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Book Organization Challenge: January Goal

Monday, January 22, 2018




Good morning, My Lovelies!  Today is the first day of the Book Organization Challenge.  Each month, I'll be sharing with you tips and tricks on how to better organize, display, and enjoy your books in your library.

There are tons of home decor bloggers who've shared tips on how to style bookshelves.  I just shake my head at most of them because usually they have very few books on the shelves.  It's all about displaying something pretty in them.  My question is this:  Why have bookshelves if you don't own many books?  Why not have more wall space and display beautiful art?

The tips and tricks I'll be sharing with you are meant for people who actually own books.  

January's focus is:

Purge!

Some of you, like my oldest daughter, can't stand the thought of letting a book go.  But eventually you're going to run out of space, and then what will you do?  You won't be able to walk through your home due to way too many books.

I have some ideas to help you sell, donate, or recycle your books.

1.   First, go through your books and place the ones you did not enjoy in a pile.  Chances are if you didn't enjoy them the first time you read them, you won't ever read them again.

2.   Next, separate books into three separate piles:  those you want to sell, donate, or recycle.  There are used bookstores that will buy your books (like 2nd and Charles), or you could save them for a garage sale.  Another option is to donate them to your local library.  Our local library has an annual book sale, and the librarians appreciate donations for the sale.  You can also donate books to church libraries, or you can find out if there are any Little Free Libraries near you and leave books in them.  You might also want to ask family members, neighbors, and friends if they'd like to take any books off your hands.

3.   What should you do with the ARC's (advanced reader's copies) you have?  Technically, these books are not meant to be circulated.  They might have mistakes or other issues that the author and publisher might not want to share with the world, and ARC's should be considered uncorrected proofs, not the final book.  Reputable used bookstores will not accept them, so your best option is to recycle them.

4.  Finally, go through the process again until you feel good about the books you're keeping.

I hope these tips help!

Next month I'll share general tips on organization.



On the TLC Book Tours Facebook Page, Lisa asked which books we've had for at least two years and keep passing over them in favor of other books.  I found these books that for whatever reason I keep passing on...I've only started one of them and have abandoned it at least three times.  If I don't read at least one of them by spring I'm donating the lot!

By the way, as part of the Ultimate Blogging Bootcamp I've been participating in the past couple of weeks, I posted a FB live video about these books and I asked which one I should read first.  You can tell me in comments which one you think I should read first.

I'm probably going to continue FB Live, but I still haven't worked out which days and what time of day I'll post.

Also:  I've started a weekly newsletter, and I'd love for you to sign-up for it!  

You probably noticed the pop-up when my page loaded.

The first issue will go out tomorrow, and when you sign-up you get a FREE and FUN daily checklist/planner downloadable!  My newsletter will be about my favorite post from the previous week and will include some exclusive information not on the blog!  

I know everyone's inbox gets full, but mine is only sent out once a week, and it's cute and short!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill




9 comments

  1. I subscribed before I even read your post! haha! I love your blog and always enjoy learning more about what you're doing and creating. I was just thinking about getting rid of some 'modern' books that I probably will never read again. I need to space! Hugs!

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  2. All great tips RJ. We have a house full of book shelves, all full. We also have books tucked away in other spaces, in other words, a lot ot books. The problem is, we've already donated, recycled and shared. Never enough storage for books here. Thanks RJ, I will subscribe for your newsletter, I don't want to miss anything. Have a wonderful week.........

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  3. Hmmm... Sorry you didn't like two of my suggestions. I loved both Belgravia and Someone Else's Love Story. I didn't see any popup, but I do use an ad-blocker so maybe that is why. Is this the same thing I already get?



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  4. Very nice blog post. I absolutely appreciate this site. Stick with it!

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  5. Hi Ricki Jill! I have issues like your daughter but I periodically go in and take on this task and it's about time to do it again. I have categories I will always save -- mystery series, France and England, special books where art takes center stage with good narrative (don't even think of messing with my Vivian Swift or Susan Branch!) the Royals, bios of people I really love and Julia Child! I resell quite a few at my local bookstore. They offer a greater percentage for credit which I always take (and buy more books). The rest I handle much as you do -- donate, give to friends. My book club is always pleased to take cast offs! Even at that I'm running out of storage! I find I can make a shelf "expand" by doing a combo of stack on their side and upright and some shelves are two deep.

    I loved your FB. I didn't see it live but watched the whole thing later. If you decide to dump Belgravia, send it my way!

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  6. I did do a book purge about 10 years ago, and just kept my very favorites...I do most reading digitally now, it's just so convenient, but it was really hard to get used to. I have to get real magazines though, can't stand not having those glossy pages! Great suggestions!

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  7. Ricki, We need to purge books at our house but I can't get my husband on board. I still have a set of encyclopedias and lots of textbooks.
    I still marvel at how many books you read and blog, too! I can't finish reading my inbox! LOL!

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Hello!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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