The art of decluttering books. (Yep, it’s possible.)featured
It’s time to declutter some books, friends.
Before you throw War and Peace at my head, hang tight a sec. (Mostly because that thing’s huge and would really hurt.) I love books. I love your books. I love snuggling up with multiple volumes of historical fiction on cozy evenings and running my hand along the color-coded spines of the nerdiest of nerdy sci-fi/fantasy trilogies (…but maybe that last one is just me).
But I’m not talking about those. There’s a big ol’ difference between the gorgeous tomes you re-read, the exciting stack of soon-to-love…and the rest.
I give you permission to purge:
…The novels you’ve been gifted…and have zero interest in reading. I call these “guilt books,” and life’s too short for you to dust and pack and rearrange books about angels, baseball stats, or self-betterment unless those topics make your heart go pitter-patter.
…The ones you couldn’t quite get through. So it’s a bestseller? Congratulations. Pass it along and let it top someone else’s list.
…The duplicates. No one ever thinks they have duplicates, but most peeps do. (Recently, I pointed out a trio of same-sized purple books to my daughters and asked when they got a horse trilogy. Turns out, they had randomly been the recipients of three of the exact same book about a girl who goes to horse camp. THREE. And, being my kids, they cheerfully color-coded ’em into their shelf and moved on with their day.)
…The “aged out of” ones. Listen, I have a Little Golden Book from 1983 called Ned’s Number Book and it’s about a small boy who goes to the market with his Mom and counts plums and jaunts to the park and counts the slides as well and I’ll probably be buried with this one. My kids have their versions of these tiny books, the ones I’ve packed away for them [severely limited] Early Childhood Keepsake Boxes. But the fifteen books about train engines and stations if your kid’s now a Star Wars guy? The board book of Italian nouns and phrases for babies? (Nice try.)
…The ones you read and simply liked. This one’s the hardest, you guys. Feeling a-ok about a book is legit fine. It doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever unless you want to. These are prime merchandise for sharing, gifting, and starting a Little Free Library.
Which brings me to:
What to do with all of these books now?
Start a Little Free Library! (That one was a gimme.) Not only are these tiny book homes supremely adorable, but they’re rad for community, too.
Donate them to your favorite local spot. I always prefer to donate (and, sure, occasionally get a nice tax write-off) as opposed to selling stuff. For one, we may no longer be in kindergarten but it feels awfully good to share. And secondly, taking photos and listing items for sale isn’t the most freeing of tasks to perform during a decluttering session. Dig your neighborhood Goodwill or Salvation Army? Fantastic. Libraries and schools will also sometimes take gently used books (always call first)! Another feel-great option? Send ’em overseas to our troops with Books for Soldiers.
Put together some marvy care packages. A quote-happy tote bag filled with beach reads for a pal’s upcoming trip? A set of be-ribboned (and non-teethed) Eric Carle books for the new parent- wrapped up with a package of diapers? Solid gold gifting.
Got more than a few keepers in your stacks?
(Of course you do.)
I’m a big fan of color-coding my books (and this is news to absolutely no one), but there are so many shelftastic options! Sorting by type, arranging by size, creating vertical stacks as bookends…you don’t have to live life just shoving books onto shelves willy-nilly. (Unless you want to. Then, I love it.)
Floating shelves with a set of books make great vertical wall art. (Pop a favorite object atop the stack and voilà: you’re practically a gallery.)
Ready to get a li’l Anthro all up in your place? Forgo the traditional bedside table and stack some similarly sized coffee-table books on a simple chair. Boom! Nightstand loveliness! (Don’t forget a coaster; we’re not animals.)
What books definitely make your cut of Keep Forever n’ Ever?
Comment below!
