Monday, May 19, 2014

The Rosenberg Library

Bedside

I have a book problem. I'm a book hoarder. Before we moved, I went through all of our books and managed to donate many shopping bags full so that we would be able to fit into our new 864 sq. ft. house. We were still left with a lot so when we moved into the new place we asked our wonderful handyman/gardener/carpenter/plumber to make us a built-in bookshelf. We've had boxes and stacks of books in the living room waiting for the bookshelf to arrive for a couple of months. The piles made the largest part of the house still feel like we hadn't moved in yet.

Last week the shelves were installed. I love them. I carefully put in all of our books and yet still had 82 books left over, many of which are in the to-be-read pile. When will these all get read? And I add more to these piles every month. I usually have some books from the library in their own piles laying around too. I'm not a Kindle or a Nook person, I've tried. I like the feel and smell of real words on a page. What do you do, lovers of paper bound books? Is there a rotation process? A time limit on must-reads?

I think I'll have to stop buying books until I've read the ones I've got... except for the ones I'll get for my book club... and my other book club.





14 comments:

  1. I am a very devoted library-user. This helps a great deal.

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  2. I'm with Ms Moon - especially because there is a time limit to having to finish the books. You could donate the ones you're not sure when you'll read to the library and check them out whe you're ready.

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    1. Yes. I think the time limit just might be the answer... xo

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  3. If I had an answer for you I wouldn't have 5 tubs of childrens books in my shed! :)

    You are the only other person I 'know' who has a small house, ours is just slightly bigger than yours and OLD. Got any great space saving tips, hints and ideas?

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  4. I'm a library user too. The nice thing about the library is that I can try out books I wouldn't normally try and if I ever read something that I LOVE, then I commit to the paper version of the book and add it to the library. For my book collection, I just have to weed through it a couple times a year and if I don't think it is something that I will read again, I donate it to my local library. They do a lot of handy things with libraries now, you can search and reserve books on line and they will email you when it is in so you can just pop in, grab it and go on to the next errand. I usually have my goodreads account open next to a tab for my library so I can search and reserve books friends are loving.

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    1. I should clarify, when I check out a book and I end up loving that book, I buy it for my book collection (my own personal library), I don't buy it for the public library.

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  5. I feel you! Plus, I support your accumulating anything that is not those figurines with the huge eyes.

    XO
    A.

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  6. I move all the damn time - at least once a year, usually to a different continent. (Yet I still carry far too many books ...) I try very hard to not keep books and have whittled it down drastically. I've had quite extensive libraries twice in my life and each time let them go entirely. With very, very few exceptions, it felt fine. And that's why I keep the few obscure books that I woudln't be able to buy again and the very few I would choose to reread.

    Obviously I haven't any helpful hints for real people. :)

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  7. The only advice I can offer...start with that blue one on the top middle. I LOVED it, and am about to re-read it even though it's only been about six months since the first read. :))

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  8. I don't have any real advice, since I'm a book hoarder myself. When we initially moved into our current home, I used the third bedroom as an office/library, with 6 book shelves backed with books (and that didnt' include the kids books that are on their own book shelf in the family room). When we converted the bedroom to a nursery for baby #3, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of a single book. (Not even my multiple copies of Pride and Prejudice).

    That being said, we are huge library fans. Our library allows us to check out 75 books at a time, and we've gotten pretty close.

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  9. I have books shelved and stacked in every room -- including the laundry room. I hear ya. :)

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