Garland Group Blog

Old Books

August 26, 2009 The Community

I recently moved. My office is still a desk surrounded by unpacked brown boxes – mostly books. I have a lot of books.

I try to maintain a lifestyle unencumbered by too much extra junk. My wife and I regularly give away anything that we don’t actively use or enjoy. Having less stuff fills me with a sense of freedom. I feel agile and ready to meet change head on like my life is a light ship ready to ride over the waves life throws at me. Ok, well sorta.

I love my books. I hate to throw them away, give them away or lend them out. I guard my library – each book representing something I have consumed. Each one is a part of me. My novels contain places I have been in my mind, friends I have known, companions whom I have accompanied through adventure. I have books on theology – references, lexicons, commentaries – that have shaped the core of who I am and what I believe. I have volumes of history, politics and economics – a part of my identity. Then I have instructional books. Most of those are computer books.

My computer books represent my career, my skills, my craft. I love them all, but there are too many. I need to purge. Will I ever refer back to some chapter on a programming language I haven’t used since the ’90′s? Old computer books have no practical value. I think maybe I keep them so that if someone walks into my office, they will scan the shelves and form a high opinion of me. I don’t want to be THAT guy.

What do you do with your old books?

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  • Andy

    While I do ascribe sentimental value to many possessions, I generally don’t feel this way about the books I read unless they are a gift or heirloom of some sort. To maintain order I try to limit my library to a single bookshelf. Like many of my generation I’ve also grown increasingly annoyed with paper media in general and look forward to a fully-digital future.

  • Andy

    While I do ascribe sentimental value to many possessions, I generally don’t feel this way about the books I read unless they are a gift or heirloom of some sort. To maintain order I try to limit my library to a single bookshelf. Like many of my generation I’ve also grown increasingly annoyed with paper media in general and look forward to a fully-digital future.

  • http://www.rozgarland.typepad.com/ Roz

    Well, after having just sold and packed up a house, I must say I was WAY overloaded with books. I donated several boxes to our local library, and some to our church. I feel good about that. I also bought a Kindle. I left several shelves full of text books from college (ones in my major field, too!) and some old encyclopedias. Our old house is being converted to a school–a Christian academy–and I would rather let THEM keep what they might can use, and ditch whatever doesn’t apply, rather than ME throwing them away. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It’s like throwing part of your past away. And a Kindle doesn’t feel and smell as good as a real book, but it sure is easy to slide it into my purse and take 10-12 downloaded books with me on a trip!

  • http://www.rozgarland.typepad.com Roz

    Well, after having just sold and packed up a house, I must say I was WAY overloaded with books. I donated several boxes to our local library, and some to our church. I feel good about that. I also bought a Kindle. I left several shelves full of text books from college (ones in my major field, too!) and some old encyclopedias. Our old house is being converted to a school–a Christian academy–and I would rather let THEM keep what they might can use, and ditch whatever doesn’t apply, rather than ME throwing them away. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It’s like throwing part of your past away. And a Kindle doesn’t feel and smell as good as a real book, but it sure is easy to slide it into my purse and take 10-12 downloaded books with me on a trip!

  • http://twitter.com/bradgarland Brad Garland

    Funny you mention this because since I've gotten my Kindle I refuse to even purchase a 'paper-based' book. I may even be interested in an author or particular book but if it's not in the Kindle edition, I'm out. It's so refreshing to just carry around the one device(book) for EVERY book.

  • http://twitter.com/bradgarland Brad Garland

    Funny you mention this because since I've gotten my Kindle I refuse to even purchase a 'paper-based' book. I may even be interested in an author or particular book but if it's not in the Kindle edition, I'm out. It's so refreshing to just carry around the one device(book) for EVERY book.

  • http://thegarlandgroup.net The Garland Group

    Funny you mention this also, because last night I just finished reading “One
    Second After” which is about a huge EMP strike that takes down ALL the
    electronic circuitry in the entire USA….about how people have to learn to
    survive with no electricity, etc., — and I thought, Hey, I had better save
    this good info “just in case” (shades of Y2K) and then remembered, I AM
    READING THIS ON MY KINDLE…..too bad!

    Roz

  • http://thegarlandgroup.net Natasha

    Funny you mention this also, because last night I just finished reading “One
    Second After” which is about a huge EMP strike that takes down ALL the
    electronic circuitry in the entire USA….about how people have to learn to
    survive with no electricity, etc., — and I thought, Hey, I had better save
    this good info “just in case” (shades of Y2K) and then remembered, I AM
    READING THIS ON MY KINDLE…..too bad!

    Roz