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.
Here is an update! My husband donated all his books to goodwill, even the ones we had listed on bookmooch to trade. Now he reads books on his Ipad and it saves a ton of money and a ton of trees! Not to mention our house looks so much nicer, less clutter no more boxes and shelves and shelves of books oh and the dust!! I think he kept a couple sentimental books but we are packing up to move so he might not even hold on to those this round :)
Heather
Great post! You definitely have to work on it piece by piece if books are a difficult area.
On my recent de-cluttering project, I have made two passes so far on the books. The first work-through, I got rid of the ones that were easy… that I knew I wouldn’t be motivated enough to actually read. That was probably about 15-20 books.
Then last night I wrote down all of the remaining books and found I still had 156!
So I picked a number to pare down to first: 125. I picked out 31 books to get rid of over the next couple months. I will take notes from them or take the best art out of them and then sell, donate or recycle.
This is interesting but very foreign to me. I don’t see the point in cutting down to only 20 books. I’m more interested in building a thoughtfully-chosen library. I tend to read certain books again and again, and as for getting them from the library — many of the books that I most appreciate aren’t popular enough to be found at the library. Also, I don’t see a problem with having an attachment to books. When I walk into a home with tall, stately bookcases filled with books — to me that says something about the values of the people living there. So long as there aren’t piles of books spilling onto the floor, etc., I think a well-ordered, lovingly maintained personal library is a wonderful thing to have in a home.
Karen – I agree. A home without books isn’t minimalist to me, it’s lifeless and empty. I’m whittling down my current collection of 700+ books gradually, but I’m only letting go of the ones I know I’ll never read. A Kindle just can’t replace the real thing, and a great many of my favorite books are ones I often read over again, browse through, and unavailable on Kindle and at the library. It really is all about being more selective in your book buying. (Very hard for me to do, as I work at a used bookstore — paradise it is, I tell you!)
I absolutely LOVE my books! I moved a few years ago and gave away over 100 Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. (so I pretty much gave away almost 400 books) I still regret the decision for some of them because I have wanted to go back & read a story only to realize that I don’t remember the title to try to find it at the library.
Still, we have 2 bookcases (double stacked) and half a cabinet (also double stacked) that I need to go through. My kids books are spilling onto the floor because they have so many.
On the flip side, they have all developed a love for reading!
I did the same thing; gave them away to the local jail; there’s only one that I wish I could remember the name of; I’ve never forgotten that story and its impact on my life but I guess that’s what’s important anyway.
Something I’ve found interesting; my one son who I couldn’t keep in enough books growing up; we had cards at 5 libraries! hardly reads; my other one who wasn’t so much the reader I find reading more, but more thoughtfully, not so many books but the ones he does read he really does
I now only buy books that I can’t find at the library (which is about 1 or 2 a year as opposed to 30 or 40 books a year in previous years). Not only I am saving money but I read more than I used to. I try to get rid of 5 books each and every week. My goal is to be down to about 100 books max. Nice post.
Thank you for this. I really appreciate that you gave “tiny actions” that get the momentum going. I’ve been clearing out my book collection slowly over several months. It can be hard to let go but it feels so good to get books into the hands of someone who will actually use them. I find that donating books to the library is also satisfying because then I know the books will potentially be of use to lots of people (rather than hidden on my book shelf, collecting dust.)
While I think that these suggestions are good ones I don’t agree with the idea that no one needs multiple copies of a book. For example, I have two copies/sets of the all the Sherlock Holmes stories. One copy is annotated and wonderful because I can explore all the nuances and historical contexts. However, it comprises of three large hardback volumes. The other copy is not as detailed but is a much more manageable size which allows me to take it to a coffeeshop. Both are valuable and useful.
Twenty books? I keep at least that many in the bathroom! I don’t have too many books: I have too few bookshelves. OK, I’ll admit that I probably could cut it down to around 4000.
(Twenty books! Sheesh! I’ve got more than twenty dictionaries.)
Great suggestions, especially “write it down”. I often kept books I didn’t want to reread because I knew there was a fabulous quote inside that I never wanted to lose. With the advent of sites like BookCrossing and Library Thing, I can now write a review, include my quote, and be able to pass the book along with no qualms.
I envy you having just 20 books. That’s close to my ultimate goal (no more than 25 paper books). I have around 200 now, but most of them were left by my adult children: another quandary.
Is this woman nuts? Only two bookcases and she thinks she has a problem? How does anyone live with only 20 books? I feel sorry for her.
To each their own. :) I don’t think she’s nuts at all- quite the opposite. This article helped me tremendously get rid of clutter, and I can’t thank her enough for “giving me permission” to get rid of many of those books. Now when I get new books, I can make sure they are classy keepers.
My husband is reading books for free on an ipad. When he is out he takes a photo of the book cover with his cell then gets home and looks it up to find a free version online. Also google has tons of free books you can read from any computer. We were trading books for points to get other books at bookmooch.com what nice people. When our house burned down I had to go in and take out all the books we had in inventory cause they burned and sent out apologies I couldnt ship anything of course and some people gave us some of their points when they heard so we could buy new books! Now that is an amazing online book trade site!
I’m in the process of minimalising, and this post is certainly helpful. My current plan is to cut down to 100 physical books and purchase a Kindle, with the majority of any future purchases being e-books.
Another option is to get a kindle, that way you can have thousands of books and not take up more space than the size of one book : )
I have recently got a Kindle and am enjoying it immensely, I have sold and given away many books, but still have loads to go and loads to keep – it is not easy for us book lovers. Really appreciate all the comments, they do help! I am trying to declutter every aspect of my life – keep going!
Book Crossing is a great way to pass books along. I’m also a huge fan of donating books to local charities, such as homeless shelters, women shelters, literacy organizations, etc…
I am the proud owner of a charming but small bungalow, and I’m trying to get rid of stuff. I have no problem purging decor items that have no place or clothes that I don’t wear or don’t fit, and I’ve been selling books a la carte on half.com. Well, I recently had a garage sale, and seeing them go one by one, or five by one wasn’t so bad. But today I went to a used bookstore with a couple hundred books and sold about half of them — the good ones, of course, with my marginalia, tabs, and underlining (philosophy major). The hardest part was coming home and seeing the giant bookshelf in my garage almost completely empty, save for a few worthless cookbooks. I’ve never felt like I lost a part of myself until now. At the store, as the clerk stacked the takers, I thought, “that’s what libraries are for.” I only hope somebody is inspired by my marginalia. I’m still smart, even without two giant bookshelves of books . . . right?
Well done be proud of yourself, I understand that you feel a bit lost at the moment but the sense of freedom you feel from getting rid of clutter and having more space is teh best thing ever!
Right :-)
Thank you for sharing your path, it inspired me.
Wow. Only 20?! I started on this path a few years back for not just my books, and it’s been very difficult yet simultaneously freeing. I come from a line of pack-rats so I’ve had to tackle this on my own. I thought my collection of materials was small, and each time I go through my stuff, I realize it’s still huge and most of it unused. This was a very helpful article to keep tackling the piles and just LET GO of the unnecessary. Thank you for it.
Ah.. so hard.
I got rid of a couple of books after I realized I had no idea what was in there – they cannot have been very memorable then.
And we recently got an open book shelf as a great addition to our community – leave books and take books. There are always good ones and the best thing is – I don’t regard them as my property, just as something I’ll keep for a while. The backpacker’s library has come to me.. ( http://seyruun.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/backpackers-library/ ) :)
Still, I have too many books. Thank you for your tips and everyone’s experiences with their attachment to their books! (Just 20.. just.. wow.)
Reading your tips, I wonder how many books you started with! I could go through all my books (including my husband’s & my children’s) in about 30 minutes.
This article hits home for me because I so much want to get rid of stacks of books and magazines I have stuffed in my office closet. I’ve gotten rid of a lot, but there‘s so much I still need to let go of, especially all the magazines and computer accessory junk that I have collected over the years. This stuff has become a burden.
I recently tossed out all the documents in about 20 binders I had on my bookshelf, and donated the binders to my child’s school. For now on, most all documents I read will be exported in PDF format onto my iPad. I’ve reduced my paper clutter by 80% over the past year.
If I were a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, now I’d say Kownbauga, dude!
How do i get my husband to purge a huge box of paperbacks he’s had stashed in the attic for over 10 years?
Love this post. My new philosophy is to immediately give away a book that I just read and LOVED. I found when I do that I give it away very enthusiastically, and to the person I think would enjoy it most. That’s much easier for me than taking a stack of books I love to Goodwill.
I also have a policy to buy no books, and have fallen in love with the library.
I too have a religious studies background. I find these types of books the hardest to part with even though i’ll likely never take the time to read all of the Rig Veda, Aquinas, or Barth. If you need any titles I know a motivated owner looking to downsize ;o)
I have read more books in the last three years than in the previous twenty, without adding any to my collection. I have learned to use the amazing library system that is available to most Americans. It’s a wonderful thing. Matter-of-fact, I have sold or given away more books in the past ten years than I currently own. How liberating!
great post. how about real releasing them via http://www.bookcrossing.com to float around the world..
m
Wonderful post! I’ve got multiple bookcases, stacks of books, racks of magazines… far too much reading material. I’m not ready to go through them yet, but I’ll come back to this for inspiration when the time comes. If I can get down to 100 books it’ll be a miracle. :)