Are Your Old Books Still Relevant?
Do an end of year personal bookshelf assessment (Plus 5 book recommendations you need to consider)
Doing a bookshelf assessment is a fun, albeit harrowing, activity for booklovers. As I look across the bridge of my eyeglasses with a judgmental glare of my neighbor’s closet and her shoe and clothing hoard, I have an epiphany; She and I should host a swap party. Unfortunately, the very idea of giving away some of my books makes me feel a little worried. Nevertheless, my 2023 commitment was to keep a tight collection of, only, 100 books. We set a 5-piece giveaway limit and a date in January, and my heart started to palpitate.
Back at home, and apprehensive about the task at hand, I streamed music from my favorite blue tooth speaker. Then, grabbing a hot cup of bone broth and my favorite fleece joggers, I started perusing my hardcopy and digital collection. The spines of the books on my shelf all became glossy and vibrant. Love at first sight all over again. For most of them, I can remember the mood or occasion I was in when I procured it. My bookshelf is usually unorganized in a haphazard arrangement. Typically, I put the most recently read books at eye level. Because my friends and I have a habit of pulling out our phones to take a picture of each other’s book collections when we are visiting, I…
