SOPHIE LI

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to write about a topic that is personal to me. Maybe it is something that you’ve thought about as well.

Being youngish*, I am still renting and will likely move every few years. My most recent move was difficult – I realized just how much stuff I had, including books.

*Youngish, as in, in my late twenties – Wait that is still young right!? Right!? Yes I thought so too :’) 

Unpacking the 23-kg box of books that I shipped from my previous home, it turns out that I didn’t even like some of the books that I decided to keep. There are also books that I liked, but probably won’t reread. And that prompted me to ask myself a few questions:

What is the value of keeping a book that I didn’t even like? What is the value of keeping a book that I liked, but don’t plan to reread?

Reasons for Keeping:

#1. We can keep track of which books that we’ve read. There is a sense of accomplishment in getting a visual of all the books that we’ve read this week/month/year, isn’t there?

#2. It is a great conversation starter. If a friend or family member asks about a book on our bookshelf, it gives us the license to rant all about it, whether we loved it or hated it.

#3. What if one day we change our mind about this book!? Maybe we didn’t like it the first time around, but who knows!?!

#4. They look pretty. Nope, as board-certified bookworms, we don’t judge a book by its cover… BUT that doesn’t mean that we can’t admire a book cover, does it?! 😉

#5. It is super satisfying to collect an entire series, or every single book/series that an author has written. (I actually haven’t had the opportunity to collect a whole series, but I imagine that it is an awesome feeling.)

#6. Why get rid of books that we’ve spent $$$ buying!??! It’s like throwing money out the window like this kid here. (Kid, STOP THROWING MONEY OUT THE WINDOW.)

Reasons for Ditching**:

#1. Out with the old, in with the new! If we get rid of the books that we will never re-read, it will make room for new books that we will love!

#2. Free up space. If you have a small space (like me), you might not have room for all the books that you’ve read and the books that you are planning to read. And that brings to the next point…

#3. More mobile. If you have fewer books, they are much easier to move.

#4. Why be reminded of all the books that we disliked? Imagine looking at our bookshelf and seeing that it is filled with (and ONLY with) books that we love.

#5. Someone will read the books that we donated/gave away, and maybe they will love it more than we ever will.

To be honest, I am still on the fence. What do you guys think?!

**”Ditching” as in, donating or giving away. I would never have the heart to throw away books :’)

How many books do you have on your bookshelf? Do you get rid of books that you didn’t like / won’t reread? Is there such a thing as having TOO many books?