I am a reader and have been one since I was 5 years old. I grew up in a house with over 5000 books, mine not included. (For some reason my father has five copies of the Great Gatsby, none of them rare or valuable)

To me a house without books is like a human without a soul. (that’s a quote that was on the bags of the bookstore where I used to work, I don’t know who said it though…)

Of course I do give/ sell/ throw away books every once in a while. Otherwise I’ll simply have too many. But if I’ve enjoyed a book I like to keep it for some time, I’ll probably read it again too. And what to think of rare first or signed editions? (Please mr. Salinger can you sign my Kindle?)

I have not yet read the article about this digital book thingy, but I will. Of course digital books will become popular and change the way we read but I don’t see books diappearing all that soon. I think people enjoy reading an old fashioned book too much. There is just something about books, it doesnt matter if it’s some rare first edition or an old beaten up, dog-eared paperback.

My advice to you: don’t give away your books, buy some more! (And please, keep ‘em arranged in alphabetical order of the author’s name. People who color arange books usually don’t read them.)

Kwam toevallig je Tweet tegen op Twitter.
Mocht je besluiten je boekenkast uit te dunnen dan het ik een tip voor je: Breng ze naar een BookCrossingZone bij jou in de buurt. Dit is een plek waar mensen boeken achterlaten en boeken mogen meenemen. Het is de bedoeling dat de boeken nadat ze gelezen zijn weer doorgegeven worden of “in het wild” worden achtergelaten, zoals in de trein.
De boeken worden bij een BC zone geregistreerd en krijgen een uniek nummer zodat hun reis gevolgd kan worden via de website http://www.bookcrossing.com. Ook kan men hier een rating aan het boek geven. Dit is allemaal niet verplicht, maar het kan, het is leuk en je kunt iemand er erg blij mee maken.
Nieuwsgierig geworden? check onderstaande link voor meer info.

http://www.bookcrossers.be/bss/nl/intkort

Groetjes,
Petra
beheerder van de Bookcrossingzone’s in de bibliotheken van Oosterwolde (FR) en Haulerwijk.

PS: er is ook een Bookcrossing Hyve met info.

My vote goes to an e-reader combined with a Surface table + plasma. Easy, sweet, efficient. (imagine reading and highlighting interesting phrases/paragraphs which can be easily searched afterward through keywords and/or tags on the surface table)

I’ve had more then one word with the Polle-o-meter on this one troughout time. Thing is, books are an investment; capital. You don’t just give away capital. Maybe the concept of ‘ownership’ doesn’t apply anyway since ideas aren’t to be patented. The value you pay for -print, logistics, shelf, authors’ living, margins- vanishes with the transaction. The invaluable are the lessons you learned. So, value’s lost, really. In that sense, go lend others the invaluable. Are books their content or their wrapping?

Though discussion – we always end up in a let’s-just-do-a public-bookshelf-thing with names and email + short comments. It’ll act as a networktool, too.

I think you can giveaway some books. At least the ones you;re sure you won’t return to. I agree with @JayHootsen You can make others happy.