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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how many books you have?

144 replies

Merryoldgoat · 14/10/2021 10:26

I’m trying to declutter my house which is slow going but I’ve reached the bookcase.

There are a good few books I’ll never read again but I feel funny about getting rid of books. Why is this?

Do you keep yours and just get more and more bookcases? Or do you keep thinning them down.

YABU - send them to the charity shop
YANBU - get more bookcases you heathen.

OP posts:
Bbq1 · 14/10/2021 11:30

@Merryoldgoat

Hmmm. Not clear cut yet.

I can’t bear kindle - it’s so sterile.

I am the same. I have hundreds of books and just couldn't use a kindle because I like the feel, smell, experience of reading an actually book. Yep, very hard to get to get rid of books. Some I pass on to mum mainly, others the charity shop. Most I keep as I have a lot of sentiment to my books. As a result , I have 2 huge bookcases!
BrilliantBulb · 14/10/2021 11:34

About 400. We do have a clear out every now and then and send some to charity. I really enjoy the look of them on my home and the fact I can pick a book from my own ‘library’ whenever I want. Only keep what makes you happy OP.

BrilliantBulb · 14/10/2021 11:35

Those of you that have hundreds/thousands, I’d love to see photos of your bookshelves!

JaninaDuszejko · 14/10/2021 11:38

We've got about 21m of shelving for adult books so assuming 2.5 cm per book about 800 adult books. 14m of shelving for kids books but no idea how many since that includes picture books and the DC have piles of books in their rooms as well. I want to have a bit of a cull and am planning on giving the books I cull to the local Global Education Trust Bookshop who gave away over a million books last year, they have free bookshops across the country but mainly in the north.

CuckooCall · 14/10/2021 11:38

There are certain books that I've read and may or may not read again (most likely not) but I've kept them because I enjoyed them so much and when my dc are older my children may want to read them. However, any books I've read that I was indifferent to, or enjoyed at the time but are completely unmemorable now, have been given to charity shops.

Then there are the books that I haven't got round to reading yet- anything that I honestly feel I will read I keep. However some unread books I know I'll never read so they go.

So basically there is no rhyme or reason why I keep some books and get rid of others, I just judge each book individually and keep it based on my gut feeling. I also hate getting rid of books as it makes me feel bad, but when I ran out of room on my bookshelves it truly was time to have a book declutter.

WeatherwaxOn · 14/10/2021 11:41

I have a LOT of books. About 6 bookcases full. However, every so often I do go through and thin them out a bit. All those I haven't looked at go to the charity shop.
So YANBU to have books but YABU not to pass on the ones you no longer read.

SentDeliveredRead · 14/10/2021 11:42

I have the same problem. A massive wall of books three deep plus a kindle. I'm prepared to accept that it's part of how I live

Manteo · 14/10/2021 11:44

I tend to keep classics, bestsellers and favourites and occasionally get rid of others.

Pedalpushers · 14/10/2021 11:45

I've got rid of any physical books that aren't either my favourite ever books or beautiful hardbacks, everything else goes to the charity shop. I read mostly on kindle now and currently have 125 unread books on there plus about 250 read.

LittleGwyneth · 14/10/2021 11:47

We are terrible about hoarding them. And by we, I mean me. I think we've probably got a few hundred, and our flat is small.

PorkTheDork · 14/10/2021 11:48

I pass them on.

I've so many I've not read. I've lost my enthusiasm at the moment.

Hatsuma · 14/10/2021 11:50

Over 5000, but I sell second hand books 😁.

If you do want to thin them out then Ziffit is worth downloading.

ChloeCrocodile · 14/10/2021 11:51

I have two bookcases full. I declutter them about once per year. I keep books I will reread, ones I lend out, reference books and ones I'm collecting (currently the clothbound classics). All others get sent to the charity shop. Though I usually end up buying more books from the charity shop while I'm there.

jaminthemiddle · 14/10/2021 11:56

Thousands and thousands and thousands

mydogisthebest · 14/10/2021 12:03

No idea how many books we have but it's a lot. I would guess well over 1,000. I must have around 200 cookbooks alone

I have a kindle (have had it 7 years) but hardly ever use it. I much prefer proper books.

I really struggle to get rid of books and rarely do! We have shelves along one wall floor to ceiling in our spare bedroom, two bookcases in our bedroom, a bookcase on the landing and one in the living room.

TheOpportuneMoment · 14/10/2021 12:04

Way too many. Hundreds. Two large bookcases, some shelves double stacked. Lots have never been read as with a toddler I seem to find it easier to read using the kindle app on my phone. Despite this I can't stop buying more!

CuteGirlsWatchMeEatEther · 14/10/2021 12:07

@BrilliantBulb

Those of you that have hundreds/thousands, I’d love to see photos of your bookshelves!
You really don’t want to see mine. Mine are a mess. The books are just shoved in everywhere. I’ll sort them out soon...
Iamnotminterested · 14/10/2021 12:10

Thousands. I do have a (mini) cull every so often, mainly of old academic books we no longer need, and I have just downloaded WeBuyBooks to sell some.

We have a lot of bookcases; thankfully it's a big house.

FolkyFoxFace · 14/10/2021 12:12

Over 2,000 last time I counted, and that was two years ago so there are definitely more now. About 300 of them are old family books, things my parents and DH's parents or grandparents owned. About 200 are DH's, 50 baby DS's (I can't resist) and the rest are mine. I've always read and kept my books, so lots start from when I was about 12 and consciously started collecting.

We've had to build a library room with ceiling to floor shelves to contain the majority, but there are still books in literally every room in the house. At some point I'd like to extend and have a conservatory added, which would be a nice reading room and extra space.

CuteGirlsWatchMeEatEther · 14/10/2021 12:12

2000

I have put about 50 aside for the charity shop and I recently took 10 to a secondhand book shop and got store credit for them. I bought one book with the credit.

KittenKong · 14/10/2021 12:14

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books. That’s what happens when 2 book worms get married and the girl bookworm inherits a shitload from her bookworm parents. I keep saying that when we are old our flat will be like one of those borders on tv where there are tunnels of books everywhere.

loopylindi · 14/10/2021 12:17

Wow! It's so good to realise there are others like us. We have a large collection of books covering non/fiction, history, space, photography and so on. When we moved, the removal company very kindly failed to deliver 2 boxes but we didn't notice within the 'claim time'. We had to get bookcases first... They are all stored upstairs of a dormer bungalow, and I now have mobility problems, so I guess, when the time comes, they will be dispatched through a window!

FlorenceWintle · 14/10/2021 12:17

Hundreds and I never throw any out. They are an essential part of the decor of the house IMO.

3scape · 14/10/2021 12:20

Those who have 100s etc. No. You wouldn't want to see my shelves. They're literally double stacked, shelves in every room. Can't have visitors not that anyone ever wants to. People call us the odd family on the street because I used to let the kids play in our house and garden but they all told their parents about our freaky weird house. The reality is very different to how people like to think booklovers get treated

CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 14/10/2021 12:21

I had a cull over lockdown. As the charity shops were closed I just boxed them up. Any that I actually noticed were "missing" from my bookshelves came out of the box again.
I boxed up about 200 and noticed 3 missing.
I still have about 6 bookcases full plus overspill. I only live in a tiny 2 up 2 down terrace so can't physically fit more bookcases in so I'm going to have to have another cull Sad