Big Step

**AmyBoz** · 09-12-2009, 08:07 AM

So, as most of you know, I'm the mad declutterer. I don't hang on to stuff and love to donate, sell and toss. I don't collect stuff and definitely don't do knick-knacks.

However, I have books. Lots of them.

Yet, the more I look at them, the more I realize that there are only some that I'm ever going to re-read and that I truly love. And so, I've decided to pare down further.

I'm taking my collection of John Sandford, James Patterson, and Jeffrey Deaver and selling them. The good news is that they should go, because many of them are signed. I listed the Pattersons two days ago and will list the others today.

I'll fill their place on the bookshelf with the books that I truly love and plan to reread. Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed those books by those authors. Storywise, they were excellent! However, there are other books that really grabbed me. Made me re-read certain paragraphs or pages because they were so well written. Those are the ones I'll keep.

So, wish me luck. It's a pretty big step for me. I grew up in a home with no clutter, but so many books that they were in two rows on the bookshelves, then piles on the floor. So, books are a big deal in my life.

**Maine Girl** · 09-12-2009, 08:16 AM

Good luck I totally understand how you feel about your books. I have many books in my home that i have not read yet, and some I have not decided if i will read. For me it is comforting to have all those books. Though books i have already read i pass off to one of my many booklovers.

**fernykins** · 09-12-2009, 10:49 AM

I get rid of most of the books I have read. I read then, my sister reads them then I donate them to the hospital. I do that with all magazines to. Other wise I would have to have a very large room for all the books I have read.........
Fern

**frugalwarrior** · 09-12-2009, 01:15 PM

Good Luck Amy. I have recently taken 14 bags of books to the library,4 van loads to S.A. 45 bags of trash and 3 beds out. Yeah. DEcluttering. Starting to see the house I bought 14 years ago. Clutter keep is hoarding and unchristian is my new mantra. Go Amy.

**MaryCarney** · 09-12-2009, 03:06 PM

Books are a weakness of mine, too. I purged 15 boxes this spring at our annual homeschool curriculum sale (I finally realized that at age 54, I probably won't be teaching phonics or the multiplication tables again)

I have a few categories I keep. My baseball-related collection is meaningful to me, I pull them off the shelf when the snow is flying and it helps me beat the winter blues. My presidential biographies are a life goal of mine (I've made my way through 6 presidents - only 35+ to go!!!)

**savvy_sniper** · 09-12-2009, 03:29 PM

Books were a weakness of mine also! Hubby and I used to live in a little bitty rental house with no closet space, cabinet space, shelves, etc. Heck we couldn't even get all my living room furniture in the living room!

I had TONS of books. I made the decision to sell/give away the majority of them and start going to the public library. Hubby and I started going to the library every two weeks. Heck there were times we had a difficult time carrying all the books to the car. BUT they were always returned to the library. It saves space, money, and there is less to dust.

Good for you!

**Pemberleyan** · 09-12-2009, 06:10 PM

I am in the middle of sorting through our books also because we just built a new bookshelf and have been unpacking and putting them away. I grew up in the same sort of house. In fact, when we finally convinced my mother to leave her way-too-big-for-one-person house, I'd estimate she had between 1,000 and 2,000 books! Cleaning out her house made me want to declutter. I just joined something called Swap A Book on line and I've been selling books on Amazon for a few years. Still, I'm sure I won't read every book we've kept.

DH is keeping his favorite novels. (He really does read them again). He also likes his World War II historical non-fiction. We've kept two small shelves of childhood books and have a lot of construction books, Christian books and reference books. DH keeps his work-related books, plus a WWII set of encyclopedias and Do It Yourself encyclopedias. I've kept an Audobon set, plus my sewing books, gardening books and dog/animal and bird books.

Today I've been going through magazines and boxing them up for the thrift store. Do I really need to keep several years' worth of Country Woman? Probably not.

I hope you sell everything!

**TheRootedNomad** · 09-13-2009, 07:12 AM

I wonder if there is some sort of connection. I am generally not a keeper of "stuff" either and I pretty much abhor (sp?) knick knacks....but I do love my books. I part with most of them easier now than I use to but I still have a much harder time with them than anything else. There are also a couple of shelves worth than if something happened to I would replace. There is very little other "stuff" in my life I would do that with.

**mauimagic** · 09-13-2009, 04:22 PM

Book lovers unite and share our books!! I have piles of books everywhere and am better at using the library - love our little library!! I'm glad I ran across this thread because as I got out of bed this morning, I noticed stacks of books along the window wall!! Now How did they get there!!

Amy, I know that you will be successful!! Hope I can be too