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Post by Rory on Jul 24, 2010 8:18:40 GMT -5
I've this morning thrown out 20 books. Almost all were on money and debt and were published at least 10 and some 20 years ago. I collected them when I was a money advice worker, debt counsellor, and that job finished in 1999. When I was working I wrote part of a book on money and debt and have been thinking of finishing it for the last 10 or so years. Ten years ago I felt a bit fed up with money and debt as I was made redundant and it was all a bit rough so I left things for a while. Now much of my information is out of date and I don't know how much. So at last I've made the choice. I'm not finishing the book in the form I intended to at the time. I might finish an abbreviated version but to do that I do not need the books. The books certainly were out of date. So they have gone.
The books represented a task in progress, actually not in progress at all, and that was a reality I was not prepared to accept until now.
Now I have and they have gone and a weight is off my mind.
Thanks for all the help here.
Rory
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 24, 2010 9:33:14 GMT -5
When I read the first line of your post what flashed into my mind was, "no, not books!" but when I saw what kind of books, I have to agree. About the only books I have no trouble getting rid of are the ones with specific dated information that becomes obsolete. Also self-help type books that reflect a "fad" of the day, they become dated too. I know that any kind of books can be clutter, they are just the hardest thing for me to give up.
The economy has changed so much the last few years that if you decide later to write a financial book you'll have to pretty much start from scratch on the economic details. Although, the common sense part of it probably stays the same throughout the years.
Diane
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MiSC
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,611 
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Post by MiSC on Jul 24, 2010 9:44:50 GMT -5
I want a kindle SO badly. Can you imagine having ALL of your books in one little paperback-sized contraption?
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Post by messymimi on Jul 24, 2010 10:14:47 GMT -5
Dear Rory,
Great Job! You were that person once, and you are not now, and you are acknowledging that your life has gone a different direction. Good for you!
MiSC, I would agree except for two things. One, no computer like gadget is ever going to replace the feeling of curling up in front of a fire with a good book. Two, the ruckus over Amazon deleting books people had bought because they decided no one needed to read those books will always remain in my mind as a possible danger of not having my own hard copy. If I have the book, they can't censor what I choose to read unless they physically come here and get it.
messymimi
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Post by messyLlundain on Jul 24, 2010 10:24:02 GMT -5
Thanks for writing this, Rory. Great timing!  Today I've been putting my books back on the shelves after having decorated. I sat down for a coffee break and was planning to post a similar message. Only I hadn't reached the decision to get rid of mine. But I think I have now! The last box of books that I opened included text books from when I went back to college, in 1992. Psychology and sociology books that I have never been able to get rid of. I've used various reasons as to why I should keep them; I may need them one day if I need to look something up, they may come in useful if my daughter or the Grandchildren study these subjects. The little voice in my head has been saying, no, actually he's been yelling!..... ''Errr hello!, what about Google for information? and as for the Grandchildren - get real! The books are already 18 years old and out of date! By the time the eldest grandchild is 18, the books will be 26 years old! and the youngest has only just taken his first step this week!''  I've been resisting the voice. But I think I knew it was right all along. The books are going. I can't bring myself to throw them away, so I will take them to the charity shop on Monday. Thank you! |
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Post by bluefrog on Jul 24, 2010 11:26:32 GMT -5
This must be "Dump the Books Day." I just delivered two big plastic tubs of (mostly) history books to a book exchange this morning. Most were books I collected when I went back to school in the '90's. Not text books, but books on whatever I was studying. They're not out of date, exactly, but am I ever really going to read Polybius again? He was boring the first time. I only have so much space, and I'm determined to use it for books I really enjoyed and want to read again. There are plenty of those. Out the dust-collectors go!
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Post by Rory on Jul 24, 2010 13:03:32 GMT -5
Thank you everyone. I decided to keep going so I now have another 25 books and 19 maps packed and ready for the book bank. I've also thrown out one book which had sad memories, two which were falling apart, and three old catalogues (If I want to go to Namibia I will need a more recent info than in the 2007 list of hotels etc.).
It is now evening and I feel very odd indeed, dizzy, cold, confused and unwell which I think is an emotional reaction. Also I have created a mess of books and maps and papers and another mess in the kitchen where I have cooked and not washed up.
I'm having a rest and a cup of tea (on which the British Empire was built) and then taking the books to the book bank. I don't want them in the house for another night.
Thanks for support. Rory
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 24, 2010 13:54:45 GMT -5
This is sort of off topic but it's about what you can do with books. There is a free book swap site called Bookmooch.com You register for free and list the books you have that you want to give away. You get one point for every ten books that you list, and you can request a book from someone else with each point you have. When you request a book from someone else, they get a point from you. They mail it to you and pay the postage. When someone else requests a book from you, you get a point and mail it to them and pay the postage. The most I have ever paid in postage is $4. The whole site is free and there are soooooo many books and different kinds of books there.
Mary
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Post by Rory on Jul 24, 2010 14:40:37 GMT -5
Thank you Mary. They have all gone now. I wonder if there is a similar scheme in the UK.
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 24, 2010 14:46:17 GMT -5
BookMooch is worldwide. You can select to only send to your country and then only send to people in the UK. I've sent there, Sweden, India, lots of countries and gotten books from them too. It costs two points to get a book from another country, but you get three points for sending one to another country. The most I have ever paid to send a book overseas was about $9 and that was a hardcover.
I used to be really into BookMooch, and had hundreds listed. I would go to yard sales and buy boxes of paperbacks and list them. I sent out about 5 or 6 books a week. You should go look at the site. I know of several others too that I think are international. TitleTrader.com PaperbackSwap.com FrugalReader.com SwapTree.com BookMooch.com is the best in my opinion though. They are all free too and operate the same way. The only difference is that BookMooch gives you your points as soon as someone requests the book and the others give you the point when the book is received. SwapTree is a little different and I can't figure it out really, but it's similar. Most of the other sites also have DVDs, CDs etc as well.
Mary
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Jul 24, 2010 15:18:27 GMT -5
I have a funny story regarding books. i kept lots of books from high school and college. Thirty years later I decided i needed room for some newer books and went thru them. I couldn't believe I had kept "A Study Guide for Eleventh Grade New York Regents Math Exams". I tossed every single book EXCEPT The Complete Works of Shakespeare. I hsve too much respect for him.
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Post by puppybox on Jul 24, 2010 15:36:29 GMT -5
rory, what a great thing for you! an unfinished project is a BIG WEIGHT on a person. you forget its even there, but it silently drains energy for other things.
your unpleasant reaction is likely your emotions manifesting as physical reactions. Like I just quit my job and I am enjoying the free time BUT I hardly know what to do with myself. I can feel the confusion in my arms and legs.
congratulations! get those books OUT.
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Post by canna on Jul 24, 2010 16:43:55 GMT -5
Rory - good to get rid of those old outdated books.
Off topic: Book "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury. Also made into an interesting 1966 movie with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.
A look into a world where owning books is forbidden. Books are confiscated and burned. The end of the movie shows "The Book People".
Well, it was written and filmed wayyyy before computers were available.
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 24, 2010 16:48:14 GMT -5
Canna,
With the advent of the Kindle and similar devices, do you think that eventually books will be less common? The same way that letters via regular postal mail are less common than emails, and calling to remind someone of something is less common than texting.
Mary
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Post by canna on Jul 24, 2010 17:03:04 GMT -5
In the future books will probably be less common. There are a lot of publishing companies that are getting out of the magazine/book print formats and going online with their titles.
Some of the Borders book stores in the area have gone out of business.
However, there will always be those who love their books and want them available in that form.
Of course, everthing now, computers, state of the art electonics and lot of other things "must haves" will be totally obsolete too.
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