Well, here's my opinion on what to do: donate them. Regardless of how badly I think the Giffins might have acted, that's no reason to destroy a perfectly good book. I also recommend against getting rid of them if they're a special edition or a signed copy. Getting rid of something you previously valued in the heat of the moment might be something you regret later even if you know you'll never be able to really like the author the same way again.
So here's some options for those books that you might not want anymore:
- Donate them to soldiers overseas. There are several groups online that send books to soldiers overseas, so you kind of have your pick of what to go through. I know that several churches and groups in any given area do this as well, so you can check through them. I'm listing two of the bigger groups (Books for Soldiers and Operation Paperback) if you want to check through them. I had a boyfriend that was in the military and he assured me that books are very, very appreciated regardless of what genre it is.
- Donate them to local nursing homes, hospitals, or palliative care units.
- Give them to a homeless shelter. Homeless people like to read too!
- Toss them into the "for sale" section at your local library. The funds from those sales go towards your local library and almost every library is underfunded.
- Take them to Goodwill or to a used book store. Not only will they be out of your house, but you can pick up more stuff to read at the same time.
In any case, there's some options as to what to do with your books other than destroying them or chucking them.
My advice, which I know you're all waiting for, is to... Do Nothing.
ReplyDeleteRather than rushing out and doing anything, take a breath, put the books in a box, or on a shelf and forget about them for a few weeks, or months. Then perhaps take one out, skim the first chapter or two and ask yourself "Do I like this enough to read it again?" If the answer is no, then put it where you put other books you're "done with" and move on. If it's yes, ask yourself how much of the storm you really remember.
I feel like so much of this was born out of a desperate need to "Do Something". A need to Defend, to Chastise, to Counter Attack, to Make Clear, to .. to Do ~something~. And for myself, when I am the most desperate to Do Something, the something I'm probably best doing is "nothing". Quite often, when we "have to do something" we can make matters worse.
I mean sometimes you really do have to. Some things need to be reported to website owners or information needs to be made available. But sometimes, that step back is a pretty viable option. Time and distance are the best clarifiers of all things.
Very much true. I think that in any author situation there's a few that got rid of their books too quickly and then regretted it later.
ReplyDeleteI've only gotten rid of my books in one author situation and that was after Victoria Laurie made an arse out of herself in a review thread on Amazon. I didn't regret getting rid of them, although I did eventually end up trying one of her books again. I still had issues reading her since I could see where she was using her books to lash out at various things, but it was OK enough to where I don't think I'd say I'd never ever read her again.