Has anyone else noticed that the pile of books that lurks nearby (perhaps by your bed or desk or couch)... the pile of books you're gonna get to "soon"... the pile of books that have been raved about and recommended and you've somehow acquired... just keeps getting bigger and bigger?
I've decided to rent a place for the pile. What do you do????
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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When the piles grow too tall, I find (or create) shelf space to put them on and then notice them and feel guilty for the next six months. At that point, I swear off library books until I catch up on my unread shelf books.
I donate my books to charity and organizations, give them away to customers, and incorporate them into the lending library I've established in the store. If I receive books that I have little to no interest in and/or most likely will never read, they go on a certain shelf, and I try to match them with readers.
I go through stages. First there's thinking I actually can catch up, and I'll do things like Laura talks about, swearing off library and purchased books. But then I reach an acceptance stage where I say "ok, I'll read what I can when I can", and I don't stress about it quite as much. But then it cycles back, and right now the "I have too many books that I want to read" stage is in the ascendancy. Like LW, though, if I'm sure I won't read a book that someone's sent me, I try to find it a good home.
I'm starting to think I might be certifiably a book hoarder. I find it so hard to give an unread book up, even if it's been lying around forever. Luckily I don't *also* have the compulsion to keep every book I read, or I would be in serious trouble. Meanwhile, I get very creative with space under the bed, on top of things, etc.
I've sworn off visiting the library until I can read all the books in my pile- if it gets any bigger, they're going to have to stack on the floor! I don't care for that clutter, though. Then there's the pile I have sitting waiting to be given away... books I read and don't like but of course you can't toss them out, they have to go to other readers!
My normal pattern is that I just take the whole pile and give them to the school library I attempt to run. At least then I know where they are. It is remarkable to me how few of the books I actually get through from "the pile" vs. books that just appear and get read. I'm sure there's some deep psychology at play, but I don't know what it is.
Greg - you remind me that every time I try to clean out my children's book "keepers" I take a couple off my shelves... and put them on my son's shelves.
Jeane - I hear you. The piles of books to get rid of are almost as bad as the piles to read around here.
Gregory,
We had to build a library/office in my basement when I retired from my job as a school librarian and brought all my children's books home. I keep most of my books. I use them in the children's literature course that I teach. I bring a suitcase full of books to every class session. If you'd like to see some pictures of my office, check out my "Where I Work" post at Wild Rose Reader."
http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2007/04/where-i-work.html
I am having this problem at my house too. This month the shelves just exploded. And since I am always discovering new things I want to read the ones that have been hanging around a while get pushed aside. sigh. I do give away a lot of books as gifts, to daycares, church libraries, bookcrossing, etc. There is a little neighborhood school I used to teach at that I am collecting for now. I have bookshelves in every room of my house and the attic is full of boxes. I try to get rid of as many as possible and then more come in the mail every day! It is delightful but there is no way I'll read all of them. What a wonderful problem to have.
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