I find myself with over a hundred books I’d like to eliminate from my life. They are excellent books, classics, bestsellers, collections of essays, etc. I don’t have any reason to keep them in my house anymore. There are too many books that I have not yet read ever to imagine going back and rereading these.
There are some that I have kept. I’ve held onto my Vonnegut, my Twain, all of my poetry, and a few others for which rereading might someday happen, but the Marquis de Sade and The Valley of the Dolls?
Probably not.
But what am I to do with them?
Libraries won’t take them except once or twice a year, and I always miss their collection days.
Selling them on Amazon or eBay would net me almost nothing and consume excessive time.
I’ve thought about giving them away at my signings and creating some games with my books as prizes, but how will a bookstore feel about me giving away books when they try to sell them to their patrons?
Suzanne Munshower of The Guardian recently wrote about this issue, urging readers to avoid throwing the books away, suggesting that people instead give unwanted books to friends or donate them to a used bookstore.
I like both ideas, but there is no used bookstore local to me, and how am I supposed to pass off a copy of the Marquis de Sade to a friend? For the past six months, I’ve been driving around with about two dozen books in my backseat, a small percentage of the number I am trying to eliminate, hoping for that perfect moment when someone will want or need one of my books.
It has yet to happen. Oddly enough, the sudden need for a random classic piece of literature has not come up yet.
So, in my backseat, they remain, waiting for that new owner to step forward or for that used bookstore to appear on the horizon. I won’t throw them away, but I wish I lived in a world where these books were more attractive to those who have not yet read them.
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Do you know about Book Crossing? It’s free, fun, and very cool. (disclaimer: I’ve never used it myself, but know others who have). Basically, you register for the site and “list” a book. The book is assigned a special number, and then you print out a special label, affix it to the book, and release the book into the wild. Yep, you leave it somewhere — on a park bench, in a coffee shop, etc.
When someone finds the book, the label explains that they should go onto the BookCrossing website and enter the special number. As the book is read and re-released over and over, you are able to track it through its journeys.
So maybe you can bring the books back into the house for a few minutes, get them BookCrossing numbers, put them back in the car, and release them as you are so inspired.
The small town library deep in rural Missouri where I take my extra books is quite eager to accept them. Many make it onto their shelves, and the others they sell in their book sale to raise funds. Any leftovers they give to the local used book store. I think if you look a little farther afield, you might find a worthy library that would take them.
Another thought is senior citizen homes, especially if you have some classics to unload.
Both excellent suggestions. Thanks. Unfortunately, my local libraries only accept donations once or twice a year and I’d like to get me car into the garage before the snow. But perhaps there are some smaller, more distant libraries that would like them.
Though I must admit… BookCrossing sounds GREAT. I’ll be trying that first.
Toby would probably like the Marquis de Sade, save that one for him……
I was really amused when my mother told me that at Shaw’s Meat Market in Woonsocket, the owner keeps a table of used books that he sells for 50 cents each. She’s bought some there! (I realize this doesn’t help you with your problem.)
The WH Stop & Shop has a very large selection of used book that they sell for .50-$1 to benefit juvenile diabetes research. I once found an antique copy of Hamlet there.
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