Today’s Bookending Spring post is hosted by Michelle. The idea is to share your collections, or spring cleaning tips. I am going to be sharing some factors that go into unhauling books for me when I think it’s time to clean out my shelves.
am i still interested in the book?
Obviously I only buy books I am interested in reading, but if a book sits on the shelf for a long time it can end up becoming less appealing to me and sometimes I can even forget what a book is about or what drew me to the book in the first place.
how long have i had the book?
I feel like I need to have a more clear-cut deadline for how long I can keep a book unread on my shelves, because I have been known to keep unread books for 5+ years. I think a reasonable rule would probably be that I can’t keep a book unread on my shelf for over a year after I get it, but if that’s too soon for you, I think 3 years is also a good deadline.
am i only keeping this for sentimental reasons?
A lot of the 5+ years kept books on my shelves are books I kept because even though I hadn’t read them, they held a special sentimental significance to me. However, I have realized since Marie Kondo-ing my books a few times that sentimentality is not a good reason to keep an unread book gathering dust for years.
am i only keeping this for aesthetic reasons?
I am ashamed to admit I sometimes get multiple editions of a book before I have read it because I’m 100% convinced at the time that it will be a new favorite. However, I have two editions of HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer on my shelf that I’ve had since 2016 that I haven’t read yet, and an ARC and hardcover of STAIN by A. G. Howard that I haven’t finished, so clearly this is not advisable. Books like these are the most painful for me to part with because obviously I had high hopes for them, but there must be something about them preventing me from reading it so there’s no point in keeping multiple editions of unread books for years.
6 Comments
Great Post! 🌷 I definitely find myself asking these questions when I’m doing an unhaul. I think that I still have some books that fall into the sentimental category that I might have a look at again 😱
These are great tips! I’m in desperate need of cleaning up my shelves but I keep putting it off because I don’t know where to begin.
Great tips 🙂
I definitely confess to keeping many unread books on my shelf for many years! I find that it’s sooo hard to get rid of them when they are really pretty (even though I don’t have any desire to read them haha.)
These are such great tips, such a fantastic post! I struggle to unhaul books and my plan is to hopefully clean up my shelf soon! 💖 For me I think 5 years is a better deadline because I’ve become more of a mood reader! 😂
These are great tips! I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and I’ve asked myself these questions too when dealing with my books. Sentimental and aesthetics books are the hardest ones for me to let go tbh 😅
Saaaame. I find sentimental books the hardest to get rid of.