I’m no big fan of shopping. Crowded shopping streets; making my way through crowded shops; standing in an initially fast moving line that turns into a living hell because the person being served is arguing about an imagined discount; and perhaps worst of all, coming home and realizing I forgot to buy what I originally went out for! But going out to buy books is a definite exception.
For the first time I can relate to all the people out there who face the problem of needing more closet space because I’m running out of bookshelves. My shelves can’t handle any more books (seriously, they’re caving in) nor can my living room handle any more bookshelves. But I still have piles of books that have to go somewhere.
The System
Now we have something of a system. The impressive and sophisticated (looking) books have a prominent spot on the top shelves. Books that were a good read and might be read again or suggested to others are on the more eye-level shelves (okay, they are on eye-level for me). On the bottom shelves are books that are okay-ish but not necessarily mind-blowing.
Once in a while some books shift from a shelf (except for the prominent books on the top shelf). Occasionally we move books from a low shelf to the bookshelves in the bedroom. Here we keep the books that are not really worth having on display.
More Books than Shelves
The problem we’re facing right now is that we’ve got more books heading to the bedroom (even though we’ve already began double banking shelves), but there’s no more shelf space in the bedroom either. That leads to the following question: what to do with the books?
I thought of three things:
- Throw them away
- Sell them to second hand bookstores
- Give them away
It is very unlikely I’ll ever be able to throw a book out. Disposing of them at a second hand shop is somehow not something I can do. I tried it once but I left the shop with the books still safely in my bag and in the company of some new ones.
I don’t mind giving them away to others, though it does depend on how I acquired the book. For example, I won’t be able to give away a book that I got as a present even if I really don’t like it. It’ll be sitting on the shelf of my bedroom bookcase until time turns it into dust.
What do you do with your unwanted books?
Cecile
