Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) So this is my new discussion feature.
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I recently had to undertake a major shift on my library shelves. Bet y'all can guess why... ;) But moving around all these books, in order to make room for new ones, got me to thinking about why I hang on to certain books. And wondering why y'all might keep certain books...
Hello. My name is Brandee and I'm a book-collecting addict. :) I used to keep all my books. But space eventually became an issue - this was before I had my lovely shelves with a room dedicated solely to my reading habit. :) Now I like to think I'm a bit more discerning about which books I keep. So here are a few of the reasons why I hang on to a book:
Hello. My name is Brandee and I'm a book-collecting addict. :) I used to keep all my books. But space eventually became an issue - this was before I had my lovely shelves with a room dedicated solely to my reading habit. :) Now I like to think I'm a bit more discerning about which books I keep. So here are a few of the reasons why I hang on to a book:
- It has to be a book I think is fantabulous. A book that I wouldn't re-read (if I had time for such frivolous things as re-reading) is not going to take up valuable space on my shelves.
- I always keep books from my favorite authors. So Rachel Vincent, Kim Harrison, Jennifer L. Armentrout, JA Huss, etc., are always going to have a spot on my shelf.
- Having a physical copy of a book makes it much easier to *share* my favorite books with my reading friends!
- Is it signed? Yeah, that makes it a keeper!
- Do I have a sentimental attachment to it? It's a keeper. Yep, I have a few books on my shelves that once belonged to my father-in-law - like a really old collection of Poe...and one of Steinbeck, too - those will always have a spot on my shelves as well.
What about y'all? Do you have a ginormous collection of physical books? Or a smallish one? Why do you choose to hang on to certain books?
I don't have a huge collection of physical books. A while back, I gave away a lot of books to a café / library where people come to have a cup of coffee or something to eat, and where they can read a used book while they're hanging out.
ReplyDeleteI do keep physical books by my fave authors, though... but I mostly buy kindle books because of both space problems and because books are so darned expensive here in Switzerland. I actually look forward to putting all my RT books on my shelves in Spain this summer! It won't be our place for real until there are books all over ;)
I hope you're having a great vacation, Brandee! *BIG HUGS*
I used to keep all my books before I became a librarian - I found ways to store them, kept them into cardboard boxes if I had to, but giving up on a book looked like a sacrilege ! Now, I'm older, more professional when it comes to my private books so I only kept those that really matter. Plus, like you said, it takes a lot of space, I'd love to have a personal room just for them ! I settled on my tablet : 800+ books on it and it takes very little room. If a book really strikes me, like Mengele's zoo that I read recently, I'm exceptionaly willing to buy a paperback copy to be able to lend it and pick if up if I ever had the time of re-reading it ;)
ReplyDeleteOh this is so hard. I have went through books twice in the last year and donated to a shelter, but I am sad to let them go. I do keep fave authors, and ones that I think I will actually read again
ReplyDeleteHmm RT wouldn't have anything to do with the major reorganization would it? ;) I know how it feels! I use the same guidelines - favorite author, sentimentality, and is it signed to me? Being signed generically doesn't save a book. I have a few that are signed generically that I need to read still and see if they are keepers or not, but for now I'm not letting them go.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved last time I had to get rid of a lot of books. It gets difficult to carry large crates of nothing but books :D I keep my favorite authors though. Maggie Stiefvater, Holly Black, Kristin Cashore, Rae Carson, Nina Malkin - to name a few. I don't know how many books I've got in total. There are piles and shelves and under-beds full of them :) Having books around makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved a few years ago I traded them to a used bookstore I have gone to for years. Now every time I go back to Kentucky I visit the store and get more books and I still have a lot of the original trade credit left. However the downside is, I no longer have any of my favorites on my shelves :(
ReplyDeleteI have two big bookcases filled with books and a few books on other shelves around the house as well. The 'bookish room' has room for one or two more bookcases so I won't run into a space problem soon. Which is why I basicaly keep every physical book I own. I still have a box with books I read as a kid as well I think. Since I got an e-reader I have been mroe carefull with which books I buy physical copies of, some of my favourite authors Richelle Mead, Rachel Vincent and Kelley Armstrong are authors whoms books I always buy physical copies of. Beside that I mostly buy e-copies and once in a while I buy a physical copy if it's cheaper or because of a beautifull covers like with These Broken Stars. If I buy the first book in paperback, I have to buy the rest of the series in paperback as well.
ReplyDeleteI have a few signed books and I can't imagine ever throwing those away. If I run into a space limit, it probably will be the books I didn't like or only gave a 3 star rating that I will go away. Like you I am a book hoarder and collector, so it will be hard doing books away. Let's hope I won't run into that probably any time soon. Great post Brandee!
My books are all jammed up, but I keep the signed ones and my fav authors too. I did get rid of some books I didn't like... could not hold onto them any more! My space is sacred!! lol
ReplyDeleteNaomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace