Make Room on the Shelf

 

            In a few days, I plan to update you on my reading adventures from the past few weeks. I’m thoroughly enjoying making/having time to read again, and I’m enjoying the push of my reading plan. I’m exploring books I otherwise might not have picked up.

            I actually moved my library to our new home ahead of our “real” move, and it was one of the sweetest experiences. I had an entire day devoted to unpacking my book boxes and shelving everything in a loving and orderly manner. I was able to reuse the boxes to pack other things, and when the official moving day arrived, I already had one wall complete. That was a win for my tired mind that day!

            This library of mine means something to me. When I worked at WBCL, my library grew significantly. In the years following my station work, I reviewed books and packed the shelves even tighter. Eventually I realized I needed to go through and downsize the overflowing collection. It was so hard to do. It seemed wrong to get rid of books – even if I wasn’t banishing them from the earth. They went to new and loving homes, but it still felt wrong to my reading and writing heart to remove any from this home.

            It ended up being one of my best decisions, because it allowed me to fully determine what kinds of books I wanted to own. There are books I may only want to read once, and when that happens, borrowing from a friend or library works perfectly. But what do I want to own? If someone walked through our home and stopped to peruse the shelves, what story of my life and heart do I want them to see from the books they find on my shelves?

            In clearing out books that weren’t really a fit for my passions and interests, what books did I make room for?

            Here were some of the guidelines I followed in making those decisions:

·        *  I gave all preference to authors I’ve grown to love. Whether fiction or nonfiction, if I love the author, the books stayed. In some cases, that meant keeping complete collections. In other cases, it meant I only owned a book or two, but I wanted to make space to own the rest penned by that author.

·       *   I kept books that were significant to a piece of my life’s journey, even if I may not go back to those books again and again. There’s a book I read probably twenty years ago, and it infuriated me in a way no book ever has. I was offended to my core – and publicly called out by the author, too, but that’s a whole separate story. I doubt I will ever have the stamina to ever reread the book, but I kept it, because seeing the cover reminds me of the way I do not want to write. It reminds me of how I do not want to behave in interacting with people who may read any book I ever write. And it reminds me of a book I’d like to write someday in relation to the same topic.

·       *   I kept books that have been dear and meaningful to my growth. These books are highlighted, underlined, and lived-in. They have been my teachers in paper classrooms, and I can’t possibly part with them.

·      *   I kept books I’ve still not read, but I promise I will…I promise! (As you’ll learn in my next reading update, the book I’m reading right now has been part of my library since 2005, and I’m just now opening it.)

·      *    I kept books that I have referenced in some of my own writing and speaking. They have sticky notes peeking up from within, marking passages that are worth sharing.

·     *     I kept a few books that I know are out of print, so even if I’m not entirely sure if they’re my favorites, I don’t want to risk not being able to return to them one day.

I have a running wish list of other books I’d like to add in years to come, but I’m grateful for the robust library of literary goodness I’ve collected over a lifetime. Some have been with me since childhood and others arrived just this week. (Those were for work, but they still matter!)

If you’re a reader…what have you made room for on your library shelves?