Thank you for sharing

The other is in the study and tends to bias towards periodicals. Once I decided that reading at least one story in a magazine counted as reading the whole issue if I needed it to, that pile became less of an issue.

The most insidious pile though is the virtual one that sits on my Kindle. As I read books I delete them, so the physical device is in effect my to-be-read pile. The already read books sit in the cloud somewhere. I’m assured they are safe and keep each other company.

The Kindle to-be-read pile’s lack of physical manifestation means that it grows and grows without me noticing. The guilt is correspondingly less. And that means I buy more books.

You can see where that path leads.

Thinking about the second half of your question, a lot of my non-fiction books seem to more easily graduate to “something I should own” status. “Worthy” fiction authors often sit there too. They wait patiently for that elusive time where I will not be exhausted from work, family and outside pursuits and I can really knuckle down and actually understand them.

Some of those books have been waiting for years.

-m

I’m also trying to cull some books at the moment. There are two cartons ready to go to the Save the Children’s book sale and there’ll be more soon. But I also have cartons packed up for the duration of the renos that I know need sorting. That will have to wait until I have my new bookcases – and i have to tell you as a one time librarian, it grieves me not to have my books in order so I can get them when I want them.

They are sorted into “recent stuff” – that I want to read in time for award nominating – so this shelf is small at the moment and mostly made up of short story collections or anthologies that I’ve read SOME of – and “old stuff” – which is mostly secondhand books where I’ve gone, “I’ve heard of Joan D Vinge, and here’s 20 of hers for a dollar each!” New books that were published more than a couple of years ago also go there. And that shelf is pretty huge.

I will only keep what I love, or what I suspect the Small One will find useful for school or pleasure reading in the future. For example I loathe Sweet Valley High but who knows, that one tatty book that I’m reluctantly holding on to might lead her to a series that gives her immesurable pleasure.

I have occasionally filed books that I haven’t read in the permanent shelves – classics and non fiction/reference titles mostly. But the reason I tend not to do this is because there’s a lot more wiggle room in my to read shelf (well on its teetering towers) than the permanent shelves which have far too many books on them anyway.

I need a cull. Many culls.

Which is all to say: I’m not much help, but I sympathize.