Readers of my blog are aware of the books I read since I post reviews on this forum. I have only started to list all the movies and documentaries I have seen since the period of social distancing started in mid-March. All the books and movies that I had decided not to keep grew higher and higher into what I must say has become a singularly straight pile. That tower of books, DVD’s and VHS tapes stopped growing this morning. I pecked at it when I went in to work to do some copying and scanning. I returned the library materials and gave a close colleague some of the books and DVD’s. The tower has now shrunk a bit yet it may not get any higher…

Ever since July of last year I have been on a mission to tidy up my library. This was even before I cleaned up that room in advance of purchasing new blinds. I vowed to read only books that I did not foresee keeping. With that kind of plan I would be constantly increasing my available shelf space. Now over a year into this decluttering project and there have been very few books–pertaining to local history, or upon a subsequent discovery of a book’s rarity–that I decided on second thought I’d like to keep. Imagine that pile above arranged horizontally and you have a good idea of all the shelf space I have freed up. I am still reading from my “future discard” library collection but a year into this project and I have to admit I am feeling antsy to read other things. Maybe after my current book I will delve into my stacks of treasured keepers.