Help me clear out my p-books prior to moving!

ficbot · 07-17-2009, 08:32 AM

I am trying to de-clutter and clear out some stuff before I move in two weeks. I really want a cleaner, more open look in my new place, and am trying to streamline my books a little now that I am well set-up with an ebook reader and Calibre. I am keeping all my non-fiction books (I prefer those in paper since they often have illustrations which are important, or in the case of cookbooks, I like being able to see a whole laid out page) but for fiction, my rule has been as follows:

- If it is available at Fictionwise, check it and add it to my FW wishlist. If I never want to read it again, I have saved the shelf space. If I do want to read it again, it's ready to be bought and enjoyed in e-version and I still have saved the shelf space.

- If it is not available in e-version, keep it for now'

So far, I have chucked half a dozen books in this fashion. But where I am stuck in on a certain set of books I have which are a series. The most recent two in the series where 100% micropay rebates at Fictionwise, so I have e-versions of them. The rest are in print in mass market paperback. BUT my set of those is incomplete as I got rid of some of them during a prior move.

There are many books in the series (around 30) so it would be expensive to replace them all. I do know I will read them again as I enjoy this series a lot. As well, I have a lot of unread ebooks right now. So I am tempted to chuck them all, read other things, and then buy them in e-book one at a time when I run out of other things to read and want to go back to these.

I do think it would be nice to have them ALL in e-book so I have a complete set. But otoh the frugal part of me hesitates to re-buy something I own already...

dadioflex · 07-17-2009, 08:57 AM

Edit.

doreenjoy · 07-17-2009, 01:55 PM

Kudos to you for downsizing.

I went a step further and also tossed any P-books that were readily available in the public library, or that I didn't think I'd read again.

I know have under 300 pbooks in my house, and over 100 of them are TBR.

I don't have ethical problems with throwing old books away. Where I live, the charity stores have so many books that they no longer accept them as donations. My unwanted books either end up going to friends or being tossed in the recycling bin.

wayspooled · 07-17-2009, 04:11 PM

Toss a couple in your car each day and when you stop at stores or restaurants or such, leave 'em behind on the seat or bench or counter. Free them to roam the world!
Be free little book! Be free!

BookishDreamer · 07-17-2009, 04:42 PM

I took a box of books to work and let my co-workers take what they wanted.

Dreamer

zelda_pinwheel · 07-17-2009, 04:43 PM

i give my books away to my public library for their "book exchange" and to a café near my house which has an informal lending library. in theory, it's "give one, take one" with them but i try to avoid taking, since i want to reduce the overall number of pbooks i'm storing...

ficbot · 07-17-2009, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayspooled

Toss a couple in your car each day and when you stop at stores or restaurants or such, leave 'em behind on the seat or bench or counter. Free them to roam the world!
Be free little book! Be free!

LOL I like this a lot better than my previous plan, which was 'leave them in a box in the garage for my landlady to deal with.' Our used bookstore won't take paperbacks unless they are mint condition current best-sellers by popular authors. P-books are seriously such a bad investment, there are too many already and nobody wants them

That's what I love about ebooks, I can buy as many as I want to and keep them forever and they take up NO space!

I just want a clean, uncluttered look for my new place. I want to be able t relax and enjoy myself without so much STUFF lying around! And I don't want to pay the movers to schlep so many boxes

chlorine · 07-18-2009, 08:01 AM

Have you people heard of BookCrossing? It's a website _devoted_ to set books free and learning what happens to them afterwards.
It sounds like exactly the thing some of you who try to get rid of books should be doing, and it's a lot of fun!

chlorine · 07-18-2009, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i give my books away to my public library for their "book exchange" and to a café near my house which has an informal lending library. in theory, it's "give one, take one" with them but i try to avoid taking, since i want to reduce the overall number of pbooks i'm storing...

Which library is that and how do you know when book exchanges happen? I might be interested in this...

zelda_pinwheel · 07-18-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chlorine

Which library is that and how do you know when book exchanges happen? I might be interested in this...

it's the library François Villon at Colonel Fabien ; they have a "bourse aux livres" a few times a year, they will have a poster in the entry to tell the date a few weeks in advance (it's probably a regular schedule every 3 months or so but i've never paid attention enough to notice...). it is usually on a saturday, they put a table in the entry and everyone can put their books to give away on the table, and if you see a book which interests you you can take it. since i never know when the bourse will happen, whenever i have some books to give away i just give them to the librarian and tell them it's for the bourse aux livres, and they put them away until the next one. i think it's a really great idea, i'm surprised they don't do it in all libraries (maybe they do it in others, i don't know ; François Villon is "my" library).

wayspooled · 07-18-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chlorine

Have you people heard of BookCrossing? It's a website _devoted_ to set books free and learning what happens to them afterwards.
It sounds like exactly the thing some of you who try to get rid of books should be doing, and it's a lot of fun!

+

Yes, that's where my idea came from

I never got into trying to track the books I passed on, I just like the idea that random strangers might be enjoying them. I've still got some stickers from Bookcrossing but that's only because I was too lazy to enter them on the computer when I left them places. I think the B-Xng idea is excellent. Recycling a book is such a waste when any way of passing it on might help someone.

Elfwreck · 07-18-2009, 10:37 AM

You can sign up at bookcrossing.com, and label the books you're going to donate to that, and leave them around in places where others can read them.

chlorine · 07-18-2009, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it's the library François Villon at Colonel Fabien ; they have a "bourse aux livres" a few times a year, they will have a poster in the entry to tell the date a few weeks in advance (it's probably a regular schedule every 3 months or so but i've never paid attention enough to notice...).

I've tried to look on the website of the libraries of Paris, but they don't mention this. I don't know if they do it at my library because I'm not a regular goer at all (last time I went the clerk was baffled because he had to renew my registration because I hadn't been here in over a year!).

Well, it's not enough benefit for me to bother too much about it since your library is far from my place. Thanks for the information!

zelda_pinwheel · 07-18-2009, 12:18 PM

the library website is pretty bad i think. there is a lot of info missing, i'm not surprised the don't mention the bourse aux livres, i think it's just informally organised by the librarians. it's possible they do the same thing at your library ; if not, you could suggest it.

i admit i have been neglecting my library since i got a liseuse.

i used to go all the time and always have the maximum number of books checked out... but i haven't borrowed anything in months.

Elsi · 07-18-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayspooled

Toss a couple in your car each day and when you stop at stores or restaurants or such, leave 'em behind on the seat or bench or counter. Free them to roam the world!
Be free little book! Be free!

And if you register them at BookCrossing, you might find out if someone picked them up.

07-17-2009, 08:32 AM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Help me clear out my p-books prior to moving! I am trying to de-clutter and clear out some stuff before I move in two weeks. I really want a cleaner, more open look in my new place, and am trying to streamline my books a little now that I am well set-up with an ebook reader and Calibre. I am keeping all my non-fiction books (I prefer those in paper since they often have illustrations which are important, or in the case of cookbooks, I like being able to see a whole laid out page) but for fiction, my rule has been as follows: - If it is available at Fictionwise, check it and add it to my FW wishlist. If I never want to read it again, I have saved the shelf space. If I do want to read it again, it's ready to be bought and enjoyed in e-version and I still have saved the shelf space. - If it is not available in e-version, keep it for now' So far, I have chucked half a dozen books in this fashion. But where I am stuck in on a certain set of books I have which are a series. The most recent two in the series where 100% micropay rebates at Fictionwise, so I have e-versions of them. The rest are in print in mass market paperback. BUT my set of those is incomplete as I got rid of some of them during a prior move. There are many books in the series (around 30) so it would be expensive to replace them all. I do know I will read them again as I enjoy this series a lot. As well, I have a lot of unread ebooks right now. So I am tempted to chuck them all, read other things, and then buy them in e-book one at a time when I run out of other things to read and want to go back to these. I do think it would be nice to have them ALL in e-book so I have a complete set. But otoh the frugal part of me hesitates to re-buy something I own already...

07-17-2009, 08:57 AM	#2
dadioflex Dyslexic Count Posts: 526 Karma: 5041991 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Palm TX, Advent Vega, iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle	Edit. Last edited by dadioflex; 12-16-2010 at 03:37 AM.

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07-17-2009, 01:55 PM	#3
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Kudos to you for downsizing. I went a step further and also tossed any P-books that were readily available in the public library, or that I didn't think I'd read again. I know have under 300 pbooks in my house, and over 100 of them are TBR. I don't have ethical problems with throwing old books away. Where I live, the charity stores have so many books that they no longer accept them as donations. My unwanted books either end up going to friends or being tossed in the recycling bin.

07-17-2009, 04:11 PM	#4
wayspooled Crab In The Dark Posts: 486 Karma: 2328180 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Tablet PC until a 10" comes out that I like	Toss a couple in your car each day and when you stop at stores or restaurants or such, leave 'em behind on the seat or bench or counter. Free them to roam the world! Be free little book! Be free!

07-17-2009, 04:42 PM	#5
BookishDreamer Cultural Artist Posts: 1,128 Karma: 12829 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony 505, Kindle 2	I took a box of books to work and let my co-workers take what they wanted. Dreamer

07-17-2009, 04:43 PM	#6
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i give my books away to my public library for their "book exchange" and to a café near my house which has an informal lending library. in theory, it's "give one, take one" with them but i try to avoid taking, since i want to reduce the overall number of pbooks i'm storing...

07-18-2009, 08:01 AM	#8
chlorine Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle paperwhite 2	Have you people heard of BookCrossing? It's a website _devoted_ to set books free and learning what happens to them afterwards. It sounds like exactly the thing some of you who try to get rid of books should be doing, and it's a lot of fun!

07-18-2009, 10:37 AM	#12
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	You can sign up at bookcrossing.com, and label the books you're going to donate to that, and leave them around in places where others can read them.

07-18-2009, 12:18 PM	#14
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	the library website is pretty bad i think. there is a lot of info missing, i'm not surprised the don't mention the bourse aux livres, i think it's just informally organised by the librarians. it's possible they do the same thing at your library ; if not, you could suggest it. i admit i have been neglecting my library since i got a liseuse. i used to go all the time and always have the maximum number of books checked out... but i haven't borrowed anything in months.

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