a time but always have one on the go, be it paper or kindle.

I read anything and everything, both hard copy and electronic. I read upstairs and downstairs. I read by the lake, at the beach, at the doctor’s office, in the car. I read the news, magazines, books. I don’t really organize my hardcopy materials because I share them with friends and then donate them to the local library. Despite this I have MANY books. I organize them by where I have space at the time.

Fiction, inspiration/self-help/psychology, writing/creativity, cookbooks

Then they are organized by what looks good on the shelf. :)

I think bookshelves are so revealing, you can tell so much about a person by what books they choose, which books they keep.

I try to separate books into fiction and non-fiction, and then by author. But I have so many books in different rooms that system has fallen apart. However, for the most part, I can put my hands on any given book pretty easily.

Cookbooks near the kitchen of course, others on a closet shelf in no particular order except maybe by author, some donated to libraries or shared with family and friends. Any I have borrowed stay out near my reading chair so I don't forget to give them back
Also have a Kindle that I use on trips or the at the beach.

Half the furniture in my living room is bookcases, 75 percent in the office. Books are roughly sorted into areas of gardening, cooking, nonfiction and fiction. Library books go on top of one of the lower bookcases. Library books finished have a separate pile next to them. I tried e-reading books but reverted back to books which I can physically hold, place bookmarks in and easily reread passages. I don't mind carrying them to places where a wait is inevitable. I find I meet interesting people with a book in my hand. I make great use of my regional library (I'm particularly blessed it's 4 blocks away from my home.). I make constant use of their generous reservation system. I'm able to reserve many books just out thanks to BookBrowse. I read for a period 2 or 3 times during the day and always in bed at night.

My daughter describes my "organization" as a home-based book store. I literally (pun!) have books in every room, and I can't say there is any great thought to keeping books in categories. I do have a great number of cookbooks which I pull out and use in no systematic order, but otherwise, I do not place books in categories. When I finish a book, I spend some time in looking over my collection to find the next read. I always give away my treasures either to someone whom I think will enjoy the read or to our local library or our 2nd and Charles Bookstore.

I am an avid reader and average 200 books a year. Print books, e-books and audio. I have 3 floor to ceiling bookshelves that are fiction and alphabetized by author. Religion, Texas history & WWII are arranged by topic in another bookcase. Mysteries have their own shelves and alphabetized by author. Biography and memoir have their own shelves alphabetized by person and all other non-fiction is arranged by subject. I am a book hoarder!!

My shelves were organized, fiction, memoirs, science...until I moved and just put the books in the shelves. Someday I may organize them again...

I love to read a bit in the morning before work, more in the evening and on weekends.

I wasn't sure I wanted to answer this question because I am embarrassed to admit that my bookshelves are not organized in any particular fashion. I have books in every room in my home. I am an avid reader, and I never discard a book. Yet, I must say that if you were to ask me to borrow one of my treasure, I would be able to procure it for you. The irony is that in all other ways, I am a very organized person, or so I am told.

Throughout my life I have occasionally organized my books by subject, but then as time goes by they get all jumbled again! Lol! Then, I organize again and usually use that opportunity to give some away.

Organized by fiction vs nonfiction and then genre/topic within those 2 sections. I tend to be a nonfiction reader with history as a preference. But also love historical fiction and the classics. No science fiction, fantasy, mystery/thriller, or romance for me.

My books are organized by fiction vs nonfiction/reference. I have a lot of reference books but I tend to read only fiction. The fiction books are further organized by books I've read vs ones I have not yet read. The fiction books I haven't yet read are further organized by the Amazon 5 star ratings. They are divided in sections from 4.5, 4.0, 3.5 and 3.0 ratings. Any book that I might acquire that has been rated as less than 3.0 I tend to recycle. I have found that books that are highly rated by other readers are books I will also enjoy. (I stay away from Romance fiction, however!)