Culling Books (Sob!)

 

      I knew this time would come. I was waiting for it, prepared with many, many arguments about how we absolutely needed ALL of our books. These arguments took many forms: we have children that need to read, how when civilization ends and there is no more electricity (and no more internet) we will need stuff to read, the books' feelings will get hurt...you get the idea. I told myself all of these things while I was decluttering so that when there was nothing left but the books to be done, I would have argued myself into simply dusting the shelves and leaving the books in peace. But I am too honest. Those books had to be examined, moaned over, and put in the give away pile.

        I have a difficult relationship with books. I credit books, in no small part, to saving me from myself when I was younger. I read like mad, going through about 5 books a week and sometimes more. Often it was escapism, but I also have a jittery brain that needs a lot of interesting things passing through it regularly or it gets cranky. Reading about other places, other people - it really does broaden your horizons, that's not just the librarian's line to get people reading, it's the truth. The other reason I love books is that I am a word person. I don't think in pictures, my mind broadcasts words for everything. I'm the nerd reading the OED for fun. So we have a lot of books. Which is at war with my striving for less. I want to keep almost every book that passes through here, but I know that not only is that unrealistic, it starts to be suffocating. It's not simple. It's not clean. It's not minimal. They have to go.

       So here I was, finally admitting that some of these books must leave permanently and wondering why I have such a hard time with it.  I expect to be judged on the books I have in my house and it is an image problem on my part.  I feel that if there isn't a good ratio of squalor, anger, and British Modern novelists to offset my, ahem, Lucy Maude Montgomery books, people will think I'm froofy. Isn't that the stupidest reason ever for keeping anything?  

      I took a deep breath this weekend. I looked at these books and  asked myself if I wanted to read them again. A lot of times I said no. And it made me cringe. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't like James Joyce. Oh, everybody likes James Joyce! He is the father of Modern Literature! Ulysses is a masterpiece! Well, I have to say that I absolutely do not enjoy James Joyce. Not. Even. One. Little. Bit. I will leave it at that.  

     Other authors I like to read, but do not like the way they make me feel - like Fay Weldon. She's a fantastic writer and so, so witty. But she makes me hate men. And women. And sometimes even children. Now that I'm not 17 anymore, I kind of like to be happy some of the time.  

     I also had a lot of Ellis Peters duplicates and some weird books people had given me (Clive Cussler! Simple Man, what were you thinking?) that I didn't have any trouble parting with. All in all, I was satisfied with my book culling. Yes, we still have too many books, but I'm okay with that for now.

    How about you? What do you have trouble giving away and why?

Comments

[Aminah]

I know the feeling of having to make the choice to give something away. We too have lot's of books. More than I've actually read! I just keep thinking, someday I'll get to you!

I generally have an easy time parting with things because I love purging. The things that I do have a hard time parting with are home decor items and pretty paper!

[TheSimplePoppy]

Books are about the only thing I have a hard time flinging. I'm pretty unsentimental and I go around tossing a lot out - but books? My heart quivers! Cool paper too. I still have some Arthur Rackham postcards from 17 years ago I still haven't parted with!

[Stephanie]

Hi, just found your blog! Yes, I plan on dying surrounded by books and never, ever get rid of them. I can grudgingly remember every one I've lent out that never found their way back to my shelf. They're my security blanket.

[TheSimplePoppy]

Hi Stephanie! Dying surrounded by books sounds like a good plan to me. Would you believe that I got rid of all those books and went to a yard sale this weekend and bought 10 more? I'm telling myself it's okay because some of them were for my girls - but books are definitely my security blanket too. Thanks for stopping by!

[Di]

Ahhh, books....We have a whole room dedicated to books. We call it our library. As if that's not enough, we also have four other tall bookshelves scattered throughout the house, plus some in boxes in the attic room. After twelve years of homeschooling and hubby going to the recycling center every week and coming home with about 4-6 history, science, and math textbooks, it's a losing battle. I am currently ruthlessly purging my house for a garage sale in a few weeks, but leaving most of the books alone. Too much to tackle for the moment. Many of them have sentimental value, although some I could easily part with. But after the garage sale, watch out books! Off to Ebay with you!

[TheSimplePoppy]

We homeschool too, I know that accounts for a lot of my reluctance in giving away books. I'm always thinking, "Could we use that?" I think I have to go through them yet again, but i'm just not ready for it right now!