So it's literally been years since I blogged, nobody will read this and that's okay. I just need to send this question out into the universe.
How do you thin your bookshelves?
Let me explain. We have at least one set of bookshelves in every room of our house. At least one. Every room. I love books! I also love space. So when I decide it's time to declutter and reclaim some space I occasionally think about getting rid of some of those books. So here's how it rolls. I sit down in front of a bookshelf armed with a dusting cloth, a donation box, and a trash bag. I take every single book off the shelf trying desperately to put them into some kind of orderly system of piles...like a card catalog on my floor...it doesn't work...I have 50 different piles and they make no sense at all. I dust the shelves. I move the shelves and dust behind them. I feel accomplished. I move more furniture around in the room (or from room to room because I have a furniture moving obsession) and then I decide to do it. I will only put back on these pristine shelves books that are worth keeping. Books that are in good condition. Books we will read!
And then it happens. I pick up a book, ready to make the decision...keep, donate, trash. I read the book. Maybe just a few pages, maybe the entire thing. I love this book. This book was one I bought with my own money from the Scholastic book fair in the fifth grade. I read hundreds of books in the fifth grade. My reading caterpillar was the longest caterpillar ever. I learned to love reading because of that caterpillar contest, and in turn I learned a lot from reading. Everyone who reads this book will learn to love reading and will then learn a lot in life. This book is amazing! I am keeping this book! Next book. I know nobody is reading it NOW but it's a great book. Some of my kiddos have read it...others might want to read it soon...I'll keep this one. It's a relatively small book and doesn't take up much space. I can tape the cover. Next book. Why do we have so many copies of this book? I guess everyone reads this book in school. We can get rid of the duplicates. Great book though, everyone SHOULD read this book in school. Or in the park. Or snuggled on the couch while it rains. I'm keeping this one. And maybe an extra copy because you never know. Next book. This book is WAY too young for anyone in this family. We will donate this, I'm sure somewhere some small child will appreciate this book. I'm definitely ready to part with this one. It's okay that I read it EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. to my own children. It's time to move on. Except for the fact that the child who I'm struggling with right now occasionally picks up this book and reads it even though it's a children's book and then they remember that we can be friends. I'm sure I'll have grandchildren some day and they will want to see what books I read to their Mom or Dad. I'll keep this one, it's a classic. And so on and so on and so on...until I realize that my family will be home any minute and all I've done with my day is sit in a rather uncomfortable position in the midst of a weird book fort reading bits and pieces of books. So I rush and put them all back on the shelves. Slightly more organized and definitely not dusty. Good day. Except for that fact that I reclaimed no space. None. That shelf was bursting at the seams so the piddly little pile of rejects doesn't even make room for all the keepers on that particular shelf.
If it's my one of my personal bookshelves I can't part with any books because they are mine, the characters are my best friends...you don't just get rid of your friends!!! If it's the shelves with church books I feel like a heathen when I consider tossing a book...I mean who throws out church books? I should probably read more off this shelf...I feel guilty when I look at this shelf, that's why it stays dusty. If it's Dan's shelves full of educator/motivational stuff I think I could easily toss some but really, is that okay to do? Just toss someone else's books? Just because I don't like them that much can you do that...just decide what print is worth keeping? (Side note, Dan is the biggest duplicate book culprit in the family. If he likes a book he will buy multiple copies and give them away as gifts, usually to new teachers...and he always buys a few extras 'just in case' he comes across someone years down the line who hasn't read this book but needs to...if I got rid of his duplicates would he really notice? I'm considering.) If it's my children's shelves they get to decide. It was THEIR money at that Scholastic book fair this time, you just can't do that to someone, get rid of their books. Who does that?
So there you have it. I just end up with clean, rearranged shelves and a pile of great books that didn't fit on said shelves...and then a new shelf! Occasionally I do part with one in REALLY bad shape or one that was just a terrible book (they must have a friend in the publishing office because they are not an author of merit) but the number of books I get rid of each year and the number I buy each year do not equal each other. I DO use the library. A LOT. I take my kids there all the time, we check out tons of books. But I like to write in my books...and read them in the tub...and eat while reading...and I always forget to return stuff to the library...I literally owe them over $100 if you add up all the fines on all the cards in my family...so I might as well just buy the book outright and cut out the middle man and not stress about dropping it in the tub or spilling hot chocolate on the cover. When I go to Half Price Books I have good intentions. I will just buy a few things and then sell back all the books I don't love at my house and it will all even out. But I stop off there on a whim so I don't have my 'sell back pile' with me and I don't have many books in my house I don't love...that belong to me...so that pile is pretty meager to begin with...
Dilemma.
Feel free to come on over and borrow a book sometime. In fact, just borrow the whole dang shelf.
