To think you can NEVER have too many books.

[hippoherostandinghere]

DH said today he would divorce me if I bought any more books. Joking I think but he was pretty serious he didn't want me to buy the DC's any more books. I'd say they have about 250, they are 3 and 1. I was looking at a few Julia Donaldson ones on amazon that we don't have but he doesn't understand how pleasant they are to read. I love adding to our collecting and see it as a good investment. He's being unreasonable isn't he?

[BiBiBroccoli]

VerySmallSqueak - how do you know they have no books? You wouldn't see books in my house because I can't bear clutter and hide them away in cupboards. Feel sad because kids are being abused/living in poverty/don't have their health but not because you can't see any books!

I also think mumsnet is weird about books. Like there is some sort of competition to see who really, really loves books the most and loads of mumsnetters are jumping up and down shouting "me! me! I fecking LOVE books I do. I sleep on a bed made entirely from penguin classics!"

I am a voracious reader but am so glad I have a kindle and don't need piles of books everywhere. You can keep your book sniffing, Mr Trebus hoarding ways thanks very much

[catsmother]

Oh dear BOF I have to concede that that does sound like a rare case of too many books!

MurderofGoths .... I also dream of having a library. Is is sad to admit that when I'm on one of my property porn browsing sprees on Rightmove, one of my main "criteria" is a room with really high ceilings which can be lined with bespoke bookcases (in my dreams) complete with one of those staircases on wheels thingy (am sure it's not really called that) which I could whizz up and down the cases on surveying my treasures. And a huge comfortable sofa on which to lounge with aforementioned books - and a lock on the door to keep the rest of the family out (unless invited).

BridgetBidet .... I do support our library and enjoy looking at local history stuff there but am afraid it's a bit rubbish really so far as anything else is concerned. Of course I can use other, bigger and better libraries in the county but it's getting there and back which isn't so easy. Plus it's only ever open on the 3rd Tuesday afternoon of each month (bit of an exaggeration there) .... seriously, like so many others its hours have been cut right back recently. Very very sad for people who can't access books any other way.

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

there's nothing wrong with that!
books evoke strong emotions that's why

[louisianablue2000]

250 picture books is nothing, that's about a shelfs worth. And, as a PP said, considering you can easily get through 10 picture books in a day, you do need access to lots of kids books. I find getting library books don't help, our local library has a far better selection than the local (chain) bookshop so I end up coming across books I would never have if I'd not gone to the library and then we end up buying more books because we fall in love with the library books and want to have them permanently. I have three kids so it's not like we're not getting our moneys worth!

Obviously in theory you could have too many books but you would need thousands before a small house was really overtaken by them. And that's a lot of books to get through in a lifetime, even assuming a significant chunk of reference books.

[Narked]

We ran out of house for books. Kindles make life a lot easier and don't need dusting. Just the odd couple of thousand left now.

[Narked]

And picture books don't count. They're art.

[VerySmallSqueak]

BiBi - I think I can usually (though I take your point - not always ) tell if the household is of the sort that books are hidden away because of clutter free living.To feel sad about children not having access at home to books does not mean I don't feel sad about abuse,poverty and ill health.

It's a personal opinion.I appreciate that many have Kindles.I don't,as I am not very up on techno stuff. But even if I had a Kindle I would still want my favourite books as "real things", just like I feel more secure with my photos as "real things".And I want my kids to learn from books before they go on to a Kindle much as I want them to learn their times tables before they go on to a calculator.

Perhaps I could amend my post to read that books being one of life's essentials for me.

[GoingGoingGoth]

No such thing as too many books, I would love my own library, filled with from floor to ceiling, I see it as insulation too-bonus

[BadPoet]

YAB a wee bit U, any library will have Julia Donaldson. I love books and reading but about a decade ago decided to keep my own collection down, after all we live in a country that archives printed material really well. Ereaders make it much easier too. I do find children's books harder though. I tend to buy gorgeously illustrated books now or amazing pop up as gifts.

[MurderOfGoths]

catsmother That's exactly what I want, but with the added feature of a large window with a window seat that I can curl up in on rainy days and read to the sound of rain drumming on the window

[Cerealqueen]

What ever happened to Mr Trebus??

[BOFingResolutions]

The thing is, my dad is 84 now. He is just too old for the digital revolution, but he is awed by my iPhone and kindle. He also collected vinyl records, cassettes, video tapes, CDs etc. He was just too old to be up to the technology of the compact era of modern storage.

Nowadays, every thing he has ever loved could be squished onto a decent pen drive.

[Narked]

A kindle is pretty much as untechy as tech gets. Ignoring kindle fire, they're like the spirit of a book has possessed an etch a sketch. No glowing screen, no key pad necessary - mine has 5 buttons on the bottom - and you turn pages with > or

[Tanith]

My FIL worked at the British Library and collects books from book shops, charity shops etc.. Mainly first editions. He has had a lifetime of doing this. His house has bookshelves in every room and piles of them neatly arranged where they can't fit on the shelves.

He has no idea how many there are, but estimates it's in the thousands

[GalaxyDefender]

"without spending any money"?
Apart from the 100+ quid it costs for the actual Kindle, no? I don't know how much they cost, I loathe anything with a touch screen so I could be wrong, but I thought they were ridiculously expensive.

I know people who like Kindles will now proceed to jump on me for being "smug" or something, but e-readers are just a poor excuse for books, in my mind.
There's nothing like actually holding a paper book in your hands. Plus, touchscreen grossness is unacceptable, especially compared to the feel of paper.

OP, YANBU. If my house was wall-to-wall plastered in bookshelves, it still wouldn't be enough books. I, like MurderofGoths and catmother dream of having my own library one day

[merrymouse]

Yes, you can own too many books. If you aren't going to read them again, better to give them away and share the book love. Also, I find that young children can be as overwhelmed by too many books as too many toys. I don't actually think 250 books is excessive, but I would rotate them so they aren't all available at once. (which might also lead your dh to believe that there aren't so many books and perhaps you do need some more...)

[MurderOfGoths]

Galaxy The kindle isn't touchscreen :) And the basic one is about £60 nowadays.

I originally hated the idea of a Kindle as I love the feel/smell of books, but I now love my kindle. I still love my books. But the kindle is so convenient, and allows me to own as many books as I like.

[TheOneWithTheHair]

There are definite advantages to a kindle and I love mine. But kindles and books are not mutually exclusive. You can have both. I still buy,read and enjoy real books.

[DuchessofMalfi]

I have a problem with getting rid of books I've read. I need to be very sure I won't want to read them again. I've got rid of books in the past and then regretted it, so tend to try and hang onto as many as possible :o.

[C0smos]

I used to feel like this but then I emigrated, about half the boxes I shipped were full of books. Them I discovered that books in the uk are dirt cheap (no VAT and Amazon) where I live now a paperback book is around 12 to 15 pounds, so I had to stop buying as many.

I bought a kindle and hooked it up to amazon in the UK and I love it, I actually much prefer reading on it to a paper book. Since then I have purged my book collection to just those I will read again or have memories attached and I am much happier. I much prefer the minimal look and have 1 decent size bookcase only, although admittedly it is double stacked.

I can easily read a book in 1-2 days so my book collection was getting rather out of hand.

[bootsycollins]

I treasure my copy of Peepo, was bought for my ds who is now 19, it's the board book version with the front covers corner chewed away by our dd, I know that book off by heart line for line, priceless family heirloom!. Absolutely adore buying the Tiger Who Came To Tea as a birthday gift for little ones, always goes down well and love the Mog books enormously too. I've recently bought dd some Judy Blume books that I loved when I was younger (not Forever tho!) and am re reading the Judith Kerr set About her growing up during WW2. Bought my friends lovely little boy the Jolly Christmas Postman and couldn't wait to read it to him, fabulous book!. Will be buying lots more copies as gifts next year no doubt.

[ByTheWay1]

I use the library - you can go online and look through the "catalogue" for any book you want , preorder it to be sent to your local library - for free! I could waste so much money on books....

250 books for a 3 and 1 yr old does seem excessive - even at say a low average 4 pounds each - that is £1000 in 3 years - on books! - like most kids they probably have half a dozen favourites and don't touch the rest....

We used to borrow from the library and if a book got asked for again and again, we bought a copy or got grandparents to buy for presents

[IAmLouisWalsh]

I am seriously having a clear out. I need to re home everything that I am never going to open ever again. Wish me luck.

[DoubleMum]

I've worked in publishing for 17 years so many of the 1000s of books we own were free, particularly the children's ones. I used to find it incredibly hard getting rid of books but when I was getting 20+ proofs a week it became a necessity. All books are read and if I think anyone will like them, passed on. A rare select few are kept if they are brilliant. Cookery books can only come in on a one in one out basis because the shelves for those are full. Children's books are given to my nephews when my children grow out of them. Every so often I have a cull of all the books I haven't had time to read and if they look a bit crap they go. I'd be very happy to use a kindle, and publishers can easily provide proofs in that format much more cheaply than a paper copy, but I wouldn't want to get rid of my treasured paper books. Luckily for me DH is just as precious about books as I am. Sadly they aren't the same books so it just means we have twice as many.

[InLoveWithDavidTennant]

i have a charity shop near me that sells books for 20p... i try not to go in so often. i never spend over £1 on any book... and i have 3 other charity shops near me that do them for 50p

when i have people to stay they will often pick up a book to read. my mum has recently got into this habbit, so i dont feel my books are just mine iyswim

i also dream of having my own library. a room that is light and airy, with a big comfy chair to sit in.

pinterest has some fab pictures of other peoples.