Packing Up Books
By worldwise1
@worldwise1 (14885)
United States
July 3, 2008 2:22pm CST
It has been nearly a year ago that I first did a discussion about my overflow of books and the need to sort through them. I knew that I would have to dispose of some of them but I'm not quite ready to go there just yet. I now have five boxes packed sitting in my living room-with about two more to go. Now I need to sort through the rest and pick out the ones I can't bear to part with. That is going to be a very hard decision because I love my books so much. They are truly my friends. It might sound irrational but I hate the thought of them going to someone who will not treat them well. So, what should I do, fellow myLotters? Should I just cart them down to my building's common room and not worry about who will end up with them? I'm trying to reduce the stress in my life so making a clean breast of things seems like a good idea to me.
5 people like this
12 responses
@kriszelunka (557)
• Australia
3 Jul 08
A good option could be to join your local freecycle group (you can normally find them on yahoo groups). You could then post on their website that you have x boxes of books ready to go to a good home.
That way you'll know that the books are going to a good home, and you also know that they won't be contributing to landfill (the whole idea of freecycle being that instead of throwing things out, you recycle them to other people).
Alternatively, you might find someone on mylot who would be interested in taking them off your hands.
3 people like this
@kriszelunka (557)
• Australia
4 Jul 08
Oh, another option would be to find someone who is part of bookcrossing, or join yourself. (www.bookcrossing.com) That's another sure way of ensuring that your books go to another book lover.
2 people like this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
4 Jul 08
Or perhaps I send them off through bookcrossing. I do love that website even if I haven't had much luck with it. But I have found a couple of books I was interested in reading through that so perhaps I will release what I don't sell through bookcrossing.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
I am a member of freecycle(inactive), kriszelunka, and I used to get rid of quite a few books that way. Lately, however, I've been thinking of the amount of money I spend on these books so I think I should at least try to get some return on my investment before I just give them away.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
My problem with that, weemam, is that I don't have available transportation all the time, and what with gas prices being so high it is even harder for me to get around.
@Carrie26 (1587)
• United States
4 Jul 08
I usually take my books I dont want either to the librarey,Offer the on Freecycle,or you can take them to nursing homes like the one post said above or like post nuber 1 said.As you could find other books to find that you would like to read and you can swap one book you have read for one you havent read.I used to keep my books and magazines but now I tend to give them to other people or give them to the librarey,or offer them on freecycle.You could try to sell them on ebay or another auction site to make a little off of them to save up and buy you other new books to read.I see books in good or fair conditon being sold on thier all the time although the most recent books you could sell by themselves the older books you might have to put about 3 of them to be sold together for people to buy.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jul 08
I think leaving the books in the common room might be nice, but have you ever considered doing some kind of book sale?? I used to love going to the book sales at libraries...alas they've stopped them, but one could get really great books for a buck or two....it would be a great way to earn a little more green stuff.
I'm still in the midst of my spring, or should I say summer cleaning...still need to get rid of more stuff as well. While you may not be thrilled at letting go of your books (I hate to do that to)...look at it this way...I love the one saying, "Getting rid of the old to make way for the new"
3 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
My daughter suggested that very thing today, pyewacket. I am not allowed to sell anything publicly where I live but I might be able to convince her to have the sale at her house. The books are taking up a great amount of space in my tiny apartment.
@scarywhitegirl (2766)
• United States
3 Jul 08
I usually list books I'm getting rid of on paperbackswap.com. On that site, you mail the books to other people and get credit for it. You can then use the credit to get books from other people. It won't get the books out of your house quickly, but it might be a nice way to be sure that they will go to a place where they will be read! :)
(And of course, you don't have to use the credits to get new books right away. You can pick what books you really want over time. :) )
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
I am familiar with paperbackswap.com, scary. I believe I am even a member there. My problem is that it would just be too much trouble to send the books through the mail. I'm talking about roughly a hundred books, or more, here.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
That's a great idea, twallace, but it is not allowed in the apartment complex where I live.
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
4 Jul 08
We are having a garage sale this weekend so I forced myself to go through my books and get rid of some. As I was looking through them I thought, "Why am I keeping these?" Then I realized that my 15 year old daughter may want to read them when she gets older - like the Mary Higgins Clark books. Whatever I don't sell will probably go back onto the bookshelves (although there are some I may donate to the Salvation Army or some other cause).
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
I only wish I could have a book sale, patgalca! My daughter told me this morning to finish getting them all packed up and she will take them to a used book store for me.
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
8 Jul 08
I wish I could have sold more. One lady came charging in and wanted to buy the whole box of tween girls books (Sweet Valley, etc.). I don't know how many were in the box but I sold it to her for $5. We also had a bake sale/lemonade stand and the same woman went nuts and bought a bunch of stuff for their drive up to the cottage that afternoon. One of the friends from my writing group bought all my Mary Higgins Clark books. I have yet to actually go through the books to see what I didn't sell (I think we still have all the Goosebumps books). I will probably release some through bookcrossing.com.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
11 Jul 08
Since I moved here 3 years ago, there have been several boxes of books still to be unpacked. I simply don't have room for them. When I was working in bookshops, I acquired many, many books. I ended up with cartons of them that I simply couldn't handle. I took them (12 cartons) to a second hand store, I'd rung the guy earlier and he said to bring them in for a look. I had to park half a block away and carry the cartons to his store and then he offered me $40 for the lot. There was a garden design book in amongst it all that had a retail price of $80. It was brand new. I had no choice but to accept. The books I still have are mostly my old ones. I think I'll leave them where they are for now...in the cupboard in the spare room.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
7 Jul 08
If they are your friends and you really don't want to part with them,then don't.Just make room for them. you should donate the books you really don't want anymore to you local library.Or if you are short of cash, then sell them in a yard sale.That way they will go to someone who really wants them.
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
6 Jul 08
I couldn't bear the thought of giving up any of my books. Thats probably why my collection is working on being a library. LOL. But here is a good idea for your books. Donate them to a library where many people can enjoy them or register them at
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
That way you can track where they go throughout the world or
put them on paperback swap (if they are paperbacks) that way you can trade them for new books for you to read if you want.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
8 Jul 08
Those sound like great ideas, saundyl.
1 person likes this
