One of the biggest problems that book nerds the world over has is the problem of space. There’s never enough room for all of the books that one acquires and since most of us don’t come with our very own Beast to build us the libraries of our dreams, sometimes steps need to be taken.
Steps like purging your book stash every three months or going on book buying bans or if you’re like me, going completely digital.
For years, I’ve held on to the hope that even though I was reading less print books, I still had to have them around. They were a comfort to me and I still liked waking up to the sight of them. They made my bookshelves pretty but then my daughter asked me, “When was the last time you read one of those books?” and the answer? Years. Not days or weeks or even months. Not even one year but multiple years. Years of those books just collecting dust because I just wasn’t into reading them anymore.
So far in 2015, I’ve read not one print book. Not one and we’re coming up on October.
In 2014, I made a TBR jar in an effort to get control of my monstrous TBR pile and all of those print books on my shelves and let me tell you…that was an epic fail. I tried to read 12 books and I just couldn’t do it. I think I got maybe 3 books read and that’s it.
In 2013, I read a handful of print books but none were books from my shelves. All of the books I read were from publishing houses, sent for review.
In 2012, I read a handful of books from my bookshelves but most of the books that I read that year were eBooks.
Well, no more.
I spent the weekend spring cleaning the hell out of my bedroom. I went through my clothes and my daughter’s clothes and packed up anything we haven’t worn in years then I set up the boxes that would pack up every single book on my bookshelves.
I have two bookshelves that were filled with books.
This is an old picture because 1) that’s not my room anymore and 2) I didn’t take a picture of my shelves before I packed up the books so there were quite a few books added since I took this picture but still, you get the idea.
Here’s what my books look like after they were all packed up and ready to go.
![IMG_0953[1]](https://bookbinge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_09531.jpg)
I thought I would feel more sad that I got rid of so many books but honestly, I’m excited for the space the books free up in my room. These days, I’m reading 100% of my books on my iPad. If I’m not reading on my iPad then I’m reading on my iPhone and my virtual bookshelves are amazing. I love pulling up Calibre and organizing my eBooks and just seeing them on my iBooks shelves.
So that’s it. It’s done. I’ve gone completely digital and I can’t help but think…
How many of you lovely readers have gone completely digital? Do you think you’ll ever leave print books behind for good?
I do still read print books that I get from the library, but it’s a struggle to sit down with them. I hate not being able to adjust them to a bigger font when my eyes are tired and they are so hard to hold open LOL. I went digital when I got my first Kindle in 2009 and I haven’t looked back.
Same. The ease of my traveling library on my iPad mini just can’t be beat.
I’ve been making the move to digital as much as I can and it’s been a good switch for me. I’m keeping my non-fiction (because referencing non-fiction on digital is a pain the butt IMO) and my favorite fiction. But between my ebook collection, book subscription, and library, there’s just no need to hang onto physical books that I have no emotional attachment or practical need for. Maybe I’ll regret it someday, but I think probably not (and it makes moving a lot easier!).
I hear you! Getting those print books boxed up and shipped out took a lot of work and the thought of doing that every time I moved? Yeah, not digging that.
I have all of my favorite books in eBook so I didn’t hang on to anything.
I was given a Kindle about 18 months ago. I’ve read perhaps twenty books or so on it in that time. I’ve several hundred paper books in that time (many acquired from the library or used book stores). I definitely still favor paper.
I was probably one of the last of my friends to move to eBook because at the time, I had no interest in going digital. I loved having my print books on display in my room, in my house but those days are long gone. I really love that I could take my digital library, literally anywhere I want to.
You’re not alone though, I still have a lot of friends in my real life who prefer reading print books. I’m trying to bring them over to the dark side…haha.
I don’t think I’ll ever go completely digital but about 95% of what I read is in a digital format. Space is one reason I read mainly digital, price is another.
Yes, price is another reason I love eBooks so much. I can get so many more books digitally than in print…not that I need any more books. 🙂
I have to confess im a digital bookaholic no regrets i love looking on my shelves all the time! I have them divided by collections and favorites authors i have about 3,000 books and growing im subscribe to every site of book kindle ilimited, audible ,podcast you name it ! I have my kindle fire and my amazon phone fire this way i have my books everywhere anytime! I can sync them and read it or hear! On my purse or in my pocket!
You sound like me. I go through my Calibre collection every week just to see what I’ve got in there. I’m not much of a podcast or audiobook girl though. I tried one book a few months ago and I got so anxious that I put the audiobook away and just read the actual book. I finished it in half the time.
I’d say I’ve gone like 95% digital. I love not having to carry a separate book with me, and I love that I can get the book instantly from the comfort of home. I still have maybe 10 or less “classics” from my college days that really moved me, even though I never reread them. But it’s a small amount so I indulge myself there. I do also have probably a couple dozen largely older romance paperbacks, mostly Intrigues, naturally. 😉 I don’t like having so many, but most of them aren’t available digitally, plus I haven’t read all of them yet. Once I read one, if I didn’t love it I give it away. So the number I keep because I want to keep them is relatively small. Our house just plain doesn’t have enough space for bookshelves, which is probably good because I can’t keep everything I might otherwise.
Now, my print cookbook collection is another story, though even there I’ve gotten much more ruthless about getting rid of ones I don’t use.
Don’t get me started on my cookbook collection. I have such a hard time going digital for those. It just isn’t the same for me. I rarely read for enjoyment in print, but for cooking or learning I still prefer print.
Print cookbooks are great but I’ve found that I use my iPad for that too. I don’t buy very many cookbooks anymore, I just prop my iPad up and display the recipe I found online and wah lah, free!! I also have a folder on my laptop for recipes.
Sure, I use my tablet or phone to pull up recipes on the internet, too, but when I’m using a cookbook, I prefer print. Paging through a digital cookbook in search of inspiration just isn’t the same.
Yeah, it makes more sense for you. I don’t browse much through cookbooks ever. I browse foodie blogs more. Those foodie blogger take amazing pictures.
Yep, digital cookbooks don’t give the same experience. I genuinely like sitting down and reading cookbooks, whether for inspiration or just entertainment. But lately I depend more and more on food blogs and other internet sites for my actual recipes, which is why I’m trying to scale back my cookbook collection. They’re big and expensive and if I’m not using them to cook, I need to be more disciplined about buying and keeping them!
There are so many great food blogs, what are you some of your favorites Jen?
I moved almost exclusively to digital years ago, but I still have the majority of my print library. My plan is to cull it down to collections only in the coming months. I even plan to get rid of keepers that aren’t part of a collection, if I can get them in digital. I love having the print books here to look at, but it’s silly to keep them when I don’t read them.
I have read 2 print books this year, though. That’s up from the zero print books I read the previous two years.
Your print collection is amazing. It is pretty to look at. If you do decide to get rid of it, you’d have to take pictures. Make a whole scrapbook of that.
I will. I’d like to bring it down to 2 shelves, but I don’t think I can do that. My collections alone take up at least 3. Though now that I think about it, I wonder if I’ll keep all my collections. Some are incomplete, or authors I just don’t read anymore.
On the other hand, some are ones I probably can’t replace in digital, like Katherine Stone. I have all her books in print. I don’t read her anymore, but should I get rid of my collection when it’s doubtful some of the older books will be available in digital?
Something to think about.
That is something to think about. Fortunately for me, a lot of my favorite authors are in e so I haven’t run into that problem. How long has it been since you read the Katherine Stone books? What do you think you’re going to eventually do?
It’s been years since I read her. With the exception of one book, Happy Endings. I love that book and skim through it more often (though, again, it’s been yeras). Maybe I’ll keep just the one and cull the rest.
Damn, big steps…
Wow, you’re ballsy! I mostly only read ebooks and audiobooks now even though I have 700+ print books…but I just can’t give my books away. Then my book room would just be a room, haha. Books are books, digital or print so go you!
Hey nereyda, welcome!
I guess if I had the room for a book room I would feel differently but since I don’t, it was a lot easier for me to get rid of the books. Plus, I have most all of my print books in e so I wouldn’t really be losing much.