I’m considering blaming the internet for this… there used to be a time when once I’d finished reading a book, if I didn’t want to keep it forever and ever, I’d take it to the library and donate it, or I’d get a dollar or two for it from the local used bookstore. Back in those days, my used bookstore didn’t put their nose up in the air over book club books. Then, when Summer came around, I’d cart a box of books to the end of the driveway and sell them; $1 for hardback and $.50 for paperback.
Richard and I are starting to get squeezed out of our house by the accumulation of books we have. Granted, I buy more books than he does, but that aside, we don’t have any bookshelf space left. I have books sitting on the floor, my desk and the dining room table. It was funny, but now it isn’t.
I spent all of yesterday calling Goodwill, Salvation Army, the school board, the libraries just to see if I could donate my books. A week ago I dragged my collapsible grocery cart down to the nearest used book store. 28 books and out of all of those, they took three and paid me $5.00. The others weren’t taken because they either already had them on the shelf, or they were book club books.
Today was taken up checking to see if they might be sold on Amazon.com or Half.com. Most of the books I wanted to put up would be lucky if they sold for $.50. Many of those would be competing with 130 other books at the same price.
I hate to throw away books. Especially when they’re in such good condition and they’re all great books to read. It looks like that may be my only choice.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might do with them?
You could start a book swap group with online friends. I would love to do that.
Kristina
More to the comment that I posted at xanga – we’ve had the same problems with a couple of our local charities too. I think it can be disgraceful – I’m sure that there are many people out there that would like to spend less than the cover price for books.
There is one other charity I’ll call. They just weren’t open on Friday. It really does throw me that not even the big charities would take my books. When I was a kid, one of the best places to go for affordable books was Goodwill.
Would the charities not take them? Here we get plastic bags pushed through the door periodically asking for clothes, books, etc… We get rid of many of our excess books that way because like you we have times when its feels like our home is being taken over.