And I have a complex about just throwing them away or destroying them just to destroy them.
These are books that are either trashed from water damage and hard use, or too risky to give away incase I inflict them on someone unsuspecting (novelizations of 2000's comic book movies, the Sword of Truth series, etc.)
I've reserved as manny as I will need for the next 25 years of camp fires; what do I do with the rest?
by dblackdrake
6 Comments
I always donate the books I don’t want anymore or don’t like to my local library. There will always be someone interested in reading them and having a good time so maybe you can do the same.
Even if they’re heavily damaged the library will know what to do with them or even be able to recover some.
I’m not one to tell others what they should do with their stuff but destroying books isn’t something I’m in favour of. It’s a waste of knowledge and they could be useful for other people.
Give them away for free on Craigslist.
If they smell like mold, best thing to do is throw them away. You don’t want someone getting sick from them. 🩶
If they’re badly damaged there is literally no reason not to throw them away. People are always acting like every single book is some kind of sacred holy object. They’re just ink on paper and there are probably thousands of copies in much better condition.
If they’re in readable condition, add them to street libraries or free little libraries near you. That way others can check them out.
If they can’t be saved (ex mould, gross, falling apart) best to bin them imo.
Take the pages that are salvageable and practice origami with them. Make cranes and leave them in fun places for others to find. Or make flowers with some craft wire and hot glue and give them out at senior care centers to brighten their days.
You can also scour local thrift stores for cool pieces to make decoupage art with random pages (frames, clear vases, etc). ModPoge dries clear and works great with these kinds of projects.