A Mighty Purge

[xraytheenforcer]

I had to do it -- do a purge of the bookshelves, that is. We only have a limited amount of space for books (although I'm looking to buy another set of shelves), and way more books than space. So now there is a pile of "discards" in the living room. Most I will not miss (thank you very little, Vernor Vinge; Happy trails, Brandon Sanderson), but a few were more from necessity than actual desire to get rid of them (GGK's Sailing to Sarantium, Iain Banks' Consider Phlebas, etc). And some, I just couldn't do it: I've stalled at Memories of Ice in the Malazan series, but I can't rid myself of these books because I'm damned sure I'm going to pick up the series again some time in the future.

One thing I've really noticed about myself lately -- I resent series. Book series aren't as bad as TV series -- at least with books you can turn to them when you are good and ready (as long as you ignore the intertubes), whereas with TV either you see it, or some jackass has spoiled it for you by day 3. But I gave up on BSG early in season 4, mostly because I resent being shackled to the TV once a week. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad, it's the obligation. Anyway, I was reminded of this when I saw 8 or 9 unfinished book series on my shelf, and I got the same "oh fuck" feeling. Instead of obligation to sit down in front of the Tee-Vee at a set time, it's valuable shelf space that these books are eating. Of all the problems one could have, I suppose this is definitely one of the most desirable.

Comments

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Jusat as well you gave up on BSG in season 4. The show fell apart completely.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Ha. Yeah, I'm not too broken by missing BSG. Or, well, I mourn the series that could have been, had everyone involved not completely fucked it up. :(

I'm much more lenient on books -- again, the obligation is different, although I've found that my patience isn't limitless for these either (which is somewhat surprising to me, considering I've invested a decade or more in multiple series. Not sure why I'm feeling cranky now...)

[tenalpia.livejournal.com]

The invention of the Sky+ box solved my problem with tv series - just set it to record the whole season and voila - no shackles to the tee vee :D Also dvd box sets are pretty handy :p

Totally agree with the book series problem though - not so bad when it's a series that you're loving but when it's one that's a bit meh it's downright irritating looking at the wasted shelf space!

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Even then, it's the time I have to invest to watch it. No, it makes no sense. I just pretty much hate TV (save for a very, very few select shows).

[misunderstruck.livejournal.com]

Good thing Spaced is only 14 episodes!

Also, what Sam said. You are just as well off relying on my 1 minute summaries. I watch the episodes so you don't have to.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Ah, the selfless spouse.

Spaced is one of the very few shows I don't want to launch into a black hole.

[hereward77.livejournal.com]

I am full of admiration. I have boxes and boxes of crappy books in the loft, but I cannot even contemplate getting rid of them. I yearn for the day when I have my own library and can restore them all to public view.*

*Well, except for the Gor ones, obviously.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Gor? hahahaha

[ildrinn.livejournal.com]

I am becoming much more ruthless in my old age. It used to be that I would never, ever get rid of books, even crap ones, but once the volume of crap reached a tipping point it spilled over and I ended up getting rid of a lot of not-crap-merely-average ones too. Moving house was a helpful incentive here. As was LibraryThing, bizarrely - maybe with the psychological boost of having the contents of my library recorded somewhere, I no longer needed to own all the actual physical books...

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I haven't updated librarything in forever. Must get around to doing that...

[stubbycarey.livejournal.com]

You are a shitload braver than me. I start to get physically ill if I have to dispose of a book - even one that I despise.

Even our garden shed has plastic tubs full of books.:)

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

but when you sell books to the used bookshop, you can trade them in! It's not like you're losing books -- more of refresh.

[isis-newton.livejournal.com]

Once you get started it is actually quite liberating.

[werthead.livejournal.com]

I have almost never gotten rid of books. I had to exile Elron's to the second-hand shop as having them in the same house as me was making me physically ill, but I've kept everything else (including my half-sawed-in-half copy of Wizards' First Rule, which I keep in order to chuck across the room in moments of rage).

BSG Season 4: better than late S3 (not saying much) and it's certainly worth watching the mid-season finale (although it'd have far funnier if they'd finished there for good, leaving the entire fanbase enraged), but I think you're right and the show will be remembered for what it could have been rather than what it was.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I used to keep some crappy books around, but multiple transatlantic moves (and space being an absolute premium in NYC) has rid me of that habit. Mostly, I hate being shackled by my possessions. In the end, I could probably chuck everything except the artwork that was made by friends and the handmade jewelry -- and four books: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pride and Prejudice, Lord of Light and Canticle for Leibowitz.

[pippingeek.livejournal.com]

i quit freaking out about tv when i had none and no internet, but i'm also comforted to learn that when i miss something i really want to see, 9 times out of 10 it's there for me on surfthechannel. makes me not worry about when i do what after getting home from work...

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I can't even be bothered to do that. I think that TV (and movies) are just not my thing.

[regina-of-york.livejournal.com]

Except Excalibur, of course. ;)

[isis-newton.livejournal.com]

Good stuff!

A few years back I grew out of the idea that YOU MUST KEEP EVERY BOOK YOU EVER READ. There is just no need to hang onto stuff that you know you won't read again. I often buy super cheap second hand copies of books and then give them away as soon as I am done with them.

And then there are the people who don't just keep every book they'e read - they also buy multiple copies of the same book. Eeeek.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I do the second-hand thing a lot, too. Especially for books I am not sure I will like.

[mandyly1977.livejournal.com]

I'm a book packrat and I always loan my books out to people. I feel bad for your poor book purge victims.

(I have Consider Phlebas in my pile of to be read - why are you chucking it?)

I'm a tv series addict. I have a DVR. It has some show from Food Network on it right now - I'll get to that later today as well :p

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Consider Phlebas was interesting, but in the calculus of "am I willing to pack this book into a box when I have to move next," it loses. Most books do, because most books (IMO) aren't worth that effort. I do loan out a lot of books, but I'm not going to hold on to books for that eventuality...I gotta make room for new stuff.

PS -- erase that show! do it before your eyes are sullied!!

[catrionamacnair.livejournal.com]

I read the title and thought, Oh noes, I'm going to get kicked off the friends list!
..yeah well, some things never change :p

I'm not too fond of series either - among all the books I have waiting to be read, series imply that I won't be done anytime soon (that's one of the reasons why I had a very hard time reading the first WoT book - knowing there were 10-something coming after this). Especially as nowadays the tendency is to go far beyond trilogies.

I have some Star Wars books I simply can't get rid of. No matter how bad some of them are, I know that at some point I will reread them (and if only for being ingeniously bad).

The problem with shelf space, I find, is that it nudges the subconsciousness to buy more books to fill the empty spaces. But that's another problem I am quite fond of dealing with.

[after-nightfall.livejournal.com]

When I was younger and my parents would never buy me any fiction books (they said it was a waste of money and we had the library for "crap" like that), I vowed to myself that when I have money and a place of my own, I'll buy every single book I want to read. It didn't quite work out that way because even paperbacks in English would get quite expensive here, but I still accumulated a fair few. It's almost physically painful for me to contemplate separating myself from those saved-up-for tattered paperbacks, even the David Eddingses... You're a person of immense mental strength.

It seems I'm doing the right thing with ignoring BSG season 4... somehow, I've managed to avoid spoilers, and maybe I'll watch it once it comes out on DVD - whole. I really can't be bothered to before.

[bornfaceless.livejournal.com]

Vernor Vinge *cringe*

In my opinion BSG is definitely one of the best series out there...I don't watch it on TV (or anything on TV for that matter), because like you, I don't like feeling shackled to something like a TV, running my life around something like that...I get it once they come out on DVD and watch it whenever I want. Though of course this means that you have to basically walk around with a sign saying: 'DID NOT WATCH SEASON 4 BSG PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL', but I don't mind...people are generally considerate and I don't visit sites which I know will spoil it for me...

[regina-of-york.livejournal.com]

Series TV doesn't bother me, unless they have a long hiatus (Heroes) or otherwise struggle to put out new episodes (Lost).

But I hear you when it comes to books. While I appreciate a well written epic, I LOVE a good stand alone fantasy novel (like GGK's work).

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

The problem with series TV is when they cancel the show and don't finish the story. I'm therefore slightly reluctant to start watching a new story-arc based show unless it seems likely there's going to be more seasons of it. I don't know how many single-season shows I've seen now which never resolved any of their plotlines.

[michnessiest.livejournal.com]

I'm a keeper as well unfortunately. I still have books from easily 15 years ago. I just keep buying more shelves. I can't believe you're getting rid of the Sarantium books! They're my favourites.

Are you going to make a list of ones you're getting rid of? *leers*

[mandyly1977.livejournal.com]

I just watched you on TV!!

Every time you said anything, Ethan turned to me and laughed :p He loves those shows :p

You did really good!!! Totally cute!!!

[beniowa79.livejournal.com]

A book purge?! *sputters* Vernor Vinge? Sailing to Sarentium?

*puts on judge's robes* "Xray the Enforcer has been found guilty of crimes against the State of Book Lovers. Her punishment..."

Seriously, I do understand the need for a purge every now and then but I hate to do it, even to books I don't particularly like anymore. My copy of Wizard's First Rule was the only one I didn't feel bad about chucking (if asked I will deny ever owning a copy).