Spineless wonders: What your bookshelves say about you

HALLIE EPHRON: When I posted this picture (it ran in The Boston Globe as an example of great design) on Facebook and asked "What's wrong with this picture?" the response was instantaneous.  Before I tell you, take a minute and have a look. Imagine the book-loving homeowner that this was designed for.

Do you see the problem?

As one person said, "Um, spines, hello, what were they thinking?"
My husband: "That's exceedingly stupid."
Nancy Cole Silverman: "Obviously designed by a designer who doesn't read."
Bruce Coffin: "Maybe it's for page lovers."
Karen in Ohio: "Mystery books!"
My friend Ron: "How spineless!"

Clever Girl Organizing Kathy Vines chimed in with, "No - this is a thing. Reversing books." Kathy adds, "As a professional organizer, I was already wild with 'organizing your books by color.' Insane."

When a commenter asked, "How do you find a book," Kathy was quick the answer. "You don't."

Which got me thinking about how much you can tell about a person from their bookshelves... or lack of them. To that end I've posted some bookshelves from our house. Can you tell which shelves are my books and which are his?

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Can you tell what my husband's interests are? Art: check. Birds: check. And he keeps the illustrated children's books he covets under glass. Mine? Just the shelves in the top picture -- my favorite crime novels (I only shelve the ones I love-love-loved) shelved in author-alphabetical order.

What do your bookshelves say about you?