It's the New Year, I had the urge to do some cleaning around the house. One of my resolutions was to organize my work station which is filled with junk, loose papers, stale dated magazines and books (both read and unread). We had a small basement downstairs which I have a wall unit for my books and other stuff. I noticed that I am running out of space. My precious bookshelf needs a little weeding. Now I am faced with the question of what books should I discard to make room for new ones. It has been years since I am in denial, it feels like a Sophie's choice (sort of) but reality hits and it needs to be done.
This is what I decided to do:
(1) Get rid of dated books
Those are books that I got from the public library who give it away for free. Those are donated books that the library did not have use for. They either have multiple copies in stock or they don't have enough shelves to keep it. The libraries prefer to get hardcovers since it has a longer shelf life. I can either return them back to the libraries which I doubt if they would take them back or I can put them on recycling.
You have to understand the dilema here, I grew up wanting books at my disposal. I have to save my own lunch money just to buy a used paperback. It is painful for me to get rid of this.
Books that are on my book shelf next to my bed. I read them all and I haven't touched them since then.
(3) Keep some Old and some New school textbooks.
After more than 14 years, I decided to go back to Business school for a graduate degree. This meant buying a new set of books. There were some textbooks that I kept from college days that I occassionally used as reference from time to time. One of my college professors suggested then not to sell or get rid some of the select books. I followed his advise and he was right all along.
(4) Keeping the paperbacks that I bought
These are books that I purchased since they are a guilty pleasure. Normally, I borrow copies from the library but since I became a fan of historical novels, I want to own a copy. Also, it usually takes months for the library to own new releases or I will be the 101th library patron on the waiting list. Some of them are impulse purchase.
(5) Keeping my favorites
These books are here to stay. Those are the copies that I read and enjoyed them through. Some of them I read through my commute to NYC, some are bought when travelling. When in a mood, I go back through them and read a passage now and then.
(6) Unread books stays on the shelf
It has been years since I got them. I buy them faster than I can read them. It doesn't help that a quick trip to the library makes me get a different book to read and ignore the ones that I have on my bookshelf. I still believe that I would have a reading frenzy that would make me read all of them in a short span of time. Probably in another 10 years or so.
How about you? How would you sort out your book collection?
This is what I decided to do:
(1) Get rid of dated books
This make sense, information constantly changes there is no need for old travel books that is dated more than 3 years, a tax book that is 13 years old nor a movie guide that is 15 years old. A lot things happened then.
Is it me or the young Steven Spielberg looked like Peter Jackson? Both are great directors, it makes you wonder. Are they related? In the previous life perhaps. Spielberg's other branch of the family tree moved to New Zealand. Oh, that would be an interesting fiction.
(2) Unload the paperbacks
Those are books that I got from the public library who give it away for free. Those are donated books that the library did not have use for. They either have multiple copies in stock or they don't have enough shelves to keep it. The libraries prefer to get hardcovers since it has a longer shelf life. I can either return them back to the libraries which I doubt if they would take them back or I can put them on recycling.
You have to understand the dilema here, I grew up wanting books at my disposal. I have to save my own lunch money just to buy a used paperback. It is painful for me to get rid of this.
Books that are on my book shelf next to my bed. I read them all and I haven't touched them since then.
(3) Keep some Old and some New school textbooks.
After more than 14 years, I decided to go back to Business school for a graduate degree. This meant buying a new set of books. There were some textbooks that I kept from college days that I occassionally used as reference from time to time. One of my college professors suggested then not to sell or get rid some of the select books. I followed his advise and he was right all along.
(4) Keeping the paperbacks that I bought
These are books that I purchased since they are a guilty pleasure. Normally, I borrow copies from the library but since I became a fan of historical novels, I want to own a copy. Also, it usually takes months for the library to own new releases or I will be the 101th library patron on the waiting list. Some of them are impulse purchase.
(5) Keeping my favorites
(6) Unread books stays on the shelf
It has been years since I got them. I buy them faster than I can read them. It doesn't help that a quick trip to the library makes me get a different book to read and ignore the ones that I have on my bookshelf. I still believe that I would have a reading frenzy that would make me read all of them in a short span of time. Probably in another 10 years or so.
How about you? How would you sort out your book collection?
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