# Has anyone done away with their paperback libraries yet?



## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I have SO many books on my bookshelf in my room. In fact I've run out of room. I have piles now on the floor. My husband is telling me to just get rid of all of them!   Since I also have a ton of books on my (kindle app) on my phone that I've yet to read, I really don't see myself ever revisiting any of the ones on my shelf. With ebooks slowly taking over, has anyone else started to do away with their paperback libraries?


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

Mine are gone.... donated to my library for their book sale.... and I do NOT miss them one bit!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm absolutely keeping my hardcovers/paperbacks. I have over 4,500 volumes covering the years from about 1890 to 2008. I like to re-read books, and there's no way most of the ones I have will get to ebook form, probably in my lifetime. I really like my Kindle, but it's not the only way to read.

Mike


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

I started liberating books about ten years ago. Prescient.

(In reality, my interest in dusting declined markedly with the onset of middle age.)


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

I tend to give away genre books, but keep non-fiction and classics.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I donated almost all my books a couple years ago when I moved across the country. I've picked up a few books since then (mostly gifts), but I don't have nearly the collection I used to have. I love the reduced clutter my kindle provides!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Nope, too many beloved books there.  And like JMiked, I am a rereader.


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

I'm getting rid of @ 100 books a year, giving them to the public library for a tax writeoff.  I've been on the Kindle for 4 hours today, I would feel strange holding a paperback book.


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## jongoff (Mar 31, 2011)

I haven't, and I have no plans on getting rid of them either. My Kindle is a portable library, but I still prefer reading from a hard bound book.


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

I don't know if I can ever do away with my paperback library, even though I only buy ebooks now.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

My books have been flying out the door.  One place I give them is to a woman who owns a cafe in a small town.  There is no library, but people in town go to the cafe to pick up books.  It makes me smile.  There are some books I will always keep.


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## jonathanmoeller (Apr 19, 2011)

Not just no, _HELL _no!

I love my books, e and paper alike. If I had the time (and money), I'd do nothing but read and write all day. If I live long enough to retire, that's what I'm going to do with myself.

(Though lately, I've been hoarding paper books the way a survivalist hoards ammo. That way in case civilization collapses and the ebook infrastructure goes with it, I'll still have something to read while I wait for the radioactive zombie hordes to get me.)


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## robins777 (Aug 10, 2010)

jonathanmoeller said:


> Not just no, _HELL _no!
> 
> I love my books, e and paper alike. If I had the time (and money), I'd do nothing but read and write all day. If I live long enough to retire, that's what I'm going to do with myself.


Agreed, but there is one big problem to all the reading once retired, beside the money issue. I took early retirment a few years ago and having a lot of extra time on my hands I find I read a lot more than I did before, both paper and e-books. The problem is that I have put on 40lbs because of the extra sitting and all the extra coffee and tea I drink whilst reading.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I only have about 500 left. I started donating years ago until I got down to single rows on my eight bookcases. Then I got my K and started giving away even more. 

All my hardbacks are gone except for Potter and my favorite author, Susan Howatch. Even though she's now being Kindleized, I will keep her books as well as my Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. I've kept paperbacks that I know will never be kindleized. 

While I do reread a lot, my reading tastes have changed over the years and there were many, many books I knew I'd never read again. They all went out the door.

Now all my shelves are filled with videos and dvds and those are the next items to get the heave-ho.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

Yep, most of mine are gone. I've either given them away or sold them at a garage sale. I love that my kindle can store so many books and although I love the paper books, I love the fact that I don't have books stored all over the place.


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## dmburnett (Feb 4, 2011)

I finally donated a few of my older literary titles and back issues of literary magazines, but I still have books overtaking my shelves.  It's just hard to let "old friends" go and it would cost me a fortune to get them all again in Kindle format!


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## Shana Norris (May 31, 2011)

I've given away some, but I still have a lot more that I can't bear to part with. Mostly I give away the ones that aren't favorites, the ones that I'm pretty certain I won't ever reread. That still leaves packed bookshelves of "favorites" though! I'm too sentimental about them and I love the feel and smell of the paper so I don't think I could ever get rid of all my print books.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I still have a few but I have stopped buying paper books completely.


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## pwtucker (Feb 12, 2011)

God, I've been tempted to a half dozen times. To whittle down my massive collection to an essential few hundred. Mostly because I've moved frequently in the past, with one long stint in Australia, and the thought of carting so many thousands of novels utterly defeated me, so that they went into storage. These days though they look absolutely beautiful on hardwood shelves in my living room, so there's little incentive.


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

I'm a total pack rat and have them stacked in my basement.   But the plan is to sort through them and donate any I won't refer to down the road.


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

As I purchase the book on my Kindle, I then send the paperback copy I have to the library book sales (probably where I got it in the first place).  Slowly I'm weeding out my DTB collection but I won't ever get rid of them all.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2011)

No! I am hanging on to mine, not least because several have not been released on Kindle. On the other hand, it has slowed down my purchase of new books.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Other than cookbooks and a few special books, I given away all my books.  The romance books, that I had not touched in several years, went to a cousin that's a bigger reader than me.  The science fiction and fantasy went to a friend that had a house fire and lost her library.  Since we liked the same type of books it ended up being 50% replacements and 50% new reads for her.  I can go by and pet them or borrow any time I want!


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Oh my gosh! I hadn't even thought about my cookbooks! My hubby did ask me a while back why (when all I ever do is look up recipes online) do I still have all those cookbooks in the pantry! Of course I just responded with a warning. "Don't you dare touch those!" More than likely they (all my books) will all be packed away and knowing me put away in the shed for the next 20 years. Just like all the Barbies I can't bring myself to get rid of.


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## slpierce (Mar 2, 2011)

I still have my collection but it's much smaller than it used to be.  Only my favorites and as their ebook prices drop I will be happy to replace them.  But I will admit I went to the library book sale and bought two paper bags of books for $10.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

I'm hoping to...however, I often flick through books looking for something in particular that will help me work a scene in my own books, and I don't think it will be so easy to do via Kindle, e.g. I might vaguely remember the part I am looking for is about an inch into the book.


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

ilyria_moon said:


> I'm hoping to...however, I often flick through books looking for something in particular that will help me work a scene in my own books, and I don't think it will be so easy to do via Kindle, e.g. I might vaguely remember the part I am looking for is about an inch into the book.


I hear ya! I do the same thing.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

I have very few books left. The ones I didn't care about I took to Half Price Books and got some $$ for them. The ones I did want to keep are sitting in a box somewhere....


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## LeonardDHilleyII (May 23, 2011)

Yes, bit by bit, we're getting rid of them.  But, the hardbacks?  No, never.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

LeonardDHilleyII said:


> Yes, bit by bit, we're getting rid of them. But, the hardbacks? No, never.


Especially the musty, embossed ones.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

I can't part them yet. And some I haven't gotten to.


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

There are some books I'll never get rid of--too much sentimental value as well as re-reading potential.

If I'm honest, though, I can point to a whole bunch of books that I will never read or touch again in this lifetime, and it's that set of books that I'm trying to winnow out and give a way a little at a time.  I also tell myself that if I give them away, someone might pick one up and become a new fan of that particular author. So at least I can feel that I'm sharing the books with other readers.

Julia


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Nope.  I will always keep my books and probably always collect them.  I wouldn't even know what to do with all of the space in my apartment if I got rid of the books and bookshelves.  I also just like the look of a room filled with books.


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## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

For now I'm keeping my book collection... until we move, then I'll probably donate a bunch to the library or Senior Center.

I have stopped buying books... now my wishlist on Amazon is H U G E...


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

I have been having a wonderful time "weeding" my bookshelves and donating many paperbacks and hardcovers to the library......but rediscovering some of my treasures has given me the opportunity to showcase and reread them.  Found a beautifully illustrated version of the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which is just wonderful.  and the pen & ink illustrations make the most beautiful sleep screens as depicted in e ink.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2011)

Not me, though I've moved often enough that my library is pretty manageable. I've just got cool reference books and favorite authors I like to re-read now and then. If I find something really good on the kindle, I still buy a paperback copy. I've seen too many new file formats and operating systems come down over the years, and it's always a pain to convert old files, so I don't trust that the books on my kindle are forever.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

I've made the *tough* decision to get rid of all the duplicates I have in hardcover and [also] in Kindle. I still can't part with three of my fave authors...but, my hubby feels the same way. In fact, that may have been a "motivator" for getting the Kindle to begin with!


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I have donated many boxes of paperback books, but I have kept my favorites and also some books that I think I might want to read again.  I am down to one plastic storage bin in the garage and one cabinet in our entertainment center.


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## Kali.Amanda (Apr 30, 2011)

I still have most of my books. Some of them I cannot get rid off because there might be a sentimental connection. I love the idea that I can carry an electronic copy with me where ever I may go, but some of the books have been with me for so long and through so much that I am literally attached to the object as much as the words and the worlds they opened up.


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

About two years ago I got fed up with piles of books all over the house and started boxing them up. Truckload (no joke) by truckload, I began hauling them to the used bookstore where they give in-store credit. Anything they didn't want I let them donate to the women's shelters. I still have a credit at the store after all this time even though I've bought MANY secondhand books since then. The only ones I keep are a few treasured hardbacks, everything else goes right back when I'm done and all my new releases are ebooks (so much more convenient). I rarely even have the urge to drop a few books in my shopping cart anymore, so I guess you could say I'm a recovering DTB addict...


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

I have moved to different countries three times in 10 years and let me tell you, that helps weed out books lol.  I did by books and now only keep the ones I can't get on Kindle and the ones that I really want to keep, some from childhood and all the books that I have signed.  I have stopped buying paper books and only buy e-books, due to space issues and also because I like having different books to hand on my Kindle and it's easy for traveling.


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## gryeates (Feb 28, 2011)

I had a massive clearout a couple of months ago to make what I've got manageable. I might have another one depending. Personally, I'm more attached to my hardbacks than paperbacks because a number of them are collectibles and limited editions so they will never go.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm working on it.  Doubt I'll get rid of everything.  Books that I've kept that aren't on Kindle will likely stay.  I am a re-reader.

Yet I don't really enjoy reading a paper book anymore.  Read one the other day, kept stubbing my finger hitting the page turn button.  

Betsy


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## kellymcclymer (Apr 22, 2010)

No! I have weeded out some paperbacks I know I won't read again. But we still have 9 bookshelves crammed full of books we never want to give away (not even if we buy a digital version). I still dream of one day being able to afford a house with a real library (defined as walls of shelves filled with books...maybe shelves so high I need one of those sliding ladder-stair-thingies to reach the top shelves).

The one thing about the digital revolution that makes me worry (though I have embraced it pretty thoroughly) is the historical perspective. The darkest periods in human history have been caused when knowledge has been limited because of the loss or destruction of written materials.

If I had a time-travel machine, I'd go back to the library at Alexandria before Caesar got there and rescue the documents from burning  .


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Went through some of my books yesterday and came across one I hadn't read in DECADES. Are You There God It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume!  OMG! Totally made my day! I immediately text a picture of it to my besty who LOVED Judy and all her books just like me WAAAY back in the 5th grade! (This was my all time favorite!) I don't see how I can part with all these books!


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## felicityheaton (Aug 31, 2010)

I'm keeping mine as I don't have them in e-book format. I have several series that I started as paperbacks and intend to finish as paperbacks too in order to have them all in the same format. Plus, the digital versions of them are stupidly priced compared with the paperbacks.

It's new series only on my Kindle, so I'll be keeping all my paperbacks. I keep most of the ones I've read in my trunk. The ones on my TBR pile are on my small bookshelf.

Thankfully I'm an author so most of the time I'm writing, not reading 

Felicity Heaton


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## samanthawarren (May 1, 2011)

Even though I adore my Kindle and DTBs just seem cumbersome now, I can't imagine giving away all my books. There's something special about a bookshelf full of books and an ereader will never, ever be able to match that.


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

We've sold a good percentage of our DTBs, but there's still two full shevles worth plus all our Kindle books. Everything we buy new--with the exception of field guides and the such--we purchase solely on Kindle now.


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I love my Kindle and read on it all the time but I cannot get rid of my paperback book collection. I have no idea how many we have in our bookcases but I love seeing them ever time I go into our family room. Over the years I have collected hardback copies of my favorite authors such as Stephen King, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, John Saul, Pat Conroy just to name a few. It took me a long time to collect all of them and I would not part with them. I feel like they are a part of me. I have stopped buying anything but ebooks for my Kindle because I had run out of room. Thank God for my Kindle.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

This past year I have gradually reduced the number of books in the house. Its always a struggle to say good bye to my favourites, but I have slowly replaced a lot of books with Audio versions from Audible.com. I have listed to some of them many times too, which surprises me. I have re-read books in the past, but audio is so convenient I find myself revisiting old favourites more often. Now I have the kindle, I doubt I will buy new paperbacks, and the last three or four dozen in the house will eventually go I should think. I will still keep my hardback sets, but there are much fewer of those.

Mark E. Cooper


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## RobertMarda (Oct 19, 2010)

Nope, I'm keeping most of my books.  The only way I would get rid of them is if I get a copy on my Kindle and so far I haven't found a reason to spend money for an e-book just so I can get rid of a DTB.  I don't have too many books so I'll keep them and my collection is not growing since all I buy these days are e-books.


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## Picatsso (Mar 24, 2011)

I never had many paperbacks....always gave them away when I was finished.  The only hardbacks I got rid of were ones I didn't like very much.  But I have a beautiful bookcase (almost ceiling high) in my living room that would look funny with just a kindle on it....


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## ChrisHoward (May 14, 2010)

I still have piles of them, but I read maybe one in ten books in print.  

Chris


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## Jimmie Hammel (Apr 11, 2011)

I used to hoard. I had every copy of every book that I had ever owned. There came a point, however, when I realized that I would never reread 99% of those books and I should get rid of them. I kept everything that I really liked (non-fic, sci-fi, fantasy, classics, and hard covers) and said goodbye to nearly all of my romance novels. Except my collection of vintage 1950's naughty books. They're collectibles, I swear.


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## herocious (May 20, 2011)

I carry around my books like some sort of penance. Right now they're arranged by the color of their spine. This makes me look at them quite often, for fun. I love books. But they are heavy.


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## scl (Feb 19, 2011)

I know I should probably get rid of some of my DTB but it's hard to do.
I've managed to cull a tiny percentage, but at least I've managed to 
stop adding to them.  I haven't bought a paper novel in over six months,
but I've got over 300 on my kindle.


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm one of those strange creatures that will reread a book over and over if I love it.  So if I have a book, it's because of that.  I don't just own books, they are my paper friends.    I will not be getting rid of them any time soon.


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## aaronpolson (Apr 4, 2010)

My wife will be prying some of my beloved paperbacks from my cold, dead hands. 

I'm not buying (many) new ones, though.


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## EvPowers (Mar 15, 2011)

We downsized our house two years ago, for various reasons, so the book collection got downsized as well. The used bookstore wouldn't take most of my nice hardbacks, let alone the paperbacks. They offered me $1.50 for a fairly new Dean Koontz hardback! I was insulted. The ones I couldn't part with went into storage. I rotate through them quarterly. The paperbacks people wanted were sold in the we're-moving-next-weekend garage sale. The rest were donated.

I'm not buying anymore, though. No need to with a Kindle.


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## kyrin (Dec 28, 2009)

I still have some paperbacks and hardcovers because not all of them are available on Kindle yet or some of them are too expensive for me to buy.

The only books I plan to keep are the few that I have from book signings.


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

libbyfh said:


> I tend to give away genre books, but keep non-fiction and classics.


We do the same in our house, donating the already-read stack to Amvets.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I cant seem to do away with any of mine.. I think I may start a support group!


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

kCopeseeley said:


> I'm one of those strange creatures that will reread a book over and over if I love it. So if I have a book, it's because of that. I don't just own books, they are my paper friends.  I will not be getting rid of them any time soon.


Yes.  It's clear books are our friends, not just sources of information! I always go back to my books; there's nothing I own that I've only read once. A few years ago, I needed cash and sold all my textbooks. They were snapped up, because I sold them at half-price or less. I still miss them!


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I just got rid of about 20 books that I replaced with Kindle ones. I just don't have the room for them all. I still have quite a few paperbacks and hardbacks that I plan on slowing replacing. I have only ever kept books that I knew I would want to re-read at some point in time.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

My oldest is 15, and before she was born I downsized a good chunk of my "kid lit" stuff that had been sitting at my parents house. I kept favorite-favorites, but a good chunk of the paperbacks left.... And I deeply regret that, even though at the time I knew i was making a few girls very happy with what they got at my garage sale.

Right now i can't see any of what I have going away. We have a ton of reference type specialty books (paperback form at scholastic book warehouse sales for 10-25% of the hardback price) and the kids love to pour through them. The biggest issue right now is the lack of bookshelves to organize and spread them out. 

Even with ebooks, I'm hoping having the books here and easily accessible will create book-a-holics out of them. Their dad doesn't read (I was shocked to find a "how to screw your wife in divorce" book he had hidden away, of course, I'm thinking his mom is the one that highlighted the sections for him to read.... He seemed to ignore the advice in-between), and didn't like looking at books and barely tolerated any shelves for them.

Like i said in another thread, he may have gotten the couch, and I still don't have one, but I have bought 2 IKEA Billy bookshelves with plans for 5 more in our reading nook! And I bet I buy the chair for it before the couch! LOL!!


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## Susan Umpleby (Dec 20, 2008)

I have a book collection that rivals many small bookstores. There's barely room in my house for _me_ or in my garage for my car. So as I buy the kindle editions, I get rid of the hard copies. Slowly but surely I am reclaiming my house and garage.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Susan Umpleby said:


> I have a book collection that rivals many small bookstores. There's barely room in my house for _me_ or in my garage for my car. So as I buy the kindle editions, I get rid of the hard copies. Slowly but surely I am reclaiming my house and garage.


Are you still adding new books, or just replacing what you own?

I have some that I'd love to collect in ebook form, but I just don't have the disposable income right now to buy what i already have..... Maybe someday. And same for some of the library books I've been reading, some of them I'd like to actually buy, but then I wonder when I'd actually read it again.... So for now, I don't buy them. Money saved right? LOL!


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## Matt Maxwell (Jun 5, 2011)

I kept a few of my paperbacks, mostly those that are no longer in print or would be hard to replace. Most of the books I've bought recently have been research or trade-sized fiction, but that's coming to a close if I can find what I'm after on Kindle. Noticed the same phenomena with Netflix. I'd rather take a chance on something out of the way if it's on watch instantly as opposed to waiting several days for the disc to show up.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

I haven't started clearing off my shelves just yet, but I certainly am thinking about it. And I certainly haven't added anything new in the last two years. I suppose those poor books' days are numbered now. Although I should keep some for my daughter.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

I can't imagine getting ride of my books...the house would just look wrong without the bookcases filled with both hardback and trade paperbacks... Worse, I keep adding to them. In spite of the Kindle, when I see a book I might like at a really good price...

Eh, when I'm dead, all those books will be the Boy's problem...


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

My In-law's have a very cozy cabin by a lake and river. My mother-in-law who is also an avid reader keeps loads of her books there to revisit when she goes up there for days. I may just add to her library up there rather than get rid of them. She'll be happy about it, I won't have to actually get rid of them, and my husband will be happy about the much needed room in our bedroom. Win win win!


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm on my way there by buying fiction on Kindle, rather than DTB.
The bookshelves in the living room are double, no triple, stacked and so most of my TBR is in the bedroom (you can barely see the walls, stacked up floor to window!) I'm so deeply in love with my Kindle now that I'm reading my Kindle TBR's before the DTB's TBR's - which is isnt helping me find the walls at all.
However I also have an extensive non-fiction library and this will stay in physical, DTB form, since I often have several pages open at once and dont find the Kindle condusive to this.


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## Mark Young (Dec 13, 2010)

One of these days, I am going to start giving them away. One of these days ... but not yet!


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

I was giving all my DTB's to a friend with similar tastes... but her BF gave her a Kindle!


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

When I moved about 6 years ago I decided to give away most of my paper books once I read them.  I still have about 100 at any time because I either haven't read them yet, haven't given them away yet or really do want to keep them.  Between audio and kindle libraries I have about 1300 digital books.  I figure no reason to keep what someone else might like.  I try to find people that might like a particular book and give it to them.  But about every three months I give away 10-15 paper books on my blog that have built up.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Actually I have a pile of books on my desk to give away right now. Here is my blog post.

http://bookwi.se/13-free-paper-books/

Mostly Christian non-fiction


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## JETaylor (Jan 25, 2011)

I've been thinking about going through the book list again because we have no more room for them - however, now that I have my easy closets (more empty shelf room) - I may move some to this space. If so, I'll weed through the books yet again.

For each one - I'll have to ask myself - will I ever crack this open again?

If the answer is no - then it has to go.

Hubby's Theory of Equilibrium - an equal amount has to leave as comes in the door.

But, but, um, do e-books _really _ fall into this theory?


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## Ryne Billings (May 15, 2011)

I want to, but I'd be hardpressed to find somewhere that will pay for them, and I don't really want to donate them.

I'll probably just give the books to friends and family sometime soon.


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## MichelleStimpson (May 29, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Nope, too many beloved books there. And like JMiked, I am a rereader.


I said I wasn't going to get rid of my paperbacks, but somehow I have less and less of them - except for children's picture books. Nothing like turning the pages of a picture book with a kid.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm patting myself on the back because I'm not adding to the physical TBR piles stacked up against the walls...I now have virtual piles on my Kindle.


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## MartinStanley72 (May 17, 2011)

Never! I simply can't do it. I have a lot of crime fiction that isn't available on Kindle yet (a lot of may _never_ make it on to Kindle). Plus there are certain books that I honestly prefer to read in print (though I'm not quite sure why). Of course, my Kindle is packed with a lot of indie authors who will probably never see the printed page, so I think it's a fair trade off. I will however trim my book collection from time to time when it gets too unwieldy.

Martin

http://thegamblersnovel.com


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Most of my DTB have been replaces with Kindle versions but not all of them, either because they aren't available in Kindle form yet or because I haven't gotten around to it. In fact just last week I got rid of two full Walmart bags of books. But I donated them all so I know they all will get read and go to good homes. I think almost ever single one of them (with a few exceptions) I have replaced already with a Kindle version.
I didn't realize how many DTB I still have around the house until I had started going through them. I still have quite a few that I will probably have for a while yet.


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## SaraThacker (Jun 19, 2011)

Ours is close to being gone. We're about to move so I'm getting rid of anything that isn't necessary. I love my Kindle too much to buy a paper book.


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## ColinJ (Jun 13, 2011)

I'm considering it but I have a sentimental attachment to the books I've bought and read from my youth, even though it's a lot of mainstream stuff like Stephen King, Richard Laymon and James Ellroy

I also moved house recently and it was such a pain to box and move all my books. I ended up giving a few dozen to the Salvation Army but I've still got dozens of them here. So I think I may have to start thinking about getting rid of them, since so many of them are easily available on the Kindle.

That will be a sad day, I tell you.


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## Patricia Rice (Mar 1, 2010)

We'll be seriously downsizing in a few years and I really, really have to bite the bullet and get rid of my enormous hardback and paperback library. But the last time we moved, I gave away a few cartons of books I thought I didn't need anymore, and I've regretted them ever since. I'm always wishing I could grab them off my shelf and glance at a particular passage or two. It's obsessive. I know I can go to the library or online, but these books are my friends. I only keep the books I truly love, and I have classics dating back to when I first discovered romance novels. Most of them can't be found digitally or even used. I love collecting new books digitally so I don't add to my overflowing shelves, but the old favorites...  ARRGGGHHHH!


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## JMcGhee (Oct 31, 2010)

Last year, I gave away almost all of my paperbacks.  I went from several hundred books down to thirty or forty max, plus a handful of DVDs.  However, they've slowly been creeping up on me, and I've added a bookshelf and a half within the past few months.  Used books are so cheap, I can't help myself when I'm around them - but I never read them afterward.  Frustrating.


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

I've donated a lot of my books to local libraries, but there are a few I just could never part with - Boy's Life, Fahrenheit 451, my entire Stephen King collection (I have almost every one of his hardcopy books). I can't imagine a day where I don't have books on the shelf... couldn't happen, won't ever happen.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

I've done away with all the ones I can get FREE on Kindle like the old classics and the few that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  Just a couple of very small shelves.  Oh, and my Time-Life hard back classic series like The Civil War, American Indians, The Old West and so forth.  I will NEVER part with those.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I'm sorry, can someone explain why you would get rid of books?

Are they terrible books?
Have they become covered in coffee?
Did James Paterson co-write them?

E-book, DTB, they're all books. Next you'll be asking me which of my legs I want to have cut off.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

tim290280 said:


> I'm sorry, can someone explain why you would get rid of books?
> 
> Are they terrible books?
> Have they become covered in coffee?
> ...


\

To....save...space?


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## LunaraSeries (Jun 19, 2011)

IMO, paperbacks are still the best for airplanes.  I can read half a good scifi novel in a cross country flight without having to put it away for takeoff and landing.  Kindles are better for home use though.


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## CRParks (Jun 18, 2011)

Oh, I could never dispose of my paperbacks! In fact, despite now owning a Kindle, I still pop in charity shops to find £1 gems. The smell, the feel, the look - I don't think I'll stop bargain-hunting for quite a few years.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

RhondaRN said:


> \
> 
> To....save...space?


Save the space from what? Ornaments? 

I've never really thought of books as taking up a lot of space in comparison to other things. I can understand not wanting books you didn't like or are in bad condition, makes room for the good ones. I'm building a book shelf right now that will hold 600 books, and it isn't even floor to ceiling. It will still take up less space than my guitar amps.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

tim290280 said:


> Save the space from what? Ornaments?
> 
> I've never really thought of books as taking up a lot of space in comparison to other things. I can understand not wanting books you didn't like or are in bad condition, makes room for the good ones. I'm building a book shelf right now that will hold 600 books, and it isn't even floor to ceiling. It will still take up less space than my guitar amps.


  I do understand.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

RhondaRN said:


> I do understand.


Yeah, I understand needing to make room. We have a library, but in a couple of the other places we have lived there is no way we'd have room for that. Something has to go, my vote was for the kitchen table, but apparently you are "meant" to own one of them. When I was share-housing our table was a couple of milk crates with a board on top of it, as was our TV stand, come to think of it.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

tim290280 said:


> my vote was for the kitchen table, but apparently you are "meant" to own one of them.


This totally makes sense I have a dining room with a beautiful dining table that NEVER gets used.(not even during the holidays. Instead we sit in the family room in front of the television with our food.) The kids go in there and use it to play chess sometimes or do their homework but that's only once in a great while. They have desks with computers in their room. I could, if I wanted to, take the table out (no one would miss it) and line every wall with bookshelves and make it a library... oh look what YOU did! (oh yes, because just like blaming Daglish for KDP going down yesterday, someone will have to answer for this when the hubby gets home and finds the dining room transformed) ... hmmm I have about 8 hours...


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

I love paperbacks and physical books, so I wouldn't make an attempt to get rid of these books unless I was forced to . . . at gunpoint.

For years I would go to every library sale or garage sale where books were on offer. I miss those books now. Just their being there gave me pleasure, and a sense of comfort.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

I'll be clearing out my paper books over the next year or so. I like simplifying my life and getting rid of things as a general rule, so deleting several hundred pounds of paper and shelf space is definitely on my to-do list now that I have a Kindle.


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## PMCrawford (May 9, 2011)

I think I'm a classic hoarder -- I can't imagine giving away any of the paperbacks I currently own, and it was a struggle to death even to give away my stores of Goosebumps and Animorphs from when I was in elementary school.

This battle occurred less than two years ago, and I'm twenty now, for reference.


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## cperfumo (Apr 15, 2011)

I have been living in Australia for almost two years now and accumulated quite some books (some of them in Spanish). In a year's time I'll have to leave again, so I started thinking of what to do with them. The solution I found is quite neat, I think: I am progressively exchanging my books at second-hand bookstores. If I give them two/three books, I can take one home (and they will even take the ones in Spanish!). The result: my library gets smaller and smaller as I read


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## seattlegurl2 (Jun 21, 2011)

When my husband and I went to Australia for 2 months, he bought a Kindle. I lugged books. He was one happy camper and now is attached to his Kindle. I've slowly followed suit. Still, I love my books and can't imagine letting them go. I even have turn of the century collectors editions, so they're with me forever. But Kindle is the new library. No dusting! yeah! And for travel, so perfect.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

tim290280 said:


> Yeah, I understand needing to make room. We have a library, but in a couple of the other places we have lived there is no way we'd have room for that. Something has to go, my vote was for the kitchen table, but apparently you are "meant" to own one of them. When I was share-housing our table was a couple of milk crates with a board on top of it, as was our TV stand, come to think of it.


I say get rid of the kitchen table, keep the books. Since our girls are grown and gone, we eat in the den watching TV anyway.  I do know the need to keep some books. I have books I will NEVER, ever part with and will be part of my estate when I'm gone. I do understand.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

When you drag out your boxes of saved books (The ones not in the bookshelves: those are "current" books and research materials.) and discover stuff like the cheapie reprint press version of _David Copperfield_, you know it's time to ditch those books!


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