Fantasy Aficionados discussion
Discussions about books
>
Library Pruning
I was a bookFlashforward to finally getting organized through goodreads. Also keeping track of how fast I'm reading. The # of books/life expectancy equation, not to mention space concerns, meant pruning was in order.
Mostly a matter of looking at how much I liked a book, am I likely to read it again, and is there any other special attachment to it (signed edition, special gifts, rare books, etc.)
That, and I found two local used book shops that will pay cash for books, not just issue credit. Though the credit has been nice, too.
Once this would have been very hard. But if I'm not going to read or appreciate them in some way, I figure it's best that someone else be given a chance. Hope someone enjoys the Lovejoy novels as much as I did! (Among so many others.)
I try hard to limit my books to what I have shelf space for, so there are only a dozen odd piles & boxes around the house at any given time. (I said I try hard, not that I'm entirely successful.) I go through them occasionally & discuss them with Marg & the kids. Some go to the latter, but many wind up on BookMooch or PaperBackSwap so that I have credits to get other books to take their place.
I hate getting rid of books, and am a total bookophile. I just despise gettin rid of 'em unless I'm getting a new book to take its place. I just got rid of two big tote boxes of books this summer, stuff I'd owned for like 10 years and had never read, some of it I never planned on reading either. My grandparents do a lot of flea-market stuff, so they took my two boxes up to one of the bookseller booths and got me $40 for 'em. But I still kinda feel bad for getting rid of some of 'em, like 'Oh... But I might've wanted to read that someday...' I just prefer trading instead of out and out getting rid of... Because I need more books, and more, and more.... and more! :D
I've sort of started to prune, due to space. There are some books on my shelves that I don't actually like that much, but I want to be able to pull them out for GR someday and say why. Still, I'm getting to the space point that I question why have it taking space? Some I don't think will stand the test of time, but they were favorites fifteen years ago (I'm looking at you, Terry Brooks). It is so hard to get rid of books! But I'm comforted by the thought of making space for new hardbound editions of books I love.
I'm not there yet. I am still in the phase of acquiring multiple copies of books I love, which I know is absurd, but cannot seem to stop....
Well for me, at least right at the moment, space is not an issue. I've got plenty of room, and as all my books are stashed in those big plastic boxes right now, I can just stack them in the spare room or in the basement. So that never bothered me. But soon we are moving, and most likely to an apartment or mobile home so space is going to become an issue I think. And I don't like the thought... Lol.
It is very difficult for me to get rid of books. Painful, even. Even if I don't think I'll love a book, I know that I will read it someday, even if it is years from now. There are at least three books I can think of where I have two copies of each(not on purpose), and I can't bring myself to choose between the hardcover or the paperback. They are just so pretty sitting up there on the shelf. I buy a lot of books at FOL book sales, and I love to flip through each one and look for messages written on the inside, or forgotten bookmarks. I have a book of T.S. Eliot poems with a love letter written on the last page. These books always seem very special to me, and I can't imagine ever getting rid of them. I'm a little obsessive.
My husband brought home two new bookcases for me a few days ago. He's the perfect enabler :)
It really is painful to get rid of some books. I have a few old SF paperbacks that are literally falling apart, but they were my father's. I've read them once, probably don't want to re-read them & couldn't, but I still keep them. Some must be 60 years old, but they're still shelved with the rest. One is in a plastic baggie as the cover is still awesome.
Nostalgia/sentimental attachment is a big factor for me. I still have several Big-Little books from when I was a kid. No point in keeping them other than as objects of affection. I probably would get rid of them, but they are in no real condition to be read or enjoyed by a child and are not in the condition a collector would demand. Sadly, they are of no use to anyone but me. And I can't bear to just dumpster them.
Thank you, Robert. It's nice to know I'm not the only one.;-)
I have multiple copies of some books too. And some were my mom's that she gave me when I was young, or special ones other people bought for me, or ones from when I was a kid, and yea, I would have a hard time parting with them...
I'm not really a bibliophile, I think, in the sense of wanting books for the sake of books. I mean, I like my books and I like seeing them on my shelves and stuff - but I get them more for the stories contained within.So I don't have a lot of special collector's editions (the exception being The Tales of Beedle the Bard), or signatures, or anything like that.
I do have a few which have a sentimental attachment, though, which I'm not likely to get rid of.
That said, I do, sometimes, have a hard time deciding on whether to keep some books. For me, it's more a matter of deciding whether I'm likely to ever reread them again. For some it's obvious, one way or the other, but, for some - the ones I'm sort of lukewarm about - I figure I probably won't reread them, but there's always that slim chance I'll get a hankering somewhere down the line, and then regret having gotten rid of them.
Of course, I could always just get them from the library or buy them again, should that happen, but it makes me hesitant all the same.
Recently, though, it's been less a deliberation about what books to get rid of but, rather, which books to buy and which to get from the library. I've been getting a lot from the library lately, not wanting to spend money on books I'm not sure I'll enjoy and/or want to keep.
This has saved me money and, also, lessened the burden of having to decide which books to keep and which to get rid of. Win-win. ;)
My dog chewed on some of my books yesterday while I was at work. I wanted to KILL HIM. OMG. I couldn't be around him because I wanted to hit him so bad. He kept following me around looking sad cause I'm normally playing with him.
But I was soooo angry I could barely talk.
Ugh! Hate that! My dog did that a couple times when he was a pup... I was so angry I could spit!
Kit★ wrote: "Ugh! Hate that! My dog did that a couple times when he was a pup... I was so angry I could spit!"Yeah, that's how I felt.
He doesn't do this a lot...and I've always had books around him. I'm not sure what to do. He's almost two. He's only don't this one other time but still...
Jim, please don't let go of those books! If you ever regret it you can't get them back. Sentimental reasons are as good as any other to keep a book. The best maybe. And perhaps your child or grandchild, or niece or nephew, will want them later. I think that's wonderful.
MrsJoseph wrote: "My dog chewed on some of my books yesterday while I was at work. I wanted to KILL HIM. OMG. I couldn't be around him because I wanted to hit him so bad. He kept following me around looking sad..."
Oooh no! MrsJ's two loves warring with one another. ;) Seriously, I feel for you. I had one dog that was prone to book chewing as a puppy, but thankfully, grew out of it. However, parrots are horrible paper chewers, and I have more than a couple with neat little "V" chunks taken out of the cover.
I do have a few duplicates on my shelves. I've noticed paperbacks don't keep as well, so if I really love a book, I seek it out in hardcover. Then I can lend the paperback and not care if it's returned.
Ouch. Every puppy we've had (& we've had quite a few) I've lost a book to. Usually several get slightly chewed, but one is ruined. I rub their nose in it & yell a lot. Wrath of the gods time. They never do it a second time. The theatrics are too painful, I guess.;-)
--------
Traci, I haven't in over 40 years, so it's unlikely to happen.
:-)
I have a hard time letting go of books, but if i want to go to a booksale, I have to get rid of at least one box of books prior to the sale. I just don't have room otherwise. So I take them to an aunt of mine who loves to read but is on a fixed budget and can't always get new books.
Carol wrote: "ooh no! MrsJ's two loves warring with one another. ;) Seriously, I feel for you. I had one dog that was prone to book chewing as a puppy, but thankfully, grew out of it. However, parrots are horrible paper chewers, and I have more than a couple with neat little "V" chunks taken out of the cover. "YES! And he kept giving me these sad puppy faces. I would start to feel guilty but then look at the books in my hand and get mad all over again. !!
According to the book I have on his breed...ignoring is supposed to work really well but I'm too softhearted and he's too spoiled.
MrsJoseph wrote: "According to the book I have on his breed...ignoring is supposed to work really well but I'm too softhearted and he's too spoiled. ."*snicker*
Soooo surprised. ;)
What about getting the book in epub format? I have to say that I love my ebook reader. I can buy tons & it doesn't take up any shelf space. My hubby has one too & he is bookaholic so this helps us not down in books. LOL.
Dislike ereader! I just love my paper.
Carol wrote: "Dislike ereader! I just love my paper."Me too! Won't do it, just won't do it.
I like my ereader & use it fairly often. I even got my wife to read a couple of books on it, but we prefer real books. While it does solve the storage problem, books just don't seem as accessible or personal. We have book cases taking up 2 entire walls plus others scattered around and have just stood there looking at them remembering stuff together. When we put our libraries together over 30 years ago, we had a lot of duplicates. It's one reason we got together, so it gives us a warm fuzzy to peruse them together. We've done that with the kids all their lives, too. None of us gets that from a computer directory.
It's true, some books aren't accessible on ereaders. But for me it's opened up a whole new world of books to read. To each their own I guess? :-)
Jim wrote: "I like my ereader & use it fairly often. I even got my wife to read a couple of books on it, but we prefer real books. While it does solve the storage problem, books just don't seem as accessible..."That is so sweet!
I'm in the process of rearranging & light pruning of my library. This is a old pic here:
and since I have added 1 smaller bookcase and a lot more books. I need to go around the house and make sure I've gathered them all up, lol.
I can do both ereaders (I have two) and paper books. I love them both! I keep a library in my pocket wherever I go. :-D And yes, I do keep my ereader in my purse when I go out with friends...just in case, lol.
MrsJoseph wrote: "This is related to the "What Kind of Reader Are You" thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...This morning as I was (supposed) to be ..."Which brings me back to library pruning: How hard or easy do you find it to give away books. This includes extra copies, books you've read once and have no real plans to re-read.
Moving over the years, not only to different houses, but different cities and sometimes even continents forced me to give up a lot of books over the years. Some I regret giving away now.
Even though I have finally settled, this experience taught me whenever possible, to only buy books that I absolutely love and am going to re-read multiple times.
Now I try to get most of my books from the library whenever possible.
MrsJoseph wrote: "I'm in the process of rearranging & light pruning of my library. This is a old pic here:..."Your shelves are a LOT cleaner looking than mine. I have books stacked on top of others plus papers in between. Interesting facts or author's book lists are often printed out & filed (stuffed) in with the books. They're a nightmare to dust & we have a lot of that with 6 dogs & 2 cats in the house, not to mention the barn & shop dust. I usually just use a vacuum cleaner. Better Homes & Gardens will never make our place a stop on their tour.
;-)
Lovely shelves Mrs.J! One day, I too will have all my books out of their boxes and on shelves... :D
I have a whole bunch of books too. Last year, I believe, I gave away a lot of books I'd had forever - ones that I read when I was a kid and probably would never read again. I let my nieces and nephews pick what they wanted and I donated the rest to a secondhand store. Now that I've given them away, I miss some of them, but I hope they're getting good use now instead of being packed away in boxes like they were. I still have 11-12 boxes full of books and we have about 8 bookshelves full of books. If I ever move to a place where space is limited, I'm doomed. I don't know what I would get rid of.
Jim wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "I'm in the process of rearranging & light pruning of my library. This is a old pic here:..."Your shelves are a LOT cleaner looking than mine. I have books stacked on top of ot..."
Ahhh! See that pic was taken before. It's a hot mess right now, lol. I have books everywhere a as I try to rearrange them.
My dog ate a brand new pair of black pumps one time :|yes, she was sclose to getting murdered that day!
She recently ate the cover off Last Argument of Kings, which got her in a lot of trouble too. However, she usually sticks to her toys and dogbones so I am overall pretty grateful.
Maggie wrote: "My dog ate a brand new pair of black pumps one time :|yes, she was sclose to getting murdered that day!
She recently ate the cover off Last Argument of Kings, which got her in a lot of trouble t..."
O_O
OMG I would have lost it. Benji has gotten the toes of my black flats and he destroyed our real estate agent's favorite designer pumps.
I hate getting rid of books. Before the last few years, I rarely did, only if I seriously disliked a book. About 4 years ago, I had to downsize so I had no choice. I got rid of a lot of books then. Now, I still have my 4 bookcases, with the books I might re-read one day or already re-read. I seldom buy books now, because my bookcases don't have any space in them. Mostly I use our public library. But sometimes, I still buy books. When they're not available at our library, for example, and often at a second hand bookstore. Sadly, two of my favorite second hand bookstores in the area are going out of business. I'm devastated.
On the other hand, I have good news too: I don't have a dog, so nobody eats my books. Hooray!
There are a lot of books that aren't available as ebooks yet. Many of my favorites from the mid 1900's aren't popular enough to be turned into them &/or are still under copyright. That will be one cool thing going forward, most books won't get lost. They'll be floating around somewhere on someone's hard drive.
Jim wrote: "They'll be floating around somewhere on someone's hard drive. "or on Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ :)
Derrick, I believe it's illegal to make your own and to get a decent scan, you do have to sacrifice a copy of the book. At least, I've never seen a scanner that deals well with a page otherwise. I guess they make them since I can't imagine Google killed all those books they have scanned, but realistically, I have neither the time nor the money to do it, even if it was legal.The cost of some of the books, even paperbacks, that I'd love to see digitized is crazy. Many paperbacks from the mid-1900's can go for $30 or more. I spent years trying to find an affordable copy of Exorcisms & Ecstasies for my son. That's a hardback from the 90's & I kept seeing it for $200. I got my copy for $5 new at a remainder store not long after it came out, but paid $75 for a copy for my son a decade later. My cousin & I were looking for some books by Lippincott the other day & most copies were over $100 - those are YA animal stories.
Yes, I love Calibre, but I don't keep all my ebooks in it, just the ones I keep on the ereader. I use it for conversion & I store the rest as files in directories sorted by name. The Gutenbergs, Wikis, and miscellaneous other places I find articles & stories have just added up over the years.
Even if I did keep them all in a program, that's not the same as real books in the shelves. Several of us can browse those together & there are notes, book lists, maps, & more stuck in between the books. It's a very homey hodge-podge of bright colors & fond memories. The cold logic of a computer wouldn't do it any favors.
As for linking in the cover that you like, then you're changing the edition. That's not always a big deal, but sometimes it's a huge one, so you should be careful. Different editions of A Clockwork Orange have completely different endings. Ray Bradbury said in his afterword of Fahrenheit 451 that he found 75 edits done to the book before he restored it for the edition I listened to. That sort of thing happens more often than you'd think & is something I keep notes on for some books.
Cover art can easily be scanned or found online. I have directories full of some of it, too. One of my favorite artists is Frank Frazetta and decent pictures of his originals are available on his web site. The computer does shine there. I can see the entire painting that was used for a cover & keep a copy with both the artist & the author's books that it was used on, regardless of how it was cropped for the cover. I'd love to buy one of his paintings, but the last one I saw on sale started at more than I paid for my farm - just a wee bit out of my price range.
;-)
Right now we're discussing James Warhola's cover for A Night in the Lonesome October in the Beyond Reality group:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
He's the nephew of Andy Warhol & did a fabulous job complementing Zelazny's cryptic prose. I edited the picture to put numbers on the characters & posted it for everyone to see. Now we're all trying to figure it out. Lots of fun.
Jim wrote: "Derrick, I believe it's illegal to make your own and to get a decent scan, you do have to sacrifice a copy of the book. "I don't think there's a problem as long as you don't distribute it.
Sounds like a whole lot of work though, and as you pointed out wont turn out so well for your poor paper copy.
When I last moved a few years back, all my decent bookcases got commandeered for other purposes - DVDs, husband's business books, etc - so all my books got left in boxes in the loft :-( But when I got my Kindle (hurray for ebooks!), I started a purge, sending everything I'll never read again to charity shops or to a local group I belong to which runs a small library for members. I'd rather someone else got to enjoy them. But there's a few I'll never part with - some of the sci-fi from my distant past, and my precioussss hardback copies of Lord of the Rings, the ones with the foldaway map glued inside the back cover.Having said all that - cool library, MrsJ. Much nicer to look at than wallpaper.
Derrick, I enjoy both paper & ebooks. Pruning suggests a balance. I don't think it will ever be an either/or proposition. :)
The books I'm reading now, the Iron Druid Chronicles, are a fun urban fantasy. They're not real keepers, so I'm reading them on my ereader & that's fine.
Jim wrote: "Derrick, I enjoy both paper & ebooks. Pruning suggests a balance. I don't think it will ever be an either/or proposition. :)
The books I'm reading now, the Iron Druid Chronicles, are a fun urban..."
Firstly, What do ya think of the Iron Druid books, ive just finished the first one, and I can't help but feel like they are Dresden Files books with a different cast lol even down to the Star wars pop culture references.
and secondly, onto the top of the post, books are never ever allowed to leave my house unless its my current read and its accompanying me to work... or anywhere else I go really... suggesting it is almost enough for me to ask that person to leave my house :P full shelves, books in piles in wardrobes, under the bed, on the floor neatly stacked..... im working my way up to covering a whole room in bookshevles to accommodate them all, likely the living room as I dont think the other rooms are big enough :P
Richard, I thought the first Iron Druid was very heavy on the back story. It wasn't well done, but I liked the rest of it pretty well & agree with your take on them. I liked the 2d & 3d ones better, but the 4th is suffering a bit like the Dresden novels did for me. I found Harry's attitude depressing & while I like the Druid's better, he is getting a bit wearing, too. They're entertaining, better than Queen Betsy, but about on par with Sookie, IMO.
There's a site you can go to: http://1dollarscan.com/they will scan and digitize your books for you. But they destroy the book in the process. I have a really old cookbook that I want to get scanned but I'm scared because the book is older than me...
IIRC it's not illegal to make your own digital copy of any work you legally own ("format shifting"). The illegal part is distributing the digital copy.
With that being said...my preferred format is print. I'm starting to think of it as a luxury now but I still love it.
MrsJoseph wrote: "There's a site you can go to: http://1dollarscan.com/they will scan and digitize your books for you. But they destroy the book in the process. I have a really old cookbook that I want to get sc..."
Yeh I agree, can seem like a bit of a luxury with how much cheaper buying Ebooks etc is these days, but I can't help feeling you lose some of the joy of owning a book that way so still buy all mine in paper or hardback where possible.
For me the thrill with ebooks lies in finding the one I want to buy & getting to read it right away. I have to say that its so convenient to just go online & buy an ebook than take myself to the bookstore to buy a paper book. Also, I like that with ebooks I save paper. Not sure how many publishers print on recycled paper these days. But I do like the idea that I'm saving trees.
That's good to know on the scanning. I have some paperbacks & even a hard back that have no binding left. I might be able to get the latter repaired & I'd like to. It's a copy of The Miscellaneous Works of Sir Walter Scott: Tales of a Grandfather, History of Scotland by Walter Scott & my grandfather gave it to me. The paper of those pages is still in good shape unlike most of the paperbacks. They're so brittle I'm not sure they'll make it through a scanner.
Fantasy Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Deathworld 1 (other topics)The Warded Man (other topics)
Hounded (other topics)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (other topics)
The Blade Itself (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert E. Howard (other topics)Agatha Christie (other topics)
Lord Dunsany (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
Simon R. Green (other topics)
More...
This morning as I was (supposed) to be getting ready for work...I found myself in my library fiddling with my books.
Yes, I was a few minutes late today, lol.
My mom is coming to visit this weekend and I started a pile of books to give to her. It's about 7 books so far but I still have some poking around to do. I know that several of the books I'm giving mom I've planned to give away before...and it never happened.
Reading the thread referenced above, I know I think of myself as
I have been known to pick up books from the ground...and anywhere else I can find them. I am a genre reader...but I'll read the back of a cereal box if there's nothing else around.
Which brings me back to library pruning: How hard or easy do you find it to give away books. This includes extra copies, books you've read once and have no real plans to re-read.