Used Books: Read them, treasure them or gift them away…

Donating used books to local libraries and bookstores is a great way to reduce clutter while making room for new authors on your bookshelves.

I used to own shelves full of books. Most of them I read, but many sat ignored and collecting dust. Floor to ceiling Billy Bookcases lined the walls of apartment after apartment after townhome and with every move I’d reconsider their shelf placement, much like the photos framing my walls. I was more concerned with how they displayed than the stories between their pages. Books had become part of my decor…a backdrop for portraits…incentive to two-finger zoom on my latest IG post to better appreciate my taste. These days, stuffed shelves have been replaced with tidy stacks of books thoughtfully placed throughout the apartment…and only one small leaning bookcase remains.

2015

2021

Getting rid of bulk was easy after a few Marie Kondo chapters although awaiting were still dozens of titles that I hadn’t read but was not ready to part with. Free time was balanced between watching movies when sitting idle at home or outdoor activities when the mood struck. Making progress reading was mythical until…2020 happened.

The ‘vid provided me the perfect opening to sit down and read more often. I began dedicating time before bed and after sunrise for reading. I’m determined to reclaim even more of the physical space that my current collection occupies, so I’ve committed to organizing them into actionable categories like “Collect”, “Read” or “Donate”.

Treasures: These are books that I enjoy every time I pick them up. Yearbooks, coffee table books, and those related to my hobbies make up most of this collection.

Reading Queue: Anything that I haven’t previously read that I don’t plan to keep in my collection. After finishing a book I consider whether to gift it to a friend, or donate it to charity.

For Donation: I’ve previously purged my inventory, so this category consists of the books I’ve recently finished. There are countless programs that can take these off of your hands and put them to good use.

The public library is a safe haven for donating no longer needed books, but make sure your local brach is currently accepting them. In Charlotte, drop-off’s at local branches have been suspended but donations are still being welcomed at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library loading deck.

One of my favorite options for donating gently used books is local neighborhood bookstores. They will be happy to take them off of your hands and most can use our support right now. In Charlotte a great place to consider is Julia’s Cafe & Books where you can also enjoy bites and beverages from local vendors. The best part is that the proceeds from sales go to the Charlotte Region of Habitat for Humanity.