6 ms·

I suppose one consequence of being a serial renter that has moved around every 1-3 years is that it changed my relationship with having a large volume of books.

I suppose one consequence of being a serial renter that has moved around every 1-3 years is that it changed my relationship with having a large volume of books. Seeing a bookcase full of books does bring me joy but it simultaneously makes me think "oh, I'm going to have to lug all those boxes up and down stairs during the next move". I still have a shelf full of books, most of which I have a particularly fond emotional connection with. But otherwise, I resist the urge to buy more (I have a fantastic library nearby) and shamelessly pare, donate and give away anything I do acquire.

prmoustache 3y ago
Same I am a public library user for this very reason.
dageshi 3y ago
Same, I gave away nearly all my books, I kept less than 10 really as mementoes of specific memories I associate with those books. No regrets, I was never going to read any of those that I gave away and I do all my reading on ebook nowadays anyway.
adastra22 3y ago
A few years ago I sold/donated every book I own. Literally every book, except for a handful of author-signed books that had memento value. Most things I can find online or at the library. There were a few out of print books that I can’t get through the library and I regretted selling, but they were easy enough to replace. I now have a very small collection (single shelf) next to my desk. Turns out 9 out of 10 of the books I thought I could never part with, I have never thought of or cared for since I got rid of them. 10/10 would purge again.
- deleted 3y ago
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- Aromasin 3y ago
  I did the same. I had barely any possessions; my laptop, a toothbrush, clothes, a desk lamp, pots/pans/knives. But I made up for that with boxes upon boxes of almost every book I've ever owned. I eventually catalogued the lot, found digital copies of all of them, and donated everything to a charity shop. Now, instead of 5 or 6 boxes full to the brim that need a rental van every time I move, I have a NAS that stores maybe 10k+ books; more than I could collect in a lifetime. I miss the feeling of a page turn, but I can just power on my tablet and have every book I could ever want to read at my fingertips now.
  - adastra22 3y ago
    Man I wish I could get my other possessions under control like that. Or more to the point my wife’s ;) But I can’t give up the physical experience of reading on paper. Even e-ink displays don’t do it for me. Nevertheless I can get paper copies of almost anything I need from the library, and I’m a member of multiple local libraries.
nvarsj 3y ago
Ditto. Renting in London means space is a premium and moves are frequent. I limit myself to one bookshelf. I also try to get everything digitally that I can.
itairall 3y ago
I have even lost the positive emotions I use to have seeing a bookcase. All I see now is "what a pain in the ass". The physical nature of books use to be a feature over ebooks and audio books for me but now they are a total bug.

prmoustache 3y ago

Same I am a public library user for this very reason.

dageshi 3y ago

Same, I gave away nearly all my books, I kept less than 10 really as mementoes of specific memories I associate with those books. No regrets, I was never going to read any of those that I gave away and I do all my reading on ebook nowadays anyway.

adastra22 3y ago

A few years ago I sold/donated every book I own. Literally every book, except for a handful of author-signed books that had memento value. Most things I can find online or at the library. There were a few out of print books that I can’t get through the library and I regretted selling, but they were easy enough to replace. I now have a very small collection (single shelf) next to my desk. Turns out 9 out of 10 of the books I thought I could never part with, I have never thought of or cared for since I got rid of them. 10/10 would purge again.

deleted 3y ago
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Aromasin 3y ago
I did the same. I had barely any possessions; my laptop, a toothbrush, clothes, a desk lamp, pots/pans/knives. But I made up for that with boxes upon boxes of almost every book I've ever owned. I eventually catalogued the lot, found digital copies of all of them, and donated everything to a charity shop. Now, instead of 5 or 6 boxes full to the brim that need a rental van every time I move, I have a NAS that stores maybe 10k+ books; more than I could collect in a lifetime. I miss the feeling of a page turn, but I can just power on my tablet and have every book I could ever want to read at my fingertips now.
- adastra22 3y ago
  Man I wish I could get my other possessions under control like that. Or more to the point my wife’s ;) But I can’t give up the physical experience of reading on paper. Even e-ink displays don’t do it for me. Nevertheless I can get paper copies of almost anything I need from the library, and I’m a member of multiple local libraries.

nvarsj 3y ago

Ditto. Renting in London means space is a premium and moves are frequent. I limit myself to one bookshelf. I also try to get everything digitally that I can.

itairall 3y ago

I have even lost the positive emotions I use to have seeing a bookcase. All I see now is "what a pain in the ass". The physical nature of books use to be a feature over ebooks and audio books for me but now they are a total bug.