#6 - My House is a Library

I have more books in my house than the closest 3 public libraries.

Okay, that's probably not technically true, but it feels like it. We moved last fall and I filled up box after box after box after box with books. One of our poor elders quorum volunteers actually hurt himself carrying boxes of books out of our house. They fill four bookshelves, and spill over into every room in the house.

Right now, we're on the verge of turning our lives upside-down in order to finish our basement. I really want it finished, but the chaos that is going to ensue for untold months while it's in the process is the part I'm not looking forward to. We have 1500 square feet of JUNK down there that we have to either toss or store in the 1500 square feet we live in. Including four bookshelves of very heavy books.

We already have six people living in the 1500 square feet upstairs, along with too many belongings and furnishings. I just don't know what life is going to be like trying to cram another 1500 square feet of junk into that space. We're obviously going to have to pare down. And buy a storage shed.

In the past year, I've sold one book on half.com. In that same space of time, I've purchased.... let's just say it's more than one book. What is it about books that makes them impossible to let go of? If I or my children ever want to read one of the books I donate to D.I. or sell on half.com, we can just march down to those public libraries I was mentioning earlier and check them out.

Maybe it's time to part with some of those books. But parting is such sweet sorrow.

4 comments:

  1. Happiness is having lots of books! Lots and lots and lots of books! Can you tell, I like to buy books -- in fact, I shall now sing and dance about how much I love books -- and Jennifer is going to call Blog Security to have this crazy dancing and singing lady hauled off.

    But yes, seriously, they can take up a lot of room. I like to rotate mine -- half out, and the other half in storage. But it stinks when I decide I want one and it's not out.

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  2. I have the same problem. I think it is an addiction and maybe they need to start Books Anonymous for some of us. :) Not really, though, I don't think I want to be cured.

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  3. I have the same problem. However, I have come up with a system... Except for those books that I absolutely love and would only part with over my dead body, I try to keep only one or two per author. To make things even better, I have found a second hand book store that has allowed me to trade books. So, I have traded my extra books for other books, which makes the parting a little easier.

    :)

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  4. Books are friends that touch our hearts. At least, that's why I can't get rid of my books--the good ones anyway. I might even go into a depression if I can't find one of them. Ah, woe is me. . . .

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