You all know how hard I have been working trying to declutter our cottage over the past two years? I am getting there slowly but surely, but there is one area with which I struggle and that area is (and this will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me in real life) the book area. We have so many books…too many books. I have asked myself if one can have too many books and the bibliophile in me yells a resounding ‘Noooooo’, the home school mum in me shrieks an ear-piercing ‘Nooooo’, and the bog standard Claire in me whimpers ‘No, surely not….’ But the (mature) Christian in me points out that if God intended me to have this many books he also would have provided me with the storage space to keep them in. Alas, we have come to the end of wall space on which to build any more book shelves, or at least if we did it would make our cramped surroundings even more cramped. We have book shelves everywhere that is practical-
The living room:
The hallway:
The upstairs loo and hallway:
Bedrooms:
and we also have some where we don’t want any: the dining room for example (this is where we would one day like to build a door from our bedroom so we can fill in the door which leads through the new little girls’ bedroom):
Thing is I really want to get rid of some, but how? I find it really hard. Books are like old friends, precious and dear to me. They have seen me through the tough times whilst growing up and the happier times married to Gary. Each books tells not only the story written within but also the personal story of when I bought it, why I bought it, the times I read it either to myself or the children. They are full of my memories and are what made my younger childhood at home bearable.
I am not sentimental about anything bar photos and books. The photos get put on my blog which only takes up cyber space whilst the books take pride of place in my home. Thing is, if any more books move in we will have to move out!
I have been thinking how I might use them to bless others. I realise taking them to the charity shop blesses the people who buy them at the reduced price and also blesses the charity their money will go to support. I am always happy to do that with everything bar books. Books are more personal to me. Sooo, with Gary’s support, I will be choosing a book a day for the next wee while and adding it to a temporary page at the top of my blog (see page titled Books) Each day a new one will be put up. If you live in the UK and this or any other book would be a blessing to you then please feel free to email me. There is no limit and it will be on a first come first served basis. I will pay postage and packing. I will post them at the post office every Saturday and any unwanted books will go to the charity shop on the same day. This means the cache will be empty by Saturday afternoon and I will begin again, filling it on Monday. I will not be taking requests or orders! I will basically be making my way through a book-case at a time and offering what I come up with on that shelf. This will continue until I have enough room to build a door way! Most of the books will be curriculum or home school related in some way or will be books the younger ones have grown out of.
Unfortunately I am unable to post to any other countries due to postage costs rising steeply as soon as any ocean is involved. I wish we could afford to send them all around the world but we really can’t (sorry).
I hope this will bless a few of my readers in some small way.
Edited to add – I’ll be starting on Monday.
What a blessing!
I hope so! If you want any just let me know….
What a lovely idea 🙂 Another thing you could consider is donating some books to women’s refuges, homeless shelters or prisons, or anywhere else where people might struggle to access books otherwise.
I’m too attached! I thought maybe giving them to other home school parents would be easier because they would love them as much as I do!
What a lovely idea Claire! I’m sure it will bless many and I’m disappointed I don’t live in the uk!!
Sorry!
AND…. the Bibliophile in me is screaming with delight…. I am now within posting distance. Oh dear…
Yay! I’d happily send them to you. I’d know they would go to a good home!
My house is also overflowing with books! It’s so hard to part with them, isn’t it? Every week or so I take one or two bags of books to the charity shop, only to return with another bag full of books, so that kind of defeats the purpose… Anyhow, I’m sure you’ll do better than I have at this!
I do the whole picking up a bag of books each week but I never get rid of any! Gary has a slightly panicked look on his face each time I get more books!
Books are extremely hard to part with – my inner bibliophile sympathises.
Thank you for your sympathies!
Books are so hard to part with, and half the time when I do part with some I miss them.
I know! I remember deliberating over a puppet book for days and finally took it to the charity shop and then the very next week one of the children wanted to make puppets and was wondering where it had gone. They hadn’t looked at it for years. So I had to go and buy it back!!
I am so glad I’m not the only who has ended up re-buying something I’ve sold or given away! LOL
What a lovely idea, and I quite understand. We’ve got one room entirely lined in books and we still don’t have room to hold all of our books.
it will be hard but it is now a need rather than a desire!
I think it´s a great idea to cast off some ballast!
Thanks Karin!
I feel your pain, Claire! I’ve already secretly started a box of special books for my future grandchildren (even though my kids are all still at home!) But what a wonderful idea, and I’m so sad I live across the pond. 🙁 I’m sure your books will go to loving families who will be blessed by them. I have a question (which may be stupid, but I don’t know the answer): Are there libraries in England? BTW, the new room looks wonderful! Very good use of space. We homeschoolers get good at that. 🙂
There are libraries here. I don’t belong. I am too scatty to get the books back in time so we used to spend more in fees than we did on books. I now buy secondhand and don’t need to return them – double edged sword really!
What a kind thing to do! Too bad there is an ocean between our mail services!
Sorry! If we could afford it, I would loved to have sent them to someone I knew!
We have storage problems with our books as well… but I’m not ready to get rid of (m)any just yet. But I do have to do something with them. It’d help if we got the one bedroom remodel finished, so that I could put the bed back in there, and actually have access to my books, lol! I really admire what you’re doing, though. I’ll have to remember this, in case we get to a point where we are completely overrun as well. Good luck! And have fun blessing others – that’s such a cool idea.
Thank you!
Oh, the pain! It is very kind of you to offer your books to those who live near. Blessings will abound.:)
So long as space abounds…….!!
What a wonderful idea and how heart-wrenching it will be! I too have MANY books and cannot get rid of any. Does your church have a lending library? Maybe it would be able to “house” some of your books.
Myra, from warm-ish Winnipeg, Canada, where it hit minus 6C today – balmy weather for us. Anyone ready to go to the beach!!!!!!
Our church just got rid of their library, although I’m not sure why. Enjoy your (freezing) balmy weather!
What a lovely way to move on some of your books. I too struggle with book culling, but realise that unlimited books in the home isn’t really an option so slowly slowly I cull, generally starting with the ones my kids have pretty much outgrown. Each time we do a unit I also cull any that didn’t get used all that much. Best of luck.
Thank you!
I love that you have books in the loo! What a wonderful, generous idea Claire,
Every spare center meter is used in this house, loo or otherwise!
What a great idea — I can’t wait to see what you have.
Thanks Beth. I really hope there is something you like. I would love to bless you!
This is a lovely idea. I’m sure that I will be looking eagerly at the book tab although I really shouldn’t as we have so many books too!
Thanks Sarah! I hope you see something you like, but maybe not too many somethings?!