Don't EVEN think of not taking the books. It can be incredibly annoying and expensive to find an out of print and desirable book that you want to reread particularly when you can't remember the name.
Put them in boxes and store them under the sofa- but don't get rid of them.

Ok, that said, DO get rid of the mundane ones you could care less about.
I got rid of tons of similar books once and boy do I regret it.

Yes, I think they do move around with me. Everywhere I am in here, I see books!

If you love your books, then of course take them with you. Books are beautiful in a room, and to me at least, they're like old friends that give me a warm feeling whenever I see them.

Last time we moved, I went through all my thousands of books and gave away the ones that I didn't like or that made me feel bad when I saw or thought of them. Weird, but that's how I decided. We had built-in bookshelves installed here and for the first time in my life, I have more than enough space for my books.

You could always put the Harlequin romances in your bedroom so that not everybody sees them. :)

While they might not be the right books for your living room, you might be able to play with the colorful spines. Kenneth Brown did that with a vintage record collection on one of his shows. Instead of hiding them, they provided nice color (white shelving).

I'm so glad I asked. I went through my books today and could only manage to through away a couple dozen....I just can't do it. You all are right...they're coming with me. I'll figure the rest out later. :-)

bumblebeez,

I, too, have thrown away books and have lived to regret it. I guess that tells me something, huh?

Thanks again all for making my decision so much easier. :-)

I'll be the voice of dissent as someone who has moved 15 times and that definitely affects my view. I'm also addicted to the library and visit weekly to the main library which can get me practically any book you can imagine included those from speciality university library collections or any other library in my state. Based on this I have never had a book that I couldn't borrow from my library, including some that were over 100 years old.

I own a small number of books, some antique, some art and some favorites. I could never ever not own any books, but I do edit my collection ruthlessly. Luckily reading for my professional life is on line now so all those journals are gone.

I would never tell anyone to get rid of all their books, but I do suggest you think carefully of how many do you have room to store appropriately. Books stored in boxes in a basement or attic, IMO are better sent out into the world for others to enjoy.

Sky

Don't toss them though! Take them to the library if nothing else, but there are charitable groups that sell used books (Salvation Army, churches, animal rescues even). Just toss them into a box or big bag and drop them off on your way to someplace else :)

Glad to hear you're keeping them. I usually regret tossing things later too. If you love them, don't leave them :)

You said they are Harlequin....what about the used paperback places? You can recycle and get credit toward new books when you like. There are also on-line book exchanges, There are a lot of choices besides tossing them , c

If I decided not to move with them, I definitely wouldn't throw them away...I'd only donate.

I have hundreds of books, but I'm only considering tossing the Harlequin ones. Mainly because they're light reads, aren't visually appealing and, truthfully, I probably won't read them again. I'm so torn. I think I might take them with me and if I find I don't have the space to display them, I'll part with them.

Gosh, I'm WAY too attached to my books!! :-)

I also am too attached to my books and I regret the ones I donated so now I am afraid to part with any of my precious books. I am glad I am not the only one on this list that loves books.

Well, I'm may not be the right person to consider this dispassionately because I've got about eight thousand books and I always take mine with me. I've moved seven times, sometimes halfway around the world and back.

The last time I moved I had more than 400 hundred boxes of books and they needed an entire truck of their own.

By all means take your books, they will keep you company while you make friends in your new community.

And as long as you're going through them, why not make a catalogue of them on LibraryThing.com? That way you'll have a good list and be able to sort them out (or check on what you have and don't have while standing in the bookshop).

I'll attach a link below.

Molly~

Here is a link that might be useful: Book cataloguing site

I'm thinking about those Harlequin covers, too...wouldn't they be great in a collage in the powder room or something :) Any vintage ones?

housekeeping, 400 boxes of books?! We had only 100 35-40-lb boxes of books that we moved cross-country (excluding the few dozen we brought with us on the van--the extra precious ones)--sent them via the mail since it was *much* less expensive, even insured, and they all made it. The mailman got to know us pretty fast LOL

But now I'm starting to feel that some of them are really from a past life and I'm not going to use them again...college books, grad school books from the first time around (not in that field anymore)...some of them are valuable, some of them are research that is since outdated...it does make one not able to travel as lightly as one might wish...it's not as cut-and-dried an issue as it had been for me earlier in life.

For background, I'll state that I have about 1600 books and that I've moved across the country several times.

I don't keep unimportant books that I doubt I'll ever read again. I do keep books that I think I am likely to reread, and all books that I need for work.

For a moment the question reminded me of something that people ask whenever one is planning a long-distance move: "Will you move your furniture or get rid of it all and buy new?" I have always moved furniture that I thought I would use in the new place, but I've learned not to move furniture that I would have to struggle to use, or of which the sentimental value outweighs both beauty and utility.

I only kept very few in my last move and I had over 1000. I kept a few that were more special meaning to me. So far I remember every book I've read and don't like re-reading them so it made sense to get rid of some of them. I think I moved about 30-50 this time.

I've enjoyed reading the recent books threads. Choclot, they give you pleasure so you have to keep them. Making a collage from romances is a great idea, but it belongs in the bedroom, or maybe lining a soaking tub nook. :)

Molly, thanks for the site. I'd never heard of it, but yesterday once again a book I already had arrived in the mail, so I think it's going to be a good thing.

Another big library fan here, whenever we move we try to give away as many as possible. Then when I was commuting 4 hrs a day I would find myself finished with a book in the morning and desperate to read something that afternoon so I'd stop by the news stand in grand central terminal and pick up something to read. Oh and that one look good too. Oh and I enjoyed that author and there are three by him here. And it goes on.

Still we do have limited space in the house and I believe in editing. I do have a list of beloved books that I read over and over again and a list of books I might pick up again if the feeling suits me and the rest I try to get rid of (not in the trash though). I try to use the library as much as possible (it is a 3 block walk from my house and although small, does have access to countywide collections) and now that I'm no longer commuting, I can wait for something to come in if they have to get it for me. If I LOVE it I will pick up a copy.

So I guess I'm in between, I see moving as a really good opportunity to edit a lot of things in my life.

If you love them set them free.
I do not re-read. I only keep books that can fit. I like to keep life simple and to share things with others. I would consider donating to the library, a charity book sale or otherwise. For the record, I have an ex-neighbor who kept tons of paperbacks on her built-ins and it looked really cheesy from the street. Trust your instincts and your back will thank you.

"Well, I'm may not be the right person to consider this dispassionately because I've got about eight thousand books and I always take mine with me."
That is more books than they started the Library of Congress with. (a donation from Thomas Jefferson)

"The last time I moved I had more than 400 hundred boxes of books and they needed an entire truck of their own."
When we downsized from a 1600 sq ft ranch style house to our present shanty of less than 900 sq ft, my husband was dumbfounded that we ended up hauling a double horse trailer load of nothing but books, and this was *after* donating two level pickup bed loads to the library. Still, I have never had anywhere near 8,000 books.

I bow in the long shadow of your greatness.

I can't imagine not taking my books with me - they're my friends! We reread or refer to pretty much everything we own, often so much so that some of our books are literally worn to tatters and are held together with packing tape. If we both hated a book so much that we're never, ever going to reread it, it doesn't stay in our collection though, we just can't spare the room for it. Bookcrossing.com has a wonderful setup of "releasing books into the wild" and tracking where they go, which is much fun. I've had to get rid of so many books over the years it's heartbreaking to me (especially when I was young, I moved at least once a year and was allowed to take along one small box of books!), and the REAL sh***er is when you really want to reread a book that you got rid of years ago but you cannot remember either the title or author, and it's so long out of print that no one in the bookstore or library knows what the heck you are talking about. When I was in college I had to sell my books back to the bookstore at the end of every semester so that I could afford the next semester's books, and I do miss some of those for reference. I tracked down a few and bought them again a few years ago.

My library unfortunately kind of blows if you don't read mysteries or what I call "beach books" - unfortunately that's been the case in the last four towns I've lived in. If you read SF like I do you're REALLY out of luck! I wish I had the budget and the space to get every book I wanted. I don't think all the different colored paperbacks look cheesy or tacky at all, I think it's a warm and fun look, and I can learn a lot about someone by looking at the books on their bookshelves.

We did weed some books out in our recent move - we didn't have anywhere near as many as some other posters, but there were still enough that the movers whined and moaned about lugging them! Enough boxes to fill about half of a 12x15 room floor to ceiling. The library's half unpacked now, quite the job. I don't think they're all going to make it onto shelves, we need to get some more shelves.

Having been a reference librarian as my career, I'm an oddity in that I don't keep everything! Being a keeper of books is an occupational hazard for sure. We have moved lots of time with lots of books -- after heavy duty weeding and donating. I have finally realized that there are few books that I reread ("Angle of Repose" comes to mind) and that, especially for paperbacks, I look on myself as the temporary stopping spot for many books. When someone is interested, I give them the book thus making both of us happy. But, ask me to get rid of my old Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia (two editions because they changed!) or Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, and we have to have a chat. LOL

Keeping this decorating related, a good friend redecorated her house with the help of an interior design Nazi (my description). When the major work was finished, my friend was told to go take a nap while the designer 'finished' the details. Lovely. Her idea of finishing was to remove and dump all of the paper covers for the hardbacks because they didn't fit her vision. Well, anyone who collects books knows that having the original, unwrinkled cover is a plus. My friend did have some collectibles and was understandably upset. Upset? I couldn't believe the gall. No referral for her!

Wow! It's great to know so many others here share my love of books and reading. I also feel that my books are my friends. Revisiting old characters/times is such a warm feeling.

johnmari,
I know the feeling of trying to remember the name of a long lost book. I read a book almost 10 years ago and though I can't remember much about it, I know that I adored it, and I wish I could find it and reread it!!

Alright.....it's settled. ALL of my books, including my cheesy Harlequins, are coming with me!! :-)

Thanks everyone.

And littledog, I bow down to you as well. You are the master of book travelers. :)

Our books were the first things to get unpacked, after our toothbrushes.

In my dream house I would have a library/dinning room. The room would have floor to ceiling cases filled w/ all my beloved books. Comfortable chairs and an expandable table that could be moved out to the center of the room when dinning had to take place.

On a practical note: I once read an article where the owner displayed all their hardbacks on the open shelves & stowed all the "ratty" paperbacks behind closed doors. I was ROTFL! But that is an idea for you to ponder if you choose to hide your romances. Build or buy shelving that has sections w/ doors to hide the ones not really for public viewing. Or do what I have done w/ my deep bookcases... stack some at the back & have the highbrow ones arranged in the front. My cases are deep & I can get 2 rows of books on each shelf... and have done so! I don't think I want to count my books!