I went insane today, absolutely insane, there are no other words to describe what I have done. Insanity is the most fitting to describe the actions that took place over the course of today. It all started rather innocently, I was re-organizing my bookshelves when suddenly with a rabid fever I begun to pluck books off left and right. First to go were some of the books that I have read recently and rated a four star rating or lower, I don't desire to own books that I don't love. Then a book or two that has recently been replaced with hardcovers or nicer editions. Several books that I have just lost interest in. Then I stepped back and surveyed the rest of my books ... I own a lot of classics that I quite honestly do not have the desire to read, or re-read for that matter. I pulled them all off of the shelves and went over all of them rather carefully and made my selections on which to own and which to sell. The results? 49 books were unhauled today. It made me feel sick, it made me feel guilty, it made me feel kind of sad, but it also made me feel relieved. The books that are left on my shelves are all books that I have either read and loved, or books that I am excited about reading, and that is a wonderful feeling. People's tastes in books change over the years and I find that I am not a exception. I am going to try to list all titles featured in this unhaul, below:
Children's Books:
While I did enjoy some of these books, I just don't desire to own any middle grade books. I can always just check them out from the library if I ever want to read them again.
"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams Bianco. I may have to give this to my nieces and/or nephew. Such a precious book.
"Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. I actually rather enjoyed this amusing little book, but I don't think that I want to actually own it.
"The Borrowers" and "The Borrowers Afloat" by Mary Norton. Some of my favorite books as a child. Again, I have just outgrown them and they no longer have a place on my shelves.
"My Friend Flicka" and "Thunderhead" by Mary O'Hara. Some of my favorite books as a teenager.
"Many Waters" and "An Acceptable Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. I actually just hauled the first three books from this series in a beautiful leather bound edition, but I think that the first three books are the only ones that I actually want to own.
"The Spindlers" by Mary Oliver. Much too young for my tastes. I might give this one to my younger sister.
"The Princess and the Goblin" by George McDonald.
Young Adult Books:
"Legend" by Marie Lu. I didn't enjoy this book very much and have no desire to keep it.
"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi. I hated this book. It has to go.
"Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas. I loved this book so much that I bought it in the hardcover edition to replace this paperback.
"The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken. I enjoyed this book, I just don't want to own it.
"The Archived" by Victoria Schwab. This is my damaged edition that has since been replaced.
"Something Wicked this way Comes" by Ray Bradbury. I just don't feel like keeping this one.
"Not a Drop to Drink" by Mindy McGinnis. I lost all interest in this one.
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. I decided not to read this one, especially after realizing that it is a five book series.
Adult Books:
"The Bone Season" by Samantha Shannon. I have heard mixed thoughts on this book and after finding out that it is one of a eight book series I just don't even want to give it a try.
"Far Far Away" by Tom McNeal. Nope, not feeling it.
"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I have heard some pretty poor things on this one.
"The Town that forgot how to Breathe" by Kenneth J. Harvey. I have lost all interest.
"Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn. I don't even want to read this now.
Classics:
This was the most difficult one, the one that hurt the most.
"Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. This one has sat unread on my shelves for many years and I feel that it would just continue to do so.
"Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray. I just don't feel the interest at the time. I can always check it out from the library if I ever do feel like reading it.
"The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton. I have no interest.
"Barchester Towers" by Anthony Trollope. No interest.
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" by Charles Dickens. Not feeling it.
"The Black Arrow" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Not really feeling a interest in this one either.
"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. I have a five novel leather bound edition that contains this title. Much prettier book then this one.
"The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane. I don't really have the interest.
"Twice Told Tales" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm not interested in these short stories.
"The Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. I don't have the desire to read this one.
"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. I lost my interest in this one.
A collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have a prettier edition.
"The Red House Mystery" by A.A. Milne. Doesn't catch my attention.
"The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Kind of interests me, but I probably wouldn't want to own it in any case. I can check it out from the library if I end up wanting to read it.
"Hard Times" by Charles Dickens. Doesn't really interest me.
"Main Street" by Sinclair Lewis. Does not sound like a book that I would enjoy.
"The Sea Wolf" by Jack London. Sounds a little interesting but not enough to make me want to keep it.
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. Doesn't sound like something that I would enjoy.
"Tess of the D'Ubervilles" by Thomas Hardy. I might want to borrow this from the library someday.
"The Old Curiosity Shop" by Charles Dickens. I don't feel like I want to read this one.
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller. This one really doesn't sound like my type of book.
Well, there you have it. My book purge. I am going to be tip-toeing around books from here on out. I am going to try to only purchase books of which I have already read and know that I love, but that doesn't always work out. Sometimes in order to read a book I have to first buy it because my library might not actually have it. And let's be truthful here, there is something delicious about having 'some' unread books on your shelf too. The option of going to your own personal library to seek out a new book to read. Books written by my still living favorite authors (that sounds awful) will of course be bought sight unseen, and those favorite authors are all releasing new books in 2016 which all sound amazing. And all of these books featured in this book unhaul aren't necessary scratched off permanently from my reading down the road, I just don't feel the desire to own them, or to read them anytime soon.
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