I finally did it. Well, it was not the first time, but it never gets any easier. I spent much of yesterday in my TBR room, going through my books, pulling out the ones I no longer have an interest in reading. It is always a difficult process. How do I know I won't decide tomorrow that I do want to read a particular book? The truth is, I've put a lot of thought into which books to weed out. I even made a list that I had been thinking long and hard about for months now. These are books I have had for years but have yet to get to. The urge finally struck me yesterday to follow through. Not all of the books on my list ended up finding another home. Some stayed. And there were books that ended up losing their spot on my shelves that had not been on the original list. I feel pretty good about my decision, and yet I also feel a bit sad. But no regrets. Not at this point anyway. Hopefully I won't.
I have more space in my TBR room. I have one less box of books and fewer piles. My shelves are still overflowing. I still have plenty of books to read in case of that rainy day.
I have more space in my TBR room. I have one less box of books and fewer piles. My shelves are still overflowing. I still have plenty of books to read in case of that rainy day.
Week in Review:
Guest Appearance by Author Gayle Trent
Tuesday Teaser and Tuesday Thingers: Duplicates
Review of Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent
Review of All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Off Topic Chatter
Stop by this week for my review of Karen E. Olson's latest Annie Seymour crime fiction novel, Shot Girl. Karen E. Olson will be making a guest appearance you won't want to miss. I will also be reviewing Karen White's newest, a ghost story called The House on Tradd Street. If we are lucky, Karen White be dropping in for an interview towards the end of the week.
Happy Reading!
Thank you to everyone who participated in my recent giveaways!
Winners of Imaginary Friends edited by John Marco and Martin H. Greenberg:
Congratulations to all the winners!
You are so good, I need to do that too but I am not brave enough!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a list of what you pulled. Perhaps some of us could enable you to keep one or two..LOL
ReplyDeleteAcually, I know what a good feeling it is to do this from time to time...congrats!
Have fun refilling those shelves. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the winners!!!
Wow, that was quite a task! Good for you - how long will it take you to fill in the holes left by your recently departed books? =)
ReplyDeleteIts so hard to say goodbye to books. However, nowadays I just chuck out books I don't need.
ReplyDeleteSundays arrive too fast!
I kind of weed through mine once a year but I just trade them in at the library book swap for more lol!
ReplyDeleteI really need to go through my TBR and weed out the ones I don't think I'll be reading, but I never can seem to make myself do it.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I definitely need to take a serious look and decide which ones need to go. Good for you in making room for more!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners.
ReplyDeleteI need to weed out my books soon as well. I bought a new 6-foot-tall bookshelf in July and it's already full! I have a lot of ARC's that I've reviewed and don't really need to keep, so I may end up doing a huge giveaway to coincide with Christmas or something. Not sure yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever done that. Sometimes I start books that I don't like and get rid of them, but I've always given them a chance. Honestly, there were plenty that I should have just ditched! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! How very, very brave of you!! I'm sure your books will find good homes.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great and brave thing you did, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteI don't usually weed out my books. As I have limited budget, I had to think very hard before I buy the books I fancy, so the stuff I bought are usually the stuff I'd read and love to keep in my personal library.
You are brave. I cringe at the thought of having to even give up one single book whether I'm ever going to get to it or not. I wish I could though because I sure could use the extra room.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's very brave of you to do so, Wendy! But I totally understand what you meant about letting go of those books though... we definitely need some space for future books! ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners!
I'm a library gal, so I only have a TBR list rather than a shelf or a room. The good thing about a list is that I don't have to let go of anything :-). Seriously, though, I'm sure that whoever got your books feels blessed to have them.
ReplyDeleteCongrats. I like using BookCrossing.com for all my unread-TBRs!
ReplyDeleteI've weeded out books and regretted doing so, in the past, but it just has to be done sometimes. Good for you. I'm weeding, too, but verrrrry slowly. It's a long, hard process when you have books in every room but the bathrooms.
ReplyDeleteWell, I get nervous at the very thought of getting rid of books. But having a room for your TBR pile sounds very well-organized. Mine are all over the place!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm going to have to do this soon too. The hubs has been giving sly comments about the number of books on the bookcase and on the nightstand and on the coffee table and under the kitchen table. What can I say? You never know what kind of mood you'll be in.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for visiting. I love your kitties. Your blog is so interesting, so many links to places, it's like a book store , love it.
ReplyDeleteI just went through that process with our recent move. It always makes me sad to realize that I'm not interested in reading a particular book anymore, or to find I can't remember WHY I bought it in the first place, but hopefully they will find new shelves and be more appreciated by someone else. If they've been hanging around unread at my place for three, four, or five-plus years, they are probably bored anyway :-). Congratulations on tackling that task - and making room for new TBR occupants!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to do, but usually we feel better after! Have fun filling those empty spaces, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteShana
Literarily
Kelly - It did take a while for me to work up the courage. :-)
ReplyDeleteDiane - I passed them along as soon as I could. I didn't want to change my mind, which I surely would have if given the chance. LOL
Joy - Oh, I will! That's the best part--filling the holes. :-)
Jill - I am sure it won't take me long to fill the holes. Haha!
Gautami - It really is hard, but it's really for the best that they find new homes.
Jen - I do that too, although this time was my biggest batch that I gave away. I won't tell you just how many books or I'll make everyone, including myself cry.
Yvonne - It is hard, isn't it? I hope you have a great week too!
Jenclair - I feel a sense of relief now that it's all done, you know? At least for this round. I want to go through my read shelves next, but will probably put that off a while longer.
Serena - I wish everyone could have won.
Ruth - Those new bookcases do fill up quickly, don't they? I could use a new one . . .
Linda - I'd had many of them for years and I couldn't see myself reading them any time soon, if at all. I guess my interest in them faded away.
ReplyDeleteSarah - Thank you! I am sure they will too. :-)
Alice - It did take a lot of strength! My arms are sore. Haha! Many of them were books I had gotten as part of large group buys at very low cost and so it really wasn't too much of a waste on my part, thankfully.
Dar - I don't especially like giving up books either, but I only have so much space in my house. I really do need a bigger house.
Melody - I figure it was time to give someone else a chance to read them since I obviously wasn't going to.
Dani - I love being surrounded by books and I'm not really good with deadlines. The library is a great resource though and I'm glad so many people take advantage of it.
Monica - BookCrossing is a great way to go. :-)
Nancy - I'm sure I will have some regrets, but, as you said, it has to be done. Good luck with your weeding!
Joy - I do like organization, although sometimes you might not be able to tell. :-)
Nikki - And you have to do it while you're in the mood or it won't get done at all.
Wyn - Thank you so much! And thanks for stopping by.
Florinda - I'm trying to type with a kitten lying across my chest. I hope my back doesn't give out as I'm not exactly sitting in the best position.
I know that if we ever move, I'll have to do some even more serious weeding. I told myself that I'm getting ready for it even though we aren't sure when it will happen. The books sure do add up, don't they?
Shana - I do feel better. And the room looks less cluttered. :-)
You've inspired me. I have too many books and not enough room and there are so many books that have been there for years, unread. I should go through them and send some to new homes. What I really need to do is convince Candleman to give some of his books to away. He is a bigger hoarder than I am. YIKES!
ReplyDeleteBooklogged - My husband is the same way as Candleman!
ReplyDeleteYou scared me there with that title of your post! :)
ReplyDeleteI weed out books every once in a while. I used to have such a hard time letting go of books but I'm better about it now. I still hang on to my favorites, books that have been given to me and of course all those TBR books but this helps make my shelves a bit more manageable.
Good for you Wendy! I think about this quite often, especially as I have books that are stacked all over the office and need to organize and get rid of some I know I won't read (or re-read again--I have a tougher time getting rid of books I've already read!!). What did you do with the ones you are parting with? That's always the difficult decision for me...
ReplyDeleteIliana - I think it does get easier letting go of books after the first several times. And it really does make a difference space wise. Of course, I'm not sure my visit to the bookstore today helped matters.
ReplyDeleteTrish - Going through my books like this definitely is another way of getting more organized. I'm like you in that I have a harder time letting go of books I've read. That's my next project (at least the ones I do not plan to reread).
I donate books to the library, trade them in for credit at my local used bookstore or take them to work and let the (human) vultures there feed on them. Someone will appreciate them at least.
Your generous spirit have certainly showered on me. I found the copy of Dos of Babel from you waiting for me at the door today. Thank you so much for sending the book, Wendy! :)
ReplyDeleteMatt - You're welcome! That was quick. I didn't realize UPS worked today. Maybe it's only the Postal Service that had the holiday today. I hope you enjoy the book!
ReplyDelete