how to best discard and organize your books

I’m in this whole “discarding” phase.

We are redoing our kitchen. Let me just tell you, if you want to know what dinnerware and kitchen appliances you don’t need, just take all your cabinet doors off and look at them for days on end.

As always, one “discarding” activity leads to more. At least it does for me.

I’m reading a most interesting book which features the KonMarie method of organizing. I plan on posting my opinion on this very popular method as soon as I finish the book.  I will say that I think she’s pretty much out there about some things, but there is lots of good material as well.

One of the categories I read about today (I should say “heard” because I also have the CD’s from the library), was about how to get rid of books. I’m a huge book hoarder. I love to read and generally am reading more than one non-fiction book at a time. Fiction is one at a time. The KonMarie method makes some good points about books. However, I think I have a really good idea to add.

And by the way, I would love a library. Look at this one.  Oh, yea!!!!!!

My method refers primarily to novels. My non-fiction books undergo a different kind of scrutiny.

Because my blog largely focuses on faith and mental health issues, I will probably keep all those types of books, which is a good-size collection. I’ve read them all so evaluating them shouldn’t prove difficult. They have become good “friends” along my journey.

Anyway  here’s how I’m making my selections.

I’m taking pictures of each of them and then selling or donating them.  I’ve haven’t got around to reading them yet.

Blogging takes a lot of my time and because of some changes I’m making to my  blog over the next few months, it will take even more time. Plus, I have lots of books on my “NOOK”.  ( I love organizing on my “NOOK” because it’s so easy. Don’t even have to get up and move. 🙂

So why keep them around? What if don’t get around to reading them? I decided that I can always get them out of the library, so why not let the library “house” them for me?

I have to be honest, I did think about tearing out some of the chapters of certain books and put them in a folder, but I just don’t think I can do that to a book. 

My daughter, who is a huge reader, loved the idea. She did this today and has a stack of about fifty books she’s putting on an on-line garage sale site.

If you’re like me, you have too much of everything. And if you’re an avid reader, I know you have lots of books that someone else can enjoy. Trust me, I’m all for having things around us that make us feel good. I think we can take the “organizing” and “discarding” thing way too far. Besides, I’ll still have plenty of books.

Most of us don’t want to live in sterile environments. We should have things around us that make us comfortable and feel good. But sometimes there’s so much “stuff” lying around and causing chaos, we can’t enjoy them.

After I discard some books, I will organize my books according to the main topic covered in each.

For example, my books on prayer often devote some space to mental health issues and some of my mental health books will mention prayer. So I will take what I consider is the main focus of each book and categorize them that way. I might use colored stickers on the edge of each book for cross-reference purposes.

Green might be for prayer, red for depression, etc. Probably only four or five categories at the most. Then I will be able to tell the books that I could use for multiple purposes. Sound a little complicated but for my purposes it will be very helpful.

However, I think children should have books everywhere.

Well, that’s my Tuesday tidbit for today.

God bless and I hope you have a good day.