I am up to my usual spring jobs...spring cleaning. In my other post I explained that this year's spring cleaning means getting rid of things...downsizing.
Today it was books. Discarding books. We don't have very many books but discarding some will lighten the load if I have to move sooner than I think.
I was a teacher and when the library was discarding books I was there to pick out what I wanted. Then there were all kinds of books that were gifts. Somebody (Mom) in their wisdom kept most of the books I was given as a child. My youngest Aunt gave us books for birthdays and Christmas. One series she gave us was called the Sugar Creek gang. It must be a huge series because a brother and sister also got books. We were too young to read some of these books so Mom would read them to us. Reading time was just before going to bed. So the four of us would crawl into bed with Mom and she would read. Mom was an excellent oral reader and could put some emotion into the story with her voice.
Some of the books are very hard to part with because of their sentimental value.
I had many good outdoor books on hiking, cross country skiing and birds.
The Micro Manager had many books given to her and was good at seeing books she could pick up. She kept most of her nursing text books.
So the afternoon was spent going through our book collection. I'm not done yet . There are more books around the house.
You did a great job of culling your books. I did a huge cull a few years ago already but that was only a dent in what I need to do. I will eventually get to it but I am still plodding away on all the other areas of excess.
ReplyDeleteI unfortunately have other areas of excess too.
DeleteBooks are hard for me. I usually know if I want to get rid of a book but there are far too many that I want to keep. What do you do with old textbooks? That one stumps me, along with old encyclopedias. You did very well weeding out your books. I'd call that a successful day!
ReplyDeleteMy old textbooks were long gone but my wife had a few of her nursing textbooks.
DeleteAn especially interesting post to me because I have the same problem … too many books. Thanks for the suggestions. One question: I see, among the books to keep, on the top shelf, Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. My question is simply out of curiosity. Why would you keep that book, which uses a good amount of space, instead of giving it away, and using, instead, your computer, or iPad, or whatever digital device to look up words on the internet? It’s actually easier to look up words on the computer, for me at least, since the machine will help me if I am not sure of the correct spelling. So, are you keeping it just for sentimental reasons? If so, I understand that. When I first started teaching, back in the 1970s, I purchased a copy of the Gregg Reference Manual. The Preface of the book describes itself this way: “The Gregg Reference Manual is intended for anyone who writes, transcribes, or types. It presents the basic rules that apply in virtually every piece of business writing, as well as the fine points that occur infrequently but cause trouble when they do.” I recently took it off the shelf to look up “pronouns” which have become a big issue lately. You know, he/him, she/her, they/them, we/us, etc., etc. In the good ol’ days pronouns were simple. 😊 Sorry for the long comment but I get a kick out of the way we are on the same page so often.
ReplyDeleteI have just never got in the habit of using the computer for spelling and word meanings. I threw away a Harbrace! I'd never used it but picked it up from someplace. Yes, we come from the same age and profession. I do enjoy long comments as I gain new and more ideas. I do read those long comments. Honest!
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteIt is good idea to downsize. I hope your books find a good home.
Take care, have a happy week!
I've given them to a thrift shop.
DeleteI've never heard of the Sugar Creek Gang. Must be a Canadian thing? I know what you mean about how it's difficult to get rid of certain books. I've thinned out most of my books over several moves but I have about two shelves' worth that I'll probably never be able to get rid of!
ReplyDeletethe Sugar Creek Gang is an American series. It's evangelical so lots of bible verse quotations.
DeleteI can' bear to part with books - they hold such memories just by looking at the cover - before you even open them.
ReplyDeleteYes, lots of memories and good times.
DeleteIt really is so hard to part with things that we've had for so very long. I often think about getting rid of stuff in preparation for a true downsizing, and then I just put it off for another day. Someday we're really going to have to get started.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling and experience. It's hard to part with things.
DeleteIt is hard to part with things that trigger emotions in us. But you did a great clean-up!
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the books but there are many more things. Lots of clothes and all kinds of stuff on the walls.
DeleteI have been culling my books for over a year now. I have some friends that have miniature libraries on poles in their front yards and I have been donating my books to them. I kept them because they were excellent books and I thought my children might enjoy them when they were older. But as I have pulled some out over the years to reread, I realized that most were pretty dated. (All mine are nonfiction which doesn't help.) So I have been culling them out as those libraries on a pole need refilled. The hardest part is simply placing them into the cull box. Once they are out the door, I don't miss them.
ReplyDeleteThe library box is a good idea because then they are back in circulation.
DeleteI do recall the Sugar Creek Gang, but I don’t recall them being a favourite of mine.
ReplyDeleteI remember Mom reading them and she made reading interesting.
DeleteThat is a real hard job for me. I have a hard time getting rid of books:)
ReplyDeleteIt's like shooting the family dog.
DeleteI did the same thing yesterday and the day before. It is so hard! I have kept one book from childhood and one book from nursing school and three research papers from when I was working on masters in Anthropology. But the hardest on me was getting rid of fabric. I have sewn all my life and enjoyed it so much. But I can no longer see well enough to make things with dark fabric. So, all the brown and black and dark reds and blues got bagged up yesterday to be taken to a mountain church that will send fabric to women in Africa who make different items to send to the US and Europe. Maybe I will find a scarf or hair tie one of these days made for that very stash of fabric that I had. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteGood for you. You really cut down. My wife' nurse and she still has a few texts from the early 60's.
DeleteI got rid of a lot of books about a decade ago, and it amazes me how many I've managed to buy in hard copy anyway! I no longer have a thesaurus or dictionary at home, just use the online versions.
ReplyDeleteYou probably got rid of your books when you moved to Bellingham. The people who move often don't have as much junk. I still read the hard copy stuff but I get everything I read from the library.
DeleteGetting rid of books is very hard indeed. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBooks are hard to part with. They are like old friends! I have saved a couple childhood books and a few gift books I just can’t part with. I only buy books on Kindle now so I don’t keep accumulating the paper ones.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom kept all my books from childhood. Mom thought I would take the stuff but when I got them is when my sister in law moved into the house.
DeletePublic libraries here take books for reselling.
ReplyDeleteYes, our library has fund raisers with donated books.
DeleteI always dislike culling books. It’s hard to let old friends go. You did well.
ReplyDeleteMore than books are tough to let go. The stuff on the walls give many memories.
DeleteCulling books is hard so you've done well. My mum kept my childhood books but I have no attachment to them so I feel a tiny bit guilty about that
ReplyDeleteMy Aunt gave all my childhood books for pesents so it was hard to part with them as it seems like part of here. My aunt is still living.
DeleteI find getting rid of books is the hardest thing.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we haven't looked at some of them for many years.
DeleteWe no longer buy books. We read electronic books now. In the past we have donated most of our books, but we still have a number of garden books and travel books.
ReplyDeleteI still read hard copy and all my books come from the library.
DeleteI gave my books to the local library for book sales. Many were excellent reference books and were added to their collectionl
ReplyDeleteOur library has the same system for a fund raiser.
DeleteIt's really hard to get rid of books. When we moved back to Hawaii, we had a TON of books that had to be sold or donated. It was hard. I now read on a Kindle so don't collect too many books anymore. I can imagine how hard it would be to cull those books of yours. I'm sure there are collectors out there who would love to purchase them.
ReplyDeletePeople who move a few time have much less stuff to worry about. I've lived in the same house since 1969.
DeleteSpring cleaning already? No, no, Punxsutawney Phil says there are six more weeks of winter!
ReplyDeleteI want to be finished before spring so that I can do springy things.
DeleteSo sad to divest yourselves of books that have been such a part of your lives. I would find that very difficult to do even though I know I have far too many books and some of them haven't been opened in fifty years! Crazy.
ReplyDeleteSome of the books I had had not been read for many years. I had a Time Life book with my Dad's picture in it. Sadly his moment of fame is gone.
DeleteSurely your children would want something like that, wouldn't they?
Delete