I don’t know if you remember – but early this year in Taking a stab at by bookshelves, I wrote about my Read a book program. How I’m planning on reading my way through my books, to decrease the collection I keep.
I read in spurts, either not reading at all, or can’t seem to get my nose out of the books, kinda spurts 🙂
The year started off slow, but the last 6-7 weeks I’ve really gotten into my paperbacks. I have read a bunch of books and so far only one is a keeper 😉
That means that today, 18 books are going out of the house.
Well.. that is not strictly true actually, I know my mum reads some of these authors, so I’ve shot her an email to check which ones she wants, before I get rid of the rest. Hopefully in a day or two, some will be on their way to my mum in England and some will be on their way to the paper recycle bin 🙂
As soon as the weather is good enough to start my garden projects, I won’t get much reading done.. Â but for right now at least, I’m on a roll, so I’m hoping for one more pile of books this spring.
I have to admit, it’s hard to let them go, I like my books. But I have checked, and they can all be bought, as kindle e-books, should I want to read them again 😉
What about you, how do you handle your book collections?
Minimalist Sometimes 
I am still putting off tackling my books!
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I understand, for us book lovers it’s a daunting process 😉 the positive thing is that reading all my old books over again, I have no need to buy any new ones right now 😉 good luck to you, for when you start…
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It took me forever to finally toss books!
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Yeah, it’s hard “work” 😉 when you love books…
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I don’t tend to reread books so when I’m done with books I sell them to stores in the US such as Half Price Books and get a little cash back.
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Your doing better than me, I have collected “collections” over the years, and i reread the good ones, but now that’s over, I’m tapering down on my collections. I have sold books as well to used book stores, but there aren’t many left were I live anymore. So now most goes to friends and family or the recycle bin 😉
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I am getting my kindle in a few days! Hurra!!! I am already looking up which books to read on it, there’ll be a few that will compete to be the first kindle book for me 🙂 I have read all the books I’ve borrowed from friends to be able to give them back quickly, and from now on all that I read will leave the house afterwards. But, hard work indeed!
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I use kindle on my iPad mini, that’s why I can “easily” get rid of my physical books now, I just figure that I can buy them as e-books later, if I want to read them again. That is why I check that I can get them as e-books before I “toss” 😉 my goal sometime in the future (far future) is to have most of my books as e-books…
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I’ve started rereading my collection in between book club books and here’s what I’m finding: some books on my shelves I pass over when selecting because they don’t grab my attention…isn’t that a dead giveaway that those books should be, well, giveaways? Duh. Recently reread “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant and currently rereading “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers…definitely keepers!
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That’s what I’m finding too, if the don’t grab my attention, their gone. But even those I like reading are now being vigorously ranked in a like scale from 1-5, and only the 5’s get to stay 😉
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We had, at my old work place, every now and then “book changing days” where we all brought books to work and then every one could also pick and take home books from others. Very practical!
Here some libraries also have “donate book shelves” where you can leave your old ones. I could never throw books away but this way I can create room in the shelves!
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That is such a good idea. I think there is a department down the hall that have a place where people can leave and pick up books. I’ll check to see if they still are doing that. I’m not sure what my library are doing anymore, they are pretty much moving over to “e-books” type stuff, but I’ll check. I find it hard as well, getting rid of books if I have space in the shelves, but since I’m working hard at reducing stuff, I have to reduce some of the books as well so I don’t have to buy an extra shelf 😉
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I have a huge book collection too. Before when I moved, I would box up all my favorite books and take them with me, figureing I would love to read them again “one of these days”. Now, i have decided that there’s really no point in taking them with me again, so I have been TRYING to re-read all the ones I thought were so good they were worth a 2nd read before. If I STILL think they’re worth keeping (for reference or just THAT good), I box them up. If I feel like twice was enough, I take them to half price books, or if they don’t want them I take them to the local hospice store. My library won’t keep them so i don’t take them there any more. I HATE to think of books going into the shredder! 😦
Somebody somewhere would enjoy that book.
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I agree, I don’t like shredding them either. I’d rather they get used.
Most of the 18 went to my mum, one to a friend, and only two if them are left to be disposed of.
We don’t have many used book stores left in my city (I only know of one if it’s still there) so unless I find someone who wants the last two, I’m afraid they will have to go in the recycle bin 😦
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oh well, maybe someone will like to have them. Do you have a goodwill store or hospice where you live? I always take my books there as a last resort.
I take all my magazines to the seamans center, those guys always appreciate them, even if they don’t know English, they still like the pictures. 🙂
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Sadly (or maybe that’s a good thing) we don’t have many of these places, the other issue is, I only read English books and it’s harder to give these to places in Norway, because they rather have books in Norwegian since not everyone is all that comfortable with reading English…
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Oh, I get it now. I only know English too, but I’m still in the USA.
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🙂 I’m actually a Norwegian, I just prefer to read English books.
I started doing that when I was a teenager and found that reading books originally written in English was way better than reading the Norwegian translation 😉
I’ve only got about 10-12 Norwegian books, everything else is in English.
Sounds a little strange? I know, then again I’ve always been an odd duck 😉
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I love books if you don’t want yours I will definitely take them.
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If you had only lived a little closer, I would have given them to you 😉
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Don’t worry! my mom says I have too many. 🙂
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