Sorry I haven’t posted much lately, but the wedding and an impending move have consumed all of my free time. So much so that I have not read much of either Dr. Zhivago or Brideshead Revisited.

This upcoming move, though, has me thinking a lot about my possessions. I love my books, but they are such a huge pain to move, along with all my other stuff.

The last time I moved, from my first apartment to a city 50 miles away, we used a big U-Haul truck for everything and moving took several hours. I’m not sure I want to deal with all of that again, not to mention the fact that my belongings will no longer be the only things in the house. Someone else’s stuff will also be taking up residence.

So, I’ve been considering purging some of my books. I know I can get rid of most of the anthologies I bought while in college “just in case.” I can probably do away with some of the books I only half-liked and probably will never read again. But, when it really comes down to it, I know I won’t give away the vast majority of my books.

To me, a book is like an old friend. You meet that book for the first time, and maybe you love it. Sometimes, you aren’t quite sure, but want to give it a second chance. Occasionally, you downright hate it and can’t stand to see it again.

After reading through that book once, though, I find myself thinking about it. I compare other books to it. I see references all over the place. That makes me want to go back and read that book again. If it’s a book I loved the first time through, I just love it more. If it’s a book about which I was lukewarm, I may grow to love it (this was the case with Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Lord of the Flies and A Tale of Two Cities). Giving that book away would be like turning my back on an old friend. It’s comforting to know that that book, if I should ever want to read it again, is right there, safe and sound, on one of my bookshelves.

Do you have the same problems purging your books?