I generally keep every book I read. I am pretty spartan in possessions otherwise, but it’s the one collection I still allow myself through multiple moves. I track it back to me being a slow reader, easily distracted, so finishing a book is still feels like an accomplishment, something I am proud to do every time. My bookshelf is like a trophy case in that way, so I can say to myself “look what I accomplished.” I love to look at it. From high school until the late ‘00s, I actually kept the shelves in chronological order of when I read them as a sort of record of reading. At some point it got ungainly in moving apartments and I lost track of the order (it’s something I’ve tried to recreate on Goodreads). Spurred by limited shelf space and the fact that there are so many books I read & loved that are not on the shelf (borrowed, library, audiobooks), I just recently allowed myself to take books off I hated. As for the unread stack, like many readers and lovers of bookstores, that I will always struggle with. The temptation to pick up more books even though I know how many already sit there untouched. And I will trim that if I can accept I’m not going to muster the enthusiasm to read a book, though some can sit in that stack for years and actually get read (Rum Punch sat there for like 7 years and I read this year - and loved it).
I will admit to also keeping all of my hardcover dictionaries, thesauri, translation manuals, highly specific glossaries, etc.... I don't know, they make me feel safe? And I do have the same thought as you about internet outages, however post-apocalyptic that may seem. I've moved a lot cross-country in recent years and I have culled my book collection a lot, but I am down to about 25 small book boxes (although that includes photo albums and sheet music and a few other non-exactly-book-items) that come with me everywhere :) These days, I try to take all my lighter reading out of the library, and only buy books that I might want to mark up/reread. It's a compromise, ha.
possible rereading is a good yardstick for keeping books (i also do that), but i also just keep books that i have an irrational love for, like london fields by martin amis, which i read each day during a college summer job over lunch at mcdonald's in midtown (by myself, every day!).
My whole bookcase is a largely unread, but steadily expanding, monument to roads not taken; but I've gradually decided I'm OK with that.
I generally keep every book I read. I am pretty spartan in possessions otherwise, but it’s the one collection I still allow myself through multiple moves. I track it back to me being a slow reader, easily distracted, so finishing a book is still feels like an accomplishment, something I am proud to do every time. My bookshelf is like a trophy case in that way, so I can say to myself “look what I accomplished.” I love to look at it. From high school until the late ‘00s, I actually kept the shelves in chronological order of when I read them as a sort of record of reading. At some point it got ungainly in moving apartments and I lost track of the order (it’s something I’ve tried to recreate on Goodreads). Spurred by limited shelf space and the fact that there are so many books I read & loved that are not on the shelf (borrowed, library, audiobooks), I just recently allowed myself to take books off I hated. As for the unread stack, like many readers and lovers of bookstores, that I will always struggle with. The temptation to pick up more books even though I know how many already sit there untouched. And I will trim that if I can accept I’m not going to muster the enthusiasm to read a book, though some can sit in that stack for years and actually get read (Rum Punch sat there for like 7 years and I read this year - and loved it).
I will admit to also keeping all of my hardcover dictionaries, thesauri, translation manuals, highly specific glossaries, etc.... I don't know, they make me feel safe? And I do have the same thought as you about internet outages, however post-apocalyptic that may seem. I've moved a lot cross-country in recent years and I have culled my book collection a lot, but I am down to about 25 small book boxes (although that includes photo albums and sheet music and a few other non-exactly-book-items) that come with me everywhere :) These days, I try to take all my lighter reading out of the library, and only buy books that I might want to mark up/reread. It's a compromise, ha.
As always, thoughtful and incisive; beautifully written with self-deprecating humor and insight.
possible rereading is a good yardstick for keeping books (i also do that), but i also just keep books that i have an irrational love for, like london fields by martin amis, which i read each day during a college summer job over lunch at mcdonald's in midtown (by myself, every day!).