I’ve been a neat freak since childhood, though you wouldn’t know it if you looked around my apartment right this very second. I’m on deadline for one magazine piece, doing a total rewrite of another (thanks to some celebrity breaking news which I can’t reveal until the next issue of Glamour hits newsstands), and I’m also getting ready to head out of town for a mini-writing retreat–maybe my last chance to do so before my book comes out. But as often happens when I’m completely swamped, yesterday I felt a sudden need to procrastinate and decided to clean out my bookshelves, to make room for the dozens piled up on my piano and next to my bed. So I arranged them on the sidewalk in front of my house. My friend Keith, who happened to be walking by with his dog, chastised me and said, “Never put books on the street! You should give those to Goodwill or sell them!” I’m not sure I agree. Just a few minutes later, I saw a father and daughter sorting through the pile, and an hour later, they were gone. Thoughts?
Cleaning out my bookshelves
2 Responses to “Cleaning out my bookshelves”
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July 17th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Celebrity news? Jessica and Tony’s break up? Anywoo leaving books on the sidewalk isn’t a bad thing, depending on your neighborhood. Years ago when I was moving out of my apartment some kids got a hold of the books we left on the sidewalk and ripped them up and threw them all over the street. I think the Goodwill or public library route is a good idea too.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I think leaving books on the street is excellent. Spread the wealth, knowledge, and entertainment. I only keep my poetry books. Everything else is given away. Book clutter is awful. Unless you have a first edition, signed copy or there is something quite special about a particular book. I have never missed the books I discarded even though I enjoyed most of them.