When Books Become a Problem
How many books is too many to own? Plus TONS of writing news & resources.
*For links and resources, scroll down.*
“Books belong in the library.”
My husband and I bought a new couch. It’s literally the first major piece of furniture we’ve ever purchased because our house is filled with stuff we inherited from relatives.
I’m an idiot about interior decorating, but I do know this: our new couch does not go with my husband’s late grandmother’s furniture, which is all very dark and heavy and somewhat mouse-chewed. We decided it was time for a living room refresh.
I called in help from a neighbor, an artsy librarian, for advice on making our living room look nicer.
“Wait, what’s going on with this room?” she asked, motioning to the den adjacent the living room, which is currently filled with books.
“Well, we call it the library,” I said. “It’s basically where we store our books.”
Many of the books are my husband’s from undergrad. He went to St. John’s in Anapolis where they read the classics, and he saved every single book from all four years. We’re talking Plato, Herodotus, Decartes, Euclid. We’re talking Hume, Hegel, Kant, Marx, the complete works of Shakespeare. We’re talking a Greek-English dictionary and several Italian dictionaries.
Long ago I asked him, “do you need to keep all of these books? They’re taking up a lot of space.” He said he did.
“Are you ever really going to read them again?” I asked. He said he might. (I’ll believe it when I see it.)
“You know they have all of these at the library,” I said. He said he knew, but he still wanted to keep them.
I relayed this story to my neighbor, and she laughed. “You know, I’m a librarian, and I really feel that books belong at the library, not in the home.”
It makes sense, especially for people with apartments and small houses. Books take up space and get dusty. And God forbid you have to move. Dontcha just love hauling around boxes of books? Maybe we should all stick to a single bookshelf of top faves. Like my librarian-neighbor said, “when you’re done reading a book, why keep it? Pass it on so someone else to enjoy”
Books represent who we were, who we are, and who we want to be…
Of course many people don’t just read their books, they also display them. We like to look at them, maybe arrange them in rainbow order. (OK, not in our library/den, which is a hot mess of jumbled books on wonky bookshelves (see photo above). But still, a home library can be cozy and beautiful.)
Much like a record collection or artwork, a curated bookshelf shows off your personality and tastes. And books contain memories. You might look at a book and think about the person who gave it to you, where you bought it, or where you were the first time you read it. I will always look at The Signature of All Things and remember how I read it on my honeymoon in Sicily.
Then there are those stacks of books we haven’t read yet. Maybe we want to read them but never seem to be in the mood or have the time. Maybe they were given to us and we feel obligated to read them. And, yes, those books been sitting there for years untouched, but we believe that one day we will get around to them. Those TBR books represent our future and our potential: the reader and person we will one day become.
I love my books, too, but…
I’m giving my husband a hard time, but I also have emotional attachments to my books. I want to own and display books written by people I know. I want to show off the books I love, the books that have inspired me or meant something to me at one time in my life. The books I may never read but boy are they pretty (like this one).
But, as I get older, I realize I don’t have unlimited space. (Nor do I have unlimited time to read all of these books I know deep down in my heart I’m never going to read). I’ve started to make regular trips to the little free library down the street to give away books.
It’s not easy! Recently I was debating whether or not to give away Jitterbug Perfume. I read it in 2002, and it’s been sitting on my bookshelf untouched ever since. I haven’t given it away yet, but in writing this I realize I should. If I ever want to read it again, I can always get it from the library.
Here’s what I DO keep:
Books I regularly reference as a writer (Save the Cat, for example).
Books I love or that have inspired me at one point in my life.
Books I might use as examples when I teach writing classes.
Books written by friends.
Books I like to re-read.
My very favorite childhood books for my kids to read one day.
That’s still a lot of books! More and more, I try to have with books what I have with clothing: a one-in/one-out rule. (Really need to start doing this with my children’s toys as well…) I’m not saying this is easy, but it’s necessary.
What do you think? How many books is too many to own? How do you store and display your books? Do you have emotional attachments to your books? And do you think my husband should get rid of his college books?
Write Your Novel this Summer!
I recently published a nice little post for paid subscribers with four writing exercises to help you get started on your novel. For annoying tech-fail reasons, it didn’t go out to most of you, so if you didn’t receive it, please find it here: Write Your Novel: Lesson 1.
Writing News & Resources:
For All Writers:
Free online Writing Irresistible First Pages workshop from Good Story Company on June 20.
Common interiority mistakes in every genre from agent CeCe Lyra and
. Not sure what interiority is? Mary Kole has a great explanation on her kidlit blog. (Note that interiority is not just for kidlit but all genres.) OR attend the ’s free webinar on June 27: Writing Character Interiority.Check out the latest episodes of This Mama is Lit, a podcast from
featuring interviews with writer-moms. I’m now a part of the podcast team, but you won't start hearing my voice until this fall.NYC Midnight’s 500-word fiction challenge starts July 12. Register before then!
The Writers Center website is a GREAT resource for finding grants, fellowships, residencies & retreats, publishers (who publish non-agented authors), and literary journal opportunities.
Your self-published or hybrid-published book can win up to $10,000 plus expert marketing services with the North Street Book Prize. Deadline July 1.
Ready Chapter 1 is a community-powered platform connecting book publishers with undiscovered writers. Find peer critiques and more.
Check out all the many upcoming online craft workshops from Savvy Authors!
Writing Workshops also offers lots of online classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and the business of writing.
Check out the meet-up group called Shut Up & Write. There are in-person chapters all over the country, as well online events.
Cheshire Novel Prize hosts a FREE group on their private app called Writers Space where you can talk about writing, ask for BETA readers, and connect with other writers.
Ready to submit a story? Check out NewPages for submission calls from literary magazines and journals.
For KidLit Writers:
Have a great idea for a kid’s book (PB through YA)? Introducing WriteMentor’s brand new competition for ideas right from the early concept stage. Enter by July 14.
A list of places that publish stories for children from The Write Life.
Literary Rambles has information on kidlit agents and agent interviews.
Submit your children’s book to these publishers: no agent required!
Here’s an incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!
Check out SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) fir events, conferences, critique partners and more. (Picture book through YA.)
For Querying Writers:
Live in the DC area? I will be teaching a 3-day workshop class at The Writer’s Center: Find the Right Agent for You, A Submission Package Workshop. Learn how to research agents, write a stand-out query, and polish your first pages. We will workshop the queries and first pages of all participants. Begins July 13.
Here’s a list of small publishers, most of which do not require agents.
A query letter template from agent Samantha Wekstein and lots of querying advice from agent Eric Smith.
Andrea Bartz has a list of successful query letters.
Pitch contests on Twitter(“X”) seem to be coming back (for now). These events can feel like a bunch of authors screaming into the void, but it doesn’t hurt to try. After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. So read my article:13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events then mark your calendar for these upcoming pitch parties:
#PBPit on June 20 for picture books
#QueerPit on July 1 for authors who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+
I occasionally choose a subscriber for a FREE submission package critique. Send me your query and first two pages, and, if I chose your submission, I will send you in-depth feedback on both. Fill out the form here.
Writing Conferences & Events:
Live in the mid-Atlantic region and looking for a writing retreat get-away?
2024 Writing Retreats at ZigBone Farm (Just one hour from DC/Baltimore area in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains). MD residents can apply for a grant to help cover costs!
July 28 - Aug 2: Summer Novel Writing with award-winning author Tammy Greenwood. For writers at all stages of the journey.
September 22-27: Fall-on-the-Farm Women's Poetry Writing Retreatwith Award-Winning Poet and Writing Instructor Ann Quinn
The Writer’s Retreat at Good Contrivance Farm. Open year-round, the only requirement for this peaceful retreat north of Baltimore is that you use the time to work on your writing. Spaces normally book about two months in advance.
Thinking about going to a conference or applying for a residency? Check out the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences are affordable and helpful. Plus, sign up for pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences:
Milwaukee Writing Workshop: June 21, 2024 (in-person)
Writing Workshop of Chicago: June 22, 2024 (in-person)
Writers Digest offers loads of virtual conferences on a variety of publishing and writing craft topics.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
I could empty my wardrobe, cupboards and drawers of shoes and clothes but suggest that I give away one book and I feel guilty. Guilty about rejecting somebody's work and that I didn't read the book properly or enough. I think that our books are part of us because they express and reflect our personality so losing them is like giving away something of ourselves - although having lived in five countries in the last 20 years I totally get the point about schlepping around boxes of books.
Books show were I've been and where I've traveled to, I like having them, it's really nice when your recommending a book and you can say I have it if you want to borrow it. Honestly I love having them and would rather have them in my home than having to go out all the time to go to a library even if it's more expensive. I could live in a home without some book even if it's just textbooks, I've always had a bookshelf in my room I wouldn't change it for the world. So agree to disagree.