I'm trying to sell my house so I can move into a smaller one. I love my home but it's way more space than I need. I've already gotten rid of a lot of tools. I didn't know how to use them anyway. Furniture went out the door without a single twinge. With a couple exceptions (and they stayed), there was no sentiment connecting me to any of the pieces. My books, now that's a different story. I've been reading for a long, long,
long time and I've saved a lot of books. The last time I did a "book cleanse" was when we moved here sixteen years ago. Do you have any idea how many books you can save in sixteen years? Now add those to the ones that made the trip from our old house to this one. I've transitioned from a keeper shelf to keeper shelves to keeper closet to...well, let's just say I could probably open a library with the contents of one of the bedrooms in the house. ;-)
As much as it pains me to do this, I'm going to have to part with some (okay, a
lot) of my books. There just won't be room for them in a smaller house. Now comes the hard part. How do I decide what stays and what goes? A few are non-negotiable. Julie Garwood's
Saving Grace for example. It's my favorite comfort read and has brought me comfort so many times over the past eighteen years that I've worn out two copies and am now working on my third. That one stays. Another favorite re-read is
Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz. I sobbed for a full hour after finishing Jude Deveraux's
A Knight in Shining Armor. How could I get rid of that? Then there's
Charming the Prince by Teresa Medeiros,
What I Did For a Duke by Julie Ann Long, Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, Christina Dodd's Wilders,
The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James, Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, Johanna Lindsey's Malorys and everything written by Tessa Dare, Kaki Warner, Lisa Kleypas, Jo Beverley and Joanna Bourne. I could go on and on but you get the idea.
How do I place these beloved friends in a box and dump them at Goodwill or, even worse, watch people toss them around at a yard sale with no care for covers or spines then argue over the 25 cent price? No, I can't do it. They've brought me too much joy to be treated in such a manner. They were there for me during the dark times, when I needed them the most. They deserve better homes! That's where you come in, fellow book lovers. Have I got a deal for you!
It was hard -
very hard - but I've managed to make the tough decisions. Okay, not
all the tough decisions but I have made a start. I have four boxes of books ready to go to new homes (quickly, before I change my mind!). Some are old, others are new. A few are signed. I have single titles, categories and all sub-genres. All you have to do is answer a few questions and I'll choose four random people to receive one box each. So tell me...
What are the keeper books you could never part with?
Do they have their own shelf, closet or, like me, do they occupy their own room in your house?
Do you read one particular sub-genre of romance or do you cross over to different ones? Which are your favorites?
Give me your best pitch for why my books should find a new home with you!
Due to the size and weight of the boxes I need to limit this giveaway to the
United States. Please indicate in your comments if you live in the U.S.
and want to be included in the drawing.
~PJ
