Books: Do you look for them when entering somebodies house for the first time ?

[Shosha1]

I must admit I do. I love to see what people are reading. It always gives me a sense of them.
Absence of books make me feel uneasy for some reason.
Which is absolutely stupid, as you wont find one in my house.
I cant hold a heavy book now as Lupus has affected my hands, so I read on a kindle, but most of my 500 odd books are on audible.
DH has all his on audible too.
We do have childrens ones for DGC tho.

I respect those who read.

I respect everyone.

Display your books. Don't display your books. Read 'real' books, read ebooks. No one should really give a shiny shite what books another person does or does not have in their own home and if they do, they are a twat.

Well said.

"I respect everyone."

I don't.

I am courteous to everyone but I d not respect everyone.

I don't respect fascists or white suprematists or KKK members. i do not respect rapists.

To answer your question though. I don't know and don't care as I'll be dead

But these books have (according to many of you) souls and are the "scaffolding of your life" - how can you not think about what will become of them once you are no longer there to nurture them?

BeardedMum

Have you actually tried a kindle? Not the kindle fire but an actual kindle? It's nothing like a computer screen and as I'm dyslexic I love the fact I can change the font to an easier to read one.

how can you not think about what will become of them once you are no longer there to nurture them?

I don’t nurture them. They nurture me. Once I have gone their purpose with me will be over.

Once I have gone their purpose with me will be over

Me me me me me.

Me me me me me

Well of course. They’re my possessions.

Why would I care what happens to them after I'm dead?

I’m sure my daughter will enjoy the large remuneration some of them will bring if she wants to sell them

I don’t nurture them. They nurture me. Once I have gone their purpose with me will be over.*

No, the knowledge and stories you gained from them will have been passed to someone in your circle who you have shared the knowledge and stories with. But yes, I agree they nurture the reader. Then in turn the reader nurtures others.

No, the knowledge and stories you gained from them will have been passed to someone in your circle who you have shared the knowledge and stories with

Sure, but they no longer have a purpose with me because I’ve kicked the bucket. Whether they have a purpose with someone else is up to them!

We've 10 half height and three full height bookcases and a kindle or two. The books reflect our interests (gardening, archaeology, crime fiction, nature, SEN, F1, kids books), but fiction I now get on my Kindle or second hand book shops.

What other people do or don't read doesn't bother me. Book ownership doesn't equal interesting person. It just tells you something of their tolerance for general tidiness and clutter!

In terms of upstairs/downstairs, we filled upstairs first, then downstairs. Now I operate a 1 in 1 out policy with my own books, DH still hoards.

Wrt disposing of old reference books, sometimes university libraries may be interested depending on the topic.

I’m sure my daughter will enjoy the large remuneration some of them will bring if she wants to sell them

Absolutely! Do not discard this as a joke. I needed some space in the house and I sold some of my first editions/art books to a specialist bookseller for just under £1,000. I was actually surprised that something that had been so useful for my work had such a high resale value.

@sashh, yes I have tried the kindle, but not recently so after this thread might give it another go if they have improved. I spend far too much money on books. I do worry they are too device like for me and still very much a screen, but will give it a go!

I think people surround themselves of books for themselves and it to show off. Isn’t it rare for people to have lots of people who aren’t already friends and family coming to their house? The books I don’t care about are dumped at my local train station who has one of those shelves where people can take free books.

"No, the knowledge and stories you gained from them will have been passed to someone in your circle who you have shared the knowledge and stories with."

Beautifully put.

Some people on here are very defensive about not having books. Methinks they protest too much!

Fwiw I love physical books and so does my family. No worries here about the fate of my books when I'm gone! And, anyway, if they end up in the charity shop, who cares? I won't know!

But, at the moment, I like my shelves (and shelves and shelves and shelves) full. And, yes, I do re-read many of my books. Every year I read Miss Read/Thrush Green at Christmas.

And dd is working her way through the shelves (but not my full collection of Miss Reads!). She has just enjoyed The L-Shaped Room.

Furthermore, regarding Kindle/physical books, my hobby is trawling second-hand book shops and finding old gems/discovering lost classics. Old books have a lovely smell. I appreciate not everyone is of the same opinion: sil remarked, "Why have you got all these old books?" And, a few years, I gave mil a first edition of a book she said she'd enjoyed as a child. Bad mistake. Mil said in a stage whisper, "Irma has given me a charity-shop book." Hrrrrmph.

We have loads of bookshelves full of books.. bit what I think it most tells you about us is that we are borderline hoarders lol!! Incapable of giving books away even though weve read them loads... lost of people have their books on kindle now or they are just neat and tidy people who only keep a handful of books if that, that they are currently reading or are important to them... and maybe keep them tidbit tucked away in the bedroom.
I do like the way books look tho... I find them comforting as I grew up with big untidy bookshelves all around the house... I find it hard to get rid of books

For some self professed literary addicts, reading certainly hasn’t served to broaden the mind!

And as someone who’s had to clear out the houses of dead relatives, getting rid of a dead person’s possessions is certainly one of the hardest things I have done; especially the possessions of those who were dear to me. I’m not intending to put my relatives in the position of having to dispose of my “stuff”.

I'm leaving my house to my books.

Books are the one thing that I’d never count as clutter because they are mostly standard sizes and fit nicely into custom bookshelves in alphabetical order. They are the one element of my house which is calm and tidy (ex librarian).

I love my books. Many of them are old friends who’ve seen me through some very tough times. I like them as tactile objects and as repositories of stories and knowledge. Some I am on my second or third copy of because I’ve read them until they fell apart.

I love looking at other people’s book shelves - that spark of kinship when you see the overlap with your shelves at home, the broadening of interests when you see things you’d not come across.

As a useless and bullied young person, books were my haven from the real world. I guess I retain an attachment and gratitude to them. You don’t feel as excluded in the lunch room if you’re reading on your own.

Oh, and Sea and Geranium - I am TeamAusten, cannot be doing with the Brontës.

Thank you DJ

I can't get rid of books. Even if they are damaged beyond repair I find it difficult to throw it away.

I often have memories flit into my mind and I try and place the scene into a film that I've seen. Then I'll realise the scene is from a book. The author had brought the text to life so vividly and made it so real that it became a visual memory.

Some people on here are very defensive about not having books. Methinks they protest too much!

No, I think they are protesting about the grandiosity of those who are judging people who choose not to display or keep books.

No, I think they are protesting about the grandiosity of those who are judging people who choose not to display or keep books

It’s not judgmental to consider one might have more in common with a person who shares their interests!

Mostly my books are upstairs. The one I'm currently reading has a book cover protecting it, when I'm out and about (not currently), I often wonder if people think I'm reading 50 Shades Of Silly!