I love books as much as the next nerd, but I’ve been mostly cured of the compulsion to own each and every book I plan to read.
How can a bibliophile live with buying no new books? Simple: a library card.
I’ll let the ever smart and snarky Mr. Money Mustache explain: “I know the home-based bookshelf is emotionally attractive to many who fancy themselves to be intellectuals. But if you are really that smart, why are you paying dearly for something that you can get for free?”
Now I can “own” practically any book I want to read without spending a single dime or finding permanent storage for said book. I store borrowed books on a shelf in the coffee table, and make a point of returning completed books promptly.
Benefits of my home include its proximity to the local branch of the Pratt library, and the fact that the house has one built-in bookshelf. For a book to land a coveted spot on that shelf, I have to know I will read it again, and/or know of a friend I’d like to share it with. There are several books on the shelf that I decided to purchase only after reading a copy I’d borrowed from the library, e.g. Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill.
And if I ultimately decide that a book isn’t suiting me, I take it to the Little Free Library. There are two in Patterson Park, and if that’s not close to your Baltimore abode (or you’re one of my dedicated European readers with an understandable love of organization and inexplicable love of Baltimore-specific blogs) here’s a map of all of the Little Free Libraries in the world.
An excess of books might be the noblest form of clutter, but it’s clutter all the same. Take some time to curate your ideal bookshelf and free your home from the piles of unread and never-to-be-read-again books, by just storing them in the building you already pay for with your taxes.
P.S. If I’m purchasing a book I already know I love, or if I’m gifting books to others, or if I’m breaking my own rule because of being an occasional hypocrite, I’ll shop at a used bookstore or order it new from Greedy Reads or another locally owned, independent bookstore. Never Amazon, y’all.