This is great! We have so many books. They overflow in different rooms in our house. I do love supporting the library, small bookshops, and I do listen to audiobooks on my commute which makes the time go by faster (and is more interesting). I have a very hard time getting rid of books, but I do wish I had more as family heirlooms. My in laws have a very impressive book collection so I hope we have a chance to continue that collection in future.
This is a great topic. I generally have an easy time getting rid of books since I've always lived in small spaces and used to move regularly. A few years ago when my husband and I had to downsize our collections to move in together, choosing what to keep was determined by (1) sentimentality, (2) how likely we were to revisit the book, and/or (3) how difficult it would be to repurchase or check the book out from the library.
For purchasing new books, I try to only buy ones that I think are worth having in hard copy. This usually means coffee table books, books only available in print, and the odd textbook. Pretty much any book that isn't picture-heavy or only available in print is purchased as an ebook or borrowed from the library. My husband and I are both readers, but we don't like feeling overwhelmed with stuff (although we're admittedly running out of space! I recently realized we both quietly set up personal overflow areas 😂).
All of that said, our rules will probably be revisited/relaxed when we buy a house since we won't have to be as ruthless with preventing clutter. I'm excited to follow your process of paring down the family collection. My husband and I both have tons of books still living at our parents' homes that will need to be sorted and moved when we have a more permanent place of our own.
I envy your ease in getting rid of them! I try to cull the collection at the apartment least every year, but never end up doing a very good job haha. Even though we also move a lot! But I think we've been reasonable overall—the bookshelves all pretty much fit in our home office, with a shelf of coffee table books / lifestyle books in the living room and that's it.
Over time, I've grown more selective..now, I only buy a book if I've already read it & can imagine myself reading it again (or enthusiastically foisting it on friends). I keep books I've read many many times (hello, Anne of Green Gables boxed set) and let go of ones that I can hardly recall. I like your method - trying to imagine if my family or friends would browse and take interest!
You are SO good at this. I need to channel your patience to wait for something at the library when I want to read it, instead of always ordering it instantly!!
This was so interesting! We only have books from our generation and err on the side of keeping all the ones we think we'll re-read: a LOT. Having built-ins installed this week/next week and so looking forward to having a place for them all (most) (maybe not even close to all).
This is great! We have so many books. They overflow in different rooms in our house. I do love supporting the library, small bookshops, and I do listen to audiobooks on my commute which makes the time go by faster (and is more interesting). I have a very hard time getting rid of books, but I do wish I had more as family heirlooms. My in laws have a very impressive book collection so I hope we have a chance to continue that collection in future.
I hope you have a chance to continue your in-laws' collection, too! And you can always be the ones to make something a family heirloom!
This is a great topic. I generally have an easy time getting rid of books since I've always lived in small spaces and used to move regularly. A few years ago when my husband and I had to downsize our collections to move in together, choosing what to keep was determined by (1) sentimentality, (2) how likely we were to revisit the book, and/or (3) how difficult it would be to repurchase or check the book out from the library.
For purchasing new books, I try to only buy ones that I think are worth having in hard copy. This usually means coffee table books, books only available in print, and the odd textbook. Pretty much any book that isn't picture-heavy or only available in print is purchased as an ebook or borrowed from the library. My husband and I are both readers, but we don't like feeling overwhelmed with stuff (although we're admittedly running out of space! I recently realized we both quietly set up personal overflow areas 😂).
All of that said, our rules will probably be revisited/relaxed when we buy a house since we won't have to be as ruthless with preventing clutter. I'm excited to follow your process of paring down the family collection. My husband and I both have tons of books still living at our parents' homes that will need to be sorted and moved when we have a more permanent place of our own.
I envy your ease in getting rid of them! I try to cull the collection at the apartment least every year, but never end up doing a very good job haha. Even though we also move a lot! But I think we've been reasonable overall—the bookshelves all pretty much fit in our home office, with a shelf of coffee table books / lifestyle books in the living room and that's it.
Over time, I've grown more selective..now, I only buy a book if I've already read it & can imagine myself reading it again (or enthusiastically foisting it on friends). I keep books I've read many many times (hello, Anne of Green Gables boxed set) and let go of ones that I can hardly recall. I like your method - trying to imagine if my family or friends would browse and take interest!
You are SO good at this. I need to channel your patience to wait for something at the library when I want to read it, instead of always ordering it instantly!!
the trick is to always have lots of simultaneous holds - every few days, you get to be surprised by one coming through!
This was so interesting! We only have books from our generation and err on the side of keeping all the ones we think we'll re-read: a LOT. Having built-ins installed this week/next week and so looking forward to having a place for them all (most) (maybe not even close to all).
Congratulations on the built-ins! Those will be so fun to arrange!