Read by Theme discussion

For those of you who buy physical books, what do you do with them once you're through?

At the moment, my answer would be that I keep most of them. I have a huge backlog of owned-but-unread books, and most of the ones I have read already are ones that I knew I would love and want to keep.

But I also have the tendency to accidentally buy duplicates (and, every once and a while, a book that I really can't stand), and so I've been thinking about what to do with them. I've taken some of them to a local thrift store as well as traded in a few at a local used bookstore, but I'm finding myself wishing that there was an established book trading club/event in my area.

So what do you do with yours?

ii havent really thought about that. i keep all of mine. when i was younger and i didnt like a book i would give it to our little library. but now im in a bigger city. i would probably do the same though.

I have 3 shelves on which I am allowed (by myself) to keep books I've read. If it doesn't fit, I have to get rid of it or make room for it by getting rid of some other book. I rarely re-read books anyway, but I keep ones I want to share with others. My other shelves are filled with to-read books. I give all my other already-read books to the Friends of the Library for their book sale or sell them through Powell's Bookstore on occasion. The Friends of the Library uses the money to buy more materials for the library, so I get more new books to read that way (and don't have to store them).

I keep my books. Needless to say my room is filled with piles of books.

I would love to keep all my books but alas I dont have the room. I keep the books I have read that I love but any others I pass on to friends or take to the local charity shop, my favourite at the moment is the RSPCA one.

I am trying not to buy any further books as I still have so many to read and I am using the kindle as well now but some books I just can't resist buying copies of but they are usually the ones I keep forever

I tend to keep my books after reading them until the bookcases get too full. When that happens I sort things out into a probably going to re-read pile and ones that I know I'll just let gather dust. Those get to go to the library so they get some good use.

The only books I keep almost forever are my computer books in case I need to reference something for work/fun :) Those and Harry Potter...I'll probably be reading that series as bedtime stories when I have kids.

I swap them on bookmooch or paperbackswap when I can. I try to only keep those I MIGHT read again, or just like too much too much to get rid of. For example, I love Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches. I may never read the trilogy again but I have to have it.

If I keep a book it has to be one of the best books I've ever read. Over time, the best books I've ever read change and then I weed my Keeper shelf.

If a book doesn't meet that standard, I will give it to a friend if I know for sure that my friend will appreciate it more than I did. These include members of the F2F book club I attend and GR friends. If there are no friends who would like it, I've been donating them to the library. Occasionally, I'll put a book on PBS but it has to be a book that is popular or been wishlisted because I don't want to keep a book for years hoping that someone will want it. I actually have one such book on PBS. I am seriously considering donating it to the library. I am currently considering a new option. Now that I have a blog, I could do a giveaway, but it would have to be fairly new or popular. I want a giveaway to draw people to my blog.

I have a monthly f2f book club. Anyone who has books they want to give up, just brings them and piles them in the middle of the room for everyone else to go through and choose from. I only bring "worthy" books to this exchange, though.

You know, I find it really surprising that I'm not aware of a single face-to-face book club in my area. Because I would love the kind of exchange you mentioned, Lynn. :( Then again, I'm going to the library today so if I see one of the librarians I know, I think I'll ask if they're familiar with any clubs/groups/events I might be interested in.

On the other hand, I've also been giving some consideration to sites like Bookmooch and PaperbackSwap. The problem with them for me is that I'd prefer the book-receiver to pay the postage rather than the book-sender, and I believe both of those sites do it the other way around.

If I have books that I'd like to give up I usually send them on a journey. Right, a journey. You can do that with www.bookcrossing.com. There you register your book with an ID and send it on the way. On their home page you can track your book at any time because people who pick it up give a note under that registered ID.

too confusing? Then you might like to check out their page and see for yourself.

There is a BC Area here an the university where you can bring your books and pick up others.
I really like that idea! although I must confess that I was never lucky enough to "catch" one in the wilderness... *sigh*

The community center where I live hosts an annual community book swap. You take your books in on the Wed/Th and receive a ticket for each one you bring. The swap is on Sat and you use your tickets to "buy" books.

I don't usually buy a book unless it's something I REALLY want and am liable to keep. I get books as gifts, though, and am somewhat weak when it comes to book tables at yard sales. Add to that the fact that my daughter is also a voracious reader (she's in this reading group as well) and we have similar tastes in books...and they do pile up!
I used to do the bookcrossing thing, but it hasn't seemed to catch on in my area and I've found my books still in their spots or tossed in the garbage days later - really disheartening. I think the program is excellent, but made for a larger centre.
Now I swap books with friends and donate to the annual Grandmothers For Africa book sale that is held here. They are affiliated with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and do wonderful work with the money they raise.

Amara wrote: "You know, I find it really surprising that I'm not aware of a single face-to-face book club in my area. Because I would love the kind of exchange you mentioned, Lynn. :( Then again, I'm going to th..."

We have 3 ways to find book clubs in my town: 1. local librarians often know who's in a club; 2. local bookstores often know about clubs because of book orders; 3. our Friends of the Library hosts an annual Book Club Tea for those already in clubs and those who would like to join clubs (it's a tea with an author visit/talk). Hope you can find a f2f that works for you!

Our local Food Bank takes books as well as food donations and the books are snapped up--maybe others do that too.

I don't have that much room, though there are certain series that I keep, however, those I don't wish to, either get re-sold or given to the local charity shop.

LynnB wrote: "Amara wrote: "local bookstores often know about clubs because of book orders"

This is going to sound crazy, but we don't have a bookstore here either. (But several excellent libraries, so I guess it kind of evens out.)

But thanks, I do hope I find one. If I can't, I might have to put some thought into seeing if I can find some local people who want to start one with me.

SteinFussel wrote: "If I have books that I'd like to give up I usually send them on a journey. Right, a journey. You can do that with www.bookcrossing.com. There you register your book with an ID and send it on the wa..."

Oh, I've seen that one before! Honestly, the idea of it's always made me a bit antsy; I'd prefer to know for sure that the book is going so someone who actually wants to read it, you know? But I do think it really is an awesome idea, and I'd certainly love to stumble across a book registered to the site. (Though now that I think about it, I might have actually seen one at a library's used book sale...? Can't quite recall.)

@Amara - FYI, if this helps you to put together a group.... The way my book club got started 11 years ago was with two people who knew each other and wanted to discuss books. They both invited two people each; people they wanted to get to know better and who liked reading. The club started with those 6 people and now we have 8, which is the number we like to hold at (everyone gets to talk and even if one or two miss the meeting, you still can have a discussion). We still have 4 of the original members, but the other 4 have changed over the years.

Well, I spoke to one of the librarians today. The local library does have a book club (not sure how large it is), but there's no book exchange/trading facet to it. On the other hand, the librarian I spoke to really seemed to like the idea and took down my number so the woman running the club can contact me if she'd like to discuss it. :)

Amara, with BC you have the option to send or give your book to someone you know. There're no limits to how the book can travel.

If the library doesn't think it can use them, if they already have several copies or for whatever reason, then I take them to a flea market here locally. They have a booth set up that they use for charities, the stuff in it isn't for sale for a set price but people donate money for the item and all the money they get for the month goes to do some good. Either to the local children's choir or other organization, or put toward someone in need's lightbill or what not that they need, or school supplies... it changes every month depending on what is going on or who needs the help.

trade them in at a second-hand shop

I keep all my books and I buy new shelves from time to time. I dread the time when I can't fit the new shelves in my flat...

I donate them to my local library so I can take them out again if I want to re-read them. That way I feel like I'm sharing the joy.

I keep my absolute favorites. Some books are so good you can just open the page anywhere and enjoy. Example: I checked out Ready Player One from the library and loved it so much I bought my own copy used.

Most of my books I donate to the library or thrift stores. I donate the young-adult novels and classics to schools, and I have special piles for various friends and family members which I give to them whenever. SHARE THE LOVE! :)

Amara wrote: "the librarian I spoke to really seemed to like the idea and took down my number so the woman running the club can contact me if she'd like to discuss it."

As an update, the woman running the club never called. So...

Heidi wrote: "I donate them to my local library so I can take them out again if I want to re-read them. That way I feel like I'm sharing the joy."

I would love to be able to do that, but I don't trust my local library enough. They're getting seriously terrible about keeping older books--if it's not popular enough to compete with Twilight or Hunger Games, they act like it's just clogging up their shelves. My opinion of their system has really been going downhill over the last sixth months... :(

Nenia wrote: "I keep my absolute favorites. Some books are so good you can just open the page anywhere and enjoy. Example: I checked out Ready Player One from the library and loved it so much I bought my own cop..."

I used to donate my National Geographic duplicates to my old high school (the new librarian brought with her a huge collection of older ones for the library), but since I've graduated, they've gotten pretty strict about letting non-students into the building. :/

Hi everyone

Howdy, Jennifer. ;)

Actually depending on mood, I switch shelves to arrange and rearrange them or I read those old books again. :)

I keep the majority of my books. If I don't want to keep it (usually because I didn't like it or didn't like it enough to reread) I give it to the charity shop for them to sell. I usually only buy books I'm fairly sure I'll love so I don't really give away many anymore. I used to be less discriminating with buying books but I'm rapidly running out of book shelves so I now think a bit more before I buy and try to find it at the library first.

My mom and I both love to read, but we live across the country, so after we read 6 or 7 books (that we don't want to keep) we ship them to each other. Once we're finished reading the books from each other my mom shares her read books with her knitting group and I give my read books to my local library for their book sale.

The ones that are in really good condition get sold on via Green Metropolis, the others go to the bookstore in the hospital where I work to be sold to raise funds for new equipment, to the local charity shops or to the 2nd hand bookshop at Winchester Cathedral where any funds raised go towards choir scolarships.

My daughter is in a choir and several of the mothers who end up waiting for them at practice love to read so we have been passing the books we don't want to keep around.

Also, the kids school was wanting donations for the carnival they are having, they got several of our nicer conditioned used books.

I donate them to my local library, where I'm a member of our Friends group. If we receive donations that are musty or water-damaged, we recycle them.

A local artist just created one of these fascinating pieces, which would be another use for a book before recycling! http://www.explodedlibrary.com/