I never thought it was possible to have too many books. If I’m being honest, I still think that. However, you can suffer from having not enough space to keep your books. This is an ailment I suffer with greatly, and have done for a good long while…
That’s why, for the past few years, I’ve been trying my hardest to downsize my book collection, because apparently it’s not safe to have them in piles going up the stairs – a solution I resorted to a few years ago, and almost regretted. I say almost because it did look amazing! Anyway, it’s a battle I’m not winning. In truth, I have more books than I can possibly read (ever), and there are many I won’t even consider giving away until I’ve read (or re-read) and reviewed them…
And so, I find myself returning to a question I’ve asked myself on numerous occasions. Why can’t I replace at least some of them with an ebook version? In my current predicament, it would make sense. But…there’s always a but…
The problem is, I love physical books. I like to hold them, I like the smell of them. There is just something special about a real book. And when I spend so much time looking at my computer screen or my phone, do I really want to be looking at a screen when it comes to reading books too?
And then there is the financial aspect. I have already paid for a copy of these books. Do I really want to pay again just so I can give away what I already possess? It does sound a little daft.
Then I had a little idea. Ebook versions of classics are available at relatively low prices, and some copies you can pick up for free. Perhaps I could test this swap out on this genre and see how I feel about it…hmm…even as I’m typing, there is still this niggling voice at the back of my mind whispering, “Surely you don’t want to do this? The classics always look so nice, with their old lived in covers, or faux leather-bound volumes?”
I can’t argue. It’s true. So instead I’ve made a promise with myself. I don’t have to give away the classics I already own, but any new ones I want have to be in ebook form. It won’t help with my book storage problem, but at least it shouldn’t get any worse…
Sammi Loves Books 
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I’m the same way about strongly preferring real books over ebooks — to the point where I have given up even buying ebooks because I have admitted to myself that I will never read them. For the same reason: I spend almost the entire day in front of a computer screen, whether for work, my own writing and researching, and keeping up with friends by email or on blogs. So one of the main draws of reading is that it is NOT more staring at the same screen! I don’t even have the patience to read short stories online; micro- and flash fiction is the longest I can stand it.
Which means I will soon have the same problem you have: too many books for my space. I think you saw my post about this last month, but I just got rid of six boxes of books and maybe an equal amount of old magazines and paperwork stored on bookshelves, which freed up some space. But I realize that’s a temporary measure. At some point I plan to do that whole Marie Kondo “what sparks joy” thing, where I force myself to identify books that I have to admit I will never, ever read again (or never read for the first time), that are not doing me any good taking up shelf space and would be better off being read by someone else. It’s hard, though! I don’t envy you the issue.
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At some point I know I’m going to have to try harder at getting rid of books; it’s that simple. It will *have* to be done. There’s no getting away from it. But today’s not that day. It’s tomorrow’s problem 😀
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Yep, I have a list of those problems, too. Luckily, Tomorrow Me is SOOO much more competent and organized than Today Me. She will *totally* deal with all of these issues, lickety-split.
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I had reached a similar situation, made worse by the continual threat of North Sea surges (okay, so mostly that’s around the equinoxes) and each time the alarm goes off, I have to move all these books to the highest shelves. So, out when almost all my fiction (not the bulk by any means since fiction was usually had from the library), which left the reference/non-fiction books that no-way would I ever part with. Now, all new fiction is via Kindle (regret there that I can’t then share them with my daughter who has similar reading tastes) but non-fiction (mostly) are bought as physical books. I say mostly, cos Kindle does a nice line in classics that are no longer available in book form.
Unless one lives in one’s very own library (wish) what else can you do?
And did you know, some people have no books at all! I don’t mean through poverty but through lack of desire. I find that amazing.
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I do wonder what people who don’t read do with their free time???!!! What’s that quote by Cicero…”A room without books is like a body without a soul…” Enough said, me thinks 🙂
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And sometimes it’s the most unlikely people.
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Very true!
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As near as I can tell, most people who don’t read books either watch a lot of television or go out socializing every night.
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Good point!
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