Poll on clearing out my bookshelves

[Kim in Appalachia]

I have 8 bookshelves full of books (and that's not counting the books in the kids rooms.  They have their own shelves).  Some of these books are school text books, or books needed for school.  I will slowly get rid of them as my youngest gets older.  But I still have a lot of books.  I know I will not read most of those books again.  I do love books, so I've always held onto them.  I have done small purges in the past, but still, I have so many books.  While the books take up space, they also collect a lot of dust.  The shelves get cowbebs behind them, and the thought that someday I may have to move them all overwhelmes me.

 

We currently live in a old Victorian house.  My upstairs hallways are lined with bookshelves.  The hallways are wide, so it doesn't make it too narrow, but still, I do feel like it looks cluttered. 

 

School is done for the summer, and I'm on a cleaning streak.  I wan't to toss everything not nailed down.  I have 5 kids, all of whom still live at home (though the oldest is hardly here.  She works at her college campus all summer, but her stuff is here).  My kids are not little and we do not have storage in this house.

 

Anyway, keep or purge the books?  I attempted to make a poll.  I'm unsure if it worked.   :)

[prairiewindmomma]

Purge.  It makes way for new and lovely things to come into your life.

[Upward Journey]

The poll seems to have worked.  

 

As to purging books, I'm not much help.  I'm in the same place right now.

[Orthodox6]

I would teach my children to dust!

 

(That was one of my regular chores while growing up.)

 

Depending upon the ages of your children, I would toss many of the textbooks and keep the best of the other books. We ended up reusing few of the textbooks, but reusing many of the subject-related non-textbooks.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'm a purger. Off to Goodwill they go.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Take the books off the shelf and stack them on the floor.  Clean the bookshelves.  Then, pick up each book in turn and note how you feel when you hold it.  Does it spark joy?  Then put it back on the nice clean shelf.  Does it cause you to feel bored? guilty? sad? annoyed? something else? If so, then place it in a box and send it on its way.  Maybe it will bring joy to someone else.  Continue with this process, holding each individual book in your hands.  When you're finished, arrange the remaining few books in whatever way pleases you.  Then, each time you walk down that hallway, you will look at your collection of favorite books, and smile.   :001_smile:

 

(This is my take on the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo)

 

 

[Meriwether]

Unless I knew for sure that everyone was done with a book forever, I wouldn't get rid of it. I'm going on 20 bookcases, though, so I may not be the one to ask. I am trying to cut down. Once the baby is through the board books, I will weed some out. Then the children's books and easy readers. I will give away more than I want to and fewer than other people will think I should.

[Miss Mousie]

I couldn't do it.  I love my books.  Like you, I have managed mini-purges, but not many, and not often.  I know there are practical considerations (storage, the weight, the dust) - but I can stick my fingers in my ears and la-la-la and go on loving and admiring my books.  And, should some of them turn out to be very useful again someday, then BONUS!  :)

 

That said, I sure do appreciate all you strict purgers whose books end up in my library sales!   :thumbup:

 

 

[elegantlion]

Books are added insulation in an old house. :D

[Kim in Appalachia]

Books are added insulation in an old house. :D

 

 

:laugh:  They're all on inside walls, but yes, every bit of insulation is helpful. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

I spent the day purging my 2 younger boys room.  I threw out 6 bags of stuff.  Their room is so clean.  Doing that makes me want to toss a lot of the books even more.  I believe I may shoot for getting rid of one bookcase.  We'll see.  I won't get rid of any of the kids favorite books, or ones I know they'll be reading for school, but overwise I think I may purge without mercy.  

 

It will all go in cloth bags and sit in my house for another month, since that's how long it will be till I will get to the used book store in the city to sell them. If I have regrets it will be easy to rectify for a little while. 

[Ripley]

I'm a book hoarder, at a cross-roads. I'm the unofficial library of our neighborhood, family and friends, and I love that.

 

I never thought I'd see the day I felt overwhelmed by my book collections. When I was where you are now, I had doors custom-made for all of my bookshelves.  Solved that problem for a decade.  When I ran out of walls for more shelves, I boxed up the lesser-used books that I still wasn't ready to let go. Very organized, still easily accessible and stored in an indoor closet.  That worked for another five years, until I retired.  Now it's just too much.

 

So I'm purging. In bite-sized chunks, so as not to shock my system.  Maybe that will work for you, too.

 

I'm getting rid of anything that's easily found at a library, including classics and series (Little House, Ramona Quimby, Roald Dahl stuff, etc.)  I'm allowing myself an exception from each age group, if there's a particularly sentimental book or set.  E.g., the Narnia series that was mine growing up and my son's marked up Brave New World which is fun to re-read and get a giggle from.

 

What has helped is to remember that there are homes that will love these books, even the tattered ones, as much as we have! I brought a big chunk of K-5 books to the curriculum sale held by my homeschool group and sold them for $.10 each, all conditions.  I didn't make much, but it was enough to buy a round of Sonic drinks at the end of the sale!  I offered a bunch to kids from school, church, etc. These kids still thank me, and honestly I'm just glad the books are being read again instead of sitting caged up in boxes or behind my bookshelf doors!

 

Anything I had to pay full-price for, or would be challenging to replace, ... so far those have stayed. I'm still working on my irrational attachment to those.

[fraidycat]

Full disclosure: I am a minimalist. Or, working toward being a minimalist. And a book lover.

 

I vote purge. But, we move a lot, so I'm forced to purge regularly.

[Katy]

Take the books off the shelf and stack them on the floor.  Clean the bookshelves.  Then, pick up each book in turn and note how you feel when you hold it.  Does it spark joy?  Then put it back on the nice clean shelf.  Does it cause you to feel bored? guilty? sad? annoyed? something else? If so, then place it in a box and send it on its way.  Maybe it will bring joy to someone else.  Continue with this process, holding each individual book in your hands.  When you're finished, arrange the remaining few books in whatever way pleases you.  Then, each time you walk down that hallway, you will look at your collection of favorite books, and smile.   :001_smile:

 

(This is my take on the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo)

 

 

This.  You don't have to be a minimalist to only keep the things you love. You can love a house full of stuff.  But don't clutter your home up with stuff you don't love.

[RKWAcademy]

I've always held on to any and all books.  I love books.  I'm in the same position you are now.  My shelves are overloaded, I have boxes of unpacked books in the attic (from our move 8.5 years ago), and we are contemplating moving again.  Just recently, part of me has decided the books have to go.  I'm slowly donating a bag or two every week (we drive by a donation center (for Alzheimer's!) weekly).  I won't throw any classics or my favorites or even books my kids may read.  But the rest are leaving.  I couldn't do a huge purge on the books; it would overwhelm me and I'd refuse to get rid of any.  My method is working now.  Good luck!

[sbgrace]

Theoretically I would purge/re-home books that won't be used/read again. My husband, though, wouldn't and doesn't. I don't touch his books, but I do re-home "finished" books otherwise. That said, I do sometimes have issues figuring out, for sure, which books fall into that category! Hence the theoretical part of my answer. I know I keep some books I probably shouldn't.

[linders]

Take the books off the shelf and stack them on the floor.  Clean the bookshelves.  Then, pick up each book in turn and note how you feel when you hold it.  Does it spark joy?  Then put it back on the nice clean shelf.  Does it cause you to feel bored? guilty? sad? annoyed? something else? If so, then place it in a box and send it on its way.  Maybe it will bring joy to someone else.  Continue with this process, holding each individual book in your hands.  When you're finished, arrange the remaining few books in whatever way pleases you.  Then, each time you walk down that hallway, you will look at your collection of favorite books, and smile.   :001_smile:

 

(This is my take on the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo)

 

Just read that section of the Kondo book and started doing this the past weekend. It was enlightening.

 

I had three hardback books - the complete works of Plato, plays of Aristophanes, and some other such - that I bought 35 (yes, 35!) years ago when my college boyfriend signed up for an honors seminar where these were required reading. As I heard his stories through the semester, I wished I had signed up, so I bought the books. I have never once read them, but I have moved them great distances at least 9 times. I could have bought several copies for the associated moving costs, I imagine.

 

So this last weekend I picked them up. I felt terribly guilty. I should read these! They would enrich me! And I put them on the book fair pile. A pile which is getting ever larger.

[displace]

Purge ones you know will not get read or are outdated (tech, nonfiction). Take pics of them or make a list if you want to remember reading them. Start easy first and as you progress see if you want to get rid of more.

[mom2scouts]

I voted no, but I'm partly joking.  I have such a hard time getting rid of books! Really though, go through them and get rid of the ones you really don't think you'll use again.