@diapasoun If I do all these, I'll get to a point where I have a collection that FITS me. It will be a collection of books I've read and loved, and which I actively want in my home. That sounds like how I want my life to be.
Yes, that is it in a nutshell!:), brilliant! ... and it is where I am at present.
Books do not really fit in the consuma sucka mold. Far from it, we use them to better ourselves, open and mold our minds and study a myriad of subjects. Libraries are a wonderful public service, but they are not the be all and end all. Perhaps they are for mainstream literature or romance novels, but books go past entertainment and education.
I grew up in a household where I had access to books and to a nearby library. No one ever told me about certain subjects not fit for children, I read whatever interested me, a lot I didn't understand and when I discovered my local library had young adult books it was a revelation. My summers consisted of riding my bike to the pool and reading my books in the shady area under trees. It was a huge outdoor facility with lots of grass and trees, three different pool areas, a kiosk and an outdoor cafe.
Even buying the annual pass for the pool entrance was an expenditure planned for in advance. A couple times a week I might have enough money to buy a coke or an ice cream cone there - doesn't mix well with reading:)
Anyway, I have a small collection of books that I re-read every few years. I love it when I discover that my perception has changed. It is amazing to me when I suddenly see certain passages in a different light. It shows me that I have grown wiser as a person, more forgiving or sometimes less forgiving, depending:).
Maybe I see clearer now what shattering consequences certain actions and behaviors can have?
I have one book about poetry that makes me cry every time I read it:) How I came by it or why I love it so much is a mystery to me - I'm not "into" poetry as such, but I do appreciate the work of certain authors, from the old Persians to Morrison - if it touches the soul it is good and will resonate for another thousand years - powerful stuff those books.
@formerlydivorcedmom - somewhere along the line - I decided that my time was too precious to waste on finishing reading a book that I clearly found less than, and I am certainly not using my precious bookshelf space for a book that I do not like. Even our favorite authors sometimes miss the mark - it happens.
Once I let go of two romance book collections by favorite authors - I never looked back. Unless I am about to read it, you will not find a single romance book in my house anymore.
These days, I regularly cull my books - sometimes I lose interest in a particular subject, so I let go of my mini-library of art books. I've had books about my favorite painters since I was nine years old - no more. For whatever reason, I do not need them anymore.
Besides, one needs to leave room for new passions:), right?
Next on my list for a cull is my cookbook collection - that is not too hard, I'll keep my favorites and three that I hardly use, but love dearly and one amazing thrift shop find. A very old German Christmas cookie baking book - elevated my cooking baking to stellar - no lie. Best macaroons and best vanilla, sugar, butter cookie recipes ever.
So yeah, books do not compare to a gazingus pin like jewelry buying, but nevertheless, mindfulness in acquisition and culling principles are a necessity lest one lose control of one's possessions:)
Sorry, I'll shut up about books now. Ahem, I will be ready for my second extra sparkly gold star tomorrow ...:)