mommy-muse

As someone who has hauled tons of books around on cross-country moves, I think of books as the ultimate wallpaper. I sometimes fantasize about how to fit even more into whatever space I am in, perhaps creatively hanging shelves from the ceiling (and how much weight can a ceiling support, anyway?)! I currently have shelves overflowing with all things motherhood, mental health and bellydance related, my twin passions as host of The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood and author of The Belly Dance Prescription: Shake Your Hips AND Depression joyfully colliding!
It's a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of books is a friend of mine!
Warmly,
Christy

sarcher35

My bookshelves are crammed with books also, but so many other treasures too. Framed family photos, angels, clocks, Chinese soldiers and Tibetan gods, candlesticks, vases, musical instruments, carved wooden boxes and dancing Spanish women. But I always seem to have room for one more book.

I'm reading Brian Greene now.

S.

iskate22

I am the ultimate pack rat when it comes to books and although I do pay many books forward to my local women's shelter, I still have those copies that I want to keep. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume is an amazing story for me since I have spent summers on Martha's Vineyard and I love the familiarity of it. I have five sisters and we read it all together during our summer trip the island and Judy sent me an autograph copy.

But there are also those special books that I've read over the years that I just can't get off my shelves. So I also have books packed into my shelves and in storage cases in my garage, on the floor next to my bed and in as many places as I can find. One thing I find nice under my desk are books that I can rest my feet on when I am writing.

I hope my daughter will be inspired to read as much as I have. Reading a good book can takes me wherever I want to go.

Suzi...

zoemurdock

I'm thinking we need a new house if we are going to keep all the books we have. My husband and I teach a weekly writing workshop and we are constantly getting new books, not only to read, but to examine the writing techniques that people use. You can learn a lot. I am particularly interested in books with a unique and interesting voice that take me deep into the mind of the protagonist. Books like, Angele's Ashes, The Book of Ruth, Bastard Out of Carolina, and Joyce Carol Oates, Because It is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart - a marvelous example of multiple POV's with skilled transitions from one to the next that never leave the reader behind. Some day she'll win the Pulitzer.

How come you're the only one writing in your blog, Jill? - Well, I guess Suzanne is too. Love to see you doing this.

king82

Someday, I think I would like a hyper organized library with the built in ladder. We all should have a dream. Right now, it's a studio and trips to the library with a laundry basket. However, I do like the fact that it's all ready and waiting when I get there, so easy. That's how I like my life, hence the studio.

ccmom1

I love reading. Books were everywhere in my house. I used to have so many that they were even in the water closet. My husband finally had demand that I purge. And so I did. I promptly became miserable. It was like loosing your favorite blanket. I sulked like a child for a year. I need great books and that;s that. So slowly, I'm building my library back up. I am using a lot more discretion and that is part of the fun. The first time around the books were here just to prove to others that I am a reader. This time books grace my shelves and bookcases as a reflection of who I am and why I love to read.

9carol

I'm afraid my over-flowing book collection/shelves could be featured on Oprah's messy house segment. But books are good companions, even just sitting in the room! They are hard to part with, and wven though pruning is necessary, don't get rid of Moby Dick. I was "forced" to read it in college, but I'm REALLY glad I did. I love Herman, despite that I think he should have had a good editor snipping a few chapters out of M.D. (blasphemy!) Herman and M.D. greatly influenced my writing--I just finished my bliss--a book of my own! Dear producerji, perhaps your book-friends are trying to tell you that you should write--ever get the urge?

mingxue123

I love books that inspire me to live my best life. One of those books is Night by Eli Wiesel. Books I'm reading right now are by some Canadian authors, Donna Dawson - Redeemed and The Adam and Eve Project. Another excellent true inspirational story is Reverand Mother by Mary Haskett.

producerji

Apr 6, 2009 6:11 PM

  |   in response to: 9carol

After reading your comments I'm keepin my copy of "Moby" for sure! And to answer your question, I don't think I have a Great American Novel -- or any kind of novel -- in me. Maybe that's why I love reading stories so much, because I can't ever imagine writing one! Congrats on finishing your book -- finding your bliss is truly what life is really all about (but that's another blog for another time)...

king82

I talked to an agent once, I have a fascinating book (that is pretty much the phone book of literary agents). Anyway, this guy was so nice, and has been a pretty successful agent. He said his number one piece of advice for becoming a published author is to read, read, read.

9carol

Apr 7, 2009 12:55 PM

  |   in response to: 9carol

Dear Pro.ji, I hope you won't be disappointed in Moby. One of my "other" professors claimed that she had always maintained the right not to have to read Moby, and she told me just to read every other chapter! I read the whole thing, but the lengthy descriptions of whales and a few other things seemed pointless. I liked the book because it said so much about every thing in life, and it also revealed Melville's heart. His wife's father was influencial and voted against laws to protect slaves who had escaped to the North. Melville couldn't speak out publicly against him, but his sympathies were clear in the book. Happy reading!

merecop

I love, love reading. Here's my rule on keeping books: They have to be a book I REALLY loved. For instance, Edgar Sawtelle will go in the garage sale because I didn't like the ending. I will probably read it again some day but I can check it out at the library. If you want to keep the house less cluttered, keep the books you love and share the books you like or haven't read at all.

9carol

Apr 8, 2009 10:31 AM

  |   in response to: zoemurdock

Zoe, Strangely, even though I don't feel skilled enough to teach writing, I've always felt that teaching it would make me a better writer. (I could see the benefit of doing peer reviews during college English.)You're able to assess objectively and can more easily see what works and what doesn't. I've just finished my first book, and I struggled a great deal with getting the POV's (multiple voices)right--I hope I did! I'm doing final tweaking/formatting and trying to gather my courage to send it off. Carol

dflaky

One of my favorite quotes "Books are not furniture, but nothing furnishes a room like books".

pammacphee

When we were recently moving, I realized there is pretty much nothing you can do to get rid of books. At garage sales, you might sell a couple. Forget getting money for them at a used book store. Those places have too much stock already! Even if they buy it - 10 cents on the dollar - if you TAKE MORE BOOKS! So my new plan is to just leave my book wherever I finish it and hope that someone will pick it up and enjoy it too. My husband says it's just glorified littering. But I think it's generosity. At least I'm not just throwing it out the window! ha ha

maryg12

When we moved from CT to CO to AZ, packing and repacking my books were a treat. I had a few rare older ones that got damaged at the binding but because they are rare, I can't throw them out. Second, my collection consists of primarily non-fiction, classic literature, and poetry. One bookcase in the living room has one shelf of books and the other shelves, photos and unique statues and vases. Another bookshelf has all non-fiction with some rare figurines and a vase on the top. Then the bookshelf in the bedroom has my own special collection, primarily on Near East studies.

blissnotes

Until a few weeks ago, I would have no sooner discarded once of my books that I would have left behind one of my children. Books were sacred! As a writer, I know how much of myself I pour into my writing and getting rid of a book someone else had laboured over simply seemed wrong (it's not as though I was setting the book on fire or dumping it into vat of toxic sludge, but even sending the book to a charity shop seemed cruel.)

How could I possibly discard Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions, when it had been so important to me in those first few harrowing months of motherhood? How could I give away the shelf of prairie fiction titles I'd acquired when I took that undergraduate class with my best friend back in 1992? Giving the books away was like giving away pieces of myself.

A few weeks ago, my marriage crumbled and I needed to free up space both physically and mentally. I decided to sort through my books, keeping only those books I refer to often (interior design books, Strunk & White), beloved works of fiction I couldn't live without (Margaret Laurence's The Diviners, for one), and books written by friends. And right now, I'm also keeping Isabel Gillies's Happens Every Day, because her graceful way of navigating her divorce has earned the book a place of honour in my heart and on my bookshelf.

Giving away my books has not only freed up space but has also allowed me to break free of the person I was (a kind of nerdy gal who overthought things and liked to wallow around in dark places) and embrace the person I'm becoming (I'm not entirely sure but it seems to involve flowers and shoes.)

I hope that your book thinning process is as powerful for you as it has been for me!

zoemurdock

Apr 10, 2009 6:00 PM

  |   in response to: 9carol

Good luck with your book, Carol. I've just published a novel about polygamy, the subject that Oprah's covering today in her interview with Carolyn Jessop. One website that I found to be very helpful is agentquery. Can't put the full address here, but search for it and check it out. You can search for an agent by category and keyword. It's a great site. Zoe Murdock

king82

Hi,

Here's a book I used to query some agents. It's called The Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents by Jeff Herman. It profiled a lot of people in the business of publishing books, and gave insider information as to what to write/ not write in a query letter. I would use this and cross check using the internet for addresses. It's not easy to google 'literary agents' and find ANYTHING. But, if you have a name to go on, it's not too hard to find current addresses. I love this book. Good luck publishing!! Take care.

9carol

Apr 11, 2009 9:18 AM

  |   in response to: zoemurdock

Zoe, Thanks fot the tip--women helping women. Because your book is non-fiction, I'm wondering if if was intimidating to write--simply because you must have felt a great responsibility to be accurate and "get it right." How long did it take you to write?

zoemurdock

Apr 11, 2009 2:25 PM

  |   in response to: 9carol

Carol, actually my book is fiction based on real events that happened when I was a child and my father got interested in polygamy, which was devastating to my mother. I was too young too know everything that happened and much of it occurred behind closed doors. I had to take myself back to my twelve-year-old self and try to figure out what happened behind those closed doors. The story is placed in my real home town, a small town in Utah in 1959. The events that happen in my book are based on my knowledge of my parents and the Mormon Church and the environment and my parents' journals. What I discovered while writing was the psychological and philosophical truths of the situation. The book is still teaching me things about religion, and faith. That's the best thing about it. Zoe

tjuzang5

I have accumalated so many books over the years it surprises me everytime I look at my bookshelves. Pondering about which ones to pack or get rid of is like asking me what chocolate dessert I want today...I cant ever decide. I always attempt to keep the shelves organized. Going through tons of novels questioning if I will ever read certain ones or if I remember the plot of ones I have read. Some words have lasting impressions while others lack meaning at a certain point in your life. All I know is there is no reason to have so many of anything...the purpose of learning to share at a young age was for situations like this. Its time to part with any book you know will help another.

I used to live in Chicago. It was a place I felt motivated and inspired to be my best. I love Oprah immensely and feel like we are one in the same so I chose to visit the Harpo studios daily just to get a feeling, a sense of her inspiration from the outside. One day as I walked by there were books lying under the HARPO STUDIO sign. I picked them up, read them and returned them probably a month later. I believe the words and pages in a book are not the only things that affect a reader. When books are passed down you can feel the energy of the last readers, you combine your own images with theres and ultimately become one with another. That is the purpose of books and reading. You imagine, feel and become. So I say pass them on and feel proud when your bookshelf is empty because you will know for sure anothers heart is not.

9carol

Apr 15, 2009 10:52 AM

  |   in response to: blissnotes

I once read a quote "I will write myself into well-being," (I think), and it sounds like that is what your writing has done for you. I found that writing was cathartic and also felt a change--it revealed/reflected things/feeling about myself of which I wasn't aware.

idtwinsjen

My husband and I were just talking the other day about paring down our bookshelves... I think we're just trying to figure out what to do with them all, as we don't just want to throw them out.

I think I need to do the same with my children's books, which are also staring to get out of hand :-p Of course, I had to add to it by writing one for them as well :-p But, it's just so hard to find children's books written especially for twins. Especially with the rise in multiple births, maybe this would be a good feature to add in the children's book reading list?

9carol

Apr 17, 2009 1:42 PM

  |   in response to: zoemurdock

Hi Zoe, I hope this isn't a repeat response, but I don't see the message that I thought I sent. I can't even imagine what the process of writing about real life events (such as yours)must have been like for you--especially about such emotionally charged issues. I think writing fiction opens one up to all sorts of truths--good and bad, and it certainly affects the way you think. If you feel comfortable, please talk a little about what how the writing process changed you. I read a book where the main character was an author, and as he talked about editing someone else's manuscript (in the book), it was very obvious how addictive writing was for the real author. So now that you're done with your book, are you working on something eles? Carol

luvsfamily

Hi Producerji! I am a happily married father of three. I must admit, I am not an avid reader,,,,unless menus count! However, I did read 1 book called MAMMA CALLED THE DOCTOR a mother and child`s final Journey by ANTOINETTE ROMANA

This book is a memoir written by my lovely wife. It really is geared towards Oprah`s target market. It`s a woman's book about what women think when they are forced to make unreversable decisions and how they can learn to carry on through faith in God and the Angels.

We were pregnant with our fourth child and things were great. The other three children were all under the age of 5 years old. We were surely going to have our hands full, but were very happy. My wife received a call from the genetics department at the hospital, where we had had the amnio done. She was told our baby tested positive for Downs Syndrome and we legally had only 4 days to decide what to do or we would no longer have the choice. Antoinette and I struggled to make a decision, being Catholic and already having 3 healthy children, not to mention, one family income, we made our choice and live with the decisions we have made. In the book MAMMA CALLED THE DOCTOR, Antoinette mentions our Italian background and moral convictions, she recounts stories of her childhood, our relationship and our family life, that will make you laugh, yet bring you back to the reality of the decision we made together and throughout the entire book, you will also find yourself with tears as she relives what she went through emotionally and makes it hard for you not to feel what she felt. MOMMA CALLED THE DOCTOR also shows how she came to terms with her decisions and with the help of (Obviously) Oprah and guests she has had on her shows...The Secret, and Doreen Virtue with her Angel Cards, etc... Dr Phill even! She has been able to find a new faith in God and the Angels and hopes that others will find that they can find a new faith as she has done in whatever decisions thay have made, weather the same as ours or other low points in their lives.

MOMMA CALLED THE DOCTOR by Antoinette Romana
A MUST READ...as Oprah will say if she reads it, and even though you are overflowing with books producerji...Give this one a look, you will not be disappointed. Available on line at all major book stores

P.S. .....My wife doesn`t know I did this, so I hope she receives some positive feedback. Remember, It`s the only book I would recommend!

Thank You
Angelo....You`ll read about me in the book too, it mentions how wonderful I am!

luvsfamily

Apr 17, 2009 8:21 PM

  |   in response to: mingxue123

Try Momma Called the Doctor by Antoinette Romana...amazing book...make sure you have tissues!

marie147

Can you have too many books? I use to believe no, but after moving and leaving furniture to have room for the overwhelming number of boxes in the moving truck, I finally had to part with some of my collection. I'm in a smaller home, but that hasn't stopped me from buying more books online, at the local thrift shops, and at a local junk shop I just discovered. I joined Paper Back Swap, a good alternative in these economic times, but not for someone like myself who has a hard time swapping. Furniture purchases are made with storage for my book collection in mind. I have a china cabinet packed full of books and musical instruments in my living room. Book shelves lining the hallway are full of books. Baskets and fabric boxes containing books are everywhere. Some of my recent purchases are: The Fig Eater, Mademoiselle Victorine, Are You Sombody?, 10-10-10, and The Book Stops Here. My home would seem empty without these books full of adventure, mystery, murder and places I may never see in person, but can experience again and again as I turn the page.

lifeteller

If they are the books I write
God gives me these stories to tell
If you dont read this book
If you want real life experinces these are the ones to read. I wrote them to deal with my own confusion at first, Then God started to give me other people confusion, I express through Poetry and short stories

lorene9

The only books I have are the books I love or books I haven't read. I get most of my books from the library, unless the author is in town doing a reading and I can buy it and get it signed.

Once I read a book, I give it away, unless I loved it. As a librarian, I attend library conferences and have picked up a lot of ARCs/galleys. The same rule applies for those. I try to give most of them away for space purposes, but if I love it, I find space for it.

jmscaruana

My problem is too many OPRAH MAGAZINES!! Please help! I LOVE my O magazines and from time to time refer back to them however I am running out of shelf space as I've been a subscriber since O began. I would like to propose selling CD's or allowing us to download .pdf's of each issue. It would be ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, REDUCE CLUTTER, and allow the subscriber to SEARCH FOR ARTICLES more easily. And we wouldn't have to feel guilty about throwing them out
Thank you!!

ss94904

"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" is actually a series by the BBC on HBO. I always read the book(s) before I see the movie and I'm here to tell you that this adaptation is spectacular! I feel like I am in Botswana solving a case with Precious Ramotswe. I HIGHLY recommend the books and the HBO series.

ziggydoo

I too have more books than my house and my husband can handle. I have books that I love to read. Books from earning my recent Masters degree. Books for my classroom. Books, books, books. I pledge that during my time off during the summer I will PURGE. Smiles!!!!!!!!!!

23bonnie

I have loved books all of my life and they have been spread throughout my house. I have many favorites, too many to list, but just recently I let go of most of my books that I've owned for a lifetime. Really fine hardcover art books. I decided it was time to share the joy they once gave me. So, I divided them up and gave some to libraries, women's shelters and nursing homes. I can always go out and buy more books so I don't feel as though I'm missing out.

pjdpps

May 5, 2009 4:59 PM

  |   in response to: pammacphee

I had heard of a project someone had started that was similar to what you are doing. But adding their name and town to see where it traveled.

sherry1222

My library of books is pretty diverse. Romance novels, mysteries, self-help, cookbooks and do-it-yourself books. I am most inspired by the late Og Mandino's books and if you ever get the chance to read them, you won't be sorry. He was an awesome, gifted writer. My favorites are The Choice, The Twelfth Angel, The Spellbinder's Gift and The Greatest Miracle In The World. Steve Harvey's book, among many others are just awesome!

marooch77

Les Miserables!

zoemurdock

May 27, 2009 9:33 PM

  |   in response to: 9carol

Hi Carol,
It's been a while since I checked in here, so I didn't see your post. Writing about the true events of my life in a fictional way gave me the freedom to search for deeper layers of truth at the psychological and philosophical level. I learned a lot about my parents that I hadn't realized before, and I learned about myself and the fact that I still had bits and pieces of indoctrination that could still put the fear in me even though I thought I was way beyond that. Amazing what you find when you take on the task of deconstructing your childhood.

As for what I am working on next, it's another "novel" based loosely on my father and his journey through Alzheimer's. You might think it's a sad story, but actually it's got a lot of light in it and quite a bit of humor. I'm having a lot of fun with it and wish I didn't have to spend so much time with the promotion of my other book so that I could spend more time writing. But I'm getting back to it now and I'm probably a third of the way through the first draft (well actually, these first chapters have been through a number of drafts since each time I go back to writing I have to start at the beginning again to get the style and the voice in my head so the later chapters aren't disjointed. Writing is very fun. And so is teaching writing, come to think of it. Because in the teaching, you get to learn about issues and techniques you might never confront in your own writing. If you want to read more, you could always do a google search on my name. You'll find me all over the internet. Zoe

astap123

I am a librarian and even libraries weed books. The collection is healthier, more relevant to the tastes and needs of the community. There are many practical weeding guidelines: 1. CREW method for libraries at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/index.html) 2. Patricia Jean Wagner's The Bloomsbury Review Booklover's Guide: A Collection of Tips, Techniques, Anecdotes, Controversies & Suggestions for the Home Library (1996).

I think in general I want my bookshelves to reflect my personality, so my shelves are in a constant state of flux! I read "Catcher in the Rye" in my jaded-Rebel Without a Cause phase, but I am not that person anymore. I bought the Bertrand Russell's "Why I Am Not A Christian" when I was an atheist. Now my bookshelves are filled with mythology, fairy tales, fiction (the magical realism variety), women's lit, and books about nature (trees, nature religions, deep ecology, etc.). Who knows what my next permutation will be?

jodikf72

I can't bring myself to get rid of a book. My shelves are now 2-deep with books and I desperately need to weed them out. Maybe just keep the life-changing ones?
I knew a woman who had a great philosophy about books. She would read one and pass it on, expecting that person to do the same. I loved this idea but wouldn't want my shelves to be bare! I think there are some books of which I will always want copies but I should take the rest of my books and donate them to a school or a library or a women's shelter...

chloe711

We have about 50,000 books in our home!
Shelves in every room!

I highly recommend one of the Best Books of them ALL--by Dumas--THE COUNT of MONTE CHRISTO!

If you have not read this, you MUST!

Best,
Chloe

chloe711

And, NO, you cannot, EVER, have too many books!

Chloe

mag1

May 29, 2009 12:23 PM

  |   in response to: mommy-muse

I have just finished reading Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham and thoroughly enjoyed it. Philip Carey the main character learns little from all his mistakes but we the readers hopefully learn a lot.

kimskippy7

May 29, 2009 9:59 PM

  |   in response to: zoemurdock

I have a personal goal that is to read all of the Books in the Oprah Book Club, as I always seem to especially love these books, so I have decided to keep a copy of each of these selections on my bookshelves. However, for all the rest of the books I read, I now have an Amazon Kindle. It is a fantasic way to read and completely solves the storage space problem. Extremely easy to use too. I'm reading, I Know This Much is True right now, but as far as suggesting a classic, I recently finished Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen and was not disappointed.

zoemurdock

Kimskippy, have you read The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton? It's a wonderful "Oprah Club" book. Another one that's not in Oprah's Book Club, but one that's a very interesting read is, Jenny Offill's novel, Lost Things. It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Zoe Murdock

rileyroo25

I recently had to get rid of books because there just was not enough room. I had a bookshelf overstuffed plus lots of totes full. I gave some to family/friends and the rest to Value Village. I gave away only books that I knew I would probably never read again, and still kept the entire overstuffed bookshelf full of books that I could not give away. It is a painful process, but sometimes necessary.

kme1961

I moved into a much smaller place a few years ago, and I have limited room for books, but I can't bear giving them away (unless they are mass market paperbacks). My solution was to purchase a software program called "book collectorz" It allows you to easily set up a database of all of your books and where they are. That way you can put some away in boxes or lend to family and friends but still be able to find them if you need to.

tarheel222

I am overwhelmed and humbled that someone has a personal library of 50,000 volumes. Our meager collection of 7,000+ suddenly feels inadequate. Needless to say, I suppose, I never surrender a book other than on loan. My spouse tolerates my possessiveness. We have three rooms dedicated to our collection, plus random bookcases in virtually every room - not the WCs. If you are thusly afflicted, you will find a way to house "just a few more".

gypsyx9

Don't talk to me about Kindles, horrible idea. When I win the lotto, I will build a house around a library for my books. It's all planned...it will be something like Henry Higgins' library in "My Fair Lady." Two floors with shelving on four walls, spiral staircases to the second floor, a table for atlases, great comfy chairs with built-in reading lights and little tables for coffee/tea cups. Ahhh... That's when I win the lotto....

lynde12

Books, books, books. Too many books, no place to keep them? Try book crossings.com Go online and list your book and where you have left it. You will print out a postit for the inside cover with directions to the finder. The finder will be able to log on and tell you where your book was found, how the reader liked it and where it was dropped off at next. Books have "traveled" around the world and back. It's a wonderful way to share. There are also bookcrossing meetings where you can exchange your books and send them on their way. You can leave a book virtually anywhere, hospitals, airports, malls, coffee shops, and of all places....a library!:) Send your books along. Of course you will need to keep some of your favorites, but isn't that what bookshelves are for?

oldmule

Jun 6, 2009 9:50 AM

  |   in response to: lynde12

I agree, Bookcrossing is the best way to release books and track their journeys. you can join bookrings and send and receive books from all over the world and read wonderful books you would never have thought to pick yourself. It's so rewarding to read what another reader thought about your released books. Try it. It's free and lots of fun.

cyimqt

I can't imagine my life without books.

cyimqt

I can't imagine my life without books. My shelves are overflowing- I stack books in ways I didn't know were possible but looking at them gives me a feeling of comfort. I donate books that I know I won't read again to the library-I think sharing with others is a wonderful thing & going to the library gives me the opportunity to look for other reads that I don't have to spend money on.
My dream has always been to have a great library like you see in movies or tv shows with a comfortable chair to read but I settle for my sofa or adirondack chair in the yard. Books can take you so many places you've never been. They also teach you so much.
I just finished "The Centurion's Wife" by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke- excellent book!
Do I think you can have too many books- never!!!

karebear28

"Too many books" is not in my vocabulary. I have bookshelves full plus boxes and boxes with ones I haven't read yet and I'm always looking for more at garage sales, book sales and thrift stores. It's the fact that I know there are more books that I haven't read yet that keeps me accumulating them. I have to have books around me or I don't feel happy. I too, don't like to part with my books after I've read them but I also tell myself that someone else will benefit and enjoy the book like I did.

monttrac

Jun 10, 2009 9:42 PM

  |   in response to: merecop

I like this advice. Books can become clutter and that can be a psychological clutter. tm

nique1074

I have to join you all in your book hoarding confessions. I have tons of books...all over my shelves and everywhere else. And though I almost never re-read a book - I cant bring myself to part with any of them. Books from school, books for work, intellectually stimulating books, historical novels, and guilty pleasures...I love just looking at them and remembering the countless hours of joy I got from reading them! And while I have no problem lending, I really do want them back to re-occupy their place on my shelf. I'm aiming to one day have a home with a library - so my books can have their own home...and one to my shoes too, but thats a whole different story!

Happy Reading :o)

gypsyx9

Moving caused me to get rid of many boxes of books, ones I knew I'd never get around to reading (I was able to send them to auction, and made a little $$ back), and to be more selective in what I keep and what I buy, including whether to wait for the paperback. You know you've got it bad when you find two (or more!) copies of the same book in your stacks. Still, I've have a wall of full book shelves. I keep reference books and ones I know I'll read again.

Anyone comments on the number, I say it is my mother's curse; she read at all hours, had books all over the house and then checked out arm loads from the library. She wasted time on too many bodice-rippers though. I don't. Amateur detective novels of place are my just-for-pleasure books.

pjeffries1

A bookshelf tells a lot about its owner. I have had many conversations with house guests regarding the books and photos that live on my shelves. When my sisters and I share books, we always sign and date them when we finish. And, of course, discuss them when we get together!

meliz_anda

I also love books, old, new doesn't matter. I had at one time more than 3000 books, so the problem became the storing space....So after moving in with my husband and our flat is quite small with regret I had to store them.
But my husband made me quite happy when he gave me my first palm with 100 books. So from all over the Internet I started gathering books, e-books.
I still miss the smell of an old book or the fresh pages but now I have more than 20.000 books, at a decent price. I only hope I 'll have the time to read them all.
My motto is A book per month ( it was per week :)))) so when I'll be 250 I'll finish them.

rileyroo25

I just bought 9 out of 10 Penguin Classics Hardbacks, because the covers are just gorgeous. I am going to be buying the 10th next time I am at Chapters or Indigo. I already owned old copies of about 7 of them, but couldn't resist buying these books because they were just so beautiful. I think it will help me to actually read them too, since my other copies were so ratty. I just read Wuthering Heights, and will be reading Madame Bovary next. Check these covers out online, just google Penguin Classics Hardbacks - very hard to resist.

kryptonguy

Jul 11, 2009 1:04 AM

  |   in response to: mommy-muse

I'm a book hoarder so I say keep 'em. Who knows? Some years down the road you might think, "Now where'd I put that copy of--DOH!"

nandy38

When my book shelves get too full, I give them away or take them to a Half-price bookstore. One of my favorite books is THE ART OF RACING IN THE WIND by Garth Stein, which is narrated by a dog. Check it out, if you love animals, you'll probably love it.

gkgarrison

Jul 19, 2009 11:56 AM

  |   in response to: jmscaruana

I have the problem of having too many Oprah magazines because I, too, have them all, or at least I THOUGHT I did. Three or four are missing. I believe my husband saw a stack of magazines at home, picked them up and took them all to the public library. I discovered this quite a while after it happened, so I couldn't retrieve them.

The advice I've read here about what to do about too many books is very good.
Donate them.

pwrwithn

This seems like a helpline for bibliophiles. I'll jump right in. My best advice is to stay away from temptation.
I know that some covet books enough to steal them, I'm not in that group(unless carrying one out of a hospital waiting room counts). I've never felt I could afford to buy all the books I've wanted, yet if I enter a book store, I''m in trouble. When the wholesale clubs came along, Sam's and Costco, I had trouble staying away from those isles. I don't use libraries because I don't want to take the book back but my main problem with books is that I can't get anything else done when I have a new book to read. I often limit myself to select authors or subjects to try to curb the impulse, have had to completly restrict magazines subscriptions; can never throw one out. I've bought a few books from half price stores, etc., but really prefer fresh new ones. Recognizing early on that I had a problem, I only allowed myself to buy cookbooks and self help books (that's when the magazines got really bad). When Oprah started her book club, it gave me license to not only read the selection, but also other works by the selected author. Some of my favorite memories are of books,often staying up too late to read. I can remember where I was when I read certain books (like sitting in a cold bath in the wee hours of the morning, unable to put down The Godfather. That was in 1969). When someone says they remember a song from a certain time, I am more likely to remember the book I was reading. I always find it simply amazing when I am in a home that does not have books or when someone doesn't read. They might as well say that they don't eat or sleep or breathe. God forbid if I am an overnight guest and don't have a book with me.
I liked the idea of culling the books to reflect current interests that someone mentioned but when I try to go through my books, I end up reading.
I once decided I'd make extra money by selling them on ebay. I had just discovered ebay and was amazed at what one could find on line. I looked around for a couple of books I could practice with, wrote descriptions, didn't have a camera for a picture to download and actually sold one of them. That was so scary, I never did that again. (The one I didn't sell was an operating manual to a Texas Instrument adding machine, Not too risky). If I loaned a book, I would find myself getting upset with the treatment it might be getting by the person who borrowed it. As children, my older sister, who also likes to read, would tell on me if she saw light under my bedroom door (so I read with a flashlight), I read while driving for years (not recommending it) and can't leave home w/o something in my hand to read in case I have a spare moment. I never wanted to reread anything until the last couple of years when I discovered that I really did enjoy rereading old favorites. If I have a problem, I look for a book. With internet access, I'll now look first online, which helps in selecting the right book on the subject. If it's a big problem, I might buy two.
My daughter, who is a college student and barista at Starbucks, will bring me the latest book they have and I love discovering a new author that I would have never let myself read before. My husband, who hates that I read so much, will always include at least one book for Christmas and my birthday, unwittingly introducing yet a new author (Ann Rice came to me this way - not anyone I would ever want to read before). I started Harry Potter on tape for my daughter to listen to while traveling back and forth in the car and soon we were riding around and listening to the next tape when we really needed to go home, so we don't do that too often (books on tapes). Of my 3 children, she is the only one who really reads and while we aren't interested in the same books (Harry aside) I don't worry about her so much as I do her siblings because I know she reads.
I think the original idea was to discuss getting rid of excess books, I sold one in 1998 and I try to watch my buys, I hope this means I'm doing my part.

angelskg

Aug 22, 2009 2:32 PM

  |   in response to: pammacphee

Aug.22,2009 In answer to pammacphee, What a good idea to leave your read book where you finished it. I have so many books also, it overwhelms me sometimes so I bring them to my Library so they can decide whether to put them on their shelves or on the rack where patrons can buy them and thus make some money for the library. My favorites though I keep. When I look at them they remind me of the enjoyment of the time I read them. One of my favorite book to read was "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" angelskg.

doobier69

Well I am one of those people I have books all over the house, coffee table ,bedside ,over full book shelfs ..I even have some sittin in a box and I am reading my way to the bottom of the box. I have a very hard time getting rid of books. As to what to keep and give away ... I have decided since my mom died this year and I have had to go thought what was in her house ,, I am cleaning out what I have. My kids know who my favorite authors are and they read some of them so they will know what do with my mass collection when I'm gone. But I have found local schools and liberaries will take somebooks, even audio books (which I also have)
But I feel books tell alot about the person who has read them and taken care of them .. so I will still be adding to my collection just weeding out those I can part with.. so READ ON...

tea4ular

My best friend says she loves looking at my bookcases, "Look at them" she says "they're a work of art. All the colors, the shapes, the textures." I have to agree the bookcases are colorful with all the various bindings, but I have too much 'stuff' and paring down means books too. I am holding on to books I no longer have a need for (I never did, if I'm honest). Having had the task of emptying both my parents home and my grandmother's home, when they died, and knowing what a monumental task that was (not to mention depressing), I owe it to myself and my only child to at least weed through. I will take time this fall to weed my books.

berylshaw

I so loved your comment on the book having its own journey. I'd never really thought of it in those terms before. As an author myself, the book of mine I know has certainly moved from hand to hand is the one I wrote for adolescents whose parents have separated and/or divorced, titled 'So Mum & Dad Split Up'. It's been loaned by many school counselors to children going through this difficult event and they come back saying 'That was great Miss. Can I lend it to my friend so and so' then that friend does the same. Makes if worth the effort I put into it when Penguin asked me to create this book. And now you've reminded me of the many hands all my books may have passed through. Wonderful. Thank you so much!

minet_inc

I do not like reading. Growing up the only thing I enjoyed reading was magazines. I would like to change that! What better way to start than to join Oprah's Book Club. I look forward to the next selection. Wish me luck¿ hopefully, I will be able to pull it off.