What do you do with books you never want to read again?

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You're right, Rabin. I used to give my used books free reign until the night they broke loose and ravished my desk, spilling ink everywhere and licking all the stamps. I had to put them in halfwaybookstores until they could learn how to live life in the shelves again. 'Twas a sad sight. Although I did notice my Tom Robbins books never seemed to bat an eye..

McDowell Crook, Saturday, 6 March 2004 14:36 (twenty years ago) link

And also, let's not forget that one person's "Jesus, I hate Neal Stephenson so much, his books go on and on AND on and on" is another person's "Neal Stephenson is so cool, I love the way he goes on AND on...etc"

i always think it's pointless to keep books you don't like. Someone else might really love them.

accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Sunday, 7 March 2004 12:54 (twenty years ago) link

I like the idea of Bookcrossing, but haven't actually tried getting involved with that. It's too easy just to throw the latest disappointments into a shopping bag and drop them at the thrift shop. Nobody seems to want to buy them (at least, not paperbacks). I do have a few hardcovers piled up that I might try to sell--because there's always eBay.

Carol Robinson (carrobin), Friday, 19 March 2004 23:10 (twenty years ago) link

Mine pile-up in bags in the garage until my mother comes to visit and she hauls them off to a local charity, including the local library. She also selects some for a local senior center, where apparently they're well received.

I like knowing that something that I wasn't thrilled with is being given another chance by another reader.

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Saturday, 20 March 2004 07:20 (twenty years ago) link

Er- I just did search and came-up with this site - it's a decent portal to a bunch of different book donation programs: Directory of Book Donation Programs.

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Saturday, 20 March 2004 07:24 (twenty years ago) link

(Lady, carrying a large sack of books): "Here, I'm donating these books to the library. They're not very good!"

(Librarian): "Then I'm sure we'll want to have them for our collection!"

A cartoon on the wall of our librarians office.

pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Monday, 22 March 2004 17:42 (twenty years ago) link

I have recently been able to sell a few of my unwanted books via Amazon. Otherwise, like others who have posted above, I take them down to the local charity shop.

Glyn Haggett, Friday, 26 March 2004 10:37 (twenty years ago) link

I'm going Bookcrossing crazy lately, but I also give stuff to friends and charity shops.

Archel (Archel), Friday, 26 March 2004 11:13 (twenty years ago) link

(Lady, carrying a large sack of books): "Here, I'm donating these books to the library. They're not very good!"
(Librarian): "Then I'm sure we'll want to have them for our collection!"

We get that a lot too, but of course, as I've said before, one person's not very good is another person's favourite author ever. I wouldn't give you ten pence for Richard Ford or John Grisham or Anne Dunlop or Maeve Binchy, yet other people seem to like them well enough. Bless them.

accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:36 (twenty years ago) link

twelve years pass...

If I really loathe them, I tear them up, because I can't bear to have them in the house. The last book I did that to was "The Parson" by Anna Kavan, which was atrocious.
― All Bunged Up. (Jake Proudlock), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 14:50

Kavan has been on my to-read list forever and this book sounds pretty cool.

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 20:51 (seven years ago) link

I semi-regularly deposit boxes of unwanted books/comics/DVDs/etc. on the table in our building's lobby. Everything is usually gone within a couple of hours.

DJ Untz Hall (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 4 January 2017 20:54 (seven years ago) link

What kind of building?

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:11 (seven years ago) link

Sorry, our apartment building.

DJ Untz Hall (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:13 (seven years ago) link

Do you think everyone knows it's left to be taken?

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:17 (seven years ago) link

Oh, yeah. I'm far from the only one.

I'm going to be volunteering with a tutoring organization when the new semester starts so that's probably where my extra age-appropriate books will be going in the future.

DJ Untz Hall (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:19 (seven years ago) link

delete them from my kobo + hard drive

glumdalclitch, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:32 (seven years ago) link

Let them pile up on the floor.

jmm, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:35 (seven years ago) link

Over many decades I have developed something of a system.

I try to buy used books whenever possible. I generally avoid copies that are marked up or broken-backed, unless I'm certain I am willing to eat the entire cost in order to have that copy available to read. Periodically I take my no-longer-wanted books down to Powell's City of Books to sell, which is a great resource, but it is mere luck that it is located within an easy distance from my house. I sell whatever they are willing to take.

There are always a certain number of books Powell's won't take, just because they don't need that particular title on the day I'm selling. If I know they are likely to accept it at another later attempt, I save it and try again later.

This leaves me with a residue of unwanted books that are still readable, but probably not sellable to Powell's or other commercial used bookshops. These books I donate to the local Friends of the Library group, who run a charity shop within walking distance of my house. In the rare cases where a book has become a piece of junk while in my possession, I toss it in the trash.

I know this sounds rather elaborate, but it is second nature by now.

a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Wednesday, 4 January 2017 21:39 (seven years ago) link

Charity shops.

But I don't know what to do with the pornographic stuff Oxfam won't want and comics which aren't obviously adult from the outside and could get someone into trouble if they sold it to a youngster. Maybe I could put notes on the covers.

Can't be arsed selling stuff online but I might need to eventually. Maybe Bondage Obsession 1-2 will go for good money.
I bought them because I like the comic artist Tom Sutton aka Dementia. I've seen negative reviews of his books because people were looking for books about Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the condition of dementia and were horrified to see his cover art then gave them one star "this isn't Buffy The Vampire Slayer, this is filth!".

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 22:08 (seven years ago) link

I like money but I'm not really comfortable charging much more than twice the price such an item would cost if it were new. Don't want to feel like I'm ripping off someone.

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 4 January 2017 23:32 (seven years ago) link

i just assume that the problem is me, and i will be wanting or needing to read the book some other time within the 40 years that remain to me

j., Wednesday, 4 January 2017 23:50 (seven years ago) link


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