But I worry that I am being selfish. I worry that I am giving in to material attachment. To possession. (Sidenote, when I was in Kindergarten, I would be the kid who would give away all the toys and just be happy playing with paper and crayons).I'm not against possession necessarily. But I do like to limit my material attachment. I have read these books. And I feel like I will not read them again. So many other books to read. And I feel like they are mausoleums of ideas. They just sit there, not gathering dust(I clean. A lot.). I feel like they could better serve other people. Ideas need to be available. That's what libraries are for, right? Places where people without the funds(Or with environmental reasons) choose to get books from. I feel like they would better serve the local library whose history section is rather pathetic. Then someone else could discover Classical Athens or Byzantium or learn about The Dutch Republic or about the Meiji Restoration or about T'Ang China.(Yeah I tend to be Eurasian centric in my book choices). I have no North American or Latin American or African(I'm not counting ancient Egyptian, although I do have some Islamic history but that's more Eurasian)history.
There are many worse things about which you could be selfish. Books are a good thing for this.
So, how do you feel about your books?
Love.
Would you ever give your books away? Sell your books?
I have done both. I love finding deals at Half Price Books, so I like to contribute to their stock.
Have any of you ever thought about why you keep your books?
Yes. I am addicted to owning good books. I like having them here, I like being able to read them whenever I want and I like sharing them after I've read them (this can mean forcing them upon people I feel will like them, as I've just done earlier today
).From my own perspective, I have a complex about moving. Between NYC and Sydney to Tennessee to Boston to Illinois, I have moved a great deal in the past 7 years. And sometimes helped others move their books(Joe, I am looking at you). And it's a pain. So that factors into my desire to remove the "attachment" to these books. I won't have to worry about them when I move. Packing, unpacking, going downstairs, upstairs, etc. Life is so much easier when the books are on the computer, eReader, backed up onto a flash drive.
I don't love the ebook like I do a real book, but I feel ya there. I have sworn I will never move them again, and I won't. I'll keep a few favorite titles, but the rest are going to friends (first) or the shop (second).
Though I have written this post to see what Rafolites think, I am almost certain to give away all my books to the local library. Karma means actions. And I do think it would be a good action to help a library and in the process perhaps help some future readers of these books be able to access these books.
I suggest you give at least some of them out- choose wisely. It could be fun to challenge yourself to think of people you know who might like a particular book and appreciate the gift. Libraries are good too, but I like the idea of getting an acquaintance started along a new line of study/enjoyment/etc.
On possession of books.
- 29/10/2009 07:13:44 PM
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Re: <sings Madonna>
- 29/10/2009 08:06:13 PM
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My friends wanted to make a bonfire of my books last time I moved.
- 29/10/2009 09:10:16 PM
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No.
- 29/10/2009 09:28:11 PM
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i always keep the books i think are worth it
- 29/10/2009 09:38:38 PM
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If I kept the books I felt worth it, I would keep them all.
- 29/10/2009 09:46:57 PM
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yes but i have a habit of re-reading my books at some future point -- except the textbooks
- 29/10/2009 10:03:04 PM
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I'm at an interesting crossroads myself, now that I've got an eBook reader.
- 29/10/2009 09:56:19 PM
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A failing you say?
- 29/10/2009 10:07:34 PM
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To quote my wise grandmother, "There's a difference between sentiment and sediment."
- 29/10/2009 10:22:31 PM
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Re: On possession of books.
- 29/10/2009 09:59:04 PM
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I wouldn't worry.
- 29/10/2009 10:19:10 PM
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Ok. I won't worry.
- 30/10/2009 01:37:18 PM
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Are you truly trying to claim that none of the knowledge you've learned from your books
- 30/10/2009 02:51:35 PM
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I think you may have failed to read the original post or have misunderstood it
- 30/10/2009 03:00:48 PM
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no
- 30/10/2009 03:06:53 PM
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Re: On possession of books.
- 30/10/2009 01:05:25 PM
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People seem to lend books! I am in a distinct minority. I don't lend books. Or give them to people.
- 30/10/2009 01:46:25 PM
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Library donation is a good idea; you might check around with some local schools, too.
- 31/10/2009 02:49:48 PM
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