Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Behind Closed Doors

 I admit it.  I was a book hoarder, a few winters ago I cleared out about 500 books.   I looked at every one as I boxed them up.  I had books everywhere; downstairs, upstairs, in boxes, in drawers under the bed. I was bound and determined to get into "recovery mode."  After all I have a Kindle that stores books....according to my Grandson Adam "Boy Grandma you have lots of books on your Kindle!" 

I have allowed myself one area for real books....some I have read, some are gifts, some are waiting to be read. 


Yesterday I was looking for the next book club read and the cabinet was a mess...so...


There are 50 + books in the cabinet....some are shoved behind ( not many but a few).  Nine of these books will be out of here soon....either going to a book exchange, to a friend or donated.   I do have a few "emergency books" at our daughters home, however I bet she could find me a book to read in a reading emergency!

How many books do you have at your home?  Do you consider yourself a book hoarder?  Are you in recovery mode? 

Far Side



32 comments:

Val Ewing said...

I read a lot of my books on Kindle only because our house is so small I can't keep all the books I have read! My father and my brother have whole walls of books that would rival libraries.

I have two large wooden antique boxes that I use at my book storage for references on moss, fungi, trees, birds.... you get the idea. I also have 5 books of favorite poetry.

Granny_J said...

I have books in a large hutch (at last count about 450 of them). I never do out of the house without a book with me. I also have an "emergency" book in my car. I probably am a book hoarder but definitely not in recovery mode yet.

Jenn Jilks said...

We hoard books. Living in the country our library isn't as robust, and JB has particular taste in books.
(ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!

Galla Creek said...

I am a book hoarder. I love real books.

DJan said...

I used to have tons of books, but I sold or gave away most of them and turned to Kindle since it's easy on my eyes. But I still have maybe 100 books around in piles that I just cannot part with. :-)

Pauline Persing said...

I am definitely a book hoarder. Lots of them bring back good memories. I have two boxes ready to donate.

aurora said...

I am sentimental and have saved a fair amount of books. Mostly hard cover. A smaller tote with treasured horse/gardening/art/fitness books, and some children's books in another half sized tote. Including some oldies of mine and Brad's.

I do not however keep any dust collectors out, except if it's a current read. I try not to keep paperbacks.

The Feminine Energy said...

Hello. My name is Andrea and I'm a book hoarder.

*hahaha*

Yes, I'm a book hoarder like you, Connie, but I'm also in recovery mode. I sold a couple dozen at my garage sales but I found that most people either don't read much anymore or have enough of their own so they don't want mine too. I've burned most of mine in the burn barrel out back and have spread the ashes of my "friends" on the property here.

We homeschooled for 25 years also, so that task produced dozens & dozens of books on its own.

How do I decorate our house? In books, of course! :-)

~Andrea xoxo

Lea said...

I read a lot and own about 200 books. I turned in 5 books to the library yesterday, but still have 11 books checked out! One of the best books I have read recently is 'The Masterpiece' by Francine Rivers. Another good one is 'The Chase' by Clive Cussler. Both of these were our local Book Club selections.
Have a blessed day!

CAROL HEUER said...

I advertised to my book club and our neighborhood that I had a Book Adoption. I loaded up the back of our van and met people in the parking lot of our book club meeting location. Sorted the books by genre. I ended up with two adoption days. I found more books in hidden locations (backs of closets were a prime hiding spot) My husband was so proud of me for finally clearing them out--he didn't think I'd ever do it. I still have enough around to satisfy my need for books on shelves. I also do 90% of my reading on the Kindle. We have a monthly book club meeting--helps me read books that I never would have oftherwise.
Enjoy reading you every day. Carol (a former North Dakotan--Now a Georgian)

MJM said...

Yes I am a book hoarder too. I just counted all of my "keepers" and there are about 350. Plus I have a bag of books from the library book sale that I will read and recycle back to the next book sale. I've tried reading on my nook, but just can't enjoy it as much as the feel of a real book in my hands.

Sara said...

Thank you thank you for posting this because it reminds me that I'm not alone in my passion for books. Oh my - I have 100s of books in my house yet. I get immense comfort from seeing them on the bookshelves. When we moved to this house 16 years ago I purged boxes and boxes of books - both donated and given away. And I must admit most new books I read are on my Kindle (iPad) app. But I do have a couple of favorite authors whose books I still buy in print. And I do need to go through my books again and donate some more.

Tired Teacher 2 said...

I’m definitely in recovery mode. I have numerous books on my Kindle and iPad, but less than ten actual books in my apartment as I had a major purge when I moved. Now, I listen to audiobook on a library app.

Maebeme said...

I definitely was a book hoarder. I had four or five bookcases full before I retired, but when I was cleaning things out for the possible house sale I got rid of most of them. There is a box in the basement that I'm pretty certain has some favorite books in it, but I haven't looked at it for at least 3 years so they could probably go.
These days, as I finish a book it goes in a box for donation - unless I'm passing it on to a friend. I have a Kobo (Canadian version of the Kindle) that I use when I'm on vacation but I'd rather have a real book in my hands.

Amanda said...

What I want to know is who passed the law that dictates if your home has more than 1 shelf over 6" long, and if that shelf holds more than 3 books, you are a hoarder and are on a par with somebody who lives threading their way through shoulder-high stacks of old newspapers and 10-year old pizza boxes. That attitude is a sickness in and of itself. I've books in nearly every room in the house. Anybody has issues with that has Issues and I am not pitching my precious books - which can be read no matter how matter what google or copyright holders decide to do on the internet or how long the power is out - to make them happy.

Charlotte (MotherOwl) said...

I'm a book hoarder and I'm proud of it. I love real books, they are my friends. I do not count my books, but I have (we have) more than 14 floor-to ceiling bookshelves worth of books, some of them double-layer, I've read most of them (not the encyclopedia, dictionaries ect) and many of them more than once.
I do not own an e-Reader and won't ever, they hurt my eyes and it's just not the same!

L. D. said...

My wife is an avid reader. Books seem to come through the door from who knows where. She also loves the Kindle.

www.self-sufficientsam.blogspot.com said...

I am really bad but not anymore. I too have a Kindle and I have gotten rid of a lot of my computer science books, landscaping, gardening, horse books etc. Anything you want to know you can find on Google anyway. I keep packing up books as boxes come in and fill my back seat of my car so I can take them to the Salvation Army. But with gas prices...it's about 60 miles one way!

Debi said...

We are also book hoarders! We have a six foot tall bookshelf in the living room, the "grandkids' room" has a wall of built in shelves and four of them house books, and there are two shelves on the wall behind the door. I have a basket of books by my bed and there are two bags by the door. There is a small bookshelf on the back porch that holds mostly "summer reading". I couldn't tell you how many we have donated or given away to friends and family. We are trying to get to recovery mode... I can't say that we've been too successful though!

Wanderingcatstudio said...

I was a book hoarder too. But two moves and all those boxes of books I had to trek up and down stairs.... they did me in.
Before we moved here, I ruthlessly went through all my books and got rid of anything I hadn't read yet, and probably wouldn't, as well as anything I would probably never read again. I managed whittle my collection down to a few of my favourite authors (books I'd read again and again), and a handful of books that have sentimental value. They all fit on two Ikea Billy Bookcases with room to spare. And it will still more than enough to haul up and down stairs when we moved! Lol.

Betsy said...

Yes, our entire family are book hoarders. I gave boxes and boxes of books away last year before we moved but we still have five bookshelves full. Plus the books I gave to Mandy that I know she likes, (dozens of them), plus what is on my kindle and Dennis's kindle. Our kids always have at least one book on the go and our grands are the same. Piper just "loaned" me her book on Marie Antoinette that she bought in Paris. It's pretty good. Right now she's into biographies big time.
Blessings,
Betsy

Rita said...

Last time I moved I got rid of a couple hundred books. I have been thinning them out over the last few years because of it being harder for me to read with the wonky eyes...but I still have hundreds of books. You remind me I should do some more thinning. ;)

Linda Reeder said...

Since we read everything electronically now, except the newspaper, and some of that too, we no longer collect books. I have donated much of our previous library, but we do have a large collection of beautiful gardening books and a few special older books.

Lynda said...

I used to have LOTS and LOTS of books but have dwindled them down to one bookcase of my favorites. When I do buy a new one, it is usually donated afterwards - - - usually to the church library where our younger daughter is a member and the librarian there.
For years when I was librarian at our church, I "had" more books than I could find time to read - - but I gave it my best shot!
I still remember my first book fair at school and the book I coveted. My parents did not buy and give it to me that night but it ended up as a present either for my birthday or Christmas. I was only in first or second grade. I still have the title - - a newer copy but I still have that book. It was so special to me.

Miss Merry said...

Book Hoarder. I have a loaded kindle and have never read more than a page on it. I have a large wall with 4 bookcases, floor to ceiling with shelves 2 books deep. l have a built in bookcase in my hallway and one in my bedroom. And piles. And I love to read my books over and over.

The Furry Gnome said...

I'm still a book hoarder, and there are a lot! But they're all downstairs so I can't get there to sort them out.

diane in northern wis said...

We had a big library in our last big house with shelves from floor to ceiling and books organized by subjects. When it came time to move to our current condo up North, we were able to sell many of the books to used book stores and also donated some to others. Now we have one small bookcase in this condo and that's it. My husband likes to read on his kindle but I am more of a book person myself so I have most of the books in the bookcase.

Red said...

I don't have very many books at my house. I get my reading material from the library. If my library doesn't have a boo they can get it from another library. I'm reading very little now because of the cataracts.

Granny Marigold said...

I don't consider myself a book hoarder. I have a couple of hundred books but I've been rereading them ( it's slow going because I always find other books to read first) then I decide if I want to keep them or not. Recently I donated my entire collection of Maeve Binchy books. My daughter couldn't believe what I'd done. (She still has all hers). There are favourites that I'm never going to get rid of. I've warned my kids not to donate those or I'll come back and haunt them. Someone in the family will be the keeper of Gran's fav, books!!

Dawn said...

Hi. My name is Dawn and I'm a book hholder. I only allow myself one bookshelf. And a shelf of cookbooks. It's hard.

Cynthia said...

When I moved to SC I got rid of hundreds. One whole wall in the main bedroom was built-in bookshelves and it was full. Now we have just a few reference books and all the rest are on our Kindles. Honestly, I don’t miss dusting all those books every week either!

Victoria Zigler said...

My book collection is out of control. I'm managing it by getting rid of the physical copies of ones I have digital copies of (don't know how come I have digital and physical copies of so many, so don't ask).