We moved recently, and when we did I realized that I was moving my TBR pile…and not for the first time. That’s right, I still had books I hadn’t read since the LAST move. Some of them were books I’d picked up as bargain books; it seemed like a good idea at the time, I’d liked those authors in the past, and the price was right. But for whatever reason they didn’t work for me. So why was I keeping them?
I made the decision to get rid of the ones I knew I’d never read. I put them in the yard sale so somebody else could enjoy them. I kept the one I’m sure I will get around to, but really, if it gets to be enough time past this move and I still haven’t read it? That one’s history, too.
Why? Because I’m tired of keeping reminders of what I didn’t do in the past and not having room for what I want now. I haven’t bought books lately because I have books I haven’t read…but if they’re not the ones I want to read, why am I keeping them? Apathy? Not wanting to admit I made a bad choice or that maybe my tastes have changed or those authors I used to auto-buy are writing different stories now? Whatever the reason, I decided I was done with dust-gathering to no good purpose. If I don’t get the book read in a reasonable amount of time, I have to admit I never will and let it go.
For some reason, I found it hard to make this decision. I don’t know why. My storage space isn’t unlimited, and the bookcases are full. And it’s not like I’m going to stop buying more books in future. So space has to come from somewhere. It’s going to come from the books I’ve been hanging onto even though my tastes have changed, the authors have changed, or I just fell for a pretty cover but the story inside doesn’t hold my attention.
Do you ever suffer TBR guilt? Pass up new books you really want to read because you haven’t read the ones at home? At what point do you let go, or do you just rent storage space?
No related posts.
For the first time in my life, *I* decided to weed out books, because I have reached capacity – I can store things in boxes, yes, but what’s the point of having a book in boxes where you can’t pick it up and you don’t even remember it’s there? If I want that kind of external storage, I can use the library system.
What I’ve realised was that I am cluttering my life with a lot of books I feel I ought to read (not in the least because I bought them), as well as books that I read because they’re easy to get into when I’m feeling bleh. And the second category are often books that might be easy to pick up, but which I don’t enjoy a whole lot when I *do* read them. They are eating my valuable reading time, so I’ve decided that unless I am *really* attached to them, I shall get rid.
Since I’ve started that, I’ve begun to pick up old favorites of the ‘I don’t know whether I can deal with that intensity right now’ variety – and found that once I get over the initial effort, I can. And I enjoy them as much as ever. And I wonder how I could ever have born to *not* pick them up, and to read a so-so book that leaves me mildly dissatisfied instead. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, too: because I wasn’t getting much out of my reading, I did not make a lot of time *to* read.
Parting with books hurts. Bringing old favorites to light and making room for new books is priceless.
Having a book review blog keeps me on top of things. I know authors are counting on me to put out reviews in a timely manner because of release dates. I want them to succeed in the sale of new books so they’ll keep writing the stories I love too. I know readers are counting on me to deliver those reviews so they can find the books they’ll love. Some of them have been disappointed in the past and are apprehensive about buying new too. If I can assure them MOONSTRUCK by Susan Grant is Highly Sensual in the Heat Level, but that it works great for the story, for example, they can buy new with confidence.
My issues are I don’t have time to read older releases anymore, like those by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and I don’t have time to re-read the books I particularly loved. I was able to squeeze in one MZB in January, I think it was, and I was able to re-read NEFERTITI by Michelle Moran over Christmas vacation. That’s it.
Ahhh…. but you see, I donate my books to the library. They put them in their collection and then I can “visit” them whenever I want.
That is the best of both worlds. I have access to my books but don’t have to store them.
Plus I get a tax deduction for doing so.
The library is a wonderful place.
I did a purge recently and cleared out a big office-supplies box full of books. My shelves are still crammed (to the point where I’m thinking about the extra storage capacity if I remove the shelves…), but but there’s nothing OFF the shelves. A lot of the stuff I keep, I may not ever read it start-to-finish again, but I do flip through them looking for a particular favorite passage or to refresh my memory so I can tell someone about a book.
I can’t break up a series, even if a couple of books therein bombed. The OCD can’t tolerate that kind of disruption of order.
Hardcovers are the hardest to let go of, no matter how much I hated the story. They’re expensive. They’re decorative. They class up the joint. I hardly ever buy them. But because they take up so much space, I decided to keep those only if they were true keepers.
My TBR was getting a little overwhelming, but I still want to read them all, and I’m not going to stop buying new books that interest me. My new deal with myself is to alternate reading brand-new and old-TBR and clear out the backlog that way…
[...] over at Romancing the Blog talking about TBR Guilt and my decision to purge my shelves. Which, by the way, I have not regretted. I’ve done a lot [...]
Catja, hooray for you! The path of least resistance isn’t usually the happiest.
Kimber An, I’m sure reviewers have different struggles. I wouldn’t want to read on a schedule and then not be able to pick up the new release I’m dying to read because I had to do reviews for three others first.
Kimber Chin, not all libraries welcome romance or paperbacks. Although they usually will at least take them for the “friends of the library” booksale to raise funds.
Kerry, I hate breaking up sets, too.
Victoria, that’s a good system. If you put it away for a while and then still don’t want to read it, you probably never will. And there’s always another reader out there who’d love to have a book!
I feel guilty for adding more new books to my TBR pile, and it seems like I can’t read fast enough.
I have boxes of books in my basement that I’ll reread someday and a pile by my bed I keep saying I’ll read. But realistically I probably won’t read half of them. Some were gifts, some were books I thought I’d like but quit after the first chapter, and some I don’t know where they came from.
I had a hard time getting rid of books I knew I wouldn’t read or reread until we started doing a house renovation and I had to box up my books. When I got to the third large carton of just romance books (not to mention all the other books), I realized I had too many and I culled.
It was hard, I definitely couldn’t break up sets, and I still think about a few I gave away every now and then, but I’m trying to look at the bright side. When my house is done and I have new bookshelves, I’ll have more room for books!
I have nothing but TBR guilt. My house is full of books I haven’t had time to read and keep promising myself I’ll someday get to.
There was a time when I read two books a week. But ever since I started writing myself, it seems I rarely have time to do any reading. I have many friends whose books sit next to my bed, waiting for me to get to them. And I have a sinking feeling they may wait forever.
I used to suffer from TBR guilt, but after buying two new bookshelves to accomodate so many unread books I just ran out of room. So, I did some serious spring cleaning and donated about 500 books to the library and it was the best feeling! Now, if I’ve read something and enjoy it, but can live w/out it, I donate it! My husband is forever grateful for the space!
My problem with donating is that I can’t seem to part with any of my books. It’ll sound strange, I’m sure, but being surrounded by books — especially paperbacks — gives me an odd sense of peace. And it’s very difficult to let go of any of them.
I hear ya – I finally took my TBR pile off my bookshelves, and packed them into piles and boxes behind my bed, with the idea being that they’re have to earn a place on my shelf if they’re good enough. It certainly doesn’t help that I can’t stay away from the Book Cellar, a store at my University that sells new remainder hardcovers and trade paperbacks for pennies. Three hardcovers for $10? You betcha!
I still have a few unread paperbacks that were bought when I was fired from Chapters (my last use of the discount) – two years ago. And it doesn’t help when people give me Chapters gift certificates for birthdays and Christmas! Augh! AND – I review fantasy novels for The Green Man Review so I get free books in the mail that HAVE to be read.
But I’m going to wait a while before I purge — most of the reason my TBR pile’s built up is because I’m an English major at University so my time has been taken up by reading required books and research for my essays. I graduate this year, though, and I can’t drive and can only rely on public transportation, so I’ll have more time for them later. Maybe.
One sad thing about TBR guilt is that it keeps you from re-reading the books you have – because when you want to re-read a beloved book or series, you feel guilty because you have all those unread books glowering at you from under your bed.
I moved from San Antonio to a small town in Arkansas last summer. My daughter “helped.” Kelly wouldn’t let me touch anything on my office bookshelves until she had stacked three boxes side by side and said, “This one’s for Keepers. This one’s for your mom. This one’s for the used book store.” My keeper box was filled first and she just clucked her tongue and said, “Try again.” The little witch wouldn’t let me start on new boxes until Mom’s and the giveaway boxes were filled! I have to admit, I don’t miss the books she made me shed.
I suffer from TBR guilt daily and of course those pesky comments from my husband about books taking over the house don’t help either. When the guilt gets too bad, I put my book buying on hold and start visiting the local library again where 90% of the time I realize after I’ve read a book that I didn’t really need to buy it after all and I feel better.
Every six months or so, I will go through books that I have read and get rid of ones that I don’t have a deep connection too, which only ends up being about 3-4 books and then a month later they are already replaced with something new.
I have an office in the house my husband and I recently bought and this summer I plan on having bookshelves built, but the reality is I’ve just accepted the fact that I will never have enough space for all of those books. Strangely looking at my collection the majority of the books I’m holding on to are cookbooks. I have over 200 (I’m a culinary school grad and I’m also a freelance food writer who reviews cookbooks so new ones are always coming in). I’m sure I have somewhere along the lines of over 100 fiction novels. I would say about 50 of them are classics (jane austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc.), another 50 are new stuff in the TBR pile and then maybe 25-30 newer things that I’ve read and really enjoyed and decided to hold on to.
I keep buying new books and moving “keepers” out to the garage. I have hundreds, maybe thousands, but I don’t care. Books are one of my only indulgences.
My TBR list doesn’t usually overwhelm me because I read fast. I feel guilty about skimming, which I do often when a book hasn’t captured my attention or if I just want to hurry up and finish it.
I feel worse about my TBB list. Sometimes too much time goes by and I forget what I meant to buy, or am distracted by newer choices.
These are good problems to have, aren’t they? So many books, so little time!
I’ve become pretty ruthless about what books I keep, simply out of necessity. We don’t have room and it’s likely we’ll move soon, and our next house will be even smaller, so… I have one shelf for fiction keepers, and another one for books that I know I can’t get easily at a library or bookstore. The rest are donated to the library, which like someone else said, is a terrific tax deduction!
Kate
The short answer to your question is every damn day. *ggg*
I think I’ve realized part of my book problem. I’m reading more and more books on my ebook reader and not on my shelves. This of course doesn’t help my shelves any. I do need to go through and get rid of a few books that I know I’ll never get around to. I’d been holding on out of guilt, believing that I ’should’ read them. Somewhere between the purchase and the passage of time, I’d lost interest. This has nothing to do with the books and everything to do with me. My reading tastes have changed over the last year. I have shelves and shelves of romances and I’m mainly reading urban fantasy. I guess it’s time I put on the big girl panties and take a closer look at my bookshelves.
Tempest, I have the same problem. I want to buy the books on my list when they release, even though I know I won’t read them right away.
But I deal with that by telling myself I’m helping the author’s initial week of sales, making it more convenient for myself because if I wait too long I won’t be able to find it in stores, etc. 
Kristin, it is hard, but it’s good to know somebody else can enjoy a book that was just sitting. And then you have room for new books!
Robert, the hardest is when your friends’ new releases are sitting there staring at you. But those are the ones I know I will get to. And hey, it’s a reminder to keep in touch! I know what you mean about the peaceful feeling. We culled down to 11 bookcases plus the books on the dresser and bedside tables, and the books are a restful, comforting sight. Especially after ditching the ones that made me feel guilty.
Katie, I bet your library was grateful!
Anime, they *do* glower, don’t they? Reading for classes is a legitimate reason to put off reading for pleasure, but it won’t last forever.
Delilah, that’s hilarious! Your daughter is brutal.
HWJ, cookbooks might be hard to replace, but one thing I realized was that I was hanging onto classics that were in poor condition and needed to be replaced…and many of them COULD be replaced free from Project Gutenberg. Fortunately, ebook storage hasn’t become an issue…yet.
Jill, those are the best problems. And if you have the space to house a big collection, that’s awesome! So many romances go out of print and become impossible to find if you ever want it again. This is probably why it took me so long to weed out the books I was hanging onto…
Kate, at some point space does force the issue. The library is an excellent place to “store” your excess books!
Jordan, that’s my issue exactly. I’m reading urban fantasy like a fiend, and horror and suspense. And of course my new glom, Bleach. That’s just what’s feeding my imagination right now so I’ve decided to accept it. It’s just dumb to force myself to read the historical I bought two years ago instead of allowing myself the pleasure of Ilona Andrews’ latest, or Kelley Armstrong’s.
I’ve given books to the library out of my TBR pile. For some of those books, it just wasn’t the right time to read them. And I’ll admit, I’ve even checked one or two of them out at a later date!
I’ve been rummaging through my TBR pile too. A lot of them I can’t believe that I bought in the first place. I’m also getting rid of books that I’ve read once and realize that I’ll never read again.
I don’t have book guilt, but this year I cleaned out a bunch of fabric scraps and craft supplies. I’m not that person. I’m a writer and I didn’t want to be reminded of what I wasn’t going to do.
The local preschools loved it.
cmr
Yes! I do. It drives me crazy. I’ll grab books. Sometimes I read a few pages and… wedge them back into the TBR pile. I have a hard time picking them back up again and I reshuffle the stack.
Donating to the library is a lovely idea though. Imagine, you might not want it now, but you’ll know exactly where to find them if you ever do, right on the library shelf!
I’m on a professional school budget, so I don’t have much to spend on books – therefore my TBR pile isn’t *that* huge. I went a little crazy recently, and wrote down every book I own – alphabatized on a spreadsheet with author, list price, priced I paid, publisher, etc – everything. I found some books I’d never read, and I felt a little guilty. Otherwise, I generally read books from the library first, before buying them. There are some books, where I’d loved all the author’s other works, but that one just didn’t work for me – and I would keep renewing them, but never reading them.
I’ve decided to clear off/create more shelf space because recently I went a bit insane with book buying – but I think I’m going to return some, or trade them.
Lots of great ideas to deal with the overstocking and guilt. My son’s high school recently collected books for shelters and other such institutions. I donated a few from my TBR pile. It’s only about nine books high now because I haven’t let myself buy anything for a while.
Charlene ~ Bleach? As in “The Story of Renji and Why Are All These Other People Cluttering Up the Place”?
I have a whole separate hoard for the manga and anime, which is even harder to purge than the books (talk about the pain of breaking up a series…).
Susan, shelters are a great alternative to library donations.
Kerry, Renji is awesome. But really it’s all about the bankai!
Not all libraries welcome romance novels? WTH??!!! Romance is one of the top selling genres. Heck, my library can’t get enough of them, they fly off the shelves.
(This business gal is shaking her head.)
And they wonder why some libraries are underfunded. It helps “sales” to actually supply what the customer wants.
A friend of mine has started offering hers up to commenters on her blog. She gets the PR and readers can get a free book. Not a bad idea.
I try to get rid of some of my old books whenever I buy new these days. It’s still difficult parting with my old friends though!