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Minimalist Mama

Unstuff your bookshelves to free up some space

DANA BRIGANDI/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Involving others in the process may make it easier for you to go through your bookshelves. If you have children, place their books on a bed, as seen at top, and have them help make some of the decisions. Above, a row of sports books fits perfectly on a nightstand.

This month I tackle an area that was especially difficult for me: books and bookshelves. Many people keep books for sentimental reasons, they like the way they look on the shelves or they just like having a lot of books.

Newsflash — books are taking up space in your life! In Marie Kondo’s “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” she recommends sorting books into categories such as general (books you read for pleasure), practical (reference, cookbooks, etc.), visual and magazines. You also can come up with your own categories. This will help you decide how to store the books: bookshelves in the children’s rooms, bedroom, living room or condense them into one family library.

Most importantly, get boxes and label them KEEP, RECYCLE/TOSS, DONATE and SHARE. You will need to determine where your donated books can go. I give mine to the Friends of the James V. Brown Library and drop them off at the library where they are sold at the book store or in the twice-a-year book sales. (The next book drop-offs are July 15 and Aug. 19.)

You also can donate them to local charitable organizations, churches, schools and nursing homes. Advance Reader Copies or galley books I receive from publishing events go in the Little Free Libraries downtown. Textbooks, encyclopedias, phonebooks and damaged books go in the recycle box.

I went through my bookshelf and sorted in the following categories:

• Books that will stay with me forever.

• Books that are part of a series I want to keep intact (Harry Potter).

• Books by authors I love (anything by Ernest Hemingway and Ira Levin).

• Books for work (grammar, fundraising, librarianship, etc.)

• Books I want to pass down to my girls.

• My husband’s sports books.

• Crafting and gardening books.

• Books from college.

Once I saw the stacks, it was easy to make some decisions. The Harry Potters stayed. The Hemingways stayed. Books for work went to work. Crafting and gardening books have been replaced by Pinterest and the Web, so they were put in the donate box. Books from college were put in the recycling and donate boxes. This emptied my shelves of nearly 30 books without having to make an emotional decision about any of them.

From there, I left my husband’s sports books; this is my journey, not his, and he didn’t have nearly as many.

I touched every book and thought about whether or not I would reread it or if I could give it to a friend. I took pictures and posted some on social media and texted others to friends. I even mailed some to friends with notes about why I was passing the book on to them and encouraging them to do the same when they were done with it. This took care of another 30 books.

After that, I looked at the collections I was saving for my daughters and thought about the advice given to me by the youth services librarian at the library where I work. She is a firm believer in children self-selecting books. Research shows that children prefer to read books they pick out themselves and by giving them the power to choose their own books, they read for pleasure and become better readers. I also know that these books are available at the public library, or can be bought as gifts.

I had to make a decision about every book — I took them off the shelves and thought about their value to me. Could I download them to my Kindle or tablet? Are they available at the library if I want to re-read them? If the answer was yes, then I put the book in the donation pile.

Then, after I decided which books were going to stay, I tackled the “hidden” piles of books scattered throughout my room: the “to be read” (TBR) piles.

What I discovered was how much I enjoyed it when my books were read and then shared. Depending on the number of books you have in your home, it may be necessary to take breaks or work in short bursts. If you come across books you have a sentimental attachment, keep them for now. You may change your mind later — or not. And that’s OK — there is no right or wrong number of books on your shelves.

Remember, you did not acquire all these books at once, so you do not have to deal with them at once. Spend a few minutes each week with your books until your shelves are as full or empty as you like. Choose a room or collection so you’re not overwhelmed; children’s books one week, cookbooks the next.

When it comes to cookbooks, if it’s one you use regularly, keep it. However, if you only have the book for a couple of recipes, copy them and remove the cookbooks. You also can check out cookbooks from the library.

Some pieces of advice:

• Your books do not define you.

• Getting rid of books you’ve read makes room for new books.

• Go digital if you can — the Amazon Kindle app is free for most devices and you can checkout free e-books and e-audiobooks at the library.

• Get to know your public library. You can place holds on new releases, browse the stacks and chat with librarian.

• Have a “one in, one out” rule. If you bring home a new book, another must go.

• If you have a lot of children’s books, consider a rotating library where some are kept in storage and then brought out to keep the bookshelf fresh. When it comes to children’s books, remove any with grammar or punctuation errors as you see them, along with the books you don’t enjoy. If you don’t enjoy reading to your children, they will pick up on that. Read books you love to instill that love of lifelong reading in children.

• Think of your bookshelves as your closet and purge often.

Speaking of closets, next month I will tackle clothing and how to keep clothes or create a capsule wardrobe.

Minimalist Mama is published on the first Sunday of each month in the Lifestyle section. Share any tips you’ve learned with her at MinimalistMamainPA@gmail.com.

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