Question of the week: What do you do with books after you’ve read them?
I know a lot of people like to save the books they’ve read, but I’ve never been one of them. For a long time I participated in Bookcrossing.com, where you register a book & then leave it for someone to find, so you can track its journey (kinda like “Where’s George” for dollar bill tracking). Not sure why I got out of the habit, but perhaps it was because my reading has gravitated toward ebooks in recent years. These days, I pass on the books I read to a friend. She works at a facility that provides housing to people at risk, and many people there appreciate being able to snag a free book that appeals to them.
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My favorite story about my Bookcrossing.com stint was leaving a copy of Mary Roach’s Stiff at my HMO’s waiting room. The person who picked it up got a real kick out of finding it there.
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I try to rehome almost all my books. Either pass them along to friends, drop them in little free libraries, or recently I dropped a bag off at my indie bookstore. They are running a repurposed book sale that will benefit their foundation to put books in children’s hands.
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An acquaintance and her mother are trying to get a little library in a retirement area in another state back on its feet so I have been sending her boxes of books. I also am part of a virtual book group and often send books to other members.
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As a retired librarian I request most of my books from my library. I do have a home library of way over 1000 books. Lately I have been rereading some of them and then I take them to my library for our book sale. My rereads are like a new read as the first read was so many years ago! I still buy some of my favorite authors and those I will always keep.
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I return them to the public library; like Paula, I recently retired as the adult services/readers advisory librarian. I rarely buy books for myself but got a lot of ARCs while I was working & would share them after I finished them, giving them first to my sister & once she returned them, I offered them to friends, co-workers, & fellow discussion group members. I’m weeding out my home collection, some go to friends but most are donated to our Friends group for their ongoing book sale which funds the library’s programming.
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I return them to the library, or they are returned via Libby and Hoopla. If it’s a book that I’ve purchased, I see if any friends or family members are interested in borrowing it. I usually have some to donate to my library’s annual book fair.
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Most of the books I read are from the library or ebooks/audiobooks via Libby, Hoopla, or our State of Kansas Library, Cloud. Those that I’ve purchased or received through giveaways from publishers, etc. I pass on to friends and family to read and then give to my small town library or the library of the small town I grew up in. Many of these books are ARCs and the librarian in the town I grew up in uses them as prizes for various contests, drawings, etc.
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I truly believe any decent book should be circulated and not sit idle on my bookshelf. So I pass on the really great books to friends and then let them circulate in Little Free Libraries.
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I love my books! I keep anything by my favorite authors, around certain topics, or if I just really enjoyed it.
If/when I’m ready to part with a book, it usually goes into the Little Free Library we have outside our house, or a sharing library I manage at work. If after a while there’s no interest, I offer it in my local “buy nothing” group or look for another free library to donate it to.
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I do have to admit I think it’s sad that you can’t pass along ebooks. For me personally, I don’t like reading physical books anymore. For one thing, I have arthritis in my hands so it’s uncomfortable to hold a book for any length of time. The other issue is that it’s a lot harder for me to take notes on the text and impossible to search for something I want to cite when only dealing with hard copy. But I do miss being able to pass along my books to others. Sometimes if I find a gem I think one of my friends will enjoy, I’ll buy them a copy. But I think the ebook revolution has limited one’s ability to share books for sure.
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I can totally relate, @Paula_Walters. I have so many unread books in my house. I’ve just started passing them along immediately after reading them. Chances of me going back are slim unless it’s something I really loved.
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I like collecting the books that I’ve really enjoyed or that have special meaning for me as I enjoy the memory that comes from looking at them, and I also like having them available to give to friends. If I thought a book was just OK I’ll donate it.
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I save my absolute favorites that I might reread or refer to again. Books I really enjoyed, but know I won’t reread (like The Berry Pickers or Only The Beautiful) are offered to my book lover friends. Other books go to either the library in our HOA, the local library, or one of the “Little Libraries” scattered around the city.
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That’s one of the downsides of ebooks, isn’t it…You don’t have that tangible item anymore that you save if it’s special or pass on to someone who you think would enjoy it.
I often sell back books using sellbackyourbook.com. If I don’t do that, I donate them to betterworldbooks.com, the local library or put them in little library boxes. I also pass them along to friends if I think they’d like the book.
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Such a tough question! I love having my library of loved books, and it makes me very very happy to have books at home. This being said, I donate a few books to the local Friends of the Library for their book sales. Thank you to all who mentioned the Book Crossing website, as I need to look into that!
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Give them away to Libraries, Good Will and Senior homes.
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The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne. Even though I read it a full 18 years ago and I’ve read many books since then of varying merit, it is still the one that comes to mind (review).