I have stuff coming out of my ying yang. The byproduct of 32 years of being a pack rat.
I thought that I went through and got rid of a lot of stuff back when I turned 30, just in time for our last move. At the time, I believe that I did. Hell, I finally got rid of papers that I had been holding to since I was a teenager.
Well, it is time to get rid of more of the pocketbooks that I have been holding on to for about the same amount of years. There are so many books out there that I haven't read, why I am holding on to the trade books? (mental note, I do differentiate between what I consider intellectual forays and those that are 1-4 night dashes that are purely for escapist reasons)
There are a wack by Nora Robert$ that my mom figures she will reread when she retires, so the three additional stuff bags I have of the, she is more than welcome too and I am no longer going to store them. It feels quite free'ing actually. To not have a few hundred books sitting on a shelf, getting dusty, quietly whispering - WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ME??? You have no intention to read us?!
So I have a few piles, the ones I will take and sell to a bookstore in Victoria (eventually), a pile that I will use at the local bookstore as trades, the ones I will just donate, ones my interested friends have already read and fall in to one of the other categories, the ones for my mom, and ones I will just pay forward and release in to the wild.
2 comments:
I have to work hard at not letting my books invite their friends into this house. The library is a major help!!
I love books and read a lot. But I've grown easier with not actually OWNING them, easier with reading it and passing it on.
It's all part of being a librarian's daughter I think: the knowledge that the book will be out there if you need to read it again. Even the thrill of the search for the book you want to read again.
Nonetheless I'm still excited about the new bookshelves/drawers my husband is building for me--it is a old closet that will be dedicated to written media: one must still keep a FEW favourite books around.
And, er, um, my old comics from when I was a kid. And about a hundred old journals. CAN'T part with those! :)
Post a Comment