I can't understand this thing about books, either. Our bookcases are crammed full of paperbacks which will never be read again, which I would happily drop into a skip. We shall be re-carpeting soon and I intend to have a similar massive clear out.
On a recent thread on this subject, I vehemently defened the kindle. Especially in bed - books are impossible to read in bed without straining your shoulders or getting a crick in your neck. My kindle is in a sleeve which I can stand next to the pillow and I can read it in comfort without even holding it. And I've read far more books since I got the kindle.
I also said that I consider books rather unhygenic. Very old books (eg. from my parents-in-law) and second-hand books can be yellow, smelly and dusty and have those little mites crawling around on them. I can wipe the kindle with a damp cloth or even a disinfectant wipe (if I'm careful), but I can't de-must a book.
So, obviously I can't sympathise and offer you advice, petitpois. But, in your position, I would do the following:
- only do a little bit each day (say, one shelf). This should also result in a manageable amount for the dustbin each week. Check whether you can throw a hard-back book into the recycling paper in your area - I can imagine that might be a problem.
- decide before you start what proportion you want to keep/throw away/sell/give away and apply that proportion approximately to each section as you go. Be strong!
- Take each book in hand while you make your decision and ask yourself when you last read it, what you thought of it, whether you will read it again in the next five years, and, if not then say goodbye to it!
- In future - when you have read a book, decide immediately if you want to keep it, and if not, pass it on or throw it out straight away. Don't leave it lying around, or put it on the shelf until you've "thought about it".
- From now on, keep a log of the books you read and what you thought of them. If your memory's that good, you can also list the books as you're throwing them out, make notes on them and use that for reference if necessary later on. As suggested above, if you do suddenly decide you've thrown out one too many and you'd like to read it again, get that kindle and download it.
- Bear in mind that with the rise of digital reading, the demand for second hand books will diminish rapidly so get on with the selling asap. Charity shops may soon start turning them away because they're not sellig and just using up shelf space.
- Obviously you will keep picture books, children's books, dictionaries, encyclopaedias and atlases, and "classical" literature. And any valuable first editions! Once these are re-arranged and have pride of place on the shelf and are not just hidden among endless rows of books, you will appreciate them more. And the grandchildren will learn to treat them as something special, too.
And think seriously about a kindle. The time you used to spend dusting all those books can now be spent reading exciting new ones - ones which you won't ever have to dust.