Day 16 -- Buy The (Used) Book

I love to read and a book store is one of my favorite places to hang out. I've purchased so many books in my life that I had no more room on the bookshelves and had to double or triple-stack them and eventually pile on the floor.

About 10-12 years ago I decided not to purchase any more hardcover fiction. After I read a novel I (usually) don't pick it up again so it seemed a waste to display it on a shelf like a trophy. (Someday, perhaps I will invest in the new Kindle book reader.) For now, I borrow my novels from the library.

Occasionally, I will buy myself a book---reference or non-fiction mostly, though sometimes a brand-new novel I just can't wait to read (sometimes it takes 3 months to get a newly published novel from the library)--but for the most part, I like my slimmed down shelves.

I really want to de-clutter my life (a never-ending battle) so I donate books to the local branch of my library. They hold a big used book sale twice a year, so I go through all my books and thin-out my collection. I took four brown grocery bags to the library for their upcoming sale.

It was wonderful to clear out some of the clutter and display a few photos and mementos on the shelves instead of piles of read-once books. And it was NICE to help an organization make a little bit of money and help others to buy books inexpensively. The only "problem" is I know I will attend the library book sale in a few weeks and will buy a bunch of "new" used books (I can't help myself), thus re-cluttering my life! But in another six months I'll do another book purge and make another library donation. Only to buy more used books at the next sale. And so it goes...