Literature

Annual Times Colonist 2018 Book Sale Unhaul

April 24, 2018 /

My favourite annual book sale is just around the corner, and this weekend we gathered up some books for donation. I went through my shelves and basically grabbed everything I wasn’t excited to read. Some of these I may pick up again in the future, or listen to on audiobook, but I thought it would be good to clear out some shelf space and mental clutter.

I decided to keep The Accidental Tourist and The Man Called Noon at decision time, but the rest went to the book drive. Here’s the list:

  • Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
  • The Changing Land by Roger Zelazny
  • The Red House by Mark Haddon
  • Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
  • Queen & Country, Volume 1 by Greg Rucka
  • And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
  • Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  • The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell
  • Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny
  • Protector by Larry Niven
  • The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré
  • Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
  • Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
  • The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
  • For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
  • Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
  • House and Philosophy by Henry Jacoby
  • Lives of the Poets by E. L. Doctorow
  • Makers by Cory Doctorow

I feel oddly guilty about getting rid of unread books and feel like I should offer an explanation for each, but I won’t go that far. I haven’t read any of these and am in no way saying they’re bad books, but I’m at the point where I need to clear out anything that isn’t really exciting me (to make room for more books). The Agatha Christie novels are going only because I’ve recently listened to Murder on the Orient Express and plan to listen to And Then There Were None soon. I’m getting rid of Kidnapped because I immediately go cross-eyed when I look at the font in that edition, but I will eventually be reading it. Most of the others I just have no immediate interest.

Feel free to shout at me for getting rid of your favourite novel! I might end up listening to some of these on audiobook or returning to them at a later date so that feedback is always helpful.

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9 Comments

  • Geoff W

    April 24, 2018 at 11:27 am Reply

    I did this the last time I moved. There were so many random political books I bought when they were pertinent but I was like uh pass. I’m keeping the ones I have no and am hell bent on getting them narrowed down through reading over the next few years!

  • Silvia

    April 25, 2018 at 5:28 am Reply

    I love what you did. I do it too. Oh, the perpetual and complex dance of the reader and book buyer/collector.
    I totally get your choices. I could tell you, but why?, lol, in regards to Robinson Crusoe, but I won’t, because I have read it twice, but I understand it’s not for everyone. I can, on the otherhand, applaud you for getting rid of Kidnapped, lol. Not my favorite Stevens book.
    I read Sophie’s World at Uni, but nope, I don’t want to read it now, -I have it, though.
    The only two I would have kept, -that’s me, are, The Scarlet Letter, -but you may want to listen to it, and The Master and M., I want to read that book, and I think I will dig it.
    However, I enjoyed seeing you do this, it’s liberating. I too do this frequently, part of my dance too.

    • Rob

      April 25, 2018 at 11:56 pm Reply

      I do think I’ll eventually get to Robinson Crusoe at some point. I’m actually thinking that might be a good one to listen to on audiobook, actually. The Scarlet Letter might fall into that category as well. The Master and Margarita I had because I felt like I should read it, but I just have little interest in it at this point. That could definitely change, though.

      I read half of Sophie’s World in high school and then lost the book somewhere. I picked it up again ages ago, planning to finish it, but after twenty years or so I should probably just admit that’s not looking likely, hah.

      It does feel good to clear out the clutter a bit. I like the idea of only having books on hand that I’m truly excited about.

  • Ruthiella

    April 25, 2018 at 11:37 am Reply

    I have read a few but none are a favorite. No shouting from me! I tend to keep my Agatha Christie books because I sometime re-read them but I don’t like those editions you have, so even if they were mine, I would probably off-load them too.

    The only one that you show that I would probably keep is The Accidental Tourist because I want to read it. I like Ann Tyler in general and that is probably her most famous title (because of the film). So I am glad of your postscript!

    • Rob

      April 26, 2018 at 12:00 am Reply

      Yeah, if the Agatha Christie editions were nicer I would keep them around, but I’m not a huge fan of those either.

      I read the first few pages of The Accidental Tourist after I took the photo and actually really enjoyed it, so it hung on by the skin of its teeth hah.

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