Paperbacks?

Anyone else got a thing about paperbacks?

Oh my! We had so many.

Ones we loved.

And read over and over.

Til covers were gone.

And pages missing.

AND ones we hated.

And vowed never to read again.

Or never finished.

AND ones we NEVER started

AND ones we enjoyed then.

But aren’t really our thing now.

Or just not quite great enough for a re-read.

AND ones from lord knows where!

Or lord knows who!

AND duplicates.

AND triplicates.

AND Harry Potter in Mandarin.

Which was handy.

When no one in the family could read a word.

Seriously.

We HAD thousands of paperbacks.

And the very IDEA of letting any go.

Just felt wrong.

Even though most of them no longer gave pleasure.

And actually came at a massive price.

Commanding more and more of our home.

Double stacked on shelves.

Piled up on the floor.

In boxes and boxes and boxes under beds.

They were making us unhappy.

Very unhappy.

And things – even books – are never worth that.

So today we’re going to look at all those paperbacks we have and ask ourselves whether they truly bring pleasure.

Or whether they’ve just become space hogs.

If you’re following along with my quick daily declutter, read on. BUT if you’re new do hop back and read how just 10 things can help you declutter easily.

Just 10 Things  – Paperbacks

We’ll stick to the just 10 things rules today:

• Take 5 minutes or so, 15 minutes max
• Focus on paperbacks
• Open our eyes to all those we’ll never read
• And without yanking stuff out 
• Spot any we’re ready to let go

Keeping our eyes peeled for …

1. Crime
2. Romance
3. Classic
4. Drama
5. Horror
6. Poetry
7. Science fiction
8. Short stories
9. Historical
10. Myths

IF letting go of paperbacks is super hard.

Don’t worry.

Try to just spot one today you can let go.

But then look for another one tomorrow.

And another one the next day.

Very very gently chipping away.

Can break the spell books have over us.

AND remember we do NOT have to OWN books to enjoy them.

Our libraries are FULL of them.

AND it is OK to buy a book second hand.

Read it. Enjoy it.

AND pass it on.

Loving literature does not mean books get a free pass to take over the space in our homes we need to live in.