Thinking of a book cull... advice please?!

[LemonDrizzleCake11]

I have always loved books and never parted with them. Result: over a thousand of them on multiple bookshelves, the majority never read a second time and never destined to be read again.

However, now I have a child and all the accompanying crap that comes with I feel like I need more space, and also I'm starting to feel 'guilty' about keeping books I am unlikely to read but someone else might enjoy.

I am therefore considering a cull and taking lots to the charity shop particularly the brain candy chick lit ones my husband is embarrassed for friends to see but am struggling to let go and keep thinking 'what if my children might like to read them when they're older?'

So what do you all think? Should I cull or not? All opinions gratefully received.

I cull my books regularly now. I have limited shelf space, so I try not to keep the books that I think I'll never re- read.

I just did a cull as well, it's really hard. But they are just taking up space and I'm never going to read them again. I've kept books I really realy enjoyed, some full sets of the same author, auto biographies and books that I read somewhere special, like when I was on honeymoon. And the rest went to the charity shop. 8 bags. I did a huge cull over a year a go when I moved house over a year a go as well. Give them new life with a new owner and let others enjoy them.
Also less dusting.

If your local library is now being run under volunteers (as many are now with the cuts) ask if they would like them. Our volunteer run library has a book shop to raise funds and all the books are donated.

I am a major culler.
GiveIw ay anything you will not re read or that are not classics" you may want to pass on to your child. Yes you may give away something your child wants to read...but have u got space to them for years? Or your child may have a kindle.

As a first step, cut by ten per cent minimum , take 100. Books to the charity shop. Or sell them as a bundle on e.bay (collect only)

Do this once per month till you feel you have got them down to a managable level.

This will be easier than doing a huge cull at once if you are finding it hard. I just got rid of 70 kids books today my children have grown out of. Make sure you regularly cull kids books too.

Good luck

I think you should vaccinate.

Thanks for the messages in support of the cull! I got rid of around 30 when I moved house last year but hadn't been ready to take the next step... I think now maybe I am... will update you on how many I have managed to persuade myself to part with by the end of the evening... am open to bets if anyone feels in a betting mood!

Ok, your target is 100 minimum. I reckon you could do 500 easy.

Wouldyou want to encourage reading of chick lit?

I have a bookshelf in my bedroom, for all romantic fiction. If it won't fit on there, it has to go. The Georgette Heyers take up nearly half of it...

Your kids will want to read them on e-readers!

Actually I've just had to do the same and I've got rid of novels that I know won't be read by me or my DH again. Admittedly it wasn't that many and there's still plenty left but the charity shops are now better stocked to the tune of 2 large bags full.

Ah, who am I kidding, I can't get rid of most of mine either. [watches thread for tips]

There's no reason to hold on to the chick lit and other trash though is there?

I don't own ONE book since I culled. I've always had hundreds but have gone electronic.

I don't miss them and my 3 kids will probably not want to read real books anyway.

Pull the plaster off! You know you want to...

I only keep household books at home. All the fiction goes to charity shops or street library as soon as it is finished.

Round one of the cull: 52 books in the out pile! Feeling liberated...

Well done lemon!

Well done! Get them out of the house asap so you can't change your mind.

I cull and have rules about what I keep:

Books I love irrespective of whether I will reread.
Lovely editions.
Books that make me look good (shallow and ridiculous but there you have it)
Books I plan to reread eventually.

This means any cull doesn't always include very much.

I had a cull when we moved house a couple of years ago and it felt good! I have lots to charity and hopefully the books will be enjoyed by someone else.

I'm planning another cull soon as we will be moving again. I'm going to get rid of any "chick lit", anything that I know I won't read again - if I haven't re-read it in the last 10 years, am I ever going to re-read it again? I'll also be getting rid of a few books that I just know that I won't ever begin to read, no point in having a 'to read pile' that is going to be ignored forever!

AnneWentworth - your rules are very similar to mine, hence why a 'cull' from a collection of over a thousand is just 52!

ChipAndSpud - I now have a shelf of books I haven't yet read, some of which I've owned for the better part of a decade... if they aren't started by next Christmas I'm going to stop kidding myself I am ever going to be erudite/broad-minded/curious enough to read them and cull them too...

And thanks for the messages of congratulations!

If you haven't culled them yet, is it worth noting them in a book journal or on a cataloging site (I like Library Thing but there are others) so that you can remember them?

Just title, author, brief description.

That way you won't be posting a year from now to say "I had a cull but wish I'd kept this one book whose name I don't know and whose author I can't remember and I can't think of the plot except it had a dog in it and they went on a bus one day and I think the cover was blue..."

There's nothing more annoying than trying to find a book you want to rer-read with just that to go on.