75 Books...More or Less! discussion

I was just packing up a bag of books to donate. It made me stop and wonder what most people do with their finished books. I thought it might make a good topic for discussion, so feel free to share!

Keep them baby! When in doubt (or out of new stuff) Harry Potter is my best friend! I take comfort in familiar reads, and therefore, keep everything. The only ones Ive donated (or plan to) are my young reader books from when I was little.

Since I do most all my reading through the library this doesn't come up too often. I only invest money in a book if I've already read it, and know I'll want to read it again. But when I do get rid of books (because I've "outgrown" them or whatever) I usually donate to the library.

I'd say 99% of the time I keep them. There have been a few times when I've forced myself to do a cull of my shelves and when I do that I give them away. My mom always says I should sell them... but I just don't feel right about selling friends, lol. I also can't just throw them away!

Good morning! I keep all classics or books that are just favorites! I try to give others to friends-family or I donate them to the library!

I trade most of mine on either Bookmooch or Paperback Swap. This way I can get something new to read! I keep favorites, but post the majority for swapping.

I used to keep everything. But, with shelf space dwindling, I've purged books through loans to friends or donations to bookstores. My purchasing habits have changed, too. I'll buy classics or favorite authors, but ones I doubt I'll reread are bought on Kindle or borrowed from the library or a friend. All this said, I still have two bookbags full of to-read-and-donate books. :)

I have a great used bookstore. I read then return them for credit and get more. I also joined Booksfree and I read and return, postage paid by Booksfree.

If they're good enough that there's even the slightest chance I'll want to reread them, I keep them. Books are ridiculously expensive in Denmark (seriously! a new paperback is around US$25-40 and a new hardcover can easily be twice that), so you don't just go out and buy a book and then pass it on once you've read it - not usually, anyway.

Books I doubt I'll ever reread, I trade on Bookmooch.

I love reading all the responses to these questions. Since I'm such an avid reader I really wish I could trade them in somewhere for more books...hahah

Kiwiria, I'm shocked that boioks are so costly in Denmark! Do you have a good library? Also, would it be cheaper for you to buy I e-reader and d/l books?

I usually keep my books. As kiwiria mentions books are very expensive in Denmark so those you don't just leave behind! I buy a lot of books in the UK/online, but I usually buy within the genre/authors I'm sure I'll like, so again - few books getting tossed.
Once in a while I do run out of space though, and will donate a few older books I don't read any more to charities.

i never give my books away unless i know for sure that i can get them back

I have difficulty parting from my books.
I've given some to charity, but those were the real baddies, the ones I'm not sure even charity could do much with. :)

Nath, you pay a lot more for books than most of us right? I would think if I was in the same position I would be much less able to just give them away...lol

I order my books through the book depository, since I mainly read in English (native author language is way better than translations) so I pay the same more or less.. around 6-12 euro's a book.
In stores we pay a little more, I think it would be between 10-15 euro.
Not too much though.. reading is highly stimulated here in Belgium, to no alas I'm afraid. Television has a stranglehold on our society.

I would say it is the same here in the States. Although, there are a lot of readers, but I would say most people would forgo reading to watch TV or movies. Then there's people like me, I watch a very little TV and would much rather read. Even when I do watch TV, I'm also reading at the same time....lol

I'm the same.. I'm sometimes amazed at how I can follow something that's on tv and still know what I'm reading at the same time.

I rarely watch tv though. I don't find it interesting anymore. Too much commercials and too many no-brainers on air. The series I love I have on DVD, so I can watch them when I feel like it. But give me a book over tv any day.

I even read during lunch breaks at work, which caused a few raised eyebrows in the beginning, but they're used to it by now. :)

I read at work during lunch too, but other people do to so no one looks at me funny. Sometimes if it is slow at work I can also sneak in a few pages. I have a book that my dog chewed a little so I don't feel bad ripping the pages out and putting it under something else I'm working on. My boss doesn't mind as long as everything is done and it's not out in the open.

OH MY GOSH!!! I love how you all read AND watch TV at the same time. I have been doing that for YEARS! My mom thinks I am crazy, but I just have a really good retention level that allows me to do that.

Andrea, we got RID of our cable and only watch movies or shows we can get on DVD now. We actually (GASP) go to bed when we should and are feeling MUCH better for it. AND, my reading list here is bigger because I am not consumed by what is on TV. I love it!! And I *KNOW* I would read at work if I worked. :-) I just got the Kindle, so I would sneak that in for sure!! :-)

Dawn Michelle, I was wondering if getting a Kindle would allow me to read more at work...hahahah I have over 500 unread books at home so I feel like it is not something I should even think about buying until I get my home stock down a good amount. At some point in the next couple of years I'll be moving and I need to really make a dent in getting some books read. Last time I moved I might have had 250 books and that was stinky, no way am I going to move 500 books...lol I also LOVE the feel of a book, but reading in bed while Brian sleeps stinks because no matter how much I try to not let him be bother my book light is blinding! I heard the new Kindle's make reading in the dark easy. Do you use it for that?

I do use it for night reading. And the covers that come with a light apparently are WONDERFUL and non-disturbing. I will have to let you know about that when I get mine.

I probably right now have close to 100 unread books here, but I have over 3oo READ books. Which I just moved. UGH! Lets just say some of them are going to go away to the used bookstore and I am going to use the money to re-buy them on my kindle. Some I will never be able to get rid of, but there are MANY, that while I still love them, do not need them on my shelves. :-)

My reasoning for not keeping books is that I have so many I want to read that it is not likely that I would reread many books. I would rather that they find a new home where they will be read and passes along than to sit and collect dust. I love my books and they are hard to part with but right now I don't have the a good place to display more than my 500 unread..hahaha

Andrea wrote: "I love reading all the responses to these questions. Since I'm such an avid reader I really wish I could trade them in somewhere for more books...hahah

Andrea, have you tried paperbackswap.com or bookmooch.com ? Both of these sites allow you to trade books for credits for a new book. The only cost is shipping which is about $2.40/book. I find that this is a great way to constantly be updating my TBR pile with a minimal cost. There is often a wait for new releases, but I'm able to get most of what I want with a minimal delay.

Andrea wrote: "My reasoning for not keeping books is that I have so many I want to read that it is not likely that I would reread many books. I would rather that they find a new home where they will be read and p..."

I feel the same way. I used to keep most of my books but found myself moving from them from apartment to apartment, which became a serious pain. I now keep a few favorites and trade the rest. If I feel like rereading a book, I'll either try to find it at the library or swap on one of my sites if it's available.

I keep alot of my hardcovers, but I swap my paperbacks, unles they are a favorite.

I also have a Kindle, so it's nice that I can just keep them on there.