I love books, but I have downsized significantly over the last decade or so. When I was younger, one of my goals was a house full of books as decor; you know, a wall of books lining my dining room. While that look fits my personality, the reality is that my books don't match and aren't old-world lovely like the magazine photographs that made me want the floor-to-ceiling hallways full of books.
What helped me get rid of so many books? Mainly logic, but these are the specifics:
- I don't have enough bookcases to store all the books I've owned in my life, and bookcases are seriously heavy -- a hardship on the house itself. I'm in the process of building a house, and built-in bookshelves aren't 'specially a good use of square footage. Oh, I still have more than the average person, but not nearly as many as I used to have.
- Very few of my books are actually "special editions" or sentimental in nature, meaning the vast majority are not special or valuable; rather, I value them for the reading enjoyment, not for the books themselves. As a result, if I regret giving away a certain book, I could easily (and inexpensively) replace it.
- Truth be told, I don't re-read fiction all that often, and fiction made up the majority of my collections. I do keep cookbooks, how-to books, and a few other things, but largely I let go of fiction.