I've hoarded boxes and boxes of books in my 59.9 years, and a few years ago started parting with them. With the forests coming down so fast to make wood and paper products, resulting in the loss of habitat for wild birds and animals, I decided to get my paper hoards back into circulation. What good will it do me to hang onto them until they fall apart? That description fit nearly every book I had obtained from age 5 through about 25. The glue and bindings had gone bad. They went to Goodwill in the hopes that someone will take them anyway. The newer books, purchased from age 25 + were in better shape and went to the Literacy Council's annual book sale.

I figure by putting them back in circulation I'm reducing the demand for new paper products just a little bit and reduce the impact on the environment of my reading habit.

I hung on to a few favorites, and yup, I keep buying books; but now I pass them on when I've read them a few times. Well, most of them And I now buy a lot of books at the used book stores, thrift stores, and garage sales, whereever I can find them. When you pass books on, other books start coming your way too. I hung on to those boxes of books through so may years and moves, and you know what - I find that I didn't need them and don't even miss them.

I've turned over a new leaf!