My problem is: having books. Having them. Having way too many of them. Way way way too many of them.
Here is an actual pile. This is in the exercise room. No one sees it but us, luckily.
And no, way too many books is not an oxymoron or a paradox. It is a question of shelf space versus things on the shelf.
There are bookshelves, often floor to ceiling, throughout our house. We have a library! And I love seeing the books. But I am in the shelfspace red, Reds and Readers. Way way way in the red.
Some of these books have to go. I know exactly where to take them to be best for the community.
But to which ones will I bid farewell?
Here is another actual pile. (This is on the stairway to the third floor--no one sees it but us...)
Here are the categories:
Books I love? (I keep.)
Signed books. (Keep. Yes. Mostly. Argh. Well, maybe.)
What about a signed a book by someone I don’t know? Or don’t care about?
Books by people I love that are not signed.
Books I could get any minute of any day if I wanted them.
Books that someone gave me but I don’t know who.
Books I did not or would not enjoy.
Advance reader copies.
How do you decide what books to keep? Which categories do you have?
And I know I said more on the mass market paperback issue. So, apparently those are vanishing from the publishing landscape. They’re not selling enough, so the answer is simply to stop trying to sell them. What do you think about that?
So: mass-market books, yes or no? And how do you decide what of your accumulated stash to keep?
Keep lovely illustrated books, reference books I need for my writing, antique books, books signed by friends or writers who mean something to me.
All other books can go.
If I wanted to read fiction again I’d get it on Kindle. Many reference books can now be looked up online.
The rest went to Friends of the Library.
As for paperbacks: I always felt mm were hard to read. Small print. They don’t stay open easily. But… new paperbacks are expensive and thus out of reach for some readers. Books have become too expensive for impulse buys. And $14.99 for Kindle is way too much but that’s another discussion!
LUCY BURDETTE: I too, am deeply in the red on this books issue. Don't get John started on how I still keep ordering and buying more. I keep books by my friends, books I have loved, and books that I might possibly read in the future. That last category is where there can be a little wiggle room.
At this point, I justify the overabundance of books as decor. Who can argue with that?
HANK: How about you, Reds and readers? Do you have a system for what you keep and what you donate? Let us in on your secrets!
And here is another actual pile! Again, the exercise room.
Some of these books have to go. I know exactly where to take them to be best for the community.
But to which ones will I bid farewell?
Here is another actual pile. (This is on the stairway to the third floor--no one sees it but us...)
Here are the categories:
Books I love? (I keep.)
Signed books. (Keep. Yes. Mostly. Argh. Well, maybe.)
What about a signed a book by someone I don’t know? Or don’t care about?
Books by people I love that are not signed.
Books I could get any minute of any day if I wanted them.
Books that someone gave me but I don’t know who.
Books I did not or would not enjoy.
Advance reader copies.
How do you decide what books to keep? Which categories do you have?
And I know I said more on the mass market paperback issue. So, apparently those are vanishing from the publishing landscape. They’re not selling enough, so the answer is simply to stop trying to sell them. What do you think about that?
So: mass-market books, yes or no? And how do you decide what of your accumulated stash to keep?
Keep lovely illustrated books, reference books I need for my writing, antique books, books signed by friends or writers who mean something to me.
All other books can go.
If I wanted to read fiction again I’d get it on Kindle. Many reference books can now be looked up online.
The rest went to Friends of the Library.
As for paperbacks: I always felt mm were hard to read. Small print. They don’t stay open easily. But… new paperbacks are expensive and thus out of reach for some readers. Books have become too expensive for impulse buys. And $14.99 for Kindle is way too much but that’s another discussion!
LUCY BURDETTE: I too, am deeply in the red on this books issue. Don't get John started on how I still keep ordering and buying more. I keep books by my friends, books I have loved, and books that I might possibly read in the future. That last category is where there can be a little wiggle room.
As my tastes change, maybe I can cull a few out. As you might expect, I find it much easier to pick out which of John’s books can be donated to the library lol. (Ooh, that might be a good topic for a future chat – does your partner share your reading taste?)
I’m not paying too much attention to the mass market question because every couple of years, the publishing industry makes another decision about those books or what sells or what will never sell again. My career was launched by mass market paperback, so I do feel fondness and loyalty for them. And I do have boxes and box of them stored up for some event in the future.
HALLIE EPHRON: Most books I don't keep. Our local library (Go Milton Public Library!) has a wonderful bookstore packed with donated books and I donate my giveaways there. It's easier to do it when I know it's going to someone else who'll read it.
For me to keep a book it needs to be a reference (like Phillip Lopate's "To Show and To Tell" about writing personal essays or "The Business of Being a Writer" by Jane Friedman). Or a book that I flat-out loved ("Water for Elephants"). Or a classic (I've got all of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries, Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimseys, and all of the Sherlock Holmes novels.
JENN McKINLAY: I keep nothing. Well, almost nothing. One copy of each of my books, books signed by author friends or authors I admire, of course, and the very small collection of foreign pop-up books (whenever I travel I buy a children’s pop-up book published in the language of the country I am visiting). And then I do have my reference collection, lots of witchcraft books for the Witches of Dubious Origin, milliner books for the Hat Shop Mysteries, etc.
Why do I keep nothing? Because the Hub is a book hoarder! I have one floor to ceiling shelving unit in our library while the Hub has FIVE. *sigh* I force him to purge twice a year just so the library remains manageable. Oy.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, this is hard. But I’m less sentimental than I used to be. I keep research books, books by friends and books signed by friends, and some favorite hardbacks. I also have a couple of shelves of childhood books, and a couple of shelves of by now very vintage sci-fi/fantasy mass markets. These should probably go to Half Price Books where perhaps they will be snapped up by a collector. But I’m not going to reread them, or any of the paperback favorite mysteries I’ve hung on to over the years. The paper’s yellowed and the font too small to read comfortably.
My bigger problem is the towering to-read piles, but that is another subject…
I don’t know how I feel about the (supposed) demise of the mass market paperback. On the one hand I hate to see a more affordable means of reading bite the dust, but on the other hand I very seldom buy them myself, so I get the thinking. I’ll spend a few more dollars for trade paper or for an ebook, so…
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Apparently, I’m keeping all the books everyone else is donating! I mean, I do try to be reasonably prompt about passing hardcovers on. And ARCs often go to the Swap Shop, so hopefully some other reader can discover a new-to-them author. But honestly, this is where having a big ‘ole house does me wrong. I have bookcases in the family room. I have small built-in shelves in the kitchen for cookbooks, etc. The library has multiple bookshelves. My office has bookcases. The living room has book cases. Every. Single. Bedroom. Has bookshelves, and I have slim ones in each of the hallway landings!I’m not paying too much attention to the mass market question because every couple of years, the publishing industry makes another decision about those books or what sells or what will never sell again. My career was launched by mass market paperback, so I do feel fondness and loyalty for them. And I do have boxes and box of them stored up for some event in the future.
HALLIE EPHRON: Most books I don't keep. Our local library (Go Milton Public Library!) has a wonderful bookstore packed with donated books and I donate my giveaways there. It's easier to do it when I know it's going to someone else who'll read it.
For me to keep a book it needs to be a reference (like Phillip Lopate's "To Show and To Tell" about writing personal essays or "The Business of Being a Writer" by Jane Friedman). Or a book that I flat-out loved ("Water for Elephants"). Or a classic (I've got all of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries, Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimseys, and all of the Sherlock Holmes novels.
JENN McKINLAY: I keep nothing. Well, almost nothing. One copy of each of my books, books signed by author friends or authors I admire, of course, and the very small collection of foreign pop-up books (whenever I travel I buy a children’s pop-up book published in the language of the country I am visiting). And then I do have my reference collection, lots of witchcraft books for the Witches of Dubious Origin, milliner books for the Hat Shop Mysteries, etc.
Why do I keep nothing? Because the Hub is a book hoarder! I have one floor to ceiling shelving unit in our library while the Hub has FIVE. *sigh* I force him to purge twice a year just so the library remains manageable. Oy.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, this is hard. But I’m less sentimental than I used to be. I keep research books, books by friends and books signed by friends, and some favorite hardbacks. I also have a couple of shelves of childhood books, and a couple of shelves of by now very vintage sci-fi/fantasy mass markets. These should probably go to Half Price Books where perhaps they will be snapped up by a collector. But I’m not going to reread them, or any of the paperback favorite mysteries I’ve hung on to over the years. The paper’s yellowed and the font too small to read comfortably.
My bigger problem is the towering to-read piles, but that is another subject…
I don’t know how I feel about the (supposed) demise of the mass market paperback. On the one hand I hate to see a more affordable means of reading bite the dust, but on the other hand I very seldom buy them myself, so I get the thinking. I’ll spend a few more dollars for trade paper or for an ebook, so…
At this point, I justify the overabundance of books as decor. Who can argue with that?
HANK: How about you, Reds and readers? Do you have a system for what you keep and what you donate? Let us in on your secrets!
And here is another actual pile! Again, the exercise room.
No system here . . . just lots of bookcases, all full of books.
ReplyDeleteBut how to you keep them JUST on the shelves?
DeleteWe keep adding shelves 😊
DeleteSeriously, shelves are full, but we do add bookcases and we do stack books on the top of the bookcases . . . .
OHHHHH that makes ense now! xx
DeleteBooks are pretty much everywhere but (mostly) on shelves. Both the hubs and I are big readers. Our categories include yes one or both of us will reread, take to the second hand book store for credit(they will donate to the big annual Rotary book sale if they don’t take them-we try not to buy them again!); pass on to friends. We like MM paperbacks because you can double shelve them and if you have all of series they fit together on the shelf instead of having an odd size.
DeleteI keep books that are signed. Most of my books are digital, so I'm less reliant on needing bookcases and space.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh digital! That is such a different situation. And a perfect solution. I really like how books look, though...
DeleteHaving 22 bookcases filled with books, having to decide which ones to give away is hard!
ReplyDeleteI definitely keep the signed books. On the rare occasion that I buy a duplicate book (do not check my Book Collectorz database), I give it away to the Little Free Library.
Re: mass market paperbacks. Many of the first mysteries I bought as a tween/teen are those classics in this format: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr, Edmund Crispin, Rex Stout. I am keeping those!
FYI, mass market paperbacks are no longer cheap. They cost $14-15CDN. Trade paperbacks are $26-30 CDN, hardbacks are $40-44 CDN.
DeleteGrace, it is true that paperbacks are no longer cheap, though they are "cheaper" than hardbacks.
DeleteDIANA; The classic mass market paperbacks I listed in my post cist $1.95-2.50 CDN. My annual salary has not gone up 7x or 8x to match the price increase!
DeleteI have paperbacks in my collection with prices like $.50 and $.75.
DeleteYeah, I also have used vintage paperbacks with those prices on the spine/cover.
DeleteI just vividly remember the $1.95-$2.50 books (no GST back then) since my weekly allowance was $2/week. I felt rich when I started earning $11/hour as a student librarian in junior high & high school. That pay rate was waaay above minimum wage. And boy did I buy a lot of mm paperback books!
SO agree, Grace! I have those exact same "first" and "foundational" mysteries in PB, too! ANd I am keeping them!
DeleteYes, but will we ever reread them? The font is tiny and in most the paper is yellowed...
DeleteMy problem here is that no one wants all these vintage classic mass market paperbscks. The Friends of the Ottawa Public Library won't take them. And several large used book stores closed after the pandemic. Even Sleuth of Baker Street, the largest & oldest indie mystery fiction bookstore in Toronto, can't take in so many used books. I would hate to throw my vintage crine fiction paperbacks in the trash!
DeleteDEBS: Curious, I just opened a dozen of the Sayers & Stout mass market paperbacks on the same bookcase. Yes, the fonts are pretty small. Some pages are yellowed but others are not.
DeleteGRACE: When I was at University, they were accepting book donations for another country that wanted English language books. Perhaps you can check with the English department at your local college / local university?
DeleteI definitely need to purge books. The shelves are all full. There are stacks of books on chairs, on the floor, on the work table in my office (on which I can't work because...BOOKS). And oh so many of them are inscribed to me. Twice, I've had readers bring one of my books to me to sign, and I've discovered it was already signed...to a friend! It shouldn't, but I admit it hurt a little, so I would never want another author to stumble across a book they'd signed to me and find out I'd given it away.
ReplyDeleteAnnette, I understand that can hurt your feelings, especially if it was a gift. But when books are shared, authors get new readers. If I had the space, I would keep all the books I read. But I don't. So I tell myself how delighted someone else will be to have these books.
DeleteOh, I have no problems with sharing books, Judy. And the sting was only temporary. In fact, I think there may be a potential short story there: a book heist where an inscribed first edition turns up at a signing and is pivotal in catching the thief!
DeleteAnnette, that is a mystery. Wonder if it was a honest mistake or if someone borrowed the book from your friend then forgot to return the book, thinking it was their own copy? Because I've been burnt in the past, whenever I lend my books, I always check to make sure the book was not signed to me. There is always 80 percent chance of Never getting the book back!
DeleteIn a box donated for our Quaker yard sale, I came across one of my books signed to a friend. It was dedicated to his beloved late wife, who was also a good friend and died in her fifties of a brain tumor. That stung a little too, but he was moving away from Amesbury, and I understood (sort of).
DeleteEdith, big ouch.
DeleteSISTER! ANd yes, coming across those already-signed editions is definitely a fraught thing. I try to understand people's' lives, and sometimes (!) it works. WHen I donate a signed book, I rip out the title page.
DeleteOh good idea, Hank!
DeleteHANK: I always rip out the title page before I donate a signed book especially if it is signed to me by name.
DeleteHank, that's brilliant!
DeleteI got rid of hundreds of books in The Great Purge of 2024 when we moved across the country. I don’t reread books so keeping them seems silly. Better to go somewhere else and have someone read it than sit in my house collecting dust. I kept some signed books, some that I have the entire series, and books from my childhood or my children’s childhood that I am emotionally attached to.
ReplyDeleteThere are at least two libraries here in my community where I can donate books and they prefer recently published ones so I don’t let new books hang around my house now for very long after I have read them. There is also a Friends of the Library. I don’t think they can take ARCs because they can’t be sold. It is fun to find Little Free Libraries and leave books in those. Nursing homes also take books. Teachers love appropriate level books for their classroom libraries. I didn’t have very good luck selling them in a garage sale even though they were dirt cheap. Some I just pass on to a friend or family member who I think will enjoy them.
I know! If we don't reread them , why are we keeping them when someone else would love them? But they are memories, too, and decoration! ANd that's what makes it complicated...
DeleteI like to leave ARCs in Little Free Libraries. We have one literally down the block, but it's always so full that it's a challenge to stuff another book in.
DeleteSince I get very Few physical ARCs, I am keeping all of them (I think I only have 6 overall).
DeleteDuring the pandemic, Irwin purged the stuff in the basement including boxes of books that had never found their way to shelves. It was hard. I had to decide which of my mother's books I wanted to keep and the rest went to friends of library type venues.
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend in Florida with whom I discuss books. She is an avid reader of mysteries and before they moved from Connecticut, she and her husband had purged their books. I bundle up boxes of books that I have enjoyed and mail them to her. She reads them, we discuss them, she passes them on to friends or puts them into the LFL. Even signed books go to her. During the library closures at the start of the pandemic, I sent her Debs's entire series and lots of other books, too. She sent Debs's books back, but passed along many of the others.
I have stacks of TBR books around and Irwin is a bear about those stacks. There are books that I won't part with because I will read them again, and some signed by friends. Yesterday, my pal finished Agony Hill which I mailed her last week and she raved about it. She immediately looked for Sarah's other books and intends to read them. Please don't be upset if your books get passed along to others. Sometimes it's a matter of space, not caring.
Yes, you are SO wise! xxx
DeleteYes, but I'm glad you got Duncan and Gemma back, Judy. :-)
DeleteThe dimming of the popularity of MM paperbacks makes me wonder if it's at least partly because they aren't Pinterest-worthy. All those gorgeous bookshelf walls of hardback books would look a lot less attractive if they were instead filled with cracked-back, squatty, luridly colored paperbacks. Many series began in that format, then progressed to hardbacks, and if we want to shelve them together it is less visually appealing to have all those mixed sizes, too.
ReplyDeleteI've put the brakes on buying new books for now, because I just have SO many unread ones here. I was looking at the piles of the unread last night, and it's so overwhelming I can't even contemplate adding to it.
Also, and this introduces a new topic which I hope you can forgive me for, but I'm trying to migrate away from Audible to Libro.com, so I've been listening to my unread titles so I can drop that subscription. Down to four, finally! And resisting using my credits to buy more. But Libro.com is the same monthly cost, and also gives you the same kinds of credits, and--bonus--you can designate an independent bookstore to get part of the money you spend. As ebooks and audiobooks have become my go-to, I have wanted to find a way to support my local stores, and this is a perfect way to do it.
KAREN: I had never heard of Libro, so I looked it up to see if they support Canadian indie bookstores, including Perfect Books Ottawa, and they do!
DeleteI signed up. But their website does not end in .com
Instead, it's Libro.fm
Omigosh, you're right, Grace! Thanks for the catch! Glad you could use it, too.
DeleteNP, just wanted to let others know who may want to sign up.
DeleteAbout 1/3 of books I read are audiobooks. I am currently listening to the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada debut mystery novel winner, Twenty-seven minutes, by Ashley Tate. Winners were announced on Friday.
But I am going to search Libro's catalogue to choose what books to listen to next!
Karen in Ohio, I think you have a point there about MM paperbacks not being "Pinterest-worthy". I have a solution to that. Before I start reading a new paperback, I always take a photo of the book BEFORE the spine is cracked. It is easier to take a photo because it will show the book cover when taking a "flat lay" photo.
DeleteGrace, that is great about the audiobooks option. You can listen to the audiobook from your phone, instead of buying the physical CD or tapes, right?
DIANA: yes, I usually listen to audiobooks on my phone while doing solo walks or cooking.
DeleteKaren, thank you for the info about Libro! I love audio books, especially for nonfiction, and I've been downloading them from Google Books, but I'm very much trying to get away from the Google and Amazon ecosystem.
DeleteAnd Bookshop, see post below, offers the same feature for ebooks. I can't remember where I saw the article, but both sources were recommended. Maybe Wirecutter?
DeleteOh, I wonder about the social media element! Interesting!
DeleteKaren, I have all of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone books, A to Y, in hardcover. However, for Pinterest purposes, they won’t look great because the first few were published in a smaller size hardcover. — Pat S
DeleteI'm not as awash in books as some of you Reds, but I do have a few stacks I need to decide about. That book I've been wanting to read but haven't for years. That one I loved but know I'll never reread. And so on. I'm pretty good about keeping primarily research books, and ones written by friends and signed.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm in the red about are my OWN books. Gah! My small office is lined with boxes and both My-Books bookshelves are full. My publisher sends me a box of twenty five or more copies with each new book (three a year for most of the last decade). I do giveaways, but I rarely go places to sell my own books any more, and with the rise in postage, mailing them out gets more and more expensive. I need to drive around town and seed all the Little Free Libraries. Maybe tomorrow...
Ah, the mmpb question. Kensington has stopped publishing new series in that format, but still uses it for series extensions. I've always felt that hardcovers are too expensive for the kinds of books I write and the readers who buy LOTS of them.
DeleteBut they are harder to hold in older hands and the print can be small, also a challenge for aging eyes. I'm grateful for my ebook and audio formats.
DeleteScone Cold Dead is one of 2 mmpb I bought this year. The rest of my purchases have been trade paperbacks. And my aging eyes do prefer the ease of adjusting fonts to read ebooks. But reading more ebooks & audiobooks means my TBR mountains are not getting any smaller. Plus I can't get ebooks or audiobooks signed!
DeleteI'm honored, Grace!
DeleteOh, yes, our own books! What a nice problem, though...xoxoo
DeleteEdith, there are several towns in Vermont who completely lost their libraries during the flooding that occurred a couple of years ago. Those libraries were looking for donations of books. I don't know if there is a central location, but I have a dim memory of a place that was collecting books. Imagine a library receiving your entire series! Many new readers could be brought in! Vermont is not the only place that has lost libraries to fire, floods, tornadoes. I'll do a search for the info I thought I had.
DeleteI’m blissfully in the red when it comes to books. Total Abundance! The pendulum is swinging from stark minimalism home decor to joyful dwelling.
ReplyDeleteLove that attitude! xx
DeleteMy book shelves are full, and I haven't done a good job of purging over the years. Sorry, authors, but I really try to get books from the library as much as I can (I have three checked out now and another waiting for me), Most of my books are too old to re-sell through Powell's. Friends of the Library are taking donations now (they weren't for quite awhile) but the fiction has to be newer than 2014. It's time for a purge, so I can buy a few more!
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE libraries, and I love hearing that! It truly makes a difference when you check out our books from the library--it keeps them in circulation, and that is fabulous! Thank you!
DeleteI have a book shelf as the headboard of the bed. It has an interesting collection of collections of books – the series ones usually such as John Jakes, Maeve Binchey, Peter Robinson. We moved them 25 years ago. None of them has been reread, added to, but are needed as otherwise what would I put on the shelves?
ReplyDeleteWe moved all the good children’s books. We loved them! No grandchild will deign to read them. Ever tried to read I Spy or Animalia to a kid who does not care?
Current books were usually audiobooks or ebooks and borrowed from the library and stored on the computer to be read later in Overdrive. It was made redundant, probably because it was good, and now there is the horrible Libby. I feel pressure to read each book because after 21 days it will go poof and I will have to go back on the hold list – again. No more saving and storing the latest book, while I reread and savour some back books. (Books are usually read in up to 3 days, so buying from Audible is very expensive.) There are 2600 books either read and stored or just read tabulated in my excel file. (read 81 this year).
I do admit, that when young, and possibly married and with kids, should I get a trip out, the book store, the computer store, and the fabric store were my favourite haunts. Many a new author was discovered from the ‘buy-me’ pile at the front of the store. As for the kids – they loved the Scholastic flyer once a month!
That's a crying shame about the grandkids, Margo. How could they resist Animalia???
DeleteAw,that's too bad about the grandkids...and yes, those found treasures are always wonderful!
DeleteAnimalia! I still have our copy!
DeleteI'm contemplating the big pitch and even have a list of donation places...but that's where it ends.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I read this before my first cup of tea, and my eyes crossed your 'b' and your 'p' and I screeched, "What?!?" Then I added some caffeine to my bloodstream and read it again. All good. :-)
DeleteYou are at least on the way!
DeleteJulia, I almost did a “spit take” at your transposition of the letters! — Pat S
DeleteThis is going to be a very long comment.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. I have TOO MANY BOOKS! In the past few years, I have had to whittle down on my book purchases. Before I buy a physical book, I check to see if my library has a copy. Often the library has a copy so there is no need to buy the book.
Full disclosure: Yesterday at the Bay Area Book Festival, FOUR books were purchased because I attended a panel of four women mystery novelists with Sign Language interpreters. For me, this was a BIG purchase.
Regarding my book collection, like Hank, I am trying to decide which books to donate.
Out of print books and signed books are keepers. I have a bag of books that I use for historical research and reference while I am writing my novel. There are many mass market paperback books that I could donate. That would make a big dent in my book collection and free up lots of space in my tiny abode.
Copying the checklist by Hank and Jenn for future reference.
DIANA; Did you go to the Bay Area Book Festival panel with Leslie Karst & Jennifer K Morita? I saw their FB posts this morning.
DeleteGRACE: Though I saw Leslie Karst at another panel, I did not go to the panel with Leslie Karst and Jennifer R. Morita. However, I saw their books for sale. I went to the Mystery in Mysterious Places with Rachel Howzell Hall, Michelle Chouinard, Gigi Pandian and Cara Black. Because of the measles outbreak in the south bay plus the covid spike, I was apprehensive about going to the book festival. I went to ONE panel. Thank you for letting me know about the FB photos on FB. Great photos!
DeleteToo many books, yes...but it is difficult to conceive of that, right? Because we need them ALL!
DeleteHANK: Thank you for the helpful checklist. Perhaps if I follow through, then I will be able to purge more books. I am borrowing more books from the library these days.
DeleteMy books need a purge. I have too many books. There are a few childhood favorites that I keep.
ReplyDeleteAnd those are very special, I agree!
DeleteSo tricky, making decisions on what books go and what books stay! One way I have partially solved that is the library. Yes, of course, I donate books to them all the time, but I also borrow more books from them than I used to. But that is also a problem because sometimes the book from the library is ready for me but I am not ready for it. I can't just read any book at any time. I like to keep certain books and now I realize there are some books I have bought over and over, after giving them away because I'll never need to read it again. Then find out that I do need to read it again.
ReplyDeleteAs for those little paperbacks, no thank you. As Rhys said the pages don't want to stay open and the print is too tiny.
But a question for those of you who give away ARC of books. Did you mean your own books or those of others? Because I thought that was absolutely not allowed. Someone please enlighten me.
ARCAS of book are absoltely not to be sold. They are advance REVIEW copies, and are meant for early readers and reviewers. And also they are not fully edited or proofread, and as a result, they do not represent the final book, which will certainly be quite different. In my experience libraries and book donation places do not take them, since that is not their purpose. And it can definitely be detrimental to the author, since the reader will not be getting a finished product. What to do with them? YOu are SUPPOSED to throw them away. (That is very hard for me, so I keep them...) And therein is part of the problem!
DeleteHank, I share the hardness of throwing books away. Years ago in a move a box of books got soaked through in a rain storm. No way to dry them out and into the trash they had to go. Still have regrets. Elisabeth
DeleteI keep signed books always (well, recently there were a couple of books that went to the great book donation library cart in a tiny purge. They weren't mystery novels.)
ReplyDeleteI keep books by authors I love. Two reasons, obviously the first is that I love the author. 2nd, it's nice to have a library in case I ever let others into my house. They can say, "Wow! He reads." or "Oh great, this nitwit reads."
Oh, I keep the advance copies of books that I reviewed for Mystery Scene too. Call me a sentimental slightly beyond middle aged fool, but I like having the actual copy of what I read to do a review at my fingertips. Likely that is just foolishness on my part, but what are you going to do about it?
If I'm reading a book by an author that I don't already love, it's 50-50 as to whether I'll want to keep a book. If I really love it, chances are I will keep it. If I just merely like it or I don't like it, I will either donate it straight to the library's book sale OR first attempt to give it away to others in the mystery book club I co-run.
If I had more time to read, the piles and piles of books might go down. But still, I could always probably do with a purge. I'm just too stubborn to do it all at once.
And unlike Hank's post, I'm not going to include any pictures of the towering piles of books I have on hand. Because that would make someone at least think about calling "Hoarders". But as they say, "It's not hoarding if it is books." Or at least that's the story I'm going with.
"I'm not hoarding, it's books." Jay that will be our motto!
DeleteYes! I have a tea towel that says: "It's not hoarding if it's books!" Marie Bostwick gave it to me!
DeleteI have over 750 in my library. We built a library room in our new house. I have empty shelves that I’m sure won’t be empty soon
ReplyDeleteAn empty bookshelf is just an open invitation, Anon. Now you HAVE to buy books to fill it, poor you.
DeleteSO great! That will be so much fun! xx
DeleteI tend to go to the library and give books a trial run there. If I feel I will read them again and again or if they resonated deeply with me, they will be purchased. Also, if I can get them signed, I definitely try to keep those. When I had to give up my residence and move into my car, one of the hardest things was figuring out which books to leave behind. Suffice to say, the trunk of my car is filled with more books than clothes. Just couldn't part with those special books. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteYou are the dearest of readers...
DeleteMy house decor resembles Julia's. I too live in a farmhouse. We have about 25 6-foot bookshelves. We would have more books but many, including almost my entire children's book collection, were destroyed in a leaking storage unit when we had to move out of our apartment and I was trying to get our house built. Most of the remaining books have moved down to the basement, which is paneled in bookshelves, plus the TV, comfy sofas, and the exercise equipment. However I still have five tall bookshelves of history books and gardening books in my office, and my husband's mountaineering book collection in the living room is in a huge 1850s bookcase that came down through my family. It's 7 feet tall by 8 feet wide; I built the space for it, and putting it back together and reinforcing it for the weight of so many books took me many a day.
ReplyDeleteI am grimly aware that I need to start weeding our books. No one would want my old favorites, often Pocket Books from the 1960s with pages falling out. My more modern mass media paperbacks are often wavy from steam as I read in the bathtub. My reference books are relentlessly dog-eared. We bought a lot of political books over the years that are curiosities today, also at least a hundred education books. How about the books from the 1920s that my mother read to me: the MY BOOKHOUSE books? Weeding all these will be a task for a week in winter. But not today, our first (partly) sunny days after what feels like weeks of rain and temps in the 30°s F. I have to worm the sheep but after that I will be in my garden! (Selden)
Selden, I love the image of your 1850s bookcase; I wish I had one of those (although my floor joists probably don't.) Also, I suspect you're the only Reddie who has "worm the sheep" on their chore chart, congratulations! :-)
DeleteSelden - been there done that. Small story
DeleteIt was 1990, and I was definitely 9 months pregnant with our last child. Since it was sheep worming and selenium needle time (sheep often have a deficiency of selenium in their diets especially when the soil is the area is as well as the mineral is ingested in the grass. Then you have to needle them once a year.), I decided to ask the vet to help me. She was new, young, and fun, and had not been in practice for long, and definitely was not used to sheep and goat medicine. Being as big as a house, I wore jumpers the dress, not jumpers the sweater for comfort as well as knee socks and rubber boots. Off we went to the barn, where I would grab and manhandle the sheep, and she would inoculate by needle in the hip and a squirt of medicine in the mouth. All was going well. Last sheep – coming up.
Who knows how it happened, but as she was about to inoculate the last sheep, just like in a cartoon, the needle went out of her hand, spiraled into the air, and landed needle side first – into my knee, the only spot not covered with clothing – and injected me! It was cartoon hilarious. First we laughed, then we thought - well oops to that, and then we called poison control – who knew what could happen if you were pregnant and now about to be cured of worms? They were stunned, thought we were kidding, and then realized we were not (we gave the serial number from the bottle), and then since they knew nothing and we knew nothing, we had a cup of tea.
I have never had worms since.
Good to know that you have been worm free, Margo, but how was the baby? (Actually, I laughed out loud at your punchline!!) — Pat S
DeleteBaby was fine. Didn't slow down his growth. He is old now - but doesn't have worms.
DeleteStill laughing, Margo!
DeleteThat is HILARIOUS. Reminds me of what might happen in an episode of I Love Lucy... :-)
DeleteAnd yes, the wavy edged books conundrum....
DeleteThere is no such thing as too many books, but there is such a thing as not enough shelf space.
ReplyDeleteThe move to The Cottage necessitated a decision: the new house simply didn't have enough space. So now we have three categories:
- Keepers
- Donations
- Giveaways
Donations are books we enjoyed, don't want to keep, but go to a library sale or something like that. Giveaways are books we sell off to Half-Price Books.
I was at a book even this past Saturday and lots of people wanted signed books, but just my signature, not a personalization. I get that. They may decide to give the book to a library in the future. And I'm cool with that.
As for mass markets... I get it. I buy mostly trade paperback myself. Looks nicer on the shelf, easier to hold and read. I wish ebooks from larger publishers were cheaper.
That is exactly the equation! And yes, I see that trend to non-personalized books. It is supposed to make them :more valuable," I'm told.
DeleteIf you have childhood favorites or any classic children's & teen literature it's best to keep them. Years ago I gave away some children's books, then fast forward a decade and when I wanted to replace some of them, I found out they were no longer published!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Anon. My mother used to weed out all the books and toys we kid no longer used when we were in the military, and I can't blame her; when you move every two-three tears, you need to streamline. On the other hand, I'd have to pay a FORTUNE to get my old Freddie the Pig hardcovers back today!
DeleteBetter to keep, definitely!
DeleteJulia, love the “tears” typo. Although not “real” books, I was heart broken as a graduating college senior (away from home for 4 years) to find my mother had thrown out ALL of my paper dolls. :-( Elisabeth
DeleteWhen I moved, I decided to keep all of the Constable Evans books by Rhys Bowen and thank goodness I did because they soon stopped publishing the series. Loved that series. And the Book Publisher series by Julie Kaewert. And the Dutchman in New York (starts with New Amsterdam) series by Maas Meyers. All three series were discontinued, though the Dutchman series, I think, was a historical mystery series from New Amsterdam to 1990s?
DeleteI mostly keep only those books that I love. And most of those will be reread when I'm in need of a comfort read. Otherwise, I pass on to friends, the library book sale, or to the LFLs in town.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to think of someone else happily reading them, right?
DeleteI love to pass on books, to give them a new reader. In fact, we have a youngish woman who comes into the library (where I work part-time). She seems to have had/has a hard life. She doesn't check out books because, I think, she's never sure she can get them back. However, she does look through our used book sale rack and buys books that way. She came in last Friday, I asked her would she like to look through the box of books I had in my car--books my sister asked me to disperse for her. Now my box is lighter!
DeleteI used to vastly prefer "real" books, but I find that has changed because it's easier to adjust the font of a Kindle book to work well with my eyes as they continue to age (!) Mass market paperbacks, in particular, are more taxing to read now. Also, since I read Kindle books on my iPad, which has an attached keyboard, it's easier to read on Kindle while I am eating breakfast and lunch--hands free except for "turning the page"! Although I like to highlight books as I read, in case I need to go back and check some details for my reviews or in case my book club decides to read one I have already read.
ReplyDeleteAnother change starting three years back or so is that I now get most of my books from NetGalley, as it's such fun to be able to read a book long before it is published. Those are all ebooks, of course, so I read them on my iPad/Kindle. At the same time, I still do get some of my books from the library (I am a lifetime member of Friends of the El Dorado County, CA Library). I sometimes buy books when they are on preorder discount from Barnes & Noble, although I have switched to Kindle versions lately. I usually limit buying books to those from publishers I know won't approve my requests on NetGalley. Mainly that is just Berkley these days although they do allow me to participate in their Berkley Besties program.
I no longer have tons of books lying around, but I do keep those that I loved so much that I know I will read them again, in addition to those I haven't yet read. Everything else goes to the library donation box.
My favorite donation, however, was the 138 books my husband collected about ancient Egypt. He received some of those among his gifts each Christmas and birthday. When he passed away, I donated them to the Egyptian Museum in San Jose, which was happy to have them because they have a library and a gift shop. They have limited resources so I had to box them up and deliver them myself, but I was thrilled to be able to honor Mike by making good use of his bookshelf of books on this topic.
Finding out about Netgalley when I retired in 2016 was a great help. I have downloaded over 1200 digital ARCs since then. I am happy to spread the word/recommend a book on social media before it is published. It's good for me, and helps the author & publisher.
DeleteYes, the Netgalley reads are lovely, and its great to introduce a reader to an author! And those early reads are supposed to be used for promotion, of course.
DeleteAnd yes, Grace, exactly the point, and we are so grateful! xx!
DeleteIn addition to Libro.fm (NOT .com), you can also order ebooks from https://bookshop.org/ebooks and designate an independent bookstore as the source. I use a different local store to support with Bookshop than I do from Libro, so I feel as if I'm making more of a difference in my own town.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I didn't know I could order ebooks through Bookshop.
DeleteThanks for the tip about how to help indie bookstores while buying ebooks! I don't like giving all the money to Amazon & Kobo.
DeleteWonderful! Thank you SO much for this dear Karen! xx
DeleteAfter several big moves, I have enacted a few new book-buying rules for myself. The primary one is that all of my books have to fit on one of the bookshelves (no piles on floors). If I don’t have room for a new bookshelf, then I am out of luck and have to rework my collections. I grew up in a house surrounded by books so it is aesthetically pleasing for me to see rooms with my favorite books, authors, stories in them. I have sentimental books (some of my childhood books, some of my father’s books, art books, books I pick up on travels, and shelves of mysteries. I try not to think too deeply about my desire to hang onto these books. They are certainly a comfort to me with all of our moves over the past 35 years. But I also think there is an anticipatory element to it. On busy or frustrating days, I can peek at my books and look forward to a quiet afternoon in front of the fire, with my dog at my feet, escaping to other worlds. I did “break” and buy a Kindle for traveling recently. And it was extremely handy compared to my previous problem of traveling with 2-4 books with me! I am selective about only purchasing those I know I wouldn’t need to keep on a shelf. Sadly, I am not a library book reader. I LOVE them but I have never liked feeling the pressure of reading a book under a timeline. I tend to read 3-4 different books at once and depending on my mood will pick up a different one each day. I think I would feel stressed about finishing it in time to return it. And with some books that I love, I will deliberately savor them longer because I don’t want them to end haha!
ReplyDeleteStacia, I think this is SO wise, and absolutely the solution. It's just that...well, it's hard. :-)
DeleteI got rid of over half my books ten years ago. The questions were: Will I look something up in this book?, will I reread it?, and will I finally get it read? If I answered no, it went away. Now I try to stick to ebooks and audiobooks, unless it's written by a friend. Oh, yes, I still buy travel guidebooks as physical books — I find I need to be able to page back and forth through them. Karen, thank you for sharing how we can support independent bookstores with our purchases!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions!
DeleteAnd I would buy / keep a novel with maps!
DeleteI made a purge a couple of years ago. I kept the ones and the series that I loved the most. I also kept signed books from my favourite authors. There is still a lot of them but I mostly buy Ebooks now. It’s true they are increasingly expensive but they are practical as I can’t get what I like to read near home.
ReplyDeleteThe adjustable letters size, the weight and the ease of handling are assets.
Yes so true! All wonderful innovations!
DeleteAn all out cynic on ebooks: they have no paper and ink new book to old book aroma, they are not comfortable to snuggle in bed with or curl up by the fire, and they are screens not books. And, perhaps it is my weird eyes, but adjusting fonts makes my eyes crazy. Elisabeth, your cranky Luddite
DeleteLuckily we still have book books! xxx
DeleteCall me really, really old-fashioned, but I must have the "real" printed book in my hand when reading - have never used e-books and won't start. That being said, what the heck will I do with all the cookbooks I have collected? I have over 200 plus cookbooks besides boxes of cookbook pamphlets and old Gourmet magazines that I can't seem to part with. I donated a lot of cookbooks when I moved two years ago, but cannot pass a used bookstore or garage sale without looking for more. Love to look for recipes to try.
ReplyDeleteDo you still use the cookbooks?
DeleteLike you, I have over 140 cookbooks plus recipe pamphlets and a whole row of Fine Cooking and Gourmet magazines. And I still buy a couple of new cookbooks every year even though I have thousands of online recipes saved on my laptop!!
An almost neighbor wants to put up a Little Free Library just for cookbooks, which I thought was a great idea when she told me about it four years ago. I have been saving cookbooks for her ever since, but she still hasn't decided where in her 20'-long hell strip she wants it placed. Cue the laughter.
DeleteI have donated cookbooks to Goodwill, etc. but it is painful! What is wrong with me!? I start to clear them out then end up reading them and putting them back on my shelf! Love to look at the ads from the 50's and 60's, especially the cigarette ads and women cooking in high heels and pearls!
DeleteI love cookbooks--love! And I think it's hard to follow recipes on my phone. I wind up printing them out, which is ridiculous.
DeleteMy kitchen cupboard is FULL of cookbooks! At last count I have 40. If I want a recipe from an ebook, then I take a screenshot of the recipe.
DeleteMy book storage areas look like Hank's. I even had book shelves added above windows and doors. But it got so out of hand a couple years ago that I began the culling process with boxes delivered to our local Friends of the Library shop. But that didn't make a dent because I buy books - new and recycled from that same Friends shop and any cleared space promptly fills up again
ReplyDeleteThat is SO funny!
DeleteAlthough I am read a wide range of subjects and read a lot, I don’t have a storage problem because I don’t buy many books. I don’t remember the last time I bought one. It’s not that I don’t want my favorite authors to benefit financially, but I would never be able to afford the cost of everything I read since I can go through several fiction books a week and I don’t re-read anything. When I had a fractured elbow last year, I was limited in what I could do-reading was one of them. Since I am also a fast reader I probably went through quite a few every week and I was fortunate to have friends pick up and bring back bags of books for me.
ReplyDeleteI also work in a library and have a way of getting almost anything I find interesting and many that I just come across but would only read once. The books I have bought and kept tend to be non-fiction that I use for reference purposes.
I do recommend authors and titles to people all the time
I don’t have many bookcases. I did make one with adjustable shelves to accommodate oversized books and that is filled.
Unfortunately, I don’t have friends who are authors so I don’t accumulate anything that way either.
We LOVe that you recommend us! It makes SO much difference! xxx
DeleteI have so many books that they've become part of the decor. Upstairs books shelves, downstairs bookshelves, lower level bookshelves. I do purge and love when I find someplace like an independent living or apartment that has a bookstore because I drop them off there. And then I go to a conference or spend an hour at my local bookstore and ....the shelves are filled again.
ReplyDeleteYup, that'll happen! :-)
DeleteMy bookshelves look like the ones pictured here. There are books piled up everywhere. There are probably even more on my kindle. Over the years I’ve donated hundreds of books, but you would never know it from looking through my shelves and piles of books.
ReplyDeleteI keep books that are signed to me. I also keep books by my favorite authors. (I think I like too many authors!) I’ve mentioned in the past that my library will not take donations of books that are older than ten years old. Last summer I donated some large bags of older books to a thrift shop.(I sprained my back doing it :-( Such fun!)
Over the weekend I was thinking that it’s time to get rid of more books again. My back began to attack me!
DebRo
Yes! SO agree! I keep donating them, but the shelves somehow stay full!
DeleteChiming in late with something I learned from JRW post a good long while ago that has helped me keep my shelves in good order: I sort my books into friends, acquaintances, and strangers. FRIENDS = keep because I enjoy being in their company and know I will return to them again and again. ACQUAINTANCES = books I’m glad to have read and like owning, but don’t fall back on routinely for comfort. STRANGERS = books I cannot remember buying, have never read, and have no intention of now reading.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, after a New England to Florida move nearly (eek) 5 years ago, I have a few books that are acquaintances, but close acquaintances, most are friends. Wracking my brain — gray haired as it is — I know I now have nor have ever had strangers among my books. On this rainy afternoon, your classification has me thinking. Thank you. Elisabeth
DeleteTHAT IS GENIUS.
Deleteagree with Hank that is genius!
DeleteThat’s a very good system, Amanda. I think I’ll adopt it!
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved, we purged our books. Since we’re officially empty nesters (only kid got married two years ago today!), we have set up the other bedrooms as hubby’s office, my office and a guest room. They all have bookshelves in them! But we don’t have the book piles like Hank has any more.
I do have a question for all of you. For resale purposes, is a personalized autographed book less valuable than with just the author’s signature? Obviously I love getting books personalized to me, but I am thinking ahead to when my son has to clean out our house. His taste in books generally doesn’t mesh with ours so I anticipate he’ll be getting rid of most of our books. I want to be able to advise him. — Pat S
I have. heard that unpersonalized books are "more valuable." Whatever that means. Maybe it just means it is easier to give them away! (I mean, if I had a book signed by Stephen King "to Nora Roberts" or something, seems like that would be pretty valuable.. I don't have that, I'm just saying.)
DeleteThanks, Hank!
DeleteMy husband and I have a friend who takes most of our mysteries and takes them to the township food pantry that she is connected to--if one cannot afford food one cannot afford books--it works out well. We do use the library also--23 checkouts at moment. My husband reads quickly and while I am not a particularly slow reader My biggest problem at the moment is my tbr pile. Marjorie
ReplyDeleteMarjorie, I donated my last purge to the women's shelter's shop here. They love having books to sell!
DeleteCan the friend come over?
DeleteHank, sorry several hundred miles away
DeleteMarjorie
Hank, thanks very much for the photos. Now I don't feel so bad about the two-foot-high stack of hardcovers on my kitchen island, or the two-foot-high double-stacked books on one of our butler's pantry barstools!
ReplyDeleteYUP. :-)
DeleteI've finally come to the realistic point or age in my life where I know I can't or won't read all of the books that have been waiting patiently for so long that are on bookshelves (built in and free-standing), baskets, tubs (two copper tubs and some long storage tubs that fit under the bed), my round book table in my bedroom, and stacks on the floor or tables. The last two years I've been unable to focus on reading much fiction due to Kevin's death. This is actually a very common occurrence when losing one of your most treasured loved ones. However, I have read or read parts of a basketful of books on grief. Again, not that uncommon. So, I've lost a lot of reading time at a point in my life that the bloom is definitely off the rose and trampled on the ground. 71 doesn't sound all that old, but it's certainly time to start weeding books and other items. I do have a very large and overflowing tub of books ready to donate, but it's the proverbial tip of the iceberg. And, I can't decide who to donate them to. So many are mystery/crime books that I need to consider my audience, don't I? I want to donate, like Hallie says, somewhere that people will want to read them. Our library is out because they used to be picky about donations and didn't seem to appreciate them. There are some people who work there who don't love books, and that bugs me big time. I may end up going to the senior center and seeing how much room they have in their little library. That way people who might be on a budget can check out some great books when they're at the senior center for other things, and they might eventually just come there for the books. I think I might have to get involved in manning the library though, and while I would probably like that, I'm trying to pace myself. I still don't feel like doing much, and I'm already getting involved now in Moms Demand Action Against Gun Violence. I've also taken an interest in an LGBTQ youth center in Evansville, but that's probably going to be a donation interest, money and supplies. But, I promised myself I'd take care of some health issues before the trial next January, too. Another cataract surgery is first up. But, back to the books. I have some painful choices ahead of me in what to keep and what to donate. I have to go now because a book package just arrived I need to open.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it goes...
DeleteWe are with you every step of the way, dear Kathy. xxx
I am an orderly person (there are less-pleasant descriptions for the same behaviors) In order to handle the book chaos, this year I decided to spend 3 hours a month every month book giving, donating or trashing and 2 hours a month reading a book or more that I say I will read and deciding whether that is true. (the more is when it is immediately obvious that it needs to go. The rest of the month I am completely not guilty. I also resolved not to even look at my partner's collection.
ReplyDeleteVery very wise!
DeleteI'm a fully fledged member of the 'oh gosh too many books' club - for which the Japanese have a great word:
ReplyDeleteTsundoku (積ん読) the phenomenon of buying reading materials (especially books) and then piling them up without reading them. (Guilty!). But here's a helpful aid I ran across a couple of years ago: the Library extension that (once you input your local library name), will pop up on Amazon and even ChirpBooks and let you know if the book or audiobook is in the library collection. It also worked great for Hoopla until my local library pulled out of that service due to the cost (darn it). Here's the link: https://www.libraryextension.com/. Cheers! Phyllis
Oh, this is such a wealth of wonderful information! Thank you!
DeleteI have way too many books and have a very hard time giving them away. I have one room in my house that is full of bookshelves and jammed pack with books. Plus I have books scattered all over the rest of the house. Typically, the only books I give away are the ones that I didn’t enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to do it! xx
DeleteHi! Margaret Laing here -- sorry Google and I are fighting a bit. I got a temp job at a bookstore over "the holidays" by starting the cover letter with the admission that I have books in six places in my studio apartment. I exchange books with two different friends, so I keep two tote bags going with things I hope they'll like.
ReplyDeleteI have two different mostly-mystery shelves, one biography and other non-fiction, and three classic shelves in what, for a "normal" person, would be a linen cupboard. (Towel racks don't hold books!) One kitchen cupboard is for cookbooks, including my mother's files from teaching Home Ec classs. A dictionary stand has two shelves below it and, of course, two stacks on the floor. A reference case by my window has art catalogues on the lower shelf and general large reference above that. (Other reference and great bindings, in smaller size and (sometimes) in Scots dialect, are under the dictionary... including an atlas, my dad's Music Dictionary, Bartlett's, and Bibles in Scots, also once Dad's.) I let my borrowers know when I'm ready to part with a few books, but they won't see some of my dad's. I'm re-reading his Complete Holmes (started Jan. 5), despite having copies of my own, and finding handwritten notes to treasure. They weren't there last time I used this same book... so i'm leaving more notes in my own books these days.
LOVE notes in books! xx
DeleteA few years ago I did a major purge. I kept some non-fiction, poetry books and fiction that I hadn't read yet as well as favorites that I couldn't part with. Now when I read a book, I give it away. I share it with a neighbor who reads it and then donates it. I read books either by listening to them or buy reading print books. I don't like reading on my iPad. I often read in bed and a physical book is ideal. I often buy used books and they are less expensive unless I just can't wait to read them. If I'm reading books that are part of a series I'll buy the next 2 or 3 books when I'm about finished with the ones I have. I still keep running out of space for fiction (mainly mysteries) and would like to spend more time reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing on this issue. Among other things it took my mind off the pain of having my dog put to sleep this morning. I rescued him 14 years ago so he was between 16 & 17 years old. He wasn't well and I couldn't watch him suffer but it broke my heart.
I’m one of those people who believe you can almost never have too many books. My husband thinks one can. In 37 years of reign a publisher’s rep for various publishers and selling to independent bookstores in Canada and New England I had multiple chances every week to buy books. So I did. There were times of “downsizing” books. And I tried to give away all my Advanced Reading Copies. Still. Last year, after retiring I thought, it was time to really clean up. Sigh. Much progress. I even went through my cookbooks. Alas, my old office still had the ARCs I think I might, might read some day. I have, ow that I’m on a “fixed income”, spent more time at my wonderful library, which means the piles go back to the library. I still buy books from my local independent bookstores, just not as many. And I still think we need more bookshelves.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time parting with books- we have a Library Room in our house so that is helpful, but it now has become full, so I guess I will have to part with some now. I keep buying and buying and buying!
ReplyDeleteI'm inordinately sentimental about books, but I'll occasionally pack up a few to give to my library. Thanks for the reminder to do some more of that. In truth, I mostly read ebooks now, so I should pass along more of the "tree books."
ReplyDelete-- Storyteller Mary