What do you do with all those books you've read?

So how many fiends do you know? How did you get to know them? How did you start this book exchange based relationship?

Ha!

Didi I say that?

Yes, I did!

Well, fiends have to read, too, ya know!

And it helps get rid of the book clutter, too!

Yeh, I sold books to the local, at least one really good one, a Hockney. The books I'll put online for sale now will hurt.

On packs, I sent twenty three packages of books here to NM after I culled my books.

Keep 'em . . . then read 'em again . . . and again . . .

Mainly art books, osso?

I found it quite painful to sell quite a few of those, too.

Boxes and boxes of all my Celtic books, my serious literature, my Simone de Beauvoir books, my English history books in closets . . . desperately need book shelves.

I check 2 or 3 books a week out of the library. No muss no fuss.

Yes, I do read some again & again, Set.
(Now I'm not being morbid or anything, but, not being a spring chicken ...) I've taken to thinking about how long I might be hanging around on this planet. And how many books it's actually possible to read & re-read in that time. That's pretty sobering thinking. And it means that I'm now a lot more selective about the books I buy & it actually makes it a lot easier to off-load the ones I doubt I'll ever read again. (though there's a bit of room for improvement on this one! )

many ways to move books around, used bookstores sometimes, lend to tai chi, we donate a lot of books, and have been culling shelves this last year

last spring we took 7 or 8 good sized boxes to a not-for-profit bookstore about 2 1/2 hours from us (a nice drive and we get to stop at the herb farm and the honey shop along the way), the book store is run from an old motel that a retired school librarian rents (his contribution), books are donated and a staff of volunteers man the shop (from 2 pm to 5 pm 7 days a week), all money goes to help purchase supplies for education in developing countries (especially haiti as a trip there gave the librarian the idea)

last fall we donated another 8 or 9 boxes of books to a charity book sale for the diabetes foundation, in the winter about 12 boxes went to a charity sale that benefited the local food bank, and about a month ago another 10 boxes to a charity sale that benefits local reading programs

I think undertaking a woodworking course (to learn to make bookshelves yourself) might be an excellent idea, POM!

Either that, or become a ruthless recycler.

Whichever is the most realistic option!

No buying at all, panz?

You are so strong! So sensible!

Yep, the library (a 5 minutes walk away) is definitely a lot more attractive to me these days.

That's nice, you have library access. There is near zero re our area here unless you have a car. Don't get me going. The bus system is something like 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., all bad for me, much of the year,

as for books i keep

tons of graphic novels, a hodge-podge collection of alice in wonderland books (including a latin version), a couple of versions of johnathon carrolls land of laughs, my ee cummings collected poems and the collected poems of stevie smith, a mix of wodehouse, 4 copies of a clockwork orange and much much more

No, I sold whole author's worth, for little. My take was that place might have had clients who might have been interested in the books.

Not mainly art books.

That's around 17 boxes full, djjd! AND to a not-for-profit books shop!

Well done!

Excellent!

(Not to put a dampener on the situation or anything, but ..) could you give us some idea of what quantities of books are still left in your home?

And which varieties of books have you chosen NOT to off-load?

Ah, you beat me to the punch, djjd.

Answered my last question before I'd even asked it!

No?

Mainly literature, then?

When I was living in Sacramento, I donated my paperback books to the local branch library's book sale events. That way they made some badly needed money from them and people were able to purchase them for less than $1 each.

Before I moved to Albuquerque, I donated all my hardcover books to them too because I refused to lug them around to yet another house so they could collect dust on the shelves.

So far, I haven't accumulated many books here. Haven't been on a reading jag in a long time... too many other things that need doing around here.

i'm probably down to less than a couple of hundred books (not including the graphic novels (add another 100+)

my moms down to around the 500+ mark