Tuesday, January 13, 2015

This Would Not Work for Me

Here's how to decide whether to keep a book or get rid of it 

11 comments:

Deb said...

Me either. I've been culling over the last year or so; I gave about 300 books to a co-worker, but that still leaves many more. Some books I may never read again, but just having them makes me happy.

Unknown said...

Same here, Deb. Having books makes me smile.

Rick Robinson said...

The one about the library having a copy won't work, either. In our brave new age of library collection management, they may have it today and it's gone tomorrow.

There are no doubt some books I don't care that much about having any more, but they're books and they have souls... how could I abandon them. Or maybe I just like the look of them, standing proud on the shelves.......

Jeff Meyerson said...

We have created a library in the basement laundry room of our building (someone donated a couple of bookcases when they moved and someone else added another), and I have contributed a few dozen books I will never read again, can't get rid of on PaperbackSwap and either didn't like much or just no longer need taking up space. I've taken only a few things from there but we must have at least 500 books down there now. It's really nice having it there.

Jeff

Unknown said...

I would probably just take them all and not put any back.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Only the ones you want. And believe me, some are not things either of us would want.

Jeff

Mike Stamm said...

I gave 18 copier-paper boxes of books to our local public library a couple of years ago, and I'm about ready to do it again (albeit not so generously). As with anything, these rules must be flexible: some books fit, some don't, some go, some stay, and seldom for the same reason for any of 'em.

Dan said...

I dunno. Of course the first part about throwing books away doesn't work, but I keep the books on my shelves for all the reasons listed.

I remember a discussion in DAPA-EM about re-reading books. Some folks proudly averred that they never re-read a book, and I mused, "What do you keep on your bookshelves? And why?"

Unknown said...

I keep them because I like having them there. I like to toss 'em up and let them hit me on the head. I like to burrow through them like gopher.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Bill likes to do his Scrooge McDuck thing with them.

Jeff

Unknown said...

I knew you'd get the allusion.