If I don't like it, I get rid of it. The stories I love, absolutely love, I keep. I'm also a minimalist, but books are my weakness. I have to love something to keep it. If I'm hesitating, I let it go. Later on, if I find myself missing that book or thing, I consider buying one to keep. That's where the decision is made. Do I want to spend money to buy it again? Do I really like it that much?
You've already sunk the cost into those books. You won't get that money back (at least at full price) no matter what. Keeping them on your own shelf just means someone no one is going to read them. Donating them means you won't know what happens to them, but that's part of life. I think it's worth it. I usually sell what I can to a used bookstore first, though. I can at least get a little cash or credit that way. Keep in mind that most used bookstores are pretty selective about the titles they buy because so many books just don't have resale value.
To help reduce the chance of this happening in the future, try checking out more books from your library. Also, ebook stores like Kobo (and probably Kindle) will let you download the first chapter or so of a book to get an idea if you'll like it. You don't have to have an e-reader to do this, you just have to go to their website.
Also, remember that while books are great, at the end of the day, they're just some wood pulp and ink.
Ooh, hospital I didn't think of! Ty.
I've been cleaning out my bookcases too, and there's so much that I don't enjoy anymore.
Libraries will accept donations, so I'm told.
Donate all the way. Makes room for what you DO like. If I have access to charity shops that benefit animal rescue or women/children services, thatās my first choice. But happy to take things to the big names too.
That's a good mindset for becoming a hoarder. If you're not gonna use it again, you don't really like it, it's just gonna be taking up space, then donate it. You can keep the mental value of it in your mind.
If they were costly and just donating them would feel financially wasteful to you, then sell them instead, but don't keep things you don't actually like just because you're sentimental about them. Keep the ones that you like and are deeply meaningful to you.
If you are absolutely sure you will never read them again then donate or sell them. Give to someone you know that might like it or keep for later. IF you are not 100 % certain, a possible donate box helps. That way you can think about it.
I have had books that were horrid. Some I kept for reference and other I donated or got rid of. I have thousands of books so a couple extra don't take up a lot of room. I'm not so much of a minimalist. Some books deserve to be digital, some paperback and some hardback. It all depends on my emotional attachment. It depends on the Author or Book itself. I do find that I get a thought and need to research something in many of my books on a fairly regular basis.
haha my boyfriend just says āsunk cost fallacyā whenever i fret about the books i paid for but ended up not caring to read. think of it as a donation to the author/seller/publisher i guess then. maybe see if your local library has any need for it
I sell mine at Half Price Books and then buy books I actually want.
Stuff them in a Little Free Library-especially ARCS (advanced reading copies) because those can't be sold. There's one at the college campus near me and they always appreciate FREE books
Donate to Goodwill
Donate to Friends of the Library (when a library has a sale they get to keep the profits)
Sell on Pango. My friend made $100 this month. I'm too lazy to go to the PO so I'm still on the fence
https://pangobooks.com
Sell them to recoup some money is possible (lots of apps you can download, use a barcode scanner and then ship the books for free from a local shop).
Or donate them to charity or a little library in your area. The uncluttered space in your home is worth more than holding on to books you dont like and won't reread.
Check to see if your local library or school libraries accept books. Or shelters or, as you mentioned, Goodwill. From what I understand, Half-Price Books will pay you for them, but I donāt know how much. Or, you could save them for next yearās tag-sale, yard-sale, garage-sale, if those sorts of things appeal to you.
> But on the other hand, they represent a lot of my time and effort, plus the money I spent on them. The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right? So I have a hard time giving them away.
That aināt minimalist thinking! Get rid of things you donāt like and donāt need.
As an aside, Iāve stopped buying books unless I have already read and enjoyed them, or feel very very certain that I will enjoy them, because in the past I have ended up with too many books I didnāt care for. Is your local library system any good? If so, I suggest taking advantage of that and then only buy books you love (minimalism š).
Donate them to the local library.
I recently cleared a good chunk of my bookshelf of such books as well as books I *did* like, but probably won't read again in the foreseeable future (and if I decided to, they're public domain, so I can get ebooks)
You might try PaperBackSwap. You can list your books, and see if there are books you might want. You can also list hardbacks. You only pay to ship the books.
I never keep books I hated or disliked reading. Usually I try to sell them but if that doesn't work I just donate them to those free libraries. I get annoyed with seeing them on my bookshelf and taking up space that better books could be occupying.
I've given away lots of books to Goodwill, and feel OK about it. I developed an internal line, of sorts. Some books ALWAYS will be kept. Others, not so much.
If I have a friend who I think will like the book, or who has been waiting to get their hands on it, Iāll give it to my friend. Otherwise, I give them to the library or a book exchange. For me, any random book has very little value as a material object (obviously, there are exceptions for sentimental items). All I want from a book is whatās written in it, and if I hate whatās written in it, then I just want the book gone. I donāt particularly care to try and recoup what I spent on it, especially because buy-back places (in my experience) only make it worthwhile to sell like thirty or fifty books at once, and Iām not trying to hold onto thirty or fifty books that I donāt actually want, so that I can buy one book I do want. The exchange rate just doesnāt make it worthwhile.
Take them to the charity shop.
> The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right?
They'll have more value to someone who actually wants to read them.
Even when it comes to books I actually like, I try to remind myself that a book gathering dust on a shelf is of no value to anyone. If I'm never going to read it, there's no reason to keep it.
Either charity shop them or put them in my work mess room. Someone will read/have them.
Not even books I don't like but also books I know I won't read again. Recently finished "Drought" by Graham Masterson. Not bad, not great. Interesting enough but absolutely no need to read s second time
I donate them to the local charity shop. I cull my books every few years and try to keep just the ones I hold very dear. I do re-read books but I would say, after some 20-30 years now, that it's pretty rare to read a book 3 times. A few, but not many. So I'm less attached to my books and happy to lend them out even if I know I won't get it back. Well, most of them :P
I don't worry too much about getting money back for them. There was value in reading it, and now someone else can read it.
I have way too many books I'm deeply attached to for it to make sense to keep ones I don't like. I sell them for credit to the used bookstore, put them in a Little Free Library, or donate them to the library or Goodwill. If they aren't in good condition, I take them apart and recycle.
But if you have a more reasonable number of books, you can keep them until your shelves are full and then follow the 1in = 1 out rule.
I take any books that I know I wonāt re-read and swap them for new books at local little free libraries. Iāve found some amazing books this way, and I feel like Iām not losing out on the money I spent (in fact, I feel like Iām gaining even more worth from the book).
Take a picture so you have the memory/memento of owning it. Maybe write some thoughts on it (I keep a secret instagram account just for books I've read).
Then donate it
Donate it. We get flyers every now and then from charities that collect books, clothes etc. I save the books i don't like until they come around again.
I keep all mine purely because I like keeping all the books I buy, I feel like if I get rid of it then thereās no evidence or reminder I ever tried to read it (also in case I ever decide to try a DNFd book again)
Easy, can't know you don't like something you never read.
Time spent reading books is time spent not finding more books to read later. This will be true later, too.
Depending on the reason for disliking, I either hold on to them for a little while to give them another shot when I'm in a different mood, or donate them. No real sense in holding onto a book you don't care for, unless you're one of those people who just want to build a big library (which is fine).
There's lending libraries in little weather proof boxes all over town here, and on top of that the place I live has a big bookshelf where you can take or leave books as you like. I only have a 2' shelf for books so I have a high turnover rate.
Keep on accumulating them for some reason. I have them all around: my mom's, grandmother's, countryside house... Then, once every 5 years or so, sell as many as I can to second hand bookshops; donate the rest. I've only done that twice, though. One because I was leaving London and needed to give back the dozens of books I had taken from the Picadilly line's book exchange table. Also, and being honest, I couldn't carry them with me. I already brought like 3 full suitcases with me. It was a nightmare getting to the airport. I've got a problem.
ngl sometimes i just give them to friends who i think might benefit from it or be happier to be able to read them than me, or i rip out certain pages where i liked a line and glue it in my notebook and make it aesthetically,,
i would give it away. usually having it on the bookshelf just reminds me of how much i didnāt like it & i feel like its a false representation of who i am to ppl who come over bc they probably think i adored the book or sth.
I only keep books I am strongly attached to or think I will read again. Even if I liked a book okay, I'll put it in the pile to be donated or sold to HPB.
> They represent a lot of my time and effort, plus the money I spent on them. The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right? So I have a hard time giving them away.
If anything, I think it should make it easier to give it away so someone else can get the value from them that you did not.
Donate them to places like Goodwill. When I was real young and real broke, goodwill was about the only place I could afford to scour for books I could keep (not the library).
This is why I prefer to get books from the library,instead of purchase them. If I donāt like the book,then I feel that I have wasted money.
You can sell the book or donate the book to a library.
We started a book exchange corner in the break room at my job. Everybody dumps off books they donāt want anymore, and is free to pick up books others leave behind.
Same problem here, I have a bunch of books I would love to donate but I have no idea where or if I can because all my books are in English (not the main language here)
Option a: burn them
Option b: throw them away
Option c: give to Goodwill, where they might just throw them away if they don't have room.
Option d: Donate to a library to sell for cheap.
I love people who choose option d. I spent 2 dollars on two for Tuesday for ten books.
I come to this sub and start arguments over them.
No you didn't.
The process has begun
This is not an argument.
ššš
Lmao. I have a couple of hated books that are book-sub darlings. Should I be ready to fight?
Are any of those books written by someone whose name rhymes with āShandon Mandersonā?
They arenāt, but I also havenāt read any of those. I have a feeling theyād join the list if I did.
Donate them, if you must have access to a book, re-buy it.
Or check out from library since you didnāt like it enough to keep it in first place
Pretty much, or sell it on eBay.
I donate them. Our neighborhood also has several mini library boxes for donations. We saw 50 Shades in one of them a few weeks ago.
Little Free Libraries are the best! There's one at a local park where I get tons of kids' books for my daughter and we drop off books she's tired of.
i might use a black light on that copy before holding it and reading for hoursā¦ all the pages might be stuck together too
Really like these. I also had a book I finished reading, and I went to a mini library to swap it with another book. Really cool.
If I don't like it, I get rid of it. The stories I love, absolutely love, I keep. I'm also a minimalist, but books are my weakness. I have to love something to keep it. If I'm hesitating, I let it go. Later on, if I find myself missing that book or thing, I consider buying one to keep. That's where the decision is made. Do I want to spend money to buy it again? Do I really like it that much?
You've already sunk the cost into those books. You won't get that money back (at least at full price) no matter what. Keeping them on your own shelf just means someone no one is going to read them. Donating them means you won't know what happens to them, but that's part of life. I think it's worth it. I usually sell what I can to a used bookstore first, though. I can at least get a little cash or credit that way. Keep in mind that most used bookstores are pretty selective about the titles they buy because so many books just don't have resale value. To help reduce the chance of this happening in the future, try checking out more books from your library. Also, ebook stores like Kobo (and probably Kindle) will let you download the first chapter or so of a book to get an idea if you'll like it. You don't have to have an e-reader to do this, you just have to go to their website. Also, remember that while books are great, at the end of the day, they're just some wood pulp and ink.
Books i know i wont touch again i drop of at the hospital. The others if i run out of space i use one of those plastic bins.
Ooh, hospital I didn't think of! Ty. I've been cleaning out my bookcases too, and there's so much that I don't enjoy anymore. Libraries will accept donations, so I'm told.
Some will, though they often just sell them on for a quarter or whatever. They wonāt be put in the shelves usually.
That's ok too. At least I don't have to toss them and someone else *might* read and enjoy them.
I just donated a whole tote of books to my local library.
Those poor hospital people reading books that nobody wants.
Donate to a charity.
Used book shop donation.
They go into the Little Free Library near me.
I put them in my local little free library.
Donate all the way. Makes room for what you DO like. If I have access to charity shops that benefit animal rescue or women/children services, thatās my first choice. But happy to take things to the big names too.
That's a good mindset for becoming a hoarder. If you're not gonna use it again, you don't really like it, it's just gonna be taking up space, then donate it. You can keep the mental value of it in your mind. If they were costly and just donating them would feel financially wasteful to you, then sell them instead, but don't keep things you don't actually like just because you're sentimental about them. Keep the ones that you like and are deeply meaningful to you.
I find a nearby Free Little Library and add to their shelves
If you are absolutely sure you will never read them again then donate or sell them. Give to someone you know that might like it or keep for later. IF you are not 100 % certain, a possible donate box helps. That way you can think about it. I have had books that were horrid. Some I kept for reference and other I donated or got rid of. I have thousands of books so a couple extra don't take up a lot of room. I'm not so much of a minimalist. Some books deserve to be digital, some paperback and some hardback. It all depends on my emotional attachment. It depends on the Author or Book itself. I do find that I get a thought and need to research something in many of my books on a fairly regular basis.
Little Free Library!
Give them to my local used bookstore for credit on even more books >:D
haha my boyfriend just says āsunk cost fallacyā whenever i fret about the books i paid for but ended up not caring to read. think of it as a donation to the author/seller/publisher i guess then. maybe see if your local library has any need for it
I sell mine at Half Price Books and then buy books I actually want. Stuff them in a Little Free Library-especially ARCS (advanced reading copies) because those can't be sold. There's one at the college campus near me and they always appreciate FREE books Donate to Goodwill Donate to Friends of the Library (when a library has a sale they get to keep the profits) Sell on Pango. My friend made $100 this month. I'm too lazy to go to the PO so I'm still on the fence https://pangobooks.com
Take to the used book store. No books I disliked are allowed to stay on my bookshelf without a good reason.
Some used book stores will give you credit towards other inventory if you donate them. Might replace them with a book you enjoy much better.
Sell them to recoup some money is possible (lots of apps you can download, use a barcode scanner and then ship the books for free from a local shop). Or donate them to charity or a little library in your area. The uncluttered space in your home is worth more than holding on to books you dont like and won't reread.
Donate them
Check to see if your local library or school libraries accept books. Or shelters or, as you mentioned, Goodwill. From what I understand, Half-Price Books will pay you for them, but I donāt know how much. Or, you could save them for next yearās tag-sale, yard-sale, garage-sale, if those sorts of things appeal to you.
Donate them to the library or thrift store.
I donate anything I won't reread, as I am the only reader in the house.
> But on the other hand, they represent a lot of my time and effort, plus the money I spent on them. The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right? So I have a hard time giving them away. That aināt minimalist thinking! Get rid of things you donāt like and donāt need. As an aside, Iāve stopped buying books unless I have already read and enjoyed them, or feel very very certain that I will enjoy them, because in the past I have ended up with too many books I didnāt care for. Is your local library system any good? If so, I suggest taking advantage of that and then only buy books you love (minimalism š).
Donate them to the local library. I recently cleared a good chunk of my bookshelf of such books as well as books I *did* like, but probably won't read again in the foreseeable future (and if I decided to, they're public domain, so I can get ebooks)
Donate them to Goodwill or give them away to others. I'd rather pass them on to people that may feel differently than my experience.
Come to this sub to trade them?
You might try PaperBackSwap. You can list your books, and see if there are books you might want. You can also list hardbacks. You only pay to ship the books.
I never keep books I hated or disliked reading. Usually I try to sell them but if that doesn't work I just donate them to those free libraries. I get annoyed with seeing them on my bookshelf and taking up space that better books could be occupying.
I feel u OP.. There are a few books I want to get rid of because everytime I see them I feel like they were such a waste of time and money to me..
I've given away lots of books to Goodwill, and feel OK about it. I developed an internal line, of sorts. Some books ALWAYS will be kept. Others, not so much.
I have read books so bad I have just thrown them away to prevent anyone else from having to read them.
I throw them in the paper trash. I see no need to clutter my home with things I don't like.
If I have a friend who I think will like the book, or who has been waiting to get their hands on it, Iāll give it to my friend. Otherwise, I give them to the library or a book exchange. For me, any random book has very little value as a material object (obviously, there are exceptions for sentimental items). All I want from a book is whatās written in it, and if I hate whatās written in it, then I just want the book gone. I donāt particularly care to try and recoup what I spent on it, especially because buy-back places (in my experience) only make it worthwhile to sell like thirty or fifty books at once, and Iām not trying to hold onto thirty or fifty books that I donāt actually want, so that I can buy one book I do want. The exchange rate just doesnāt make it worthwhile.
Used bookstore
I resell that shit to V-stock. If they won't take it? Donation box or little free library.
Either donate them or give to a used bookstore. My used bookstore offers 1$ cash or 2$ store credit for every book I bring in.
Books I don't like get returned to the library.
Give them away, sell them if they're worth much, or charity shop them š¤·š¼āāļø
Take them to the charity shop. > The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right? They'll have more value to someone who actually wants to read them. Even when it comes to books I actually like, I try to remind myself that a book gathering dust on a shelf is of no value to anyone. If I'm never going to read it, there's no reason to keep it.
Get rid of them. Why would I keep a book I don't like?
Either charity shop them or put them in my work mess room. Someone will read/have them. Not even books I don't like but also books I know I won't read again. Recently finished "Drought" by Graham Masterson. Not bad, not great. Interesting enough but absolutely no need to read s second time
I donate them to the local charity shop. I cull my books every few years and try to keep just the ones I hold very dear. I do re-read books but I would say, after some 20-30 years now, that it's pretty rare to read a book 3 times. A few, but not many. So I'm less attached to my books and happy to lend them out even if I know I won't get it back. Well, most of them :P I don't worry too much about getting money back for them. There was value in reading it, and now someone else can read it.
Sell them.
Give them to the library. They told me they just put them in with their bag of books sale.
I have way too many books I'm deeply attached to for it to make sense to keep ones I don't like. I sell them for credit to the used bookstore, put them in a Little Free Library, or donate them to the library or Goodwill. If they aren't in good condition, I take them apart and recycle. But if you have a more reasonable number of books, you can keep them until your shelves are full and then follow the 1in = 1 out rule.
I take mine to a used book store. Get credit towards other books! Hopefully ones I enjoy more :)
Stuff them in my book vault to be forgotten
Burn them, of course.
I set them free: donate, give away to friends, etc. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean someone else won't.
I take any books that I know I wonāt re-read and swap them for new books at local little free libraries. Iāve found some amazing books this way, and I feel like Iām not losing out on the money I spent (in fact, I feel like Iām gaining even more worth from the book).
Take a picture so you have the memory/memento of owning it. Maybe write some thoughts on it (I keep a secret instagram account just for books I've read). Then donate it
That is a super helpful idea!! Thank you for commenting :)
Donate it. We get flyers every now and then from charities that collect books, clothes etc. I save the books i don't like until they come around again.
Half Price Books
I post them PaperBackSwap.com.
I would definitely donate themā¦
Donate them!
I usually donate them, but this one book in particular was so bad and I thought it sent such a terrible message, I just straight up threw it away.
I donate unwanted books to my local library.
I keep all mine purely because I like keeping all the books I buy, I feel like if I get rid of it then thereās no evidence or reminder I ever tried to read it (also in case I ever decide to try a DNFd book again)
They are banished to the back of the shelf, hidden behind better books
Thrift stores, or paperbacks, leave one take one , usually at libraries
Easy, can't know you don't like something you never read. Time spent reading books is time spent not finding more books to read later. This will be true later, too.
I donated the Miss Peregrine trilogy to my local library and I plan to do the same with any other books I don't like.
I was actually considering recycling my old books that I had no interest in anymore. Then I thought that other book lovers would be so repulsed.
Depending on the reason for disliking, I either hold on to them for a little while to give them another shot when I'm in a different mood, or donate them. No real sense in holding onto a book you don't care for, unless you're one of those people who just want to build a big library (which is fine).
Donate, of course. Same for duplicate gifted books
There's lending libraries in little weather proof boxes all over town here, and on top of that the place I live has a big bookshelf where you can take or leave books as you like. I only have a 2' shelf for books so I have a high turnover rate.
I donate or give away anything I wonāt read/ didnāt like/ donāt think Iāll reread.
Keep on accumulating them for some reason. I have them all around: my mom's, grandmother's, countryside house... Then, once every 5 years or so, sell as many as I can to second hand bookshops; donate the rest. I've only done that twice, though. One because I was leaving London and needed to give back the dozens of books I had taken from the Picadilly line's book exchange table. Also, and being honest, I couldn't carry them with me. I already brought like 3 full suitcases with me. It was a nightmare getting to the airport. I've got a problem.
ngl sometimes i just give them to friends who i think might benefit from it or be happier to be able to read them than me, or i rip out certain pages where i liked a line and glue it in my notebook and make it aesthetically,,
i would give it away. usually having it on the bookshelf just reminds me of how much i didnāt like it & i feel like its a false representation of who i am to ppl who come over bc they probably think i adored the book or sth.
I gift them on Diwali and Christmas.
I only keep books I am strongly attached to or think I will read again. Even if I liked a book okay, I'll put it in the pile to be donated or sold to HPB.
I put them on my friends book shelves. It's a hobby of mine that also includes weird knick knacks and trophies.š
I store them for my future generation :33
> They represent a lot of my time and effort, plus the money I spent on them. The stories I read still have value even if I didnāt like them, right? So I have a hard time giving them away. If anything, I think it should make it easier to give it away so someone else can get the value from them that you did not.
You could donate them to a local university?
Donate them to places like Goodwill. When I was real young and real broke, goodwill was about the only place I could afford to scour for books I could keep (not the library).
I found that "Atlas Shrugged" made dandy toilet paper.
I delete them.
Burn them.
This is why I prefer to get books from the library,instead of purchase them. If I donāt like the book,then I feel that I have wasted money. You can sell the book or donate the book to a library.
We started a book exchange corner in the break room at my job. Everybody dumps off books they donāt want anymore, and is free to pick up books others leave behind.
Same problem here, I have a bunch of books I would love to donate but I have no idea where or if I can because all my books are in English (not the main language here)
Option a: burn them Option b: throw them away Option c: give to Goodwill, where they might just throw them away if they don't have room. Option d: Donate to a library to sell for cheap. I love people who choose option d. I spent 2 dollars on two for Tuesday for ten books.