I suppose one must do what one must. In this case, I've made the incredibly difficult decision to get rid of some books. Though I have to admit, once I got started, it got easier and easier as I moved from shelf to shelf.
As I went along, deciding which of my books to orphan, I asked myself several questions:
- Have I read this already, and did I enjoy it?
- If yes, will I ever read it again?
- Have I had this book for years without reading it and have no intentions of reading it any time soon?
- Is this book an embarrassment to be seen on my shelves?
For a bibliophile like myself, I ended up with a surprising number of books to get rid of. I plan to try to trade them at the used bookstore(s), and the ones that aren't of any interest to the stores, I'll give to a library or Goodwill. This way, they don't worm their way back into my library, where there are now 4 free shelves just waiting for new additions to my collection.
As you can see, a lot of these books were either gifted to me, won in some kind of giveaway, or were guilty pleasures I don't take pleasure in anymore. Some books were harder to part with than others, but I think I made the right decision. Out with the old, in with the new. Life is too short to hoard books I know I won't ever touch.
Congratulations! I always find it hard to start getting rid of books, but once you start really LOOKING and considering the titles on your shelves, it's amazing how many you are never going to read again/read full stop. I'm about due another sweep of my shelves I think - it's an ongoing process as we prepare to move - so I'll think of this post, grit my teeth and keep going! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ellie-- It seemed to get easier once I embraced the idea of giving my books a second life with someone who may appreciate them more than I have :) Best wishes for your move!
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