Spring cleaning

Or should I say late winter cleaning? Either way, Ian and I have had a good go at the house today.We even washed the net curtains. Cleaning always turns to "going through" things, with a view to getting rid. Neither of us are hoarders, but in a household of seven it's easy to become cluttered. We periodically give/throw away toys, clothes, DVDs, CDs, and ... books.

I used to keep them all, but in the end I realised I had far too many, so I toughened up and filled a box or two. It was surprisingly easy to do and now I have no compunction. I always take them to charity shops, which makes me feel better. I now welcome the extra space on my shelves for, well, new books. One thing I will never do is stop buying them :)

My TBR shelf, pre-sort out. Books now ensconced on bookshelves proper (apart from one which is in a bag destined for Oxfam) 

Do you get rid of books? Or do you keep any and every book you have ever owned? How does giving away a book make you feel?

PS, in my last post I talked about Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden. It jumped right to the top of TBR pile! I couldn't resist and it was a truly wonderful read, highly recommended if you like literary, quite short, simply but beautifully written, subtle stories. The descriptions are so evocative and the characters subtly drawn. One of my very favourite writers. And this book has a very "modern" feel, despite being written in 1939.  I must now watch the film, which I've not seen.

Happy Easter. Let's hope the sun shines!

Twitter love and a new book

I have 19 books on my TBR pile and I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more until they are all read. Ah-em:

 

I just couldn't resist! 

I wanted to give Hive a go ... http://www.hive.co.uk

So I ordered this book last week and collected it today from my local indie bookstore. And it gets even better ... I Tweeted about Rumer Godden and  her great grand-daughter Tweeted me, saying how nice it was to hear people praise Rumer Godden's work. I am thrilled by that. You really can't beat Twitter for surprise interactions with interesting people. 

So, now I have to decide where Black Narcissus fits into my TBR pile. I just can't leave it languishing at the bottom ... I get the feeling this one will push in. And what about that title? It's great isn't it? Black Narcissus. It's mysterious, intriguing and beautiful. Can not wait to read this.