I always feel happy after reading your words. I have limited space for books so I'm thoughtful about what I keep, what I buy, etc. But my husband and I are bibliophiles. We have a rule that we must discuss major purchases before purchasing them, except for books. When it comes to books we can spend as much as we want without pre-discussion. Bon week-end!
Inferno by Catherine Cho is a beautiful, beautifuler memoir & thank you for the feature recommendation. My Substack - Unreality Bites - is based on lived experience of (non postpartum) psychosis if the subject interests anyone further.
Really enjoyed ALL of this, thank you! So many good recs to read at the end and the documentary is going straight on my list. I love books and do reread a lot, but have made my peace with letting many go. After a big purge, I feel like I can see my favourites better and ‘display’ them for want of a better word. It’s like the sheer volume of books doesn’t need to tell my story, but the chosen edit feels like me in shelf-form.
I'm with Rhiannon Cosslett on this, I think. Books are supposed to be shared and enjoyed not collected. I love physical books - and covet them/find them hard to get rid of/ still buy more than I can probably read or afford. I'm also fascinated by the cover design process and appreciate how beautiful books can be (the latest ep of Literary Friction is really good on this). However, I have been making a concerted effort lately to be less precious about books as object or product. This year, I've been reading more than ever on my iPad and as audiobook. Likewise, lending them out to others without expecting them back, buying secondhand etc. And, over the years, I've tried to let go of silly internalised snobbery around things like film adaptation covers! (Perish the thought someone thinks you saw the TV programme first....)
I agree, I find it easy to get rid of books that I didn't enjoy or have no interest in reading again, but books I loved stay with me, firmly on my shelves, giving me good memories of the feelings they evoked and the moment in which I read them...
In a bid to avoid book hoarding (and save my bank balance), I now only aim to buy or receive books as gifts that I know I will keep forever or are meaningful for me.
Other than that, local libraries are my best friends for books I want to read but don't think would serve me in the long-term on my bookshelf.
This was lovely! I’m a voracious reader but I’m not precious about form - I’ll read physical books, on the kindle, on a tablet using Libby. I also have been through too many international moves to keep piles and piles of books. As a result, I tend to read and share with a friend or drop off at my local library, who will sometimes put them on the book sale shelf and will sometimes put them into circulation, which is always satisfying!
Kids books though... I am weak in the face of all the beautifully illustrated books there are these days. I said I’d stop buying picture books for kiddo and just use the library, but walked out of the most amazing children’s bookshop in York this weekend with a pile, and I’ve got another pile on the loans list.
We do donate the kids books I find annoying, but I’ve saved some of our favourite board books (Chris Haughton, Oliver Jeffers, the unicef book you get at the hospital) for some mysterious reason.
My stacks and piles of books have now become props for Bookstagram, BookTok, and my own Substack publication. I went through an extreme purging phase brought on by The Minimalists podcast, gave away plenty of books I now wish I still had for said book props, but also learned that the books in my home do not stand in for my personality, as you mentioned. I now happily get rid of books knowing their covers will never be needed again, hold onto the beautiful/meaningful ones, and if it all burned down tomorrow, I’ve got renters insurance. ✌🏼
My piles of books are not so much due to hoarding but due to lack of time/slow reading (#tsundoku). I am in awe of your throughput! Especially with small children! What is your secret? 🙏🏻
I have only recently started getting rid of the books on my shelves that I actively didn’t enjoy reading - that’s how much of a hoarder I am! I love your thoughtful approach to the topic. It inspires me. I might even get rid of a few books that have been sitting on my TBR shelf for...oh so long. Let’s be real - if I haven’t read them yet, I probably never will.
I always feel happy after reading your words. I have limited space for books so I'm thoughtful about what I keep, what I buy, etc. But my husband and I are bibliophiles. We have a rule that we must discuss major purchases before purchasing them, except for books. When it comes to books we can spend as much as we want without pre-discussion. Bon week-end!
Inferno by Catherine Cho is a beautiful, beautifuler memoir & thank you for the feature recommendation. My Substack - Unreality Bites - is based on lived experience of (non postpartum) psychosis if the subject interests anyone further.
Really enjoyed ALL of this, thank you! So many good recs to read at the end and the documentary is going straight on my list. I love books and do reread a lot, but have made my peace with letting many go. After a big purge, I feel like I can see my favourites better and ‘display’ them for want of a better word. It’s like the sheer volume of books doesn’t need to tell my story, but the chosen edit feels like me in shelf-form.
I'm with Rhiannon Cosslett on this, I think. Books are supposed to be shared and enjoyed not collected. I love physical books - and covet them/find them hard to get rid of/ still buy more than I can probably read or afford. I'm also fascinated by the cover design process and appreciate how beautiful books can be (the latest ep of Literary Friction is really good on this). However, I have been making a concerted effort lately to be less precious about books as object or product. This year, I've been reading more than ever on my iPad and as audiobook. Likewise, lending them out to others without expecting them back, buying secondhand etc. And, over the years, I've tried to let go of silly internalised snobbery around things like film adaptation covers! (Perish the thought someone thinks you saw the TV programme first....)
I agree, I find it easy to get rid of books that I didn't enjoy or have no interest in reading again, but books I loved stay with me, firmly on my shelves, giving me good memories of the feelings they evoked and the moment in which I read them...
I only keep books I rate a 4 or 5 out of 5. The rest I donate to charity. I also tend to buy most of my books from charity shops.
In a bid to avoid book hoarding (and save my bank balance), I now only aim to buy or receive books as gifts that I know I will keep forever or are meaningful for me.
Other than that, local libraries are my best friends for books I want to read but don't think would serve me in the long-term on my bookshelf.
This was lovely! I’m a voracious reader but I’m not precious about form - I’ll read physical books, on the kindle, on a tablet using Libby. I also have been through too many international moves to keep piles and piles of books. As a result, I tend to read and share with a friend or drop off at my local library, who will sometimes put them on the book sale shelf and will sometimes put them into circulation, which is always satisfying!
Kids books though... I am weak in the face of all the beautifully illustrated books there are these days. I said I’d stop buying picture books for kiddo and just use the library, but walked out of the most amazing children’s bookshop in York this weekend with a pile, and I’ve got another pile on the loans list.
We do donate the kids books I find annoying, but I’ve saved some of our favourite board books (Chris Haughton, Oliver Jeffers, the unicef book you get at the hospital) for some mysterious reason.
My stacks and piles of books have now become props for Bookstagram, BookTok, and my own Substack publication. I went through an extreme purging phase brought on by The Minimalists podcast, gave away plenty of books I now wish I still had for said book props, but also learned that the books in my home do not stand in for my personality, as you mentioned. I now happily get rid of books knowing their covers will never be needed again, hold onto the beautiful/meaningful ones, and if it all burned down tomorrow, I’ve got renters insurance. ✌🏼
My piles of books are not so much due to hoarding but due to lack of time/slow reading (#tsundoku). I am in awe of your throughput! Especially with small children! What is your secret? 🙏🏻
I may be a hoarder-- I have stashed books that I'm embarrassed to own in a hutch. I don't like them but I may need them one day!
I have only recently started getting rid of the books on my shelves that I actively didn’t enjoy reading - that’s how much of a hoarder I am! I love your thoughtful approach to the topic. It inspires me. I might even get rid of a few books that have been sitting on my TBR shelf for...oh so long. Let’s be real - if I haven’t read them yet, I probably never will.