Monday, September 16, 2013

I'm a hoarder

We moved back here behind the barn five and a half years ago.  I threw away a few books, but kept most:  some I thought I would eventually read, and some I loved the first time I read them.  Looking at the bookcase in the bedroom, I realized that I haven't read, or re-read, any of the books I moved.  And I'm getting ready to move them back to the house?  

That's silly, I muttered to myself.  I'll just keep the ones I have a real attachment for.  

But as I went through them, half of those books tugged at my heart!  


Here are some I am definitely keeping:  a book about old Kansas City by a local author who is also a Facebook friend; a Bible Story book like the one I read as a child; a couple of books about Johnny Cash and one about Hank Williams; all my Pioneer Woman books because they are personally autographed to me, by name; a little self-published book, I think, about the history of the town of Wellington; an old Uncle Wiggly Book I used to read to my oldest grandson; and some shape-note hymnbooks from my childhood.   


Here are some I wanted to keep, but decided to stop hoarding.  There are three Bibles here, and it's hard for me to throw away a Bible.  That one in the foreground, "Horses Never Lie", turned my last horse into my best buddy, but I won't have any more horses and it's stupid to keep it.  There's a box set of the Little House On the Prairie books I'm attached to but won't read again.  A couple of nice coffee-table books by Life Magazine, but we don't have a coffee table and I've never done more with them than flip through to glance at the quite interesting pictures.  I've read Jimmy Carter's book, "An Hour Before Daylight", twice and love it, but I'm probably done with it.  


These books are all leaning because of the ones I removed.  A lot of these I picked up cheap at garage sales thinking I'd read them.  There are a couple of Sue Grafton books there, and I see yet another Bible.  Since I started reading E-books, I seem not to have a desire to read actual books.  

Thrift stores accept books, and that's probably where I'll take these.  Now that I've started de-cluttering books, I wonder what I'll work on next?

*added later*  I posted this link on Facebook, and one friend asked for the Little House set and "Horses Never Lie".  

7 comments:

  1. I have more books than I'll ever read, too. I got some of mine from yards sales, too. Fortunately, I have space in my attic, but at some point, things have to go. Throughout the years, I've seen the stuff left behind of people who' ve died and it's overwhelming to those who have to deal with it. Sooo... My slow decluttering process is in effect, including the giveaway of books...my kids' books, NOT mine! :)
    Best wishes to you with yours.

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  2. You remind me that I need to go through my books too.

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  3. Well heck. I was just going to ask you what you would sell the Little House books for! Then I see they are spoken for. Oh well, I need more books like I need a 747 sitting in my back yard. :) Good luck with your decluttering. I need to do that very thing myself.
    Have a nice week!

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  4. I'm a book hoarder too. Can't seem to get rid of them even though I have a kindle and a nook. Good luck with this project.

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  5. I cleaned out all but a few of my books last year ( still have the ones I love ) and sold them at half price books. I do like having an e reader. Now I don't have books everywhere and I can reread one if I want to.

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  6. I think I may have that set of 'Little House' books...I bought them when my girls were young. What would you take for the Civil War book? Take care, Sheila

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  7. Oh my gosh Donna! I'm a book hoarder too! I have given away 500 to 600 books since we moved here. I'd say I still have well over 200 books in the book-case and in a box. It was so hard to give those books away. I have carried some of them around since I was a child. I kept the books, I think, because of Ray Bradbury's book Farenheight (sp?) 451. I started reading at 2 years old and got into the encyclopedias when I was 4. My son John was as I. I'll bet he doesn't save nearly the number of books that I have over the years. I am reading mostly on the Kindle, but buy John's books in hard cover. I've been wondering lately if I need to clean out my books again. I'll cry because I love them all so much.

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