Today is a momentous day for me
Sep. 2nd, 2006 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wook77As much of my flist knows, I'm moving in Feb/March timeframe to a brand-spanking new house (as in, they just broke ground on building my house this past week).
I'm a book h0r. I hoard books. I sometimes pick them up and pet them as I love my books that much. When I moved to Arizona three years ago, I had 40 boxes of books and I've not gotten rid of more than 2 or 3 books since then but have bought many many more.
Today, then, is a momentous day for me. I'm purging books because I don't want to move them to the new house. I figured out that it costs me 27 dollars a box to move them (calculating the average weight of a box of books vs the rate per pound).
I'm over 10 boxes of books down and I feel like weeping. Some of these books kept me company in the lonely days of first moving across the country with not knowing a single person. Some of these books comforted me when I was in college, after my two engagements ended or when I was suffering from teenage!angst. I've tied up so much of my life in these books, they've become friends, in a way. I know when I'm in a certain mood, I can go to my shelves and pick up a certain book and thumb to a certain passage to feel better.
It was only fitting that the first book I placed in the first box was the first book I bought for myself with my first paycheck. It was a teenage romance novel abuot a girl that had to choose between two boys she liked very much during the Johnstown flood and it was called "Jennie".
I'm ready to get rid of these books and I don't mean to imply anything else. I've found that perhaps I've tied up too much of myself, my hopes and dreams, my vision of real life romance, into these books. In previous times (back when I actually dated instead of being fat and loser-ish), I would compare the boys I dated with the men in the books and real life never stacked up.
It's time to be a bit more realistic about my life and my goals. It's time to not have so much of me tied up in thousands (and yes, I do mean thousands) of books and spend a bit more time in the real world. It's time to only keep those that I enjoy leikwhoa and purge the rest.
But still, I feel like weeping because these books have meant so much to me and I feel like I'm giving away a beloved pet or something. The only thing keeping me from actually crying is that these books are being donated to the media sale at work so that the proceeds from the sales will help victims of animal cruelty. At least I'm helping someone out. I don't think that I could do this if I were to have a yardsale and sell them.
To make this less about me and my angst... do you all have a favourite book that you just can't bear to part with? Cheesy romance novel, sci-fi, fantasy, murder mystery, book read to you as a child, any of them. Is there a story behind why?
and please, I know we all can't bear to part with the HP books
I'm a book h0r. I hoard books. I sometimes pick them up and pet them as I love my books that much. When I moved to Arizona three years ago, I had 40 boxes of books and I've not gotten rid of more than 2 or 3 books since then but have bought many many more.
Today, then, is a momentous day for me. I'm purging books because I don't want to move them to the new house. I figured out that it costs me 27 dollars a box to move them (calculating the average weight of a box of books vs the rate per pound).
I'm over 10 boxes of books down and I feel like weeping. Some of these books kept me company in the lonely days of first moving across the country with not knowing a single person. Some of these books comforted me when I was in college, after my two engagements ended or when I was suffering from teenage!angst. I've tied up so much of my life in these books, they've become friends, in a way. I know when I'm in a certain mood, I can go to my shelves and pick up a certain book and thumb to a certain passage to feel better.
It was only fitting that the first book I placed in the first box was the first book I bought for myself with my first paycheck. It was a teenage romance novel abuot a girl that had to choose between two boys she liked very much during the Johnstown flood and it was called "Jennie".
I'm ready to get rid of these books and I don't mean to imply anything else. I've found that perhaps I've tied up too much of myself, my hopes and dreams, my vision of real life romance, into these books. In previous times (back when I actually dated instead of being fat and loser-ish), I would compare the boys I dated with the men in the books and real life never stacked up.
It's time to be a bit more realistic about my life and my goals. It's time to not have so much of me tied up in thousands (and yes, I do mean thousands) of books and spend a bit more time in the real world. It's time to only keep those that I enjoy leikwhoa and purge the rest.
But still, I feel like weeping because these books have meant so much to me and I feel like I'm giving away a beloved pet or something. The only thing keeping me from actually crying is that these books are being donated to the media sale at work so that the proceeds from the sales will help victims of animal cruelty. At least I'm helping someone out. I don't think that I could do this if I were to have a yardsale and sell them.
To make this less about me and my angst... do you all have a favourite book that you just can't bear to part with? Cheesy romance novel, sci-fi, fantasy, murder mystery, book read to you as a child, any of them. Is there a story behind why?
and please, I know we all can't bear to part with the HP books
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 08:47 pm (UTC)I also have some rare costume books that you can't find at libraries. If you ever want to know anything about 15th C. Turkish costume, I'm your girl!
There are hundreds of books here. I have to split them with T. He came with a great many of them.
What a beautiful thing to give your precious books to help the animals! You're wonderful!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 10:44 pm (UTC)I'll know where to go on that then. I have Mongolian History books that I needed for a class that I'm keeping because they're so hard to find and I love the Mongols.
:) The tax break will be nice as well :). I plan on going WAY over the cap this year with donating stuff instead of moving it. I have mattresses and dressers and clothes and things yet to donate as well.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 11:36 pm (UTC)