Laura started this. and as replied, it got so long I thought "oh god, this is rude" to go on so long in a reply, so i just went and wrote it here. PLEASE READ Laura's blog first so it makes sense. Besides, you should be reading Laura's blog. She's really cool (link to Laura's blog above/below with the other links - in yellow print.)

It's so weird. I'm doing exactly the same thing. Ridding the shelves of books that one year, two years, five years, ten years ago I thought I'd keep forever and ever. I know taste changes but these were some form of foundation of my taste in mystery and yeah, in fiction. There's always the occasional purchase of a history or non-fiction book that i think I SHOULD read or should have READ, but my taste in fiction changed, I thought, glacially.

House cleaning because I now need more floor space means moving stacks ONTO shelves that heretofore just stayed piled up. Using a power wheelchair requires turning space and space near those doorways that were once cut off by stacks and piles and boxes of books. So it's time for the "I will never reread this" decision. The "I don't need to look that erudite" decision (see above - books I feel I should have, or maybe might read often fall into that category) (even if most of my friends have shelves and piles and boxes just like mine.)

So imagine my surprise when the P shelf got emptied of the Parkers and the Paretskys. WOW. While I stopped with Robert BP a long time back,, even these mid-career reads are going. i love VI but i won't be rereading these. It's been years and years since I did, so it's a good bet. And there are lots of them around if eventually I change my mind (and we have a good library). Most of the Graftons have gone, more are going. Some of the "oh she's so good she's going to have a huge career" one-shot authors are going. Too much time has passed and he is really dated and it's not as good as i remember - or is, but....

Worst yet are the signed ones. Gulp.

It's also meant that,k dammit, we've opened some other boxes to examine before dumping and alas, I've hauled OUT some books - no no no! But that copy of Marilyn Hackeer's PRESENTATION PIECE at least needs a quick scan.

Not one of the Marcia Muller books makes the cut - finding the two Oliverez museum series stops me for a quick reread. They'll stay, even if they're, in retrospect, not her best work. Muller books take up huge amounts of space. But they stay. Numerous authors with 2 REALLY GOOD goddamit books (the swearing because no one picked up on how good they were but, apparently me.)

The Dillon-illustrated stuff stays. If i were wealthy, I'd collect teapots and books illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon and artwork of theirs in every form. And High Victorian dollhouse stuff. Every few years the ballet/dance books come out and go back. Damn. And there's almost nothing left of the criminal justice stuff (my Master's degree).

The Kate Ross books will not ever go, I can pretty much swear. Nor the Rozans (even the multiple ARC/HCs that i've acquired. Thanks be that some of my favorite and best started in paperback so I don't have to worry about thinning out certain parts (Jeff Abbott, Charlaine Harris, um, er Laura Lippman?)
The nightstand books stay mostly the same - HARD LAUGHTER by Lamott, MAKING BOOK by the amazing Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Cornelia's FIELD OF DARKNESS. I think BEAN TREES by Kingsolver might be there too - it's a feel-good reread like the Lamott. sometimes books migrate, like Nancy Mairs, or Shirley Jackson. Go figure. Oh yeah, and the Bunny Suicides books and other Andy Riley genius. (snork). And the only books of affirmations I'll ever read by Ann Thornhill and Sarah Wells. they've done two - TODAY I WILL INDULGE MY INNER GLUTTON and TODAY I WILL NOURISH MY INNER MARTYR. I learned of these by reading one and howling with laughter one day as I waited in the exam room at my doctor's office. Does that tell you anything about my doctor?

A few plays, a few books from college that changed my thinking but no, no collected works of anyone. Stu's got those.

Sale, swap, donate, freecycle, Stu-bring-to-work bags. It's hard. I always wanted that house with the bug humongous library (but what's the point when you can't climb up those damn ladders anyway)