The Sunday Salon: Mess of Books
One of the many things that I do love about winter and the below zero temps (yes, I said love) is that I can’t go outside. I know that there are hardy Minnesotans out there who are willing to spend thirty minutes bundling up to spend five minutes outdoors, but I’m not one of them. I’ll stay inside where it’s warm and the chances of my legs becoming numb from cold are zero.
With all the time that I’m spending indoors, I am inspired to go through all my crap. I have loads of stuff just laying around my house begging to be let out. After awhile, I start to feel a little claustrophobic with all the stuff that starts accumulating through my house. Part of the stuff that accumulates is books. So I cleared off all of my bookshelves and hunted around for all the books laying around my house. All of this book hunting lead to a bigger mess.
Photo Evidence 1: Mess of Books on Stairs
Photo Evidence 2: Mess of Books by Treadmill (Ignore ugly couch on the right)
After a full day of dusting and getting rid of books that I’ll never read again, I am still left with a lot of books. The books that I am left with, I love. If I don’t love them, they are out. They are reference books, fiction, anthologies, and several dictionaries. All of them found a home…until next winter that is.
Home Sweet Home:
How do you decide what books to keep and what books to give away?
I’ve organized my stacks, too. I have a Someday TBR, a Soon TBR, and a ASAP TBR. Nothing stays in someday past three years. I rearrange my soon and asap every few months.
I do all this and then something wonderful is published and I set everything aside and buy the new book. Can’t help myself.
lol; I love the really cold days (we don’t get that many in CO) for the same reason!
I’m living with my parents right now, and if I break into my dream career I’ll be moving every 3-4 years, so I tend to be harsh when editing my books. I only keep as many as can fit in my 3 bookshelves (they take up most of one wall of my bedroom), and unless I know I want to reread a book or it’s by a favourite author, I usually donate books once I’ve read them. That’s part of why I’m such a library fiend!
I like to keep the classics. I have a lot of black spines (Penguin Classics) all in a row. Then I like to keep only books I love, or haven’t read yet. Sometimes I am also influenced by the look of the cover. My books tend to double as ornaments for the home.
I love the shelves!
I like to keep anything I believe I will read more than once. I have started using the library to “try out” books I might want to buy, instead of buying them and looking for ways to rid myself of them. Of course, this is a work in progress, and I still lapse occasionally!
I’ll keep books signed by the author and those with any kind of sentimental value. My problem is finding time to read what I already have. I hope my new book blog will motivate me. Like Priscilla, I also use the public library to test drive books. My impulse buying has been curtailed due to lack of space. Anyway, stay warm and sending Aloha from Kauai.
That is a lot! Someday I’m gonna have as many books as you have! Never mind the clutter.