Decluttering - but how do I say goodbye to books?

PS I told her, she didn't listen, and then all five of the estate agents they went to told her the same thing, one after another. She would get the hump with them and sack them! She can't sack me but I bet she would have liked to.

I managed to get MiL, after several years of procrastinating and then eventually being told forcefully that she would never sell her house unless buyers could actually see the place... to offer hers to the local library. They were very grateful - and she can borrow them back again if necessary!

She now has a kindle and we are under strict instruction from FiL not to buy her any new books.

LOL yes. And yet- DH does regret getting rid of the instructions manuals for his first computer a ZX81 and BBC computers- as they are very valuable now- and will be even more so in a couple of generations.
Same for cartoons, early annuals, etc.

Just to clarify my 'out of date info.' comment. I meant technical books that have been superceeded. Not books of interesting historical content.

DH collects Victorian and early 20th century building books, but is happy to throw away the 2012 Building Sandards manual, eventually!

x

google book folding art

there is a ?new ? craft of book folding , pages are folded and a picture or words are formed , lots of these books are bought from charity shops , so they are worth passing on to these shops . I like the idea , but lack the patience to do them , the books are not mutilated so could be read if wanted

My books are gathering dust and no way am I ready to give them away

the out of date info is one of the most fascinating aspects actually. DH already regrets getting rid of some of his old medical text books, for that reason. I have my grand-mother's family medical encyclopedia from the turn of the 20C- it is amazing and umbelievable the advice and info given about childcare and sexuality, for instance. And I have books of maps from the 19C- which show the world and borders as it was then, before WW1, and also books of maps of the Swiss Glaciers in the 19C and early 20C - which would make any skeptic re climate change re-adress their views, etc.

You say they are gathering dust.
So you sound emotionally ready to give away the majority of them.

We have managed to get rid of hundreds of books over the last few years. For a while, I sold books on line but then the bottom fell out of book selling for amateurs. At the same time, and since, we've given a lot to various charities. We now have two bookcases instead of five in the sitting room. But we still have two in the study, four in the attic and one in each of the other bedrooms. In spite of Kindle, they seem to breed.......

I can't understand this thing about books, either. Our bookcases are crammed full of paperbacks which will never be read again, which I would happily drop into a skip. We shall be re-carpeting soon and I intend to have a similar massive clear out.

On a recent thread on this subject, I vehemently defened the kindle. Especially in bed - books are impossible to read in bed without straining your shoulders or getting a crick in your neck. My kindle is in a sleeve which I can stand next to the pillow and I can read it in comfort without even holding it. And I've read far more books since I got the kindle.

I also said that I consider books rather unhygenic. Very old books (eg. from my parents-in-law) and second-hand books can be yellow, smelly and dusty and have those little mites crawling around on them. I can wipe the kindle with a damp cloth or even a disinfectant wipe (if I'm careful), but I can't de-must a book.

So, obviously I can't sympathise and offer you advice, petitpois. But, in your position, I would do the following:

- only do a little bit each day (say, one shelf). This should also result in a manageable amount for the dustbin each week. Check whether you can throw a hard-back book into the recycling paper in your area - I can imagine that might be a problem.

- decide before you start what proportion you want to keep/throw away/sell/give away and apply that proportion approximately to each section as you go. Be strong!

- Take each book in hand while you make your decision and ask yourself when you last read it, what you thought of it, whether you will read it again in the next five years, and, if not then say goodbye to it!

- In future - when you have read a book, decide immediately if you want to keep it, and if not, pass it on or throw it out straight away. Don't leave it lying around, or put it on the shelf until you've "thought about it".

- From now on, keep a log of the books you read and what you thought of them. If your memory's that good, you can also list the books as you're throwing them out, make notes on them and use that for reference if necessary later on. As suggested above, if you do suddenly decide you've thrown out one too many and you'd like to read it again, get that kindle and download it.

- Bear in mind that with the rise of digital reading, the demand for second hand books will diminish rapidly so get on with the selling asap. Charity shops may soon start turning them away because they're not sellig and just using up shelf space.

- Obviously you will keep picture books, children's books, dictionaries, encyclopaedias and atlases, and "classical" literature. And any valuable first editions! Once these are re-arranged and have pride of place on the shelf and are not just hidden among endless rows of books, you will appreciate them more. And the grandchildren will learn to treat them as something special, too.

And think seriously about a kindle. The time you used to spend dusting all those books can now be spent reading exciting new ones - ones which you won't ever have to dust.

Out of date information isn't one of the reasons I had thought of for getting rid of a book. I like that idea. I do read books more than once and like reading a whole series again from the start now and then, but as I type this I have realised that I haven't done that for years now. It's probably because I prefer audiobooks now and am reading genres I never gave the time of day to before, so there's plenty of new books to choose from.

Don't know what I'm waiting for.

I made a decision not to buy another ikea Billy bookcase, since then I throw every book away which I won't read twice. As the years go by there are more and more books with good recommendations which I can hardly read once!
A book is just a paper version, the work itself is still available in digital form so we don't need to get bad conscience about destroying it.
Kindle is the perfect back up and the trick with Kindle is to have a few paper versions as well. For me its not an either or situation. I love both.

We've tackled it in 'Waves'. Clearing out and taking to charity the obvious rejects first. Then seriously looking at books that have out of date information or will really not be read again.

Now it's time for the tough decisions! I don't envy any bookworm the task!

x

Good advice Devorgilla.

I have got rid of lots of MY books to Christian aid they hold a massive sale in May, but still have lots left.

However OH is a hoarder, and has 2 rooms lined with HIS books etc, and they are not small rooms!

BUT he also has stuff which he has ignored for decades, and his filing system is stuff it somewhere out of sight.

We have tidied out cupboards and thrown out, but his space is sacrosanct, such that i dont know where important papers are, yes they are somewhere.

At last he has decided to do a clear, how long it will last?

I await , but there will always be something to occupy his time.

Some of my actual books store very nicely on the floor under the living room radiator. Wasted space otherwise.

Yes it is. And lighter. And with the cover I've got on mine, it practically stands up on it's own.

We're doing a similar thing, Devorgilla. I've designed the interior of our building conversion to accommodate as much of our precious possessions without it looking like a cluttered up granny annexe with over-large furniture and far too many ornaments. DH keeps hissing ' think minimalist' in my ear everytime I show him the latest plan. That makes me laugh because he's a far worse hoarder than I am.

By hook or by crook, there'll be room for our books

#notallofthem

A book in bed is cosy, a kindle isn't

When we downsized we deliberately looked for a house where we could line a room with shelves for the books. We did get rid of ones we knew we would never read again and ones where the information was out of date. The rest, plus the new additions, are still with us. We still haven't got enough shelf space! I sympathise with your sense of loss if parted from them. When we first moved house we 'lost' a box of books and still mourn its loss. Just live with them and leave it to the kids to sort out when you are gone.

I am trying to not add to my collection especially this time of year with books being published in time for Christmas ,a lot of the authors I love publish this time of year,I almost have to handcuff myself to walk past Smiths and waterstones and not go in,being more impoverished than ever this year have decided its library books only now to cut costs,and therefore cut down on the amount I have.
I have a wish that I could get locked in a book shop one night and not be till morning..bliss

It's hard isn't it? We're de-cluttering like mad and I still have two large and three smaller bookcases to work through. So far I've taken quite a few to EMMAUS because they have a large second hand book section and it's only a 15 minute drive away. I have stopped taking books to charity shops in town because there is no easy access parking and they're heavy to lug all the way from the car park.

I now use my kindle for novels but am still addicted to non-fiction in hardback.

I have this task looming,but like petitpois I feel emotionally attached to my books and really dread parting with them.I like the feel and smell of a new book and electronic devices just don't cut it for me,I do comfort reading and losing myself in a book is escapism from life and a security blanket for me......I really need to get out more,having been like this since the age of 5 don't think this will be changing any time soon ..

I love books too and long for a wall of bookcases to display them properly
DH is not a reader though and so I have mine stored in various places and just some out
I have a Kindle too but mine is no good out in the sun or in the bath!

Oh, I do understand! My books are like best friends, I just cannot bring myself to get rid of them...
Good luck.