Nothing is better than curling up under warm blankets with a good book! During the autumn and winter months I turn into somewhat of a bibliophile. Bookstores are a place of comfort for an ambivert like me; just enough social interaction with the opportunity to shield yourself by burying your face in a book.
I can completely lose track of time as I browse the shelves; my interests peaked by a captivating title or the lure of beautiful cover art. A love for an intricately woven storyline, fascination with imagination, and a fondness for the musky-vanilla scent of old books can quickly stack up. I almost always leave a bookstore with a new book, but if I’m being completely honest – most of the time they sit on my bookshelves for a good long while before being read.
The thing that I appreciate the most about minimalism is that if you love something – keep it! If you love floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall shelves of books – keep them! Every now and then challenge yourself by asking: what good are those books (DVDs, CDs, tchotchkes, etc.) doing sitting there on the shelf collecting dust?
This was the question I asked myself on Saturday and my answer was simple. “They aren’t doing anyone any good sitting there; I could donate them and share the stories that I enjoyed reading with others.”
As I worked through my books I was shocked at how many of them I had not read yet. I sat the books on my bedside table to read before donating; things that are stored away are often forgotten. I dwindled my collection from about two-hundred books to only fifty (excluding the twenty I have not read) and it was a lot easier than I thought.
Bibliophiles who love the feel of a books pages between their fingers and the redolent scent of a well-loved book – guilty as charged – will passionately protest electronic books. For avid readers who refuse to give up physical books it can get expensive. So, why do we continue to spend so much money on books when every community has a library? Book lovers who prefer a physical book or those who have embraced electronic books; libraries aren’t dead!
I started doing this in the Summer of 2015 and it really slowed down the number of books I bought. As for the convenience issue, most libraries let you browse and reserve titles online, extend the return date from your mobile device, or remind you when items are due via text notifications. If you have hours to spend browsing a bookstore you can spend hours browsing the library instead.
Electronic book readers, you too can enjoy the perks of borrowing free books from your public library. Offering electronic book borrowing services are now a common feature in most libraries. The American Library Association (visit their webpage here), attributes the revitalization of American libraries to electronic book borrowing services.
To clear the clutter, you could borrow physical and/or electronic books from your public library. If you fall in love with a book you borrowed, no one is stopping you from adding it to your collection. Believe me, I have books you wouldn’t be able to pry out of my cold, dead fingers so I understand the apprehension to let books (or anything really) go. Before committing to the purchase, remember to ask yourself if it is a book you will find yourself reading time and time again. You can always borrow it from your library the next time you want to read it.
Minimizing your books can be a great and easy place to start practicing minimalism. Start by going through all your books and find the ones you can get rid of immediately. Minimalist experts encourage you to physically touch each item as you decide what to remove from your home. If you have books you haven’t read yet that you know you won’t read, let them go.
A library card can do much more than give you access to books – in a way a library card is a passport to community resources and events. At most libraries, you can join/start a book club or attend a speaker event or a workshop – aka free personal enrichment.
Going to the library forces you to interact with humans (I know, icky!), which means you build relationships with people in your community rather than lining a book retailers’ pockets. Borrowing books from the library is cost efficient, ecofriendly, and it supports a public service. When you buy used books – if you must – buy them from local, independent booksellers to help boost local economy, save money, and reduce your consumption of natural resources.
Books provide you with the stories of other people, other worlds and times, and other lives, but don’t let stacks of books keep you from creating a better life story for yourself.
Click here to read my article Methods & Minimalist Maintenance to find out how I minimized my book and DVD collection.
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