It’s a well-known fact that I’m a book lover/hoarder. My three book cases are triple-stacked and my bedside table type thing is a tower of books.
I clear book stacks from the kitchen table, because the kitchen table is my home office. I finish reading books and instead of getting them out of the house I um, suggest that my husband read them.
I have yet to watch Marie Kondo, because I think I would find it really quite stressful.
When I read this story about a man being threatened with eviction for having too many books, I empathised a little too much and my husband saw our future. Or something.
Books to me are well, markers of points in my life.
Instead of buying souvenirs when I travel, I go into a local shop and buy a book.
They aren’t just books.
Those are my university years, that one is Italy, those ones are laps in Dublin airport, those ones are waiting for Isla, those ones are home-sick, that’s my Grandma, that’s my brother.
Don’t touch them.
Unless you’re my kid, and you think they need more glitter. Apparently everything could use more glitter.
So, no, I don’t have regular book-culls.
However.
We want to move. And dare I say it, down-size our stuff. At least for a while.
And I have a lot of books.
Thousands of real books and 886 on my Kindle. My Kindle books are mostly free ones that don’t take up a lot of space. But still, books.
And I’m making an effort, as they say. To get organised, to de-clutter, to so help me, get rid of books.
Now.
Not only do I have a lot of books, I um, acquire them faster than I read them.
Books are my gold stars, my adulting acheivement stickers, my comfort blankets.
And when most of the people who come into my house are paid to be here, books are my friends.
So yes, I have a hard time parting with them. And I think I have more time to read than I actually do.
Recently I mentioned reading the books I have before buying new ones.
You guys, I hit a snag already.
My birthday.
Bless their hearts, people don’t know what books to buy me any more. Because I already have it, and I’ve read it. Or I have it and I haven’t read it. Yet.
Birthday presents come in the form of little squares of grooviness called book vouchers.
Free books.
There’s an issue this year. I’m kind of running out of space for books. There I said it.
Too many books? Never.
However. In getting ready for the move, I really don’t want to bring another book case into this house.
And so.
The books that don’t have any memories or relatives attached to them are leaving this house.
I declared this year The Year of Shenanigans/Doing Scary Things.
Getting rid of books IS scary for me.
I recently listed some books (more than 30 books) to a local buy/sell/swap page, and Gin & Lemonade’s Facebook page.
And then, I cried. Yes, really. Because I want these books to go to good homes.
Here’s my book lover’s guide to getting rid of books. Some of them. Finally.
These tips are especially useful if you’re decluttering before you move. Even if you’re like me and don’t know when the move is going to happen exactly.
Anyway, um, moving on.
Caffeinate yourself. To give yourself a boost, and maybe make the whole thing go faster.
Get your friends to hold your hand and then ask you do you really want to keep this?
Make piles. Sell/donate, read now and then Sell/donate, KEEP THESE.
Get rid of duplicates. I have duplicates. There are kindle versions of paperbacks I can’t stop reading when the lights are off. If I have more than one copy of a book, I let go of one.
If you’re not going to re-read something, consider letting it go, or letting a friend have it and maybe don’t ask for it back. I am not a huge re-reader, and if I lend you a book, I don’t want it back.
Have rules for books you keep, and be strict. Keep your favourites, the ones with memories in them and coffee rings on them. Keep the ones where you read bits aloud, to yourself or anyone else who will listen. Keep hardbacks, book you got as gifts with inscriptions, keep your school books with notes in the margins. Keep the ones you took or bought or take you around the world. If books don’t have these extras along with them, get rid of them.
Get rid of your phase books. Your chick-lit or romance or sci-fi you read to read something different doesn’t need shelf-space. Unless they turned into your favourites.
Consider trading the 20th in a series if you didn’t know it was a series and haven’t read the first in the series. Don’t keep it til you get to it.
Get rid of the books your ex gave you. Yes, even that one. All of them.
Use the library. The ultimate free book action, and THEY LEAVE YOUR HOUSE, usually.
Remember that for every book you lend or sell, that leaves space for MORE BOOKS.
As I types this, I have two boxes full of books. Ready to leave my house. Not on my shelves. I have new space for my birthday books.
But they’ll be really good ones I won’t want to part with, or I won’t get them.
As I put books in a box yesterday, I swear to you a tree fell and blocked our road. That’s what happens when I finally decide to part with some books. Even trees don’t believe it.
How do you decide what books you keep?
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25 Comments
I don’t think you would disagree with Marie Kondo. She says if you love it, keep it with confidence. You’re doing the right thing, whittling down your collection. I did it, too. It was hard, and I always need a bit of a lie-down after, but we have an amazing used bookstore that offers trade credit, so I eliminate whatever I can in order to fit in the house. And then I get trade credit for MOAR BOOKS! I got rid of everything that hurt a lot to hold. My e-reader is a God-send because I have nerve issues in my hands and arms, and I can perch my Kobo on a pillow and just use one finger to turn the page. Boop!
I’m like you. Books are my reward for a job well-done. And I am TERRIBLE about buying them way faster than I can read them. I was a big girl and avoided the Friends of the Library sale last weekend. I asked my husband to talk me out of going, but all he could come up with was “We don’t need more books.” As if! So I had to be the big kid and talk MYSELF out of it. All my teacher friends showed off their haul, and I am so sad now. But the Scholastic order is coming up. More books, maybe?
I am looking for some books for Isla. I am going to the used bookstore today. If I can find the ones I am looking for, I will let you know. How soon are you moving?
Have to find a house first, ha! Thank you for thinking of Isla. xox
I tried to go through my books and get rid of some. Out of over a thousand books, I let go of 6. I am a huge rereader of books. I reread because I can read most books in a few hours. It helps easy my budget if I reread. I have certain series of books that I read every other year, and ones I read every three years. Once upon a time, I reread Lord of the Rings every single year. I stopped one year when I realized Gandalf wasn’t a very nice guy, always seeming to run out on them just when they are going to need him most. Almost as if he knows. Skill, I have 5 book cases. Three of which are triple stacked. The other two have oversized or hard back books and can’t be triple stacked. But they are actually in my kitchen and I use the space in front of the books for canned or boxed goods. Yep, those two bookcases do double duty as my pantry. I’ve decided to replace one series with eBooks. So I’m going to say goodby to the paperbacks. But that won’t make a huge dent it. I need to do more.
I am a reformed book collector. First I kept every book on principle. Then I kept every book I enjoyed reading. Now I keep only those I plan to reread. My mom feels life is too short to reread; she only keeps books by her favorite authors, so she (and Dad) knows what she has already read. (Trying to get her into Goodreads.) I, however, adore revisiting old favorites. Those books are my security blanket, a pocket of certainty in an uncertain world, and will have to be pried from my cold, dead fingers.
When I moved to Spain I had to get rid of 75% of my books. Like you, I feel they are my family, my best friends. It was so hard. I donated a few boxes full to a local senior’s centre. I filled boxes and took them to owrk, put them on the lunch table with a note, Help Yourself, I gave boxes full to my daughter and took a trunk load to the local charity shop. I had a lot of books, one room full and book shelves in many other rooms. I boxed up some very special ones and put them in storage. The rest came with me. I still miss my books but it had to be done. I hope other people are loving them as I did. Good luck with your purge. And if you are wondering, I haven’t bought very many since we moved 4 years ago. Mostly e-books and a few printed ones.
I feel you here!
It is the hardest thing to part with books… But you have to be strong!!!
I donated 15 boxes about 3 years ago!!!
I have done this each summer- last summer I particularly went for it. I have always graze purchased – constantly and regularly. Twice I took on a ton of extra books- once when a school library was being knocked (with the books left inside so I SAVED those books) and the other was when I worked in a second-hand bookshop and spent my wages as I made them. It is never getting better!! Well done on culling the fluff. That has worked for me. The ones that didn’t matter as much.
Happy book voucher day!
Not one yet Lorna😣😣😣😣😣😣!!
There must be something in the air, the springtime air, for I have been culling my books too and did a blog post on the process. I got rid of half my books when I went into the Peace Corps, leaving only 2000 to store. And now feel pulled to weed through them once again. I do not envy either of us.
Good luck, Janet!
I feel your pain. I buy books like crazy too but read them at a less than crazy pace. My way out is my mom who lives nearby and reads more books in a week than anybody I know. So she’s my reader and my screener, and let’s me know which are the very best. I try to read those and others are given away.
My confession: I rent a garage, which I swear is mainly for parking my bicycle, but is also handy for housing the overflow books. And my shelves are still overflowing! We did a major cull when we moved to Scotland and donated lots of books, some of which we’ve now repurchased. We also donated a bunch when we moved into this tiny house. My dream is to have a larger house with a room I can set up as a library with floor to ceiling shelves. But in the meantime, I’ve been approaching this more like you have: trying to read things and pass them along, keeping things I love or care about or that have memories attached or I’ll reread. I also have more things in kindle format but that’s a bit less practical if it’s a book that I think Matt is also likely to want to read. I would feel anxious if I didn’t have a big pile of not-yet-read books in my house.
Oh my word – parting with books.
*deep breaths*
I really need to do this but find it impossible. I loved the part about the 20th book in the series. Years ago I bought the 5th in a series (couldn’t understand why I was so confused). Did not part with it? Not a chance – I bought the rest of the series.
Yes I do have a problem with parting with books.
I do that, too. Most of Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles is on my faves shelf!
Hi Lorna – you are taking great steps – ultimately you’ll feel less pressure to read those unread books if they are on a shelf all neat and pretty. But may I suggest that if you have some of the larger-font types to donate them to a senior home or rehab center? Also school libraries may love to have some. You are doing a great thing and will feel better when its over – ?
I donate a bunch before every move and that’s where they go. Libraries won’t take them, they have their own systems.
We moved and I had to do the same. I let go of a bunch but I loved discovering books on my moms shelves so I had to keep lots “for the kids”. I cried letting go of the mountain of baby books they all outgrew but I keep my sentimental best and they are in my room now instead of theirs for bedtime
The part about the tree made me laugh! I recently culled our books, Kondo style. And it was fab because it gave me a chance to figure out which ones I really loved, hadn’t read or wanted to re-read. There were lots that were ready for new homes – I just didn’t know it until I spent some time with them! Good luck!
“Phase book”–I love that. And, YES, the library. I spend a lot in overdue fines but much less than I would if I were buying these books, some of which I’ll never read. Good luck with your culling. I know all your books will go to good homes. And then, once you’re in the new house, you can buy more–new better “phase books”!
Ken insists on us having a bookcase in every room in the house but when we have overage, I donate them, hoping someone will enjoy them as much as me?
Generally I have no issues decluttering, but I can’t throw books away – I just don’t view them as clutter. I actually wrote a post about this a while ago myself
Debbie
Oh my other half is a book hoarder! I managed to get him to put a ton of them in the loft but not actually get rid! I love books but I tend to read them and move on!
Did I mention we have a loft, too?
Have you heard of Book Mooch? (http://bookmooch.com/ ) I’m also a book hoarder but much less than I used to be after moving from London to Scotland because it just wasn’t possible to bring everything. Also my circumstances (near photographic memory and ME) mean that I rarely reread so I don’t hang onto books that much unless they’re one of my all time favourite authors. While I love a lot of authors there’s only a handful who’s books I actually keep a hardcopy of on my shelves permanently. Instead I read them and then swap them for points on Book Mooch and get more books 😀
I also use Scribd which is an ebook subscripion service with a much better selection than Kindle Unlimited, and I have access to two libraries (local council and Glasgow City). With all that I very rarely buy brand new books any more, and when I do buy I usually buy second hand ones at charity shops to keep the cost down and do some good at the same time.