My childhood dream was to buy any book I wanted to read and not wait for my name to come up on the library reserve list. So now I do. I always have a stack of books waiting to be read. But once I’ve read them I give them to friends or thrift stores. 5 or 6 books at a time so nobody is overwhelmed. I learned long ago that if I want to read something again I can get it at the library (which I couldn’t when the book was new) or I can get it for a buck or so used on Amazon. I’m not doing research or anything, I just like to read actual books (as opposed to e-books, which I would do in a pinch but it is so not the same.)
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I confess to having all of the hardbound childrens books I’ve purchased either for my own children, or for my work in a primary school. BUT they are neatly housed on bookshelves in my kids’ old bedrooms.
When I work, I still use some of them.
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I used to think I could just read it at the library, but then the library started purging all my favorite books! Just before Harry Potter came out they got rid of huge quantities of British fantasy fiction, it was so aggravating and of course a couple of years later they had to buy half of it back if it wasn’t out of print because kids wanted to read similar things. Anyway, watching what they tossed cured me of think I could count on libraries to have copies of a book I might want to reread.
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Don’t you have inter-library loan? We have that…books can be gotten from any public library in the state. Just about anything can be gotten.
Depends on the state.
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I agree with your post entirely! To be clear, it is novels, poetry and short stories that I reread as well. I maybe wasn’t clear in meaning that the novels I actually own (maybe a few hundred adult ones?) I have on average read 4-10+ times. Not ALL the books I own. And yes- poetry is for taking down to read whenever the need strikes me. I do read some nonfiction books a few times, but I mostly go back to refer to sections in it once I have read it the first time.
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We have interlibrary loan for the county, but not the state as far as I know. Some of the books I’ve picked up that were thrown out aren’t anywhere in the system. They have a real blind spot for British children’s fiction.
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This may sound crazy, but…
My house is transitional/modern, but NOT minimalist. I worked hard to make it warm and homey. But we have no bookshelves. We have a couple of art niches where I have some art pieces, but no bookshelves.
However, I do have a small office with lots of cabinetry, which is full of my favorite books. Additionally, I have a huge closet with lots of shelves in it. I only have so many shoes, so on many of these shelves, I have family photos and my favorite books.
My books are in private spaces, not displayed. But I get having a collection of beloved books that you just don’t want to get rid of. Mine are just very orderly, do not infringe at all on my husband’s love or order and neatness, and are at arm’s reach whenever I want them. I have read some of my favorite books 10 times, or sometimes more! I read a lot on my Kindle, and always have an audiobook going in my car, but some books just have to be physical, paper, tactile works of art.
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So back to OP’s problem - husband does not see the accumulation in inappropriate locations as an issue. Has he been asked to keep surfaces clear and, if so, what was the reaction? Perhaps one day just take all the books that were left where they didn’t belong and dump them on his side of the bed. One mass pile might be a good visual of why it’s a problem he needs to solve.
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I think all you can do is tell him how you feel, which you probably have. Then tell him that’s you need XYZ surfaces to be clear or you’ll go crazy and you’d appreciate his help I’m figuring out. If he doesn’t do it, then it’s now a stand-off.
Evety8ne is different, but at that Point, I’d get rid of the duplicates and any books on places that drive me crazy, I’d put on some sort of box/bin, and put it on the garage, basement, or someplace like that.
If he puts them back, then you have a different problem.
I hate book clutter. DH doesn’t read much for pleasure, as he reads all day long and the newspaper from front to back (so I guess that’s his pleasure reading). I go to the library and once got rid of 50 books. Our office has nice built ins, and we decorated them with an old set of law books that matched out office that were be donated from the law school, maybe, I don’t remember.
I’d like to get rid of all that stuff by the window and the 90’s drapes…but DH likes it and it’s not worth the effort to push it. That’s my 1996 glamour shots picture on the right. My 1990’s room.
Whenever someone goes back there they probably think they are his! Haha! So, @Hoggirl is right about doing it for perception.
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This inspired me to find a few books that I can easily get rid of. Old textbooks that I know I will never use. And the editions are too old to resell or even donate. It’s painful because they are in like-new condition and part of me wants to believe they still have value. I plan to donate them to a drop box that will either sell, donate, or recycle them for me. I have several boxes full of books that I need to tackle next.
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OP if you don’t have or want room for more shelves, then I would do what you are doing - remove some of the “old” books he won’t miss and replace them with the new ones to get those off the other surfaces.
I have also double shelved at times, which makes more room.
I was in my attic and discovered several more boxes of books. Some I want to keep, as they are kind of like old friends and not all are available on the library app, but OTOH if they have been in boxes for a few years and I did not miss them, not sure they need to be kept (except for a select few).
Our library has an annual sale and the local Goodwill takes books. Planning to get rid of some this weekend!
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Anyone want 1000 or so science fiction paperbacks that have been in Rubbermaid bins in a garage for 25 years? I think I could probably empty them out and DH would never know until we move…he has never once taken a book out to read again. And I know there are at least three copies of Dune…because I was the one who repacked them from odd sized cardboard boxes.
But at least they aren’t in the house!
To me…this is a useless way to keep books.
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It’s a useless way to keep anything. Except for maybe one’s seasonal decor and a VERY small amount of memorabilia.
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OP here. Have taken all of this to heart and taken the plunge. I filled 2 boxes this mor ing and dropped off at recycling on my way to work. I’m starting with books that are either mine, our daughter’s, or exact duplicates. If I can make a dent (every mor ing I go in to work I will drop off a crate) I will have created shelf space so it may inspire him to weed through his stacks. I think the motivation will be that if he goes through them and puts them in some order, he will actually be able to find them. It’s a start…
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It may also inspire him to buy more books!
nooooooh!
Good luck, @BalletMom . Report back in a couple of weeks and let us know how it’s going.
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@BalletMom I also have 8 big bookshelves and books on our nightstands and more books coming in all the time. I purge the shelves 3-4 times a year and get rid of books that aren’t keepers, that I know I won’t read again. I put a note out to friends to see if anyone wants - I always have a lot of new fiction - and then I usually box up 3-4 cardboard boxes and drive them to a Better World Books drop off. You can google locations online. There’s one in the parking lot of a library a few towns up. They then resell the books online. I don’t see a penny but that’s fine - I’m just happy to have them out of my house. My DH will not take the time to purge his books - I do it for him - but before I donate I tell him to take a look and save anything special. But mostly I know what he cares about to keep and what was a one off.
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