How to do a book cull

[KiposWonderbeasts]

I’m struggling. We have bookshelves everywhere, double stacked, squeezed into every corner. I still have over 50 books I just can’t squeeze in.

I am a re-reader and these are old friends. We’re a family of bookworms and the collection keeps growing. I can’t read on a kindle etc, I find it actively off putting.

I did a big sift 10 years ago, another one 4 years ago and one 2 years ago, so all the obvious contenders are long gone.

I need any tips, hints, approaches to reduce my library so we can navigate the house without stacks of paperbacks toppling. Trusting MN bibliophiles to understand my problem!

@BlanketyBlankAgain

On a related tangent, what do people do with books they've culled at present? I've sorted out about 500 of my late husband's recently (still have plenty!) that I will never read and don't want to keep (am moving soon)... but they're currently sitting in piles all over the living-room. None of the charity shops round here seem to be taking donations at present. I don't want to make money from them, just pass them on somehow to someone else who might be interested... (They mostly are interesting - just not my interests).

I made an appointment at my local Oxfam bookshop. I was allowed a maximum of 4 bags and my appointment was 5 weeks away. So we are just collecting the next batch of 4 bags!

All the charity shops near here are accepting donations. Also Public Libraries, schools, playgroups for picture books.

And yes, for heist a handful, the Little Free Libraries

JUST! Not heist. 🙄

Thanks for everyone's ideas with what to do with all my culled books which were starting to become overwhelming. I've sold 200 of them to an online site this afternoon (didn't know such things existed) who will also collect them - I'll donate the payment to charity in my husband's memory as I don't want to profit from them. That makes the remainder seem more manageable to deal with once the local charity shops are taking donations again.

Have you got any second hand bookshops near you? They might want them. Also if you have a National Trust place - lots of those now have second hand bookshops and may be glad of donations. Not sure if the NT bookshops are open at the moment but they may still be taking donations.

I have a beautiful hardback notebook that i use to list all of the books i read, but also to list the books i read long ago and decided recently to give away in a cull. It helps to know that i won't forget them and have a written record to go back to.

In terms of the practical aspect of letting go, i sell bundles by the same popular author on ebay (and use the money to buy new books!) and belong to a few local Facebook free sites and list a stack of books every now and then for people to collect from my doorstep. Anything left over goes to the charity shop or, as a final option, in a book recycling bank in a supermarket car park.

I had a revelation recently when having a cull. A few beloved books had aged badly, to the point i had to throw them away as not even a charity shop would want them. It was sad to think that several other people could have enjoyed the book in the years it had just been sitting on my shelf.