| Author | |
Bethany
Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 16 2006
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 299
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 1:46pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I'm on a never-ending quest to rid myself of clutter. Truly, I feel like this has been a project for several years. A few months back I packed up virtually all of our books because we thought we could be moving soon. Now, I need some that are packed, so I moved the boxes back in so I can unpack. While packing these I did get rid of a lot of books, the easy ones that didn't take much thought. Now as I'm unpacking I'm trying to reduce the load even more! I'm a borderline minimalist and if I lived on my own I would have very little. However, with a husband (who is not a minimalist) and five daughters, I just have to do the best I can.
How do you decide what to keep? Some are easy, religious or saint books I can't get at the library, but others are hard. I'm looking at Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, Ginger Pye, Half Magic, Ivanhoe, Snow Treasure, and Animal Farm. All could be had at the library, but some are well loved. I'll also add that at the moment, going to the library with everyone is a nightmare. Just this week, my 3yo disappeared from me and rode the elevator downstairs   . That was a stressful couple of minutes. They've switched to self checkouts and that's hard to do with large amounts of books and children  !
Help me!
__________________
Bethany
Wife to Mike, Mommy to Amelia (6/02), Sarah (10/03), Martha Grace (10/05), Rebecca Anne (12/07), Laura Catherine (3/10) and Reed Michael 7/4/14.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Aagot
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 06 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 649
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 1:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, i will be no help to you at all as we probably have as many books as a library. One thing I see is that our library is constantly getting rid of books because they want to have a new, up to date library. That is scary. Add that to the nightmare of dragging everyone there and I would suggest you down size other areas of your life ( toys, clothes, jewlery, kitchen gadgets).
See, i told you, not very helpful but if you must get rid of books, I guess I would go for the ones that have been in continuous publication and are easily had at the library and amazon.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
jawgee
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 02 2011
Location: New Hampshire
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1415
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 2:44pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
With my religious books, I always donate them to our parish library so that they are available if I ever want to read them again, but they are also available to others to read (and they're not collecting dust on my shelves!)
__________________
Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
The Catholic Cup on Facebook
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Since the library is impossible right now. May I suggest that this is not the time to reduce your books. When going to the library once again isn't a horrible chore, that is when I'd get rid of the easily accessible books.
Consider a kindle. That reduces clutter without reducing accessible books  Then as you acquire the books on kindle, you can remove them from the shelves to donate or whatever.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
claireg
Forum Newbie
Joined: Jan 20 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 49
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Recently I felt really overwhelmed by books and decided to take a break from going to the library. I returned everything and decided we wouldn't go back until the beginning of the year at least. Now there aren't as many piles of books scattered around and I feel like we are actually getting a chance to enjoy the many wonderful books we own.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 4:51pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
claireg wrote:
| Recently I felt really overwhelmed by books and decided to take a break from going to the library. I returned everything and decided we wouldn't go back until the beginning of the year at least. Now there aren't as many piles of books scattered around and I feel like we are actually getting a chance to enjoy the many wonderful books we own. |
|
|
That is a wonderful idea  .
I have been thinking lately that having too much keeps me from truly enjoying what I have.
It is hard for me, also, to downsize as far as books go... it seems like I will give two bags away, and then somehow another two bags appear. 
I am trying to focus now on keeping only books we truly love, or books that we will use for school in the near future.
Books that are classic that I don't like or that my kids don't like... I am not keeping. An example is "James and the Giant Peach". We were given a copy, but we are not keeping it. If anyone ever needs a copy, I am sure the library will have one.
Books in bad shape, beginner readers that are just ho-hum, multiple copies of books on the same topic (ie, no one needs 12 books about Christopher Columbus....)... I tend to let these go. I think at this point I would rather read the same beloved book on Columbus over and over than have a bunch that we rarely look at.
Books that we need for school that I can borrow from the library, I will reserve on line. Then everyone can sit in the car while I run in and check them out. Or I can swing by on the weekend end and pick them up without kids. Or send dh to pick them up.
I would always rather buy the books that we are using for school to avoid having to worry about library fines, but I try really hard to use the library.
That way I am not stuck with a book that was "for the moment" only. An Example of that is "A Lion to Guard Us" that we are reading right now for US HIstory. It's not a book that everyone is loving so much we want to have our own copy... we are enjoying it, but then back it goes when we are done.
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ekbell
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 22 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 747
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 5:17pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
If I had to thin down my books (which would probably involve weeping and mashing of teeth) I'd use the following criteria for books that someone might want to re-read.
One- Is the book is out of copyright? Can I find it in a free DRM-free form online? (DRM-free as that will allow me to convert it if needed into other formats as formats and readers become obsolete. I lost a handful of ebooks to obsolescence - it's rather annoying.).
If so it's safe to discard -assuming the presence of book readers.
Two - Is the book out-of-print but still under copyright? Keep! Keep! Libraries are not to be trusted such *non-classics* (if it was a classic it would still be in print or so the reasoning goes) and the chances of finding a *legal* e-version will be low.
Three - Is the book still in print and under copyright? This is the tricky case. If it's a classic (been in print for a while) then it's likely to both stay in print and be available as an e-book (again be aware of obsolescence) and there will be a reasonable chance to find it in a library (depending on the library) but on average recently published books are unlikely to stay in print (or in libraries for that matter) for too long.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 8:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I dream of being a minimalist too, but no one else here is. For me, part of finding peace with the clutter is letting go of the idea that my house is going to be neat and ordered and full of bare counter tops and tables. We have lots of people here with lots of different interests so that means lots of stuff.
For books I basically follow Melinda's criteria above. I do try to use the library a lot. We reserve books online so that pick-up and check out is easier. I don't care for ebooks as much so we do have hard copies of our favorites, and with different kids having different interests it does mean that we have a lot of books.
Perhaps weeding out reference books would be easier than your chapter books? Are there some whose information can be easily found on the internet on kid-friendly sites? Do you own some that are mediocre that you could let go and then rely on better books from the library when you get to that unit/subject in homeschooling? (If you can reserve online and/or pick up without kids.)
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
juliana147
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 520
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2013 at 9:31am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Bethany, we've moved cross-country a couple of times, and it seems as though every time we move, the book clutter expands.  Moving makes managing a library of books very difficult. But it is more necessary for my family with each move, because our high school classics are really piling up. (We are specific about what translations we use, and the ones we prefer are not always available at the library).
I am struggling with this right now, too! My kids are older now, and we have a lot of younger-kid books that I am trying to sort through. Right now, they are still in moving boxes, but I've told dh that I'm going to finish sorting through them this winter. It's an overwhelming project for a whole host of reasons.
I admit that I am not a minimalist, but my available space is limited. What I'm planning to do for now is get rid of all the paperbacks and things that can be replaced that aren't well-loved. I don't know whether to get rid of my old basics, like Writing Road To Reading, or not. I thought I'd be needing it again in a few years, but God had other plans for our little one. 
It's a huge job, but I really don't want to move it all again. Our movers joked about our book boxes on our last move. I guess my advice is to keep sorting through things periodically and don't let it build up, if there is a move in your future! I am really struggling with this, because I can also see that maybe keeping some of it could bless future generations of our family... but I just don't think it is realistic for us right now.
__________________
- Juliana
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2013 at 9:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
cathhomeschool wrote:
Perhaps weeding out reference books would be easier than your chapter books? Are there some whose information can be easily found on the internet on kid-friendly sites? Do you own some that are mediocre that you could let go and then rely on better books from the library when you get to that unit/subject in homeschooling? (If you can reserve online and/or pick up without kids.) |
|
|
I really need to reevaluate my reference books... I have a lot of books on the same subjects (ex. books about the ocean) that no one ever looks at. I could pare that down to one really great ocean book, and then hit the library if anyone ever felt the need to read in depth on this subject.
I think the library will always have up to date, interesting reference books, so unless it is a really special book, I don't need to keep a lot.
Also- reference type books just don't have the appeal of a good living book. I can't see myself saving this type of book to read with the grand kids
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2013 at 7:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Our library is tossing anything more than 10 years old!!! So I keep all quality books.
Culling books is a periodic task I do 1-2 a year. We are blessed with very cheap book sales so I do need to re-evaluate.
With 5 daughters and all ages you will find there will be common favourites and individual favourites, your little ones wouldn't even have developed their tastes yet
I'm now looking at the situation of needing some doubles (so glad I packed some away) because my dd20 is claiming some of her books to take to her home!!
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2013 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Erin wrote:
| I'm now looking at the situation of needing some doubles (so glad I packed some away) because my dd20 is claiming some of her books to take to her home!! |
|
|
Yes we heading that way too!
How sad that your library is throwing out so many great books!
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Nov 01 2013 at 5:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Janette
Maybe we should form a support group "Mothers who have to relinquish books to their adult children"
Yes, I'm extremely upset with my library, on the upside I have managed at the book sales to snag some of these throw outs.
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bethany
Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 16 2006
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 299
|
| Posted: Nov 04 2013 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks ladies! Last week was crazy with appointments and visitors so I'd didn't get back to this post or to unpacking books . I've done many of the things you all recommended such as not visiting the library for a while. Since I reduced a lot before I packed all this up, I think I'm going to keep most of them for now. If the need arises I'll reduce more.
__________________
Bethany
Wife to Mike, Mommy to Amelia (6/02), Sarah (10/03), Martha Grace (10/05), Rebecca Anne (12/07), Laura Catherine (3/10) and Reed Michael 7/4/14.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: Nov 04 2013 at 8:49pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Erin wrote:
Janette
Maybe we should form a support group "Mothers who have to relinquish books to their adult children"
|
|
|
Yes, please! I'm sure we wouldn't be the only members around here either!
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: Nov 04 2013 at 8:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Bethany, I'm glad that you're making peace with your book boxes. 
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Deciding what books to keep?
