Is it like cleansing of the soul? No freakin' way. Tomorrow, Monday the 3rd of March, is "Read Across America" day for schools. So, in honor of that and with the help of our middle school media specialist (they used to be called Librarians), we've begun a 'book swap' for students.
Now you're thinking, why is she cleaning books for students? I'm not, though i do have a few books i'm donating to them, but why should the students have all the fun? I've gone thru about 4 shelves of my 2 bookcases and have been able to cull about 100 books so far. By the time i'm done with the next 6 shelves, plus the 3 under the bed boxes, and the 5 drawers in the basement, the two nightstands, the hidden stash in the living room, and dining room, i should be able to donate between 250-300 books.
Am i nuts? Yep. But here's my thinking.
While my DH, Jerry, puts together a new rolling cart for the kitchen (why do we need one??), he's out of my way. I shoo'ed him out earlier, as he tried to help me decide which books to donate. He was just grabbing and piling. I yelled "Get your paws off my books! I don't touch your tools. Stop trying to help. Go do something." Well he did and is still doing it. I can hear him muttering in the kitchen about extra screws. I'm leaving it to him.
Another tangent i ran off on. Here's my definite reasoning:
1. They're out of my house;
2. They can be donated anywhere else;
3. I don't have to take them to the library;
4. I now have room for more books.
I think #4 is the most important, yes? But even as i'm putting the books in a bag and taking them out to my car, my heart is ripping. It's not like i've read them in the last year or two, or that they're paperbacks and i have the hardbacks. It's the fact that they're MINE. I found them, bought them, borrowed them (and never returned them) and searched for them.
Am I nuts? Yeah, i'm sure. I'm a bookaholic and proud of it. I do have a serious condition, but i'm not willing to do anything about it other than get new books. The big AAUW bookfair in Sharpsburg, MD is coming up in April. I have about seven weeks left before it gets here. I'm hoping to have at least one shelf clear to allow about fifty new books over the next two months.
That's reasonable. Right?
Off to find new ones to donate...
Nini :)
Powerful Women's Motto:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...
'Oh hell! She's awake!!'
I did this last year
and I can honestly say I have only missed a few of the books I gave away. And thanks to eBay if the need arises to find a book that you previously had you can likely find it there.
It made me feel better to give the bulk of the books away to fellow book lovers. I knew they were going to a good home and would be treated well and loved, that helped a lot.
When I get my new bookshelf (I have my eye on one at the store but it will involve begging because it is a bit pricey) I will go through my books yet again and see what can be given away. My TBR pile is nearing four hundred and while I do re-read I can not justify keeping so many books I have read when there are so many that needs to be read for the first time.
I can justify keeping all my books because they're so difficult
to find here
but I do send some north
(still waiting on that list if a certain person is lurking 
)
I
can't understand parting with books you haven't read yet. I could
probably be persuaded to part with a lot more books except that when I
try to cull them, I remember how much I like them and then I don't want
to see them go
I'd probably be better off putting keepers into specific boxes and letting someone else cull the non keepers
but as I'm the only one around
...
not gonna happen
Hugs
Sadhbh
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
yadayada list yadayada
I'm still contemplating.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Contemplating???
Getting rid of books?
I will tell you, the students in my middle school had a blast! They were swapping left and right, all during lunch.
The teachers need a bit more of a shove to get going, so we're going to leave open the swap till Wednesday. Same goes for the students.
I'm not parting with any more books. I've done my job, given myself more room for the huge bookfair next month. I'll just wait to see who brings in what.
Nini :)
Powerful Women's Motto:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...
'Oh hell! She's awake!!'
Ha, Nini...
I'm laughing because if I know you, you probably came home with twice as many books as you cleared out.
I selectively 'loan' to my sisters, mother and close friends, always keeping in mind that I could gather all my 'children' home if I really felt the need. So far I haven't. My rereads stay firmly planted on the shelf in the bedroom and I haven't added to that shelf terribly frequently.
(ps, the story you read came out yesterday. Squee!)
Lainey
http://www.elaineforlife.com