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.
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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.
Elizabeth Munroz says
In the last year or so, I have slowly parted with books only to buy more, though used from half.com Amazon or Paperbackswap.com. That last one is a problem because you trade one book for another… I have book shelves in every room in the house and a little one for magazines in the bathroom. Everyone reads there. Right?
In order to really let go, I had to talk myself into it. Aside from attempting to reach a more minimalist lifestyle, I realized they took up a lot of room and that adds to my sensation my home is too cluttered. Because of my asthma and allergies it is a good idea to not have dust catchers on the book shelves. Some older books have mold and that’s really bad for allergies. I find more and more, that I read on the internet. There are some very good authors online. If you have a title of an older book you’re interested in, go to google books and see if they have it online in pdf form. If you visit publishing houses sometimes they have a free book to download.
I donate my books to the local Senior Center, the hospital borrowing library, nursing homes and my local freecycle group. Older textbooks go to recycle bin. Magazines in good condition, I leave at doctor’s offices. Though pretty soon there will be no more magazines as I am not renewing them. There is enough to read online, I may never need another book.
I don’t make use of libraries because I’m terrible about returning books on time and have spent too much paying fines. Not worth it for me.
Another rational I gave myself for clearing my bookshelves? I live in earthquake country.
Steph says
Do you know something, I would love to say that this streamlining really is possible and that it just works, but I am sad evidence that some people and their books just cannot be parted. At some point last year I decided to whittle down my collection, but only slightly. I took 40 books (with absolute extreme difficulty, mind you), and put them for sale on Amazon. I had figured that if I was getting a few bucks per book perhaps the supposed sense of loss would not have been so acute, even though these were books I had essentially no interest in (some weren’t even purchased by me).
And yet, the emotions burst out of me the day the first book sold. Even though it brought in £ 30, which was absurd, as it was a little, non-descript pseudo-business book, I surprised myself thinking, ‘See?! Here is an intelligent person who has figured out the true value of this book! And here is me, the moron who is selling it!’. Still, I persevered. A few months later I found myself in a local library, seething at the sight of one of the books I had sold. One year on, I’ve sold 30 of those books and I regret every single sale. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I stopped dead right in the middle of wrapping one I had just sold, went back to the computer and wrote to the buyer, ‘Sorry, inventory problem, I haven’t got this copy, I shall refund you immediately. But I note you are interested in writing! How wonderful! Check out my website!’.
Honestly, it’s embarrassing and it’s just not working. In June I was working at a university with a professor friend of mine. He has upped sticks to go and teach somewhere exotic for the next three years and I was working with him in order to catalogue his 9,000+ collection, all of which was being packed the following week and sent by sea to the new home on the other side of the world. Getting rid of my books makes me feel sick and I won’t attempt it again. I guess that some of us are just not meant to go minimal…
Teresa says
I agree; I can rid of many things, even my house. However, I will keep all my books in that new small, minimalist apartment.
sui says
I know what you mean. I feel like we can clearly be minimal in other ways, but there’s some books I just don’t want to part with… half the reason is I lend them to my friends so often anyway. But perhaps that’s just my perspective because I really respect and adore the presence of books. One can be minimal in every other way other than books. Don’t give up!
Carrie says
Wow, could I ever relate to this post! How fitting that in my search for happiness and freedom from stuff, I should come across your blog with a post about the thing that is my biggest weakness. My emotions run high when it comes to parting with books. We had to downsize by 3/4 for an overseas move (no easy task for a family of 6). After being over here for a year and a half, my outlook on what brings happiness has changed completely. Life is about experiences, not stuff, and I am ready for more experiences and less meaningless-hoarding. Now I’m feeling suffocated by the bare minimum I thought I needed to last for 3 years here…it all seems like way too much. Thanks for putting out such a great resource. I look forward to gleaning helpful advice here.
Patrick Kyle says
Just got through with a major purge of my library. Did it a couple of times in years past, but this has been the most thorough. Finally I am down to less than one full bookcase. (Its a big one though.) Nothing has been harder for me to bring under control in my long march to a more minimal lifestyle than my library and some items I inherited from my grandfather.
Really enjoying your blog. I have a wife and three kids, so your style of rational minimalism has been more applicable to my situation than many other Minimalist bloggers. Also am appreciating the spiritual aspects of your writing. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Picnicgal says
Thanks so much for this post! I am totally addicted to books, but fortunately have only a small amount to deal with at home. Most are borrowed from friends or the local library. It’ll be difficult getting rid of the books I currently own, but this post has truly inspired me. I’m an Early Reviewer for Librarything.com, and I’ll be giving away the books I receive after I’ve read and reviewed them. It’s on my “To Do” list (LOL). My husband is a minimalist and I’m a pack rat, so there is work to be done! I have an overabundance of craft books and cookbooks … I think I’ll start there.
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
Great article!! Lots of people have a hard time parting with books. I rarely buy books any more, and I am slowly purging my books.
Ramblings of a Woman says
I have quite a few books myself! 12 years ago I began homeschooling my 3 kids and used that as an excuse to buy even more books! :-) Now my kids have all graduated. I sent a lot of books to my grandkids, and many others I donated. I’ve been in a holding pattern for a few years, but now my hubby and I are looking to convert to an intentional vagabong lifestyle in a few years, so I believe it is time to go another round! I also love antique books and have a collection of history books from the turn of the last century. Eventually I will have to part with them!
http://bernicewood.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/give-your-energy-level-a-jumpstart/
Judie says
This makes me feel so much better about what I am having to do right now–get rid of a lot of my stuff in order to move in with my fiance, and I have a LOT of books, from my entire life, as well as books I inherited from family members. Most have some sort of meaning or connection, but I realize that they do no good sitting on a back shelf unread. I took a lot of books to Powell’s this morning to sell, those they didn’t want I will take to a garage sale and what’s left over will get donated to Goodwill or our county library’s book store. Thank you for writing this!
Laura says
In an earlier comment on another post, I shared how I’d recently purged a lot of books. Many of them were old favorites, but they were collecting dust, so they had to go. As a result, I have maybe twenty books left. I love the feeling of knowing exactly what books I have, why and where they are when I need them (I have a bin stored under my bed and another stored in my closet).
Recently, my mother asked me for a book that she and I both owned, but she lost a page from. I told her that the book had been ousted with the others. She immediately grew anxious and said that it was very hard to find. I happened to be online during this conversation, hopped on over to Amazon, found and purchased the book in less than a minute for less than $2. In her mind, this book was a rare, precious gem, but the reality was that several sellers advertised it on Amazon and I’m sure it’s sold elsewhere. For me, this proved that the mental reasons we guard our attachments with are often unreal.
I much prefer repurchasing a book for two bucks (or even checking it out for free from the library) than having it occupy unnecessary space in my home and in my mind. ;)
No regrets here about breaking my own sentimental attachments to books (or my moms, lol).
Steven says
I’ve found that when someone owns something, it becomes far more valuable in their mind that it actually is worth. I have to admit that I do the same, but I’m trying to get better. Things are only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Using that logic, I’ve been listing my stuff on eBay starting at $0.99. Sometimes I’m happy with the price at the end, other times I cringe. But, that’s the reality … and accepting that makes it easier to purge the unnecessary from my life.
Sequel says
I recently moved and made myself go through my books and weed out and yet I’ve still found that I need to go through and do it some more. I’m aware that I hold onto books because of the way that books made me feel when I was younger and the comfort that being surrounded by books brings to me. I’m trying hard to break my attachment to things and this moved helped with that immensely and my possessions are much more pared down than before. This post helped me decide to tackle those boxes of books ONE more time.