On Thinning My Bookshelves (Again!)

Recently I have, as I do every few months or so, been going through the “stuff” in our house, trying to get rid of things, especially in my overcrowded “study” (aka put-everything-you-don’t-know-where-else-to-put room). Although, as I have written here in the past, most of the books I read are either from libraries, or passed on to others when I finish with them, I do keep the books that are special to me for some reason (e.g., they were my parents’, or were given to me by other important people in my life, or are reference books, or were written by my very favorite writers, or I think I “might need” them someday, or…you get the idea. This results in several very full bookshelves. For the past few “cullings,” I have considered giving away my small collection (perhaps three dozen volumes) of books about women’s literature: anthologies, encyclopedias, etc. I love literature by and about women, I used to teach women’s literature, and I always think these will be handy references for various purposes, including this blog. I also have an emotional attachment to the topic. But this time I realized that realistically, I almost never consult these books any more. And if I need information, or copies of the stories and poems contained in the anthologies, there are my university and local libraries, and there is the Internet. (I also don’t have room on the shelves in my university office, themselves overcrowded.) So I put these books (all but a very select few) in sturdy canvas bags and hauled them to my beautiful local library to donate to its Friends of the Library organization, which has magnificent monthly sales to raise money for the library. And, somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t feel one iota of regret. In fact I felt “lighter.” These were good and faithful companions, but I didn’t need them any more. And I now had two long empty shelves available. One of these shelves has already, since the “purge,” been repurposed for books for my one-year-old grandson (who, very fortunately for us, lives nearby with his parents) when he comes to visit. A worthy replacement, and a reminder that there are phases in everyone’s life.