Books - How do we share (get rid of) books?



In our year long quest for simplicity, we have cleaned out closets of clothing, toys, junk, and large furniture. However, the last category to tackle was my hardest. Books. I never want to part with a book, no matter what it is or how much I have read it. Too precious is the written page! I simply cannot bear the thought of parting with even one until.....I was so convicted that I must learn what I continue to attempt to teach my young ones - to share.

I'm learning to share even when I do not want to share. Amazing how difficult this is even though I'm an adult!

Here is the criteria that I used recently in our "simple" journey:

If the book is a.....

1. multiple copy (amazing how many duplicates we ended up with!)

2. one with any disagreeable content in the children's book area (I do keep ones in the adult section depending on topic)

3. one the library has for certain

4. one that I let my children choose

5. ones that are not fitting on my bookcase (yes, I'm resisting getting bigger shelves...for now!)

So, the truth is I came up with about 5 books to share and I still have more bookshelves to go through. We have one in every room, including the bathroom! But the lesson is important to me. I must learn to share, even when I do not want to. These blessings are wealth from Jesus and often times are truly blessings when shared! What other ideas do you have for sharing and simplifying book collections?