Confessions of a Compulsive Book Hoarder
I'm doing what I never though I would do: I'm giving up a TON of my books. Mainly they're children's to middle/early high school age books. For a long time I was holding on to these things purely because of nostalgia and because I wanted to save them for when I have kids. I finally have brought myself to accept the idea that keeping and hauling around these books is silly and impractical, especially since I'm not popping out a kid anytime soon. I always said to myself and everyone else repeatedly my dream is to have a library with all kinds of books imaginable from every genre for every age.
I can still have that dream in a way, but I have to make it more practical to fit with real life. I have limited space. I'm going to be moving again in a couple years to I don't know where. Are these books really that special and worth collecting? I can go and find them in any library or used bookstore or online. I don't need these books anymore; I'm just carrying around old weight from the past. The books just sit in a box with nobody to read them. I'm not 11 years old anymore. While I was in love with high school drama crossed with babysitting, horses, or twins then, I'm not so much anymore.
I didn't just want to give them to Goodwill or Salvation Army because my books would still be sitting on a shelf waiting for someone to buy them. If no one bought them, they'd be thrown away. Half Price books would give me nothing for them maybe a $1.00 for 25 books. So I looked up book donating programs. I decided on Every1 Reads (Dustin also did tutoring for this program); they will actually come and pick up my books and take them to where they are needed. I believe the books usually go to local school libraries that really need them which makes me happy.
It just never really occurred to me until recently that books are really a luxury that many people can't afford. I have a ridiculous amount of books and that's pretty much all I ever spend lots of money on. Books are my life blood. So it makes this all the more difficult to give up any books, even ones I don't read anymore or didn't like.
I found an awesome site called Paperbackswap.com that is great for getting rid of the adult reader books that I don't read or don't really like. The name says it all; you swap one book for another. All you pay is shipping which is usually $2.35 a book. Granted you have to get credits to get books which is by trading books or buying credits. So it's good that it's not all take. You get two free credits by posting 10 books for trade. Someone requests one of your books, you send it, when the person gets it they give you a credit. I just joined yesterday and already two of my books have been requested and sent. I posted two more and both were requested in an instant. I just requested Marrying Mozart from someone--apparently it's like Little Women meets Mozart; two good things I'm hoping can't go wrong when put together.
It's been a little bit a trying process. I was tearing up a bit yesterday and seeking reassurance from Dustin that my books would go to the schools not the garbage and that kids would read and enjoy them. Paperbackswap is nice because I feel like I'm getting the better end of the deal; I get rid of books I don't want in exchange for ones I do for a really low price.
I've had a bit of a catharsis now. I'm feeling better about everything. I'm a hoarder in general, just especially bad with books. Didn't realize how bad it was until moving my stuff from Paducah to Louisville I realized I had over ten boxes filled with books not counting the ones already in Louisville. What really motivated me though was watching a TLC special feature on compulsive hoarders. It made me want to cry because I felt bad and emphathized with the people. At the same time though, I saw how their "collections" were having a negative effect on their lives. I said to Dustin, I have to clean out all my stuff because I don't want to be like that. But I hate throwing things away that I know are in perfectly good condition or that I've had forever. However, I know deep down I have to do it. I do love the net and current popularity of the green movement because it helps me find places for all my stuff. I just have to keep saying to myself, "I'm going to make it. This is the right thing. It'll be okay." I've done a good job of downsizing the number of books in the apartment, now I just remembered I have at least two boxes I took to Shelbyville...sigh. I think I also accumulate a lot of books through classes because I'm an English major. Next semester it starts again.
I can still have that dream in a way, but I have to make it more practical to fit with real life. I have limited space. I'm going to be moving again in a couple years to I don't know where. Are these books really that special and worth collecting? I can go and find them in any library or used bookstore or online. I don't need these books anymore; I'm just carrying around old weight from the past. The books just sit in a box with nobody to read them. I'm not 11 years old anymore. While I was in love with high school drama crossed with babysitting, horses, or twins then, I'm not so much anymore.
I didn't just want to give them to Goodwill or Salvation Army because my books would still be sitting on a shelf waiting for someone to buy them. If no one bought them, they'd be thrown away. Half Price books would give me nothing for them maybe a $1.00 for 25 books. So I looked up book donating programs. I decided on Every1 Reads (Dustin also did tutoring for this program); they will actually come and pick up my books and take them to where they are needed. I believe the books usually go to local school libraries that really need them which makes me happy.
It just never really occurred to me until recently that books are really a luxury that many people can't afford. I have a ridiculous amount of books and that's pretty much all I ever spend lots of money on. Books are my life blood. So it makes this all the more difficult to give up any books, even ones I don't read anymore or didn't like.
I found an awesome site called Paperbackswap.com that is great for getting rid of the adult reader books that I don't read or don't really like. The name says it all; you swap one book for another. All you pay is shipping which is usually $2.35 a book. Granted you have to get credits to get books which is by trading books or buying credits. So it's good that it's not all take. You get two free credits by posting 10 books for trade. Someone requests one of your books, you send it, when the person gets it they give you a credit. I just joined yesterday and already two of my books have been requested and sent. I posted two more and both were requested in an instant. I just requested Marrying Mozart from someone--apparently it's like Little Women meets Mozart; two good things I'm hoping can't go wrong when put together.
It's been a little bit a trying process. I was tearing up a bit yesterday and seeking reassurance from Dustin that my books would go to the schools not the garbage and that kids would read and enjoy them. Paperbackswap is nice because I feel like I'm getting the better end of the deal; I get rid of books I don't want in exchange for ones I do for a really low price.
I've had a bit of a catharsis now. I'm feeling better about everything. I'm a hoarder in general, just especially bad with books. Didn't realize how bad it was until moving my stuff from Paducah to Louisville I realized I had over ten boxes filled with books not counting the ones already in Louisville. What really motivated me though was watching a TLC special feature on compulsive hoarders. It made me want to cry because I felt bad and emphathized with the people. At the same time though, I saw how their "collections" were having a negative effect on their lives. I said to Dustin, I have to clean out all my stuff because I don't want to be like that. But I hate throwing things away that I know are in perfectly good condition or that I've had forever. However, I know deep down I have to do it. I do love the net and current popularity of the green movement because it helps me find places for all my stuff. I just have to keep saying to myself, "I'm going to make it. This is the right thing. It'll be okay." I've done a good job of downsizing the number of books in the apartment, now I just remembered I have at least two boxes I took to Shelbyville...sigh. I think I also accumulate a lot of books through classes because I'm an English major. Next semester it starts again.