the books chapter
When it comes to collecting (or hoarding) any kind of object, my only true weakness is for books. I've acquired all sorts of junk throughout my life, but books are a special case.
I have always loved reading, but in my mid-twenties I strayed into the world of academia and books took on an even more magical status than they had before. Each one seemed to promise untold wonders. I could never leave a bookstore empty-handed. I brought them into the house with such pride. Even as I became more and more resolute about decluttering my living space, the stacks of books never entered the picture.
But when we had our daughter, I had to dismantle the tall bookcases that were in the room we wanted for her bedroom. There was nowhere else for the books to go, at least not all of them. After much protest, and many sermons on what an impossible task it would be, I finally had to face the prospect of letting them go.
It was a difficult process, not least because I could remember the circumstances, the inspiration, behind each book in my collection. There were clusters of books that centred around fleeting curiosities, dense academic texts, plays and poetry that had caught my eye, all the way down to books that I'd only bought because they were referenced in other books! For each one, I had to ask myself whether I really intended to read it or, if I already had, whether I really meant to read it again. I tried, as well, to consider that someone else might want the opportunity to read it, and that it might offer them that same sense of discovery that it had, at one time, extended to me.
It took several passes, but I managed to give up more than 200 books, maybe two thirds of what I owned. All sold or donated to charity. I still have plenty left. But I expect the remaining collection will reduce more gradually. Perhaps now I will actually be able to read them before I pass them on.
So far, surprisingly, I don't regret giving away any of them. They played their part in my life at the time I needed them. And they're not lost forever - they're just waiting for me to give them my full attention again.