I Murdered My Library

by Linda Grant

What happens when you begin to build a library in childhood and then find you have too many books? From a small collection held together by a pair of plaster of Paris horse-head bookends to books piled on stairs, and in front of each other on shelves, books cease to furnish a room and begin to overwhelm it.

At the end of 2013, novelist Linda Grant moved from a rambling maisonette over four floors to a two bedroom flat with a tiny corridor-shaped study. The trauma of getting rid of thousands of books raises the question of what purpose personal libraries serve in contemporary life and the seductive lure of the Kindle.

Both a memoir of a lifetime of reading and an insight into how interior décor has banished the bookcase, her account of the emotional struggle of her relationship with books asks questions about the way we live today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Essays, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Linda Grant was born in Liverpool on 15 February 1951, the child of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants. She was educated at the Belvedere School (GDST), read English at the University of York, completed an M.A. in English at MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario and did further post-graduate studies at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, where she lived from 1977 to 1984.

In 1985 she returned to Britain and became a journalist. From 1995 to 2000 she was a feature writer for the Guardian, where between 1997 and 1998 she also had a weekly column in G2. She contributed regularly to the Weekend section on subjects including the background to the use of drug Ecstasy (for which she was shortlisted for the UK Press Gazette Feature Writer of the Year Award in 1996), body modification, racism against Romanies in the Czech Republic, her own journey to Jewish Poland and to her father's birthplace and during the Kosovo War, an examination of the background to Serb nationalism.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Grant had a major problem before her: she was planning to move to a much smaller living space in London from one with multiple built-in bookcases, many more rooms. And built-in in the sense that they moved around the eccentricities of the rooms. She had a trues library, thousands of books, dating from her childhood. Now it was time for tough decisions. That she had discovered the world of the Kindle did help (thanks to the gods of the enlargeable fonts).

I feel a kindred soul here. The joy of a love of books balanced by the knowledge that human life is so finite. The life of a book, well it varies with the person who holds it and the value they do or don't give that object of paper (and now electronic impulses). There is humor, melancholy, a touch of angst. I think Grant and I are of the same generation. I'm not a writer, but we share the love of reading and books. We know that we will never read all the books we have, so how do we make our choices.

Having moved recently, I can relate to Grant's thoughts on cutting down her library when moving to a smaller space. And now that I'm moved, I'm still working to reduce my book-load since I can't realistically keep even the lesser amount I have. So it's the tried and true, classics for possible re read, favorite authors (read and not), favorite books, and some I just can't let go of yet. But I want the boxes gone! I've disposed of hundreds, not thousands, but I imagine Grant's and my feelings have been much the same as we do the deed.

Highly recommended to any book lover who has experienced this event or anticipates the inevitable downsizing that comes to us all.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a book at all, more of an essay. It was $2.99 on Kindle, and worth every penny for the pleasure it gave me to read. Add to that the fact that I will re-read it several times, that just lowers the price even more. She is one of the few authors who loves e-readers just as much as the books on her shelves, especially as she ages and can no longer read small print. Still, pruning her library to move into a smaller place was painful and difficult. At first.

Favorite quote: "A library is like a larder for the soul".

[Jola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linda Grant confessed that she had murdered her library. I admit to not liking her book as much as I’ve expected.

I adore books about reading. My favourite ones are Howards End Is on the Landing by Susan Hill, Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman and 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. Unfortunately, ‘I murdered My Library’ lacks their charm. On the other hand, I appreciate Linda Grant’s honesty. Her musings are very personal. She even confesses to stealing books: ‘I stole books for quite a long time – three or four years. I stole them because I wanted them. I wanted books in a junkie kind of way’.

What was the motive for murder mentioned in the title? Linda Grant wanted to sell her flat and it turned out that according to estate agents books are a big no-no, because they 'make rooms look messy’ and they are ’too personal as objects to be displayed’. Sounds like a heresy, doesn’t it? Grant followed the estate agents' advice and now feels bad about it. No wonder. She’d been building her library for more than 50 years and got rid of at least half of it.

Despite my reservations, 'I Murdered My Library' is a feast for book lovers. Maybe a diet feast compared to books mentioned above, but anyway. I felt at home reading about Grant's love for literature, collecting books, bookshops, inspecting bookshelves in friends’ houses, compulsive shopping for books, intense relationship with books. So many things sound familiar! I enjoyed Linda Grant's witty musings about literature and life, topped with sprinkles of slightly bitter sense of humour.

Two things bothered me while reading 'I Murdered My Library'. I didn’t like the passage which looks like a love letter to Kindle and Amazon, emphasizing how better Kindle is compared to other e-reader, specific name included. It sounded like a commercial. The other thing that made me feel awkward was an unjust generalization: ‘The next generation don’t want old books – they don’t seem to want books at all.’ Linda Grant should definitely have a look at Goodreads from time to time. Or come to my school and see teenagers reading for pleasure during breaks. Or come to Warsaw Book Fair and survive a stampede of crowds.

It’s such a tiny booklet, that summarizing it would kill your reading pleasure. No more killing, the murder committed by Linda Grant is enough. If you can relate to her vision of hell as a place 'in which eternity is a Kindle with a dead battery' and her confession 'Reading wasn't my religion - it was my oxygen', and if you wish to know the answers to questions like:
What do some writers bury in their gardens?
What novel did Linda Grant get from her ex-boyfriend as a breaking-up present?
Which books survived the genocide?
Who are her favourite authors?
... just indulge in ‘I Murdered My Library’.

[Marc]

Very short, but nice read, and at the same time a kind of propaganda publication for Kindle (note that it is published by Kindle!). Still, it has some great quotes on what a personal library stands for. "I return in memory and imagination, but I return by taking a book down from the shelf, and reading a few pages. That is a library. A full larder for the soul . "

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for Chris:

This book hit home with me, as, like the author, I have been forced through necessity to release some books into the wild recently, and I have more to free. I choose not to think of it as murdering them. This may be willful blindness.

Her essay reads like a confessional, and I found it poignant and touching. I was actually heartbroken when it finished (abruptly). I should probably check out her fiction, because the rhythm of her words is like gentle summer waves.

My favorite quotes:

"The relationship with my library on a Kindle feels more intimate, like a shelled animal carrying its home on its back."

". . . It reached the point at which, in my demand for instant gratification, if a book wasn’t available to download at once, I didn’t buy it at all. During this period, I wouldn’t say I felt any guilt, though perhaps I felt some shame. I experienced the sense that I was making my library partly invisible. Without a physical presence on the shelves, the Kindle books seemed slightly insubstantial. There was no equivalent of the satisfying cracked spine. There was nothing to bequeath to the next generation, nothing to sell on to live a new life in someone else’s library . . . The idea that I was building a library to bequeath to the next generation is one of the greatest fallacies of my life. The next generation don’t want old books – they don’t seem to want books at all. This is very painful to me."

"There are not enough books here. The sight of the bare shelves shames me. What have I done?"

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could identify totally with her struggle as I have had the same dilema. I recently changed countries again and was forced to downsize quite a bit. I'm still trying to find creative ways to squeeze in my vast library. At the same time I have decided to buy a Kindle and can see how appealing it can be to take your library with you everywhere without worrying with weight or space. Paper is still my favourite vehicle though, I just wonder if the easy access to ebooks will ever make me change my mind...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When author Linda Grant was moving home, she had to take a long, hard look at the library of books she had built up over a lifetime. As she muses, “you cannot have a taste for minimalist decor if you seriously read books.” So much of this short book resonated with me, as I had also recently reached the point where books stopped furnishing my rooms and started taking over my house. Like Grant I was a bookish child who, “preferred above all else, as I still do, to stay indoors and read.” This book takes us through Grant’s early love of books and she recalls how books taught her everything – when first living alone as a student, for example, she turned to a cookbook for advice. There seems nothing that books cannot teach you – they are company, friends and a place to retreat. Yet, the author admits that she came eventually to hate these books which her estate agent looked at with such desperation; seeing not beloved friends but clutter and mess. They were heavy, dirty, dusty and the font size was too small. Her kindle, by comparison, was small, tactile and simple...

Books do certainly define a person’s identity. Like Grant, anyone who steps through my front door asks that question, “have you read all these books?!” They offer comfort and reassurance and, if you are a serious reader, you cannot help pass a bookshop without going in – it is an addiction. Like Grant I have recently also ‘murdered’ my library – ridding myself of hundreds of books. Anything which can be brought on kindle was ruthlessly recycled and now – although I still have a lot of books by most people’s standards – I do have a lot less. So I empathised completely with Grant’s feelings of desperation to rid herself of these books and yet her guilt over doing so. This is an entertaining read, full of humour and warmth. The author discusses the loss of bookshops, her relationship with reading and her feelings about those who don’t read. I really enjoyed my time in her company and think this is a must read for anyone contemplating those over spilling bookshelves with concern.

[H.A. Leuschel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant essay about how hard it is to cull a library (because the author has to move house) when books are everything to you!

[Nicole]

I actually haven't read this, which is usually a no-no for me. And it's possible that this is a fine little essay, one that will charm and delight and inform and engage.

But

I murdered MY library, actually, about 7 years back, going from thousands of books to about 50. And do you know what I did about it?

Nothing. I moved on with my life, which is still very happy, got two library cards, took to buying even more books, and nothing bad happened to me at all. There was only one book that I ever missed, and there are multiple copies of it in my library, and thousands more floating around on used book sites for 99 centimes plus shipping.

At this point my question is actually less why everyone is always so traumatized by everything and more why we have all decided to line up and read narrative after narrative of these fantastically UNtraumatic life events as though they were genuine tragedies. I'm all for a civilized, safe, peaceful, joyful life, free of violence and harm and filled with plenty. But I am also for a level of autonomy and general sturdiness that permits us to get through our upper middle class coziness without claiming to have been crushed and destroyed by it. I am particularly not that sympathetic to claims of pain on giving up huge piles of superfluous material things which even books, I am sorry oh my brothers and sisters to tell you, are, finally, just that.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never considered that one day I would be "une femme d'un certain âge", be surrounded by a paskillion books, and not be able to read a single one because my eyesight was shot. And truly this is only because I'm in complete denial, because I watched it happen to my voracious reader of a grandmother and then to my equally as bookish aunt. It never even crossed my mind that this would also be my fate. Which is ridiculous since I have the worst eyesight in the entire family. So I thought about this for a while. Would the day come when I'd murder my own library? Would there be a time when it would be just me and my kindle with its adjustable font size? I really took this question to heart and the answer I came up with, after much soul searching, is NO. I will always be surrounded by books, even if I can't read the darn things. And I know the author makes the point that one day she will die, and she feels awful about leaving all these heavy books to her next of kin to deal with. To that I feel no guilt whatsoever. I have given the blood, sweat, and tears of my entire life to these children, and the least they can do is spend a weekend and a few hundred bucks moving these books. This kindle single is well worth a read, and is available for free on kindle unlimited! Go forth!

[Ammara Abid · Rating 3 out of 5]

"From inky words, roses rise."

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Grant developed a love of reading at an early age, which continued throughout her adult years. She marked significant phases of her life with the books she read at the time, and in so doing, books became an extension of her own self, a part of living; an unread, unopened book became a missed opportunity-

The glory of the library for me is how many of the books are in poor physical condition. They are books that have been read and read intensely. They are knocked about and shopworn. I would be ashamed of a book whose spine was not broken.

I murdered my Library describes Linda Grant's emotional response to the culling of her library, which a move to a smaller home necessitated. Her house was taken over by the physical presence of books-

Books multiplied, books swarmed, books, I sometimes dreamt, seemed to reproduce themselves–they were a papery population explosion. When they had exhausted the shelves, they started to take over the stairs; I had to vacuum round them. You cannot have a taste for minimalist décor if you seriously read books.

Upon deciding to donate the majority of her library to an Oxfam book shop, she found "comfort in the thought that they would begin life again in someone else’s hands", but also a sense of anxiety that a general dwindling interest in reading, especially of the classics, and a rise in eBook sales, might mean a good portion of her books would end up being pulped-

The hundreds of books I had bought from Prospero’s in the two decades since I had moved into my flat came down from the shelves and were picked up by Chris, the manager of the Oxfam bookshop, in three carloads. This act, this murder, had its accomplices – my nephew and his wife, who ferried the rejects from the various floors down to the hall. They don’t read. They don’t read books. They have no books. My nephew’s wife took a suitcase full of the fashion monographs, but nothing else tempted them. The idea that I was building a library to bequeath to the next generation is one of the greatest fallacies of my life. The next generation don’t want old books – they don’t seem to want books at all.

Space as well as eyesight issues ultimately forced Grant into buying a Kindle; yet with the obvious advantages that such a move brought ("as I began to buy more eBooks, I felt a sense of surprise and delight and wonder that I could carry around a library in my pocket"), nostalgia and habit remained a permanent kindle to the embers of anxiety that refused to leave-

I experienced the sense that I was making my library partly invisible. Without a physical presence on the shelves, the Kindle books seemed slightly insubstantial. There was no equivalent of the satisfying cracked spine.

This experience, this major upheaval, marked a critical point in Grant's life; a milestone forever remembered with the purging of books rather than the absorption of them. As the title suggests, "it is death that we’re talking about. Death is the subject. The death of the book, but also my death."

Of course, rational thoughts battled alongside such instinctive reactions-

On my brand-new Kindle, Galgut’s words were identical in their meaning to the ones that appeared in the paper product. As a work of literature, it was the same act of imagination as when he had originally typed it. The cover, paper, binding and font were extraneous. I had the peculiar sensation on my Kindle of mainlining directly into Galgut’s brain, without the intervening medium of the book’s aesthetics.

Any sense of relief Grant felt in swapping over to a Kindle was overpowered by far stronger feelings of loss. This was an incredibly hard undertaking, which was certainly not made less so by the replacement of titles on an eBook reader.

When I began to write on a computer, when I abandoned the typewriter, I didn’t look back. I don’t miss my turntable or my cassette player. I’m not a Luddite, I’m a Modernist. But the books seem not to be – not even the Modernists themselves, not James Joyce or Jean Rhys. A part of the cliff has fallen into the sea. There are not enough books here. The sight of the bare shelves shames me. What have I done?

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Murdered My Library by Linda Grant is the novelist's account of her book collecting days (not first edition collecting but a reader's gathering of books) from her childhood days through a time where she lacked money but took anyway through her writing career, until her books began to crowd her out of her home. The crisis comes when she moves from a house to a two bedroom apartment. We experience her trauma in selecting the books to be gotten rid of (accompanied sometimes by a sense of euphoria from dropping the burden of so much stuff), her infatuation with the kindle (with which I identified strongly-I love my Kindle but it has increased my book collection with its burden of "when will I ever read all this?" while only slightly decreasing my purchases of paper books), and her re-evaluation of who she is and what this world that no longer values books or bookcases is.

A short but wonderful book for all of us readers who have or ever may need to grapple with these issues.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently donated about 4,000 books to the local nursing, rehab, and end of life center. They did not have a library. My kids biggest fear is I was going to die and they would have to store, sell, ship, or burn my books to get rid of them, and did not want the hassle. Giving away books is not all that easy, but the nursing home was ecstatic. They even helped my kids pack and move them. I just wish I could send you some of my pictures of their happy day which left me feeling not just happy for them, but also gave me a feeling of freedom. I thought much oh the book humorous, so if you want to know what it is like to throw forty years of your life to the wind you should read this little book.

[David Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beguiled by the classic Penguin font on the cover I read this in half an hour. Linda Grant points out to all of us who deludedly think the hundreds of books currently spilling out of our shelves is sure to be savoured and devoured by the next generation that this is not the case. Books are not going to be wanted by our kids. They are clutter and prevent house sales. We have to get over ourselves and move on to electronic libraries in our smaller and smaller living spaces. She's right. We have to murder our darlings. I mustn't let my wife read this or she'll start before I'm ready to admit it.

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You cannot have a taste for minimalist décor if you seriously read books.”

Humorous, comforting and thought-provoking, I Murdered My Library is author, Linda Grant’s homage to a lifetime spent between the covers of a book. Available as a Kindle single this is a comprehensive and lively little essay covering the problem Grant faced in 1994 after nineteen years of living in a spacious flat, with attics, eaves, landings and stairs, housing her vast collection of books. From evidence of past passions to multiple copies of her own books sent from her publishers, what started in selectively pruning back her collection ended in “rage and ruthlessness” as she prepared for her departure.

As a shy, awkward child of immigrant parents living in suburban Liverpool, Linda Grant tells of her pleasure of discovering life in books with a passion from age six or seven onwards. From finding a world of friends to learning social skills and having reference books to hand, she remarks how books have become the “detritus of the digital revolution”. As estate agents wince and tell her that potential buyers cannot see past her books (‘clutter’), she laments the loss of independent, or simply any, bookshops in her own North London neighbourhood.

Not only are there wonderful anecdotes of peering through the windows of potential neighbours to seek out likeminded people, there is also a good dose of realism from weakening eyesight to the practicalities of an e-reader. As she widens the criteria of her to be culled books by disposing of her own to reading groups and carloads to Oxfam, Grant also makes clear the truth behind the misnomer that we are “building a library to bequeath to the next generation”. From feeling smug at always having something to read at hand with an e-reader, she also makes mention of being stranded with the dreaded flat battery! Us readers really cannot win!

I empathised completely and was immensely comforted to know that I am not alone. An absolute joy to read.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟

[Judah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certain nailed me.
Like the writer, I'm flooded with books. I've loved them dearly since I was very young. They've been my friends, my escape, my teacher, my philosopher. Books have made more impact to me, than everyone I've known. They introduced me to my God, to thinking for myself, to discernment, to understanding, to discovery. In my own introverted way, books are my connection to the world, and my way of responding.
But as some are want to pick up stray dogs, I pick up stray books. 4 huge bookcases packed to the gills stand sentry in my room, as if holding refugees from the torture horrid children, cat ladies, and people who would rather use them as kindling. My nightstand looks as if I'm planning to build a mountain out of library books, and I have books sandwiched in my sock drawer, and inbetween sweaters, thermals and pajamas. They collect in my car, in my desk at work, and on my kindle. Yet for what purpose? Like the writer the books are here for many reasons: nostalgia, interest, something idolized, something I want to read when life stops barging into my introverted bubble demanding I grow up and face the world. I struggle between my desire to live minimally, and yet read unabated.
Weeding my collection has been hard and easy. Some books I never had a passing interest besides the junkie urge to have another book to read, but others have literally become part of me. Surely 'Ben-Hur','Oz' and 'Alice' will never leave me, but what about everything else?
This is the struggle with all readers, but especially with me. My faith demands I abandon the seeking of hoarding up things. My materialistic habits of book and film buying (classic movies!) has literally (and foolishly) costed a few thousand and turned my bedroom into a exiled apartment that appears to belong to someone thrice my age. The problem, touched upon in the book, is letting one's things and interest define oneself. As I struggle to grow maturely, ill have less and less attachment to these things in quite the same way. Books will always be magical, but they won't dwarf friends, family, and faith---but will compliment it. Certainly a tall order in our 'and have our cake too!' Society.

[TBV (on hiatus)]

Whereas we book lovers love the books that line our walls, estate agents see only clutter. “House buyers want houses to look like an interiors magazine. They are frankly hostile to the history of your whole intellectual life arranged in thousands of volumes.” When author Linda Grant sold her flat and bought another property some of her beloved books had to go. Where does the cull start, and where do the books go?

In this essay she takes us on her book collecting journey, and explains her dilemma in having to dispose of so many books. Her story had me thinking of my own book collecting and collection. We have 6,000+ books in this house, excluding thousands (yes!) of Kindle downloads on our devices. We have run out of space, so buying more shelves is not an option. We too are going to have to cull, but there are books that I certainly wouldn’t dream of parting with. So soon the so-called ‘aeroplane’ books will be packed to be taken to a charity. But whether I can bring myself to part with books other than the ‘ aeroplane’ variety is another question. Like Ms Grant I have switched to reading the Kindle edition of novels. Books on art, music, history, travel, food, architecture, etc. I still prefer as real books that can take pride of place on my shelves, but I find it useful to read novels on Kindle:
it is light and easy to operate
I can read it in the dark, and adjust the amount of light and the size of the font
I use the highlight and search facilities to facilitate the writing of reviews
books don’t need to reside on the device when they are not being read, but are readily available
instant gratification: see a book and read it minutes later
and the best feature is that my entire Kindle library travels with me

This is an enjoyable essay on book collection and disposal, and it evoked memories from my own youth.As there are only a few pages in this book I won’t provide any additional quotes. It takes at most an hour to read.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most brutal and distressing essays about the change from printed books to ebooks I've yet to come across; this sums up what it really means to be someone who's books take over their lives. If like me, and like Linda Grant, you can trace important events of your life by the books that you read; and if you are fighting a constant battle to maintain control of your book heaps this is something you need to read. Grant perfectly describes the sense of security that is found in being surrounded by books, and the physical need to aquire and read as many as you can. Certainly this is something I am able to relate to. The whittling down of her library is distressing, and Agian I could relate to the feelings expressed here on having your library forcably broken up.
It seems almost ironic that this has been produced as a Kindle Short.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Murdered My Library

Ahhhhh!!! This book made me so sad! But the reason it makes me so sad is because this is so true. Me being a person that has so very many books, too many books that I have both read and haven't read and will never read or reread again makes me realize that they are only taking up space and I am the only one who cares about them. They will be no use to anyone after I am dead and gone so I am getting ready to Murder My Library....

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read a shortened version of this In the Guardian newspaper and so immediately identified with it I bought the full version on Kindle. Interestingly for some years unknowingly I shared the same local bookshop with Linda Grant, spending at that time fast more money than I could afford on filling up my shelves. This essay is a must for any bibliophile.

[Philippe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful short story about a writer who heeded the advice of a real estate agent and eliminated a large chunk of her library in order to get rid of her house and move to a smaller place. Afterwards, she has seller's remorse. Misguided and bereaved. How pitiful ...

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am culling my own book collection, this essay hit home. I certainly don't feel that I am murdering my library; rather, just making things a bit more comfortable.

Opening Lines:
I am moving house. I am moving from the spacious flat I have lived in for 19 years, a corner house very bright and full of windows, a place of flights of stairs and landings and hallways, no room on the same level as another. ...There has always been space for more books; you could tuck in a few shelves in all kinds of places.

On decor...
You cannot have a taste for minimalist decor if you seriously read books.

Books to Kindle...
When I look at my books I feel like Alice in the closing pages of Wonderland, when the cards all rise up and overwhelm her. I crave the small, tactile simplicity of my new Kindle Paperwhite in its purple leather cover, which is currently home to what would make up around three boxes of physical books, but whose screen's digital imprint is flattened of all memory and association. It's souless and almost weightless. On the other hand, the smug little ereader has not broken my spirit and my knees in the way that disposing of half my library has done, driving me to tears, rage and paracetamol.

The joy of ebooks...
As I began to buy more ebooks, I felt a sense of surprise and delight and wonder that I could carry around a library in my pocket. It is a library, arranged alphabetically or, if I like, in order of buying, and nothing shelved in the wrong place. The relationship with my library on a Kindle feels more intimate, like a shelled animal carrying its home on its back. Wherever I am, there is always something to read.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Grant's experience thinning out her own library makes for a great read in a post-Marie Kondō world. If you're like me and have no idea where to even start when it comes to thinning out your book collection, I definitely recommend reading this one. It won't give you any answers, but it'll get you thinking about your own history with books and what they mean to you.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining essay on the process of discarding hundreds of books accumulated over the years with the familiarly illusory purpose of “building a library” or "bequeathing them to the next generation".

Could be subtitled “Marie Kondo was right”.

(Re-read after discarding some more of my books. Marie Kondo is still right!)

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short read about how the author essentially killed off her (physical) books when she was forced to move to a smaller home in her later years of life. If that doesn't sound like it would be interesting to you, then it probably won't be.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this for a long time, both because Linda Grant and because I fear this as I do dying of old age: perhaps inevitable, but who will I be when it is done? Linda downsizes her books, drastically, in the face of downsizing her living space. What books does she own, and why? Which ones will she keep, and why? This compact analysis addresses these questions, and leads me to ponder my own questions.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all-too-familiar struggle for any bookworm.

Sad, but full of truth about the relationship between books and technology. I'm currently experiencing the same dilemma, getting rid of books from my personal library to declutter, yet they still hold a sense of joy, holding so many childhood memories. "The writer and the reader are at war." How true.

[Kachina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this author's writing, finishing it in one sitting.