impulsereader

I have a lot of books. I am being forced to reduce the number of books I have. I need smaller boxes than I have because most of what I am moving is still (despite the reduction) books.

Books are, apparently, heavy.

The Harry Potter dilemma: I bought 1 & 2 in hardcover based upon the cover art and blurb. As of Book 3 I bought each of them on the release date in hardcover and spent the day reading. I have all 7 books in hardcover plus 1-4 Brit editions in paperback as well as on CD. Beginning with book 5 I started to have qualms. Looking back, I can no longer re-read these books. I still love 1-4, but considering how it all turns out I simply cannot read them with pleasure anymore. What the hell do I do with these books? It's a huge chunk of my life - I mean, I've moved on in that I ignore the huge fandom which still exists, but I spent hours on these books. I loved them, I reread them time after time while I waited to find out what was going to happen next. But I'm probably never, ever going to read these books again. I want to keep them, but the entire point of this move is to simplify my life. If I don't keep these particular volumes I guarantee I will never again read these stories. I'm not sure I'm ready to give in to the fact that this story which was initially so captivating is ruined for me forever.

Good lord, why am I having a crisis over Harry Potter? I want to be much cooler than that and be having a crisis over Tolkien, or Sayers, or Wouk, or Potok, or McCullough, or Wynne Jones, or Laurie R. King, or even Schulz - all of whom are equally represented on my shelves, but have all definitively been boxed up already.

I think I've decided to break down and buy that kindle.

I'm really sorry, I'm packing this weekend, there may be more posts bemoaning the weight of books and my non-savvy approach to moving as I begin to understand how not savvy I am at moving.

Moving is, however, good for the figure. I will be doing a lot of hauling of things down the stairs and to the resale store.

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Sayers is crisis-proof. She's too awesome to have crises over. :-)

I know what you mean about ruined things, though. Ain't it awful?

Edited 2012-11-10 05:17 (UTC)

It really is. I really loved those books. I'm a serial re-reader, and the idea that I can't stand to go back and re-read the ones which were good is heartbreaking.

Now they're just sitting there being heavy. :-(

I think it may be time to re-read Lord Peter, though. :-) I have those in paperback.

While I was living in a bedsit in London I had all my books in boxes under my bed. That meant I had to work with only five containers and used to have to regularly remove stuff. Thankfully being a librarian I understand the theory of the stock weed, and even now I have a huge amount of room and bookcases popping up a rate of knots, I am still doing the same thing. The British Heart Foundation provided a lot of furniture and bookcases to set up this flat, I have donated a lot of books since I moved here.

p.s. Have you got a computer chair? You can use that to move boxes on. I did that a lot when I moved in here, and a great deal when I was setting up my library in the college.

Sadly, I have nothing so practical as a computer chair. I may end up stocking the kitchen cabinets with books. :-)

I do not part with books I have loved. I am, and the 1,200 on my shelves will testify to this, incapable of getting rid of them. Which I admit is not much help to you but - I feel your pain. There are books I have loved but yet will probably not open again on my shelves, yet there they will stay because when I look at them I remember where I was when I first read them, how they made me feel and what tiny bit of my life or my outlook (or both) they changed.

Sigh again. It just all went so horribly, horribly wrong at the end of book 4. And, perversely, the books then began to get longer so that they could get even more wrong than they ever got right.

Oh, who am I kidding, there's no way I'm not taking them. I'm just weeding out the chaff, not changing who I am. This means my suspicion that I may end up with books in my kitchen cabinets is ever more likely to become reality.

There may be a science to moving, but it's primarily a spiritual experience, especially when it comes to addressing The Books. A friend and I were talking last night, and we both share

kizzia's definition of bookshelves - they're memory boxes. Moving means sorting through all those memories at once and feels pretty overwhelming.Not to mention the overload of sorting through everything else we collect - my sympathies.

There is a wonderful web site called Paperbackswap that sort of a virtual bookshelf/store. You post a list of books you want to trade, and when someone orders one you get credit to order a new book yourself. Shipping is free. The books aren't really gone then, you see, just stored in an alternate universe.

Wishing you well ♥

You are, as usual, completely correct. I'm not having a lot of fun over here right now. I shall try to channel some of your zen and let my books emanate some happier memories. It helps that I am now in possession of some appropriately-sized boxes. :-)

I also just bought myself a wonderfully Mod reading light and a set of metal tray tables which feature the ugliest pattern in the land. There are deer! :-) The funny thing is that I've been looking for a set online with very little luck. Today I asked about it at the place I bought the lamp, but still no joy. Then on the way home I stopped at the resale store to drop off a bag of clothes - and there was the tray set! Sitting there waiting for me with its original vintage tag still attached. Sometimes the universe gives out presents like that. :-)

That site sounds awesome. I'll definitely have to check it out. Thanks!

I love Laurie R. King! I burned out on the Mary Russell ones, but Kate Martinelli makes me happy.

I moved two years ago. I don't remember how many boxes of books I had. I try not to think about it. *g*

I'm still reading the Mary Russells, but the newer ones are definitely not as fantabulous as the early stories. Kate is awesome. :-)

Moving is definitely one of the least fun things I can think of doing. *groans*

Wynne Jones is not to have crisis over. Wynne Jones is to pack and keep with you. The only crisis should be if something has happened to them and you need to buy new ones to pack and keep with you.

I absolutely agree. Everyone listed had already been packed, or pulled for packing. I was just wishing I wasn't writing up a ranty entry about HP of all things! Though I must admit I'm hemming and hawing over the Tough Guide. It's one of those things that for me is only amusing for about five minutes at a time. Still - it's nice to have that sort of thing lying around as well, though I usually go to Shel Silverstein for that.

My condolences on having to part with books. We tossed our bookshelves recently (they were cheap shelves in bad condition) so all my books are in crates at the moment. I have MANY crates and would be sad to lose any.

But why would you have a crisis over those books? There is no dilemma when it's books you love.

It turns out that it was time to do some updating. I'd gotten into a very self-indulgent sort of attitude of buying books just because I could. Getting back to basics and back to the books which are actually part of me is a good thing. :-)

Sigh. The problem with the Harry Potter series is that the first half are books which I love; however, everything which came after - happened. I have since found it difficult to enjoy the bits that I initially loved because I cannot quite imagine away all the horrible bits which should never have happened.

And (apologies to Chicklet) the movies didn't help. I can honestly pin it down to a single moment, because JKR writes quite 'cinematically' in some cases - the moment when Snape swoops down on Harry and Ron arrived at Hogwarts after their ill-fated hijacking of the Ford Anglia - I had so looked forward to seeing Rickman doing that on screen - and then they gave the moment to Filch - Filch! I swore off them from then on.

sigh.

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