The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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What do you do with your books?
Cheryl wrote: "I'm a 99% library user, so it's not really an issue. The few books I do own get donated back to the library when no longer wanted."I was an active library user too until a few months ago. But now I hardly get time to read and I can't a book borrow from library for like more than a month. So now I prefer purchasing books and keeping them with me for a long time.
Jacqui wrote: "More often than not I keep my books, which is why there are boxes and bags and shelves of them all over the house. If a book I read is one that I really didn't like for whatever reason, then I'l..."
That would be an ideal thing for me too.
I do not have much space in my room to store my books which are all scattered here and there. I think I need some great innovative ideas to make room for them.
I rarely buy new books that aren't in an eReader format (Kindle). The books I have take up too much space. We are cataloging them (so we don't buy duplicates etc.) and intend to give the rest of them either to people who want them (Libraries, Chairity etc.) or to a 1/2 price book store.
Of course we're keeping our favorites and a couple of rare books, things that are out of print now.
thought this discussion had died a death I must admit would love a house big enough to have a library and save all my books
I admit I am totlly a hoarder. I love collecting my books, seeing, and displaying them on shelves.I read alot of different series and re-read quite frequently so they do get read. As much as I read, my family thought I would love to have a nook or kindle, when really I don't. It's funny, but it's not the same reading experience for me unless it's a physical book. There is the rare book I don't like so I will put it on paperbackswap.com or take it to half-price books
I too save most of my favorites, but I often pass some of these on to my to daughters or my sister-in-law who than passes them on. Sometimes I send them to another one of my goodreads friends who want to read the book.
Hello. I am new to the group but not Goodreads. Anyway, I give my books away. Mostly to the local library but sometimes to random people. I was just in the hospital and finished a book so I gave it to my nurse. Usually mine are hardcover
My son recently turned a wide but narrow closet in our office room, into a beautiful wide shelving unit for books. He used the wooden sliding door, cut into pieces for the shelving. It is 6 ft wide and has 5 shelves, absolutely loving it and what a wonderful surprise it was. We were out of town when he did it.
Diane wrote: "My son recently turned a wide but narrow closet in our office room, into a beautiful wide shelving unit for books. He used the wooden sliding door, cut into pieces for the shelving. It is 6 ft wide..."That sounds really nice. Maybe you should go out of town more often. Sounds like a great kid (no matter his age).
Though chances of me re-reading a book is slim, I just cant give away my books.....Its like a vault of emotions for me..Every time, I see the cover of any book, I remember all the emotions that enamored me while I was gorging away on it....
Avisek wrote: "Though chances of me re-reading a book is slim, I just cant give away my books.....Its like a vault of emotions for me..Every time, I see the cover of any book, I remember all the emotions that ena..."I feel the same way. I have books I have been saving since my childhood.
And doesn't old books, books our Dad & Grand-dad used to read also smell great ?? On a emotional note, while reading these antique tattered books, I feel like I am a kind of important person..u know...dabbling with ol' stuff and all !!!
Seems like there just not enough space to put all the books you love or the ones you want to read. What I would do to have the book room shown in "Beauty and the Beast." But that's a fairy tale. So I only keep my very dearest with me and donate most of th others away even though it breakes my heart. I would remind myself that I would have more space to keep those books I have not read.
Avisek wrote: "And doesn't old books, books our Dad & Grand-dad used to read also smell great ?? On a emotional note, while reading these antique tattered books, I feel like I am a kind of important person..u kno..."I'm sort of a book sniffer too. But I don't own any old books that my Dad or Grand-dad used to read. May be they weren't such enthusiast readers;) Or may be they were too generous to donate all their books.
I'm a hoarder too; I keep my books most of the time. :-) I'd love to swap them with fellow bookworms but so far I haven't found any international book swaps.
Keri wrote: "Hello. I am new to the group but not Goodreads. Anyway, I give my books away. Mostly to the local library but sometimes to random people. I was just in the hospital and finished a book so I gave i..."How so generous:)
Paper (vs. e-book) fiction I almost without exception donate to our local FOL booksale, and any nonfiction that I can't imagine reading again as well. I donated probably 200 books or more last year, and probably another 300+ this year.
I donate some, lend some, and keep some to reread I actually do that. I just reread The Last LetterI also reread with a book club The Bridge Club But I usually give them away. My kindle so far I have only deleted a few.
About a year ago my wife and I started de-cluttering in anticipation of a move (happily completed 6 months ago yesterday :-) ). After a lot of soul searching I decided it was just time to let go of old books and magazines for sake of space and my allergies.I've taken sort of an easy way out, by focusing on swapping out my physical copies for digital ones. The most successful strike came upon being able to get my Sky & Telescope magazines on DVD, so the almost 40 uninterrupted years I had wouldn't really be gone. I also repurchased in ebook form the fiction I liked enough to re-read, and even scanned the covers of my old copies and replacing the ebooks' covers with them.
It's an approach that has worked really well for me. I'm down to under 150 physical books (while rapidly accumulating digital ones :P ); the rest I gave to the church for yard sales.
I completely understand the appeal of physical books, not to mention the additional issue that going digital places additional restraints on what you can find. But the benefits of reading on my iPhone/iPad (always with me, less disturbing to the wife when reading in bed, hundreds of books weigh the same as one) have made this a happy sacrifice to me. Not to mention that the books have found new homes, and the fellow who purchased my magazines was apparently particularly thrilled to get them.
I have always loved books and in every home that I havelived in I have made sure there was a library. Now I have a whole wall of books. ( I also have books stashed
away in closets that I have purchased at books sales from the city library. These books are mostly popular
reading! I will give them away to friends or to the thrift shop I work in.) As far as my favorite books and
classics or French Books that I had in College they have a place in my home library that my friends, children and grandchildren can peruse.
Vicky wrote: "I'm a hoarder too; I keep my books most of the time. :-) I'd love to swap them with fellow bookworms but so far I haven't found any international book swaps."same here. which country when you say international book swap.
I keep all books I buy. Love putting them in my shelves. They are sorted by genre.My dream is to have my own private library one day, only need the house around it ;)
@ Stefanie : Dream On !! And since, its your dream...why dont you make it large, say a huge house with a small private library tucked in ?? After all, dreams are what makes the earth go-round !!
Here in Syracuse,N.Y. we can take A.R.B. to the Colonial Laundromats and place them in a bookcase there or I donate them to a library near us. NEVER throw out a book!!! @1:45p.m. on10-24-11 LUCY
Having up to recently been a collector (hoarder) of all my books, and never wanting to part with them, I realized I was spending far too much money and taking up too much space I really don't have, so I joined the local library. What a revelation. They have all the new releases, even before some of them come to the shops and I can order and reserve on line from all the other libraries in my county. The best thing I ever did. I love the library. And, I can still book browse in there, just like being in a bookstore. FREE.
How true MARY and you can save money as well. They can also help you search for things your having trouble finding. It's their job to know how to find and where to find things. LUCY @ 7:30 ON 10-26-11
I keep the ones I absolutely love. I donate the rest to my school or the local goodwill. But Now that I have a kindle, I am cutting back even further.
I'm quite possessive about my books. I put those book stickies in them, which say they belong to me. I lend them, but hope I'll get them back. I do it, as I like to reread books after a bit. My daughter's the same, so we have big piles of books around the house. But now I have a kindle. So it could all be different in the future. Maybe people will stop building bookshelves?
???!!! wrote: "Vicky wrote: "I'm a hoarder too; I keep my books most of the time. :-) I'd love to swap them with fellow bookworms but so far I haven't found any international book swaps."
same here. which count..."
Hi all. The only book swap I know that does international swaps is BookMooch (www.bookmooch.com). And of course there is BookCrossing, but that's not really a swapping site.
same here. which count..."
Hi all. The only book swap I know that does international swaps is BookMooch (www.bookmooch.com). And of course there is BookCrossing, but that's not really a swapping site.
Nick wrote: "I'm quite possessive about my books. I put those book stickies in them, which say they belong to me. I lend them, but hope I'll get them back. I do it, as I like to reread books after a bit. My dau..."Lol, it's funny but I just bought and put together a new big bookshelf this last weekend cause I needed more room for my books...I've been on a buying frenzy this year :)
I keep most of my books forever. I listen to a lot of audio books, as well. That way, if I don't have time to sit down and turn the pages, I can listen to them. Plus, they take up very little room... don't even require shelving. (hugs)
I guess we've run out of things to say about, what we do with our books, which may mean, like the books, we've run out of space. It seems there are three categories: those that keep and store them, those that give them away to charities, and those that now read on an e-reader, say kindle or iPad and others.
But there is a third dilemma to consider. For those that store books, and I'm one, although moving over to kindle, what about when we move? All those books are so, so heavy. The removal men almost faint when you give them the boxes of books.
Maybe be another plus for kindle.
I used to try to save all my books. My several bookshelves are pretty much full, and many shelves with paperbacks have double rows. I even have my old collection of Russian novels (mostly in English) along with dictionaries and some Russian and French originals from back in the early 70's when I majored in Russian and French at University!The past thirty years (gad! am I really that old?!) I've only kept the ones I really like, and recycle the old ones by giving them to library book sales or book exchanges like the local Co-op, where you can buy a book for 25 cents, which goes to a good cause.
And now, I have a Kindle! I can read a book at home, then pick up where I left off reading on my iphone if I'm in a long line up at Costco or waiting for the dentist. How cool is that?!
Nick wrote: "I guess we've run out of things to say about, what we do with our books, which may mean, like the books, we've run out of space. It seems there are three categories: those that keep and store them..."
I've moved my library many times (21 different living spaces in 43 years of marriage). The library has increased in size and now totals around 3500 books. The books are unpacked right after the essentials-kitchen, bath and bed covers. I re-read my books and often use them for research. I'm so glad I had them in Gemany when we lived there for 5 years because books in English were expensive and hard to find. This was in the mid-90's. I do usually sort out and dispose of unwanted books before a move. I read quickly and I read a lot so I like to have something available when I need it. Since getting an e-reader I've continued to buy print books because I joined Goodreads and some of the books friends recommended were only available in print.
I just pack them up and they move with me. I pack them in boxes that copy paper comes in so that they are not too heavy! :)
Being in India buying a new foreign book is really expensive(when the price is converted from dollars to Indian rupees). I usually buy books from a second hand store and return it back for an exchange. Even some of my friend do the same.
So interesting to learn what happens in other countries.Thanks, Anjuthan.
I hang onto books, and often re read them several years later. I do lend them - but then I ask for them back. Upstairs and downstairs bookcases are full and there is no more room under my bed. Sooo my last 3 books have been e books. Hasn't been as wrong as I thought it would be.
I box all my finished books up and, via Operation Paperback, I send them to an Armed Forces service person over seas who has requested that type of book.www.operationpaperback.org
this is a non-profit volunteer orgnaizatin that takes in reading requests from our service men and lets you sign up to send your used paperbacks out to there wherever they are.
What a wonderful idea Pat. Had a look at their web site.
Keep them all. We have six bookshelves filled, some are double stacked. Hardcovers are separate by genre and paperbacks are just all together.
Complicated. I have 155 feet of books, not counting the squibs which are shelved behind. I used to sell these, but goofed too often. Small paperbacks (detective novels) and large paper and hardcover detective novels are shelved above my desk. In my workroom are books (mostly novels) of life-changing significance. There are also are my poetry shelves, my books on artists' confluences (Paris 1920s, Vienna 1900 etc), travel books, graphic books, books on the book arts. In another room are the art books. The main shelves contain books grouped by topic: philosophy, critical theory etc., history, history of war, Native Americans, literature by country.I quit selling books. In my time I've sold two science fiction collections and numerous others I now wish I had. The exigencies of moving every four years.
At 10 books per shelf plus a factor for the small paperbacks I would estimate my library at 1600 books. I know every one of them. I reshelve them all periodically on some lame excuse just to spend a day poking through them.
For thirty years I kept a cardfile of books I'd read but didn't own. Recently I had occasion to go though it (digitally) looking for something I remembered reading. Found it. Also found dozens of others remembered with fondness. Aagh. I don't have room or money for another 3000 books. To say nothing of time. Very sad.
Denise wrote: "For those who love their books and are creative, http://media-cache-ec1.pinterest.com/..., I thought you might like to try this with a book."VERY nice. Thank you Denise. In the field of book arts this is called an 'altered book" -- there is a library subject heading for it, in fact. If you want to see more like this there are quite a few on my blogroll. Check out Louisa Boyd. http://ocotilloarts.com/blog/
Lee wrote: "Check out my pics on my profile......that's what I do with them. My little book room!"ha ha I have a book shelf like that. Told myself that any books that didn't fit on the shelfs I'd have to give away but I have piles of books in other rooms now. I do give some away but some of my favourite crime and horror authors I can't part with
Denise wrote: "For those who love their books and are creative, http://media-cache-ec1.pinterest.com/..., I thought you might like to try this with a book."i can't believe people would ruin a book.
My books are all over the place...I recently moved so some of my books are packed up and I have books scattered about the city. They're at my mom's house, grandmother's house, and even at my grandmother- in- law's house...
I use paperbackswap a lot for books I buy at yard sales and second hand shops. I usually only buy books from authors that I love and will most likely read again or that have great illustrations on the cover/chapter pages. I don't buy ebook novels, I still like to read an actual book. I do have a special bookshelf for my favorites, I like having them around.
Denise wrote: "I can't believe people would ruin a book. "Some books are improved that way, I think. Find this by Tom Phillips
A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel
First published 1982. A continuing project (individual original pages can be found in galleries). What Phillips did is to paint and draw on the pages of an obscure Victorian novel "A Humument" (=human document) By now Phillips has found and used more than a hundred copies. The individual pages are sometimes hilarious as well as visually nice. What he does is pick out individual words on the page and highlights them. One of my favorites is p114: "on the philosophy mattress tonight. My sister is going to attempt to join the morning after and Aristotle's Ethics." The thing is endlessly fascinating.
The thing is, the original novel hasn't been destroyed. But some copies of it have been used to make a new one, a sort of gift to enrich the world.
I used to have the whole Earle Stanley Gardner collection of Perry Mason. Now, I use bookmooch to give away my books. But I hardly ever find a book I want there. I keep a few treasured books. I never keep more than 50 books. That might seem a lot but I get attached to certain books and am even rebuying a book from the 80's that I gave away called "Serpentine" by the late and great Tommy Thomas .
The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group
Books mentioned in this topic
A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel (other topics)The Last Letter (other topics)
The Bridge Club (other topics)
Absolutely. The good feeling you get when you take out and turn the pages of one of your oldest books.