When to Get Rid of Books

Thanks to Book Tok, reading a lot is once again mega-trendy. Not that it ever goes out of style entirely. While reading being a popular pastime is far from bad, excessive consumption of anything—especially when that thing has a direct environmental impact—is not a good look. I’m guilty of this, especially since the rate at which I read my books cannot compare to the rate at which I buy them, but there is a conscious way to read that’s better for your bank account, your shelf space, and your carbon footprint.

Whilst you should read to your heart’s content, you should also consider that buying new books is not the only way to enjoy reading as a hobby. eBooks, library books, and buying used are all great options to read in a more environmentally conscious way. However, if you read a lot, even buying just a handful of books each year is going to add up quickly if you do not say goodbye to your old or uninteresting titles.

This is where knowing when to get rid of your books becomes a godsend. It can feel like more trouble than its worth, but a decluttered bookshelf space with a little room for new books to enter creates a sense of promise, banishing the dread that comes with looking at your overflowing shelves and wondering where to house your pretty, new books.

Why you should get rid of books

• One man’s trash – High on the list of why you should always consider donating or selling your old books is simply that someone else might love them too, and for a cheaper price than you were able to pay. Plus, even if you do not rate a book very highly, that does not mean someone else won’t, hence, they will see the treasure in something you don’t see as one.
• You don’t need them – If you aren’t going to read your books again, or loan them out to friends or family, the fact is, you don’t actually need them. Being clear about why you still own a book beyond having read it is a great start when trying to work out whether it’s best to get rid of it.
• Your shelves should reflect you – Unless you really, really hated a book and it has come to define your anti-taste, you don’t need to hold on to that 1 star read from two years ago that someone online recommended. You can let it go and make room for something better to take its place.

When you should get rid of books

Sometimes, we need a little friendly reminder of when it’s a good idea to say goodbye to our dear old friends. Here are 5 reasons you should get rid of books:

You have more books than space

I’m guilty of this one and I have only just begun to address the problem. I’m so serious about it that I made decluttering my shelves one of my goals for the year. My books periodically end up on the floor because I have no physical shelf space left. In this case, it’s not an aesthetic choice, it’s a problem. A problem that can be solved by sending my books on.

You have no connection to the books

Borrowing from the Marie Kondo school of thought, if it does not ‘spark joy’ you don’t need to keep it. This is a great way to avoid getting rid of books simply because they’re old because sometimes, you can get a lot of genuine feelings from a book you read ten years ago. Maybe the book inspired you, maybe you loved it, maybe it was a gift from a friend or part of a book club. Whatever the reason, if you feel you have a connection with a book, it should stay. If you don’t, let it go.

Your books are all old

Despite what I said in the previous tip, in some cases having a bunch of old books that you do not have a connection to is not a great idea. Maybe you’ve stopped buying your own physical books, and your shelves are now stacked primarily with books from years past. If you haven’t reached for any of them, or even glanced at them, for a while, it’s probably time for some of them to go.

You have a lot of unread books

Even if you bought a book, you are not obligated to read it. You are well within your rights to realise that you no longer have an interest in reading it and let it go. Sometimes we just let books collect dust on our shelves, even if we wanted to read them when they first arrived in our homes. Things change. You need the space. Apologise and see it off.

Your shelves stress you out

This is a big one. I’ve had periods of time when looking at my shelves seriously stresses me out and wondered why, only to realise that the books on them don’t resonate with me the way they once did. I ignored this feeling multiple times until I realised that even getting rid of a few lifted a burden I did not know I had.

It may not be easy to clear out your shelves, especially when you have no idea what to do with the books once you do, but the first step of realising that they need to go is very important. It can be hard to accept that enough is enough, or that you might benefit from decreasing the clutter. You’ll feel accomplished as long as you find a balance between being realistic and being ruthless.

How do you get rid of your books?