Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Robyn Devine.
It is unmistakably comforting to curl up in a thick chair with a tattered copy of a book you love, listening to the rain while you let yourself get carried away by the words on the page. I know – I used to hoard books. Don’t let the title “minimalist” scare you off – I have a love of books that dates back to my years toddling around with Dr. Seuss, a love that was handed down from my mother.
Until just a few years ago, books were stacked everywhere in my home. My two huge book cases were double-stacked with volumes ranging from children’s fiction to college text books, and piles had formed next to couches and the bed, not to mention on any available surface. I could not imagine my life without these friends surrounding me – the very thought of letting go of just one was enough to send me hurling at my shelves, attempting to wrap my arms around every book I owned in protection.
Today, I am the proud owner of approximately 20 books – six of which are craft books. To move from one extreme to the other took some serious work, and was not an overnight process. It started with the realization that I was not so much attached to the stories and words themselves, but the physical books sitting on the shelves. Once I had that realization, I began to let go of some of my books, and moved slowly towards a more minimalist reading collection.
The best way for any book-collector to tackle their bookshelves is by looking at one book at a time. When we look at the whole expanse of our book collection, it can be hard to imagine ever letting a single book go, but in reality there are volumes hiding on those shelves that we truly don’t need or want. Taking time to pull a book down off the shelf and truly look at it as an individual item will help you decide for that book alone if staying on your shelves is the best option.
Here are a few suggestions to help even the biggest bibliophile relieve your sagging shelves of stress:
1. Write It Down.
Sometimes, it’s the way a book made us feel, our connection to the story or a character that keeps us from letting go of the book itself. Take some time to write down those feelings, those connections. Maybe you’ll keep these notes on your computer or in a notebook, or maybe you’ll begin a blog for them. Once you get those emotions and thoughts out, it can be easier to pass the book on to someone else who you think would love the story as much as you did.
Tiny Action: Grab a notebook and start writing down your thoughts about each book as you take it off your shelves. If you can’t think of anything to say, you probably won’t miss the book if it weren’t there anymore.
2. Divide. Get ruthless with your “yet to read” pile.
My rule of thumb is simple: If it hasn’t been read in six months, it probably won’t ever be read. I went so far as to test this theory myself as I found books on my shelves I hadn’t yet read, but couldn’t yet bear to let go. I dedicated a shelf to “need to read” books, and noted the date. Any books that started out on that shelf on that date but were still there six months later I purged – I had discovered I truly had no desire to read them!
Tiny Action: Let go of any book you haven’t read yet that has been on your shelves for more than six months. Afraid you’ll want to read it someday? Make a note of it in your notebook – title, author, ISBN number even – so you can find it at the library if you truly want to read it later.
3. One of the best ways to make use of your book collection is to share it with others!
As you look at books, anytime you find yourself thinking “So and so would LOVE this book!” write that name down on a sticky note, stick it on the front cover, and set the book aside. After you’ve got 20 or so books in a pile, begin handing them out – drive to friends’ houses and drop them off, or put them in the mail (book rate shipping is SUPER cheap).
Tiny Action: Pick five books off your shelves that you’d love to share with someone else, and then send them off to their new homes. Today.
4. Set aside one shelf of your book case as your “desert island” shelf.
Most book lovers have books they know they will never let go of, no matter what. I call these “desert island” books – they are the books I’d want with me if I were stranded on a desert island, that I could read over and over again for the rest of my life. As you come across these books in your collection, add them to your shelf. Not only is it comforting to see those books being saved as you pare down others, you now have a physical boundary – you can have no more “desert island” books than will fit in this one space, so you are forced to think analytically about your collection.
Tiny Action: Clear off one shelf to keep as your “desert island” shelf. It can only hold one row of books – no double stacks or piles!
5. Organize your non-fiction books by topic.
I found when I began to organize my non-fiction books by topic, I had overlaps in some subjects. For me, the largest overlaps came in religious studies (my major in college). As I saw where I’d doubled up on topic, it was easier to let go of a few books.
Tiny Action: Organize your books by topic and author. Begin to pare down where you see overlaps.
6. Look for multiple copies, and get rid of them.
You may laugh, thinking you would NEVER buy a multiple of a book, but trust me when I say I’ve found multiple copies of books on the shelves of almost every sentimental bibliophile I’ve met. Once you have more than a shelf or two of books (not a book CASE or two, a SHELF or two!), the chances of your remembering what books you own dwindles. Even if you love the book, there is never a need to own more than one copy of it!
Tiny Action: Every time you notice a multiple of a book, immediately give one copy away.
While going through this process, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Take breaks. When I first began paring down my books, I would get dizzy after 15 minutes!
- Take five minutes to step away anytime you begin to feel overwhelmed – this is a new experience for your body, and it takes some getting used to!
- Stay hydrated. I found I would get drained and tired as I went through my books – keeping a glass of water next to me helped keep me alert and focused.
- Set a timer. Sort through your books for no more than 30 minutes the first go-round or you will find yourself getting frustrated and overwhelmed.
- Honor your emotions. Your sentimental attachment to your books is not something to feel ashamed of or sad about. Acknowledging your emotions as you sort through your books can be the first step in helping you move past that attachment and towards a more minimalist reading habit.
- And above all, remember this: you did not acquire those books overnight, so you will not release your attachment to them quickly either. By spending a few minutes a week and by letting go of a few books at a time, you will find your feelings shifting towards the stories and the moment rather than the books themselves.
***
Wondering how to get rid of books? Consider donating them. Here’s a list of 20 places you can donate your books.
For more help with decluttering, see our list of 10 creative decluttering tips.
Nikki Faith says
Last week I had a dream where my husband and I were moving to a smaller house and really cutting down on our belongings. When I went to pack the books, he told me to leave ALL of them. I was aghast: “But, those are all MY books!! I need to have them.” He looked back and said: “If that’s how you feel, then the books own you.”
Gil says
I have gotten rid of close to 200 bokks over the last 3-4 years and am down to 20. I’m willing to let 5 more go, but there are titles I will absolutely read again. Book, I have found were not only a huge source of clutter, but a BEAR to deal with on my last move. It feels great that I can now put all of my books in a small box.
dj says
Do you think ereaders will change this or just make electronic stacks of books?
I have a list of books I read at: http://www.gutenberg.org. You can read them in your browser. They are either simple text or epub. Firefox has an epubreader addon. No additional device required.
We have had a number of power outages this year. One time, we were in the middle of movie date night, with the pizza in the oven and the dvd in the player. The pizza didn’t get baked and the dvd was stuck in the player. We played board games and read books by flashlight. It was fun. The feeling of peace was strange.
What are the other 14 books?
Antonio says
I am fully convinced we should get NOT rid of physical books as part of the move toward minimalism. I am reminded of when my kids were little and when we used to read to them and I still remember reading Shel Silverstein books to my little girl and Good night moon to my little boy, there is not technological advance that can replace that joy.
I remember a few years back we had a neighbor that had the nicest, cleanest and neatest house in the neighborhood, the kids were always clean and neat and almost unreal. One time we went to visit and it was indeed a very neat and clean and kept place inside as well. After the visit I made the comment to my wife “Wow what a nice an neat house”, my wife first reaction was. “Did you noticed? There were no books around”
Sam K. says
Antonio, I couldn’t agree more. I actually just wrote a blog post about this yesterday on my site (http://tinyurl.com/23yrldn). While I haven’t yet had the experience of reading to children (I’m still in college), I treasure the experiences I had with my parents reading to me when I was younger, as well as the shared bond we have in enjoying collecting, reading, and seeing the books we own. Reading books off of a screen will never, ever compare to the pure joy of picking up a beloved copy and flipping through worn and familiar pages — at least in my opinion.
Gin says
I just wrote an essay on my blog about how important reading was to me as a child – http://bit.ly/95ihsx. Books imprint on us, we become attached not just to the story, but to when we read it, and how it changed us. Add to that the physical heft of a book, and it becomes very difficult to part with.
It’s great to read your blog and be reminded that the books are not the experience. That we get to keep.
Amy says
My husband and I have moved several times, which always helps purge our book collection. As an elementary school teacher, however, I have the hardest time pairing down my classroom library. More often than not teachers have to pay out of pocket to build their library. In one move I sold/donated most of the 1,000+ collection. I still feel like that was a financial mistake and detrimental for my future students. Once of the best things to help new readers is for them to have access to books that they’ve heard/read before so they can read them repeatedly. Using the public library doesn’t allow for keeping titles 180 days. When I set up my new classroom, I spent quite a bit of money replacing many titles. Having said that, we’ve moved again and my classroom boxes are looming high in the corner of our 900 square foot house, waiting to take their place in a new school.
Are there any teachers who have experienced the same?
For my personal book needs, the public library is my go-to spot. Nowadays when I actually purchase books, they are reference books of some kind, that I know I’ll refer to again and again. I used to hoard cookbooks and cooking magazines, but the Internet has helped with that. While reading things online has been a great space-saver, I still savor holding a book in my hands, feeling it’s weight, turning the pages; nothing can replace that.
Teresa says
Interesting post! I decided I needed to get rid of some books a while ago and thought of making a list with synopsis – I think I was afraid I’d forget what I’d read. I haven’t got around to it yet but this has given me the boost and after reading this I may add how it made me feel too. I don’t agree with the six month limit though. Taking longer than this doesn’t mean I won’t read it, just that I have lilttle time for reading however much I love to do it!!
Elly Vortex says
When people see how few books I own, they’re often surprised. They assume that, because I am a librarian, I have a house crammed full of books.
I have millions of books, I say. I just keep them all at the library.
Right out of undergrad, I whittled my book collection down to just 30. My book collection has grown significantly since then (including 150 old harlequin novels that I was planning on using for an art project), and I’m just about ready to go through them again. Some will go to the library, some will go to friends, and some will get sold. Life will go on.
Maria Louise says
Excellent post! I look forward to trying some of your recommendations to minimalize my enormous book collection.
Lucent Imagery says
Two things that originally slowed me from getting rid of books as I continually declutter our home was my sentimental attachment to them and my resistance against new technology. “I want old fashioned books not new fancy technology. It permeates our life too much. I don’t want another computer of sorts.” I ate my words and realised the technology helped me in my greater priority of decluttering. Once I read one book on my husband’s small reader, I realised how great it was and that I didn’t need to hang on to the paper bulk. We have now rid ourselves of half our books and I keep getting rid of more as we read them or buy electronic copies instead.
When I read thick books and fall asleep it hurts much more to have a heavy book falling onto my face than the small reader!!
In relation to suggestion No. 1: One thing I do is type up my favourite quotes (with all the bibliography info) and either put it up on my blog or keep it for personal re-reading.
Great post!