Me vs. my library, round 1.

Ever since, I don't know, it seemed like there was more light, and the weather wasn't so grim, and it turned from February to March, probably, I have been on a mission to go through my stuff and give things away. And this afternoon, when I was sitting in my study, aka den of squalor, I thought, I am going to give away one third of my books.

Digression: one third seems to be the figure, the proportion, the fraction and the requisite amount that comes to my mind when I think about getting rid of the excess of my stuff. Why one third? I could not tell you. It is a sizable amount. It is not a paltry ten percent nor a paltry twenty percent. It is a third, thirty three percent, and the wind could whistle through the branches, metaphorically speaking, of my library. If my library were a tree and I had just pruned it. I think you catch my drift.

I warmed up by going through my sweaters. Actually just my cardigans. I did not so much go through my sweaters and cull one third of them to give away. I did, however, put some of my more wintry sweaters with the other wintry sweaters (in another location), so that all my sweaters could go in their appropriate container. I plan to do the same with my pullovers and then my scarves next.

Thus in the sorting-and-culling groove, I moved back into my study. My eyes raked ruthlessly over the shelves. I began with poetry. I have a lot of poetry. Some of my books of poetry I have obtained by losing book competitions. I'll start with those, I thought.

Digression #2: The spines of books of poetry are so skinny. This means that, on a given shelf of books of poetry, there are a lot of spines standing side-by-side. It's like a battalion of poetry, organized in ranks. Such a battalion might organized to defeat me in my purpose of thinning the ranks!

One book of poems, plucked from the ranks. Into the giveaway bag it went.

Digression #3: I have a lot of literary journals. Many of these literary journals I subscribe to by virtue of having submitted my manuscript to a book competition, sponsored by the journal. Why do I still have them? Couldn't someone make better use of them?

One literary journal, plucked from the ranks. Into the giveaway bag it went.

At this rate, I don't know what. And don't get me started on literary theory and criticism. Or rhetorical theory and criticism. Who knows what I might need? In the future? for my scholarly projects?

On the plus side, I did throw away and recycle a bunch of miscellaneous other stuff.

Books: Go ahead, sleep the sleep of the innocent tonight. But I am coming back for you tomorrow.