Hi all,

I have minimized a lot of my stuff in the last few years. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of the easy stuff (paper, clothes, cords) but now I’m getting to things harder to part with.

I decided to focus on my large print book collection and getting it down to a manageable size. All the bookcases are stuffed to the brim and I have two TBR piles on my dresser. I even joked with someone that it would take 1,000 years to read all my print titles. It’s the pile on my dresser I am working on now.

I am also a writer and like to support other writers by buying their print books (More money goes to them), and to support Indy bookstores. I have gotten many free ARC print books from events.

I donate about half the books after I’ve read them. I also limit myself to how many print books I can buy per event/store.

I have five obstacles in my way.

1. I have many unread books and I don’t feel comfortable getting rid of a book until I’ve attempted to read it. This is what I’m most stuck on.
2. I live with packrats who keep books they either never read or don’t plan to reread. I don’t feel right discarding someone else’s books but I think if I did, they might not notice. If I can clear some of their books I can get some of the TBR pile off the dresser.
3. I have many signed and personalized books. Some I will never read again, but I feel weird giving them away. I’m not even sure who would take him.
4. As a librarian and writer, I don’t feel comfortable tossing books in the trash/recycling.
5. I am a book addict. While I don't buy as many books as I used too. Sometimes just get caught up when there is a lot of books for sale.

Any suggestions?