To put books in the bin?

[OneNight]

I have many hundreds of books to dispose of. They're all good books in good condition, some of them doublers some just no longer what I want to read, let go for a variety of reasons and the sort of items which I'd have thought would sell at the right price. I'll still have maybe a thousand or two left to use myself.

I put the first load in bags and took them down to the nearest charity shop: a decent little place where they sell books from 10p upwards so you'd think they would shift. To my consternation, they very nearly wouldn't take them.

'Oh we don't sell many books any more Dear - they all read their Kindles'.

They did eventually agree to take them and I slunk out and haven't been back which still leaves me with my front hall covered in piles. I'm now actually considering putting the rest in the bin which feels quite dreadful. I never thought that might be something I'd do.

Are books dead?

What happens to the books that are put in recycling boxes at supermarkets? Are they pulped, or given to people/organisations that want books?

It depends which ones.

The big Bank things usually have the Salvo's, Oxfam or another charity's logo on them. They got to a central depot and are distributed round the country.

If you can sort them into bundles they would go on facebook. I've done this with kids and adults books in the past, just put together 10-12 on a similar theme and people will pay £3-5 a go. It might take you a while with lots of them to get rid of but surely it has to be better than binning them?

Otherwise the selection at my local library is dire, so I'm sure they'd benefit from some of them.

I usually get my 2nd hand books from a shelf at the doctors where you pay 50-£1 per book into a charity pot.

What about your local homeless shelter? If you don't now where one is, try the Salvation Army for a start.

This charity takes book donations from anywhere: www.betterworldbooks.com/go/donatebooks?mr:adGroup=&mr:ad=53206833205&mr:keyword=better%20world%20book&mr:placement=&mr:match=e&mr:adType=slk&mr:referralID=NA&gclid=Cj0KEQjwhLCgBRCf0fPH043IlJwBEiQAf8P8U_c5_LORppBBg2X9QtkyFmLmskuGuLsXU01eBMIxc0QaAvH08P8HAQ

You could try this www.anybook.biz/help-your-library.php They will collect the books free of charge and sell them, giving a proportion of the money to a library of your choice.

Try your health visitors too - they may be able to put you in contact with families who need books/women's refuges etc.

Ziffit.

I second (or third) bookcrossing - it's great fun seeing where your books travel; some of mine have gone to far flung places abroad. You could just label them up with their BC id numbers and then pop them all in a 'please help yourself' box outside.

I did a car boot sale today and did not sell one of my many books, which I was selling for 10p each. Everything else on the stall sold really well. I can't imagine that all of the hundreds of people at the boot sale own Kindles, so is it just that people are not reading much any more?

You mean you have hundreds of these to give away

I buy all my books from charity shops, often waiting months for a particular book. Go to another one. There will be one that will accept them with gratitude.

We have Half Price Books here, they buy used books. I assume you don't have those.

I love the idea of taking them to nursing homes or shelters. I used to have to take my mom to chemotherapy, and it would have been nice to have a selection of books there to read.

50 shades of grey definitely bin. Charity shop the rest.

You don't live in Oxford do you? If you do, I'll have them :) - I devour books like most people devour chocolate (note: I also devour chocolate, but that's a whole different story!!). What a shame the charity shop didn't seem very grateful. Even if the books only made 10-20p each, it's still extra money!

If you are anywhere near St Albans, the train station has an official book swap thing going on so would probably be delighted to stock the shelves up.

Our local train station sells second hand books. All the money goes to charity. You can find some really good reads there. Please don't throw them in the bin

I have a Kindle but also regularly trawl my local charity shops for books.

We also have a second hand bookshop which opened during & has withstood the recession.

DD is 10 this week, she reads more real books than virtual ones by a very long margin & is currently collecting a series of hardbacks from charity & second hand bookshops.

MammaTJ - I was waiting three years to get The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo after getting books 2 & 3 at a Surestart book exchange !

Give them to your local library?

Oooh in west Yorkshire there are absolutely looooads of secondhand bookshops, swap n trade in bookshops, charity shops rammed with books. Me n my dad love going on a bit of a trip out down the canal to the pub and always spend about an hour in all the shops buying books!!

WyrdByrd, it often takes a while but we get there in the end!

Apologies if the following has already been mentioned (not read the whole thread) but please don't! It'll be so sad! Try putting them in a box in front of your house with a 'for free' sign - I've picked up some great books that way, and feel really thankful to the previous owners! Or maybe donate them to a retirement home - I'm pretty sure most of the residents wouldn't have Kindles...

I live in a smallish town. In our county there is a chain of charity shops for a local hospice. They have and sell loads of books in the shops and in the hospice too I think and take them whatever the condition unlike a lot of other chairty shops. If you have charity shops for a local charity, they may be the best bet.

The nearest big city has at least one pub that has a book crossing shelf
Read it swap it (google it) is a possibility too.