I’ve decided that much as I love books, and love my books, that I have too many and really ought to rationalise. I may have mentioned that we are hoping to downsize and we definitely won’t have room for the millions of books I possess – ok, I’m exaggerating, but I have to be sensible.
The two piles at the opposite ends of the book rationalising spectrum are fairly easy – those I want to keep forever on one side, and those I wonder why I ever bought them, or even if I did buy them at the other end. Maybe they were lost volumes looking for a good home and found a friendly book case – or sought refuge from something and hid under the bed. Between the “definitely keep” and the “definitely chuck” categories are other classifications –
- I haven’t read this/don’t know where it’s come from/don’t know anything about it,
- oh joy! I forgot I had this and yes I will start reading it tonight
- oh heck, I started this ages ago, I really ought to finish it
- well, I started this and really tried hard with it but honestly I don’t like it/understand it/enjoy it but maybe I should give it one last chance
- i have no clue what this is or why i have it, I will try reading it, but won’t be surprised if it has to go
- the critics raved about this/my friends loved it, it doesn’t really appeal but I will see how I get on with it
I made fairly good progress with my sorting, but began to realise I had many books which I had read years ago but not recently, as well as sets of books such as the Brother Cadfael mysteries, and the Pasco and Dalziel police procedurals. Dilemma! I’m pretty sure I want to read them again, but there are so many of them and I need to be strict with myself. The actual physical book has nothing special about it, it’s the story within which… A thought struck. I can get all these loved novels as e-books, my Kindle can accommodate thousands of books – well, hundreds, and it takes up barely any room at all. Yes, that is the way forward. I can donate or sell many books and keep those personally priceless ones without worrying about having room for them. It’s a plan!
Lois Elsden 