5 Steps for How I Unhaul My Books

Unhauling books can be a bit of a controversial topic. Why? "Because you shouldn't get rid of your books." I don't agree with the idea that you can't get rid of your books because you've already bought them. I think I've made a post on tips for unhauling (i.e. getting rid of) your books. However, I wanted to give a more personal spin on the topic.

In this post, I go over my 5 steps for how I unhaul my books when I'm ready to get rid of a few. I decided to do this as a step-by-step guide with my reasonings so that it would be clearer how to unhaul books and easily understood.

Step 1: Remember it is okay to unhaul books.

There has been an underlying stigma that doing a book unhaul is "not okay," as I brought up earlier. Just remind yourself that it is perfectly fine to unhaul your books for many reasons. It clears up space on your shelves. Your shelves also become more of a reflection of you, since after an unhaul or two, the books are mostly the ones you enjoy.

Step 2: Clear off your bookshelf, and take a look at each book as you do so.

This may seem tedious, but it'll help out in the long run. As you clear off your bookshelf, look at each book. If it's one you want to keep, set it to one side. If it's a book you want to get rid of, set it to the other side. Don't worry about organizing your books until later.

Step 3: Once your bookshelf is cleared off, go through all the books you set aside to unhaul.

Giving the books you're thinking of unhauling a second look through will help you really decide if you want to give the book away. There is the option of sticking some books into boxes in your garage or storage if you still want the book, but don't want it on your shelf. If, after a second look through, you decide that you still want to give a book away, then stick it into a new unhaul pile.

Step 4: See if any of your books are something a friend or family member might enjoy.

Even if your friends or family members aren't big readers, you may have a book or two that someone you know might enjoy. I've often given books to some friends if I think they'd enjoy it more than me. (But don't be offended if they eventually unhaul the book as well.)

Step 5: Look up places you can take your books to.

Many places will accept books: bookshops, donation centers, libraries, and so many others. Some places may even buy your books from you. You just really need to do your research.

The Bookish Dilemma: When and What to Un-haul (10 Questions to Ask Yourself)

Now that yesterday's post, Controversial Bookish Topic: Un-hauling Your Books, is out of the way, let's talk about when and what to un-haul.

This is a bookish dilemma that can be tough for us readers: we want to un-haul some of our books, but we're not sure what to un-haul, how to do it, or even when to do it. This post is here to help with that.

Here are 10 questions to ask yourself with explanations so you can look through your bookshelf and see what books may fit these questions. You don't necessarily have to remove all of your books from your shelf/shelves. If doing this helps you process the books you have and haven't looked at, then go for it.

Are there any books you haven't touched at all since getting them? If you haven't touched a book since buying it, that would be a good book to un-haul.

Are there books you don't plan to pick up again? Similarly with the question above, if you read a book that you don't plan to pick up again, that might be a book to un-haul. Even if you were neutral about it or liked it, if you don't plan to pick it up again, then it's only taking up space on your shelf.

Are there any books you didn't like or even hated? In my opinion, there's no point in holding onto a book you didn't like or hated. Why? You didn't like it, and holding onto it doesn't reflect the types of books you do like.

Are there books that you liked but now aren't interested in anymore? This question connects with the second one (Are there books you don't plan to pick up again?), but I thought I'd put it on its own. My reasoning is that this can include books you have or haven't read yet. If you just aren't interested in a book on your bookshelf, it's likely that you won't pick it up, so why keep it?

Are there any books that are duplicates? If you like having duplicates of your favorite books, that is perfectly okay. But consider your duplicate copies if you have 3 or more: are there any covers that you don't like as much as the others? If so, that might be a good one to un-haul.

Are there any books that you preferred a different format of? Let's say you read the audio and physical versions of a book. If you preferred the audiobook format and now only read the book that way, you may want to un-haul the physical book.

Are there any book series that you don't plan on finishing? Whether or not you have the entire series, if you didn't really enjoy it and/or don't plan to finish it, that would be good to un-haul so you make more space on your shelves.

Are there any books that a friend or family member would enjoy more than you did? If you were neutral about a book, that would be a good book to un-haul. But if you know a friend or family member would enjoy it, then give the book to them.

Did you actually like the book, or did you only like the cover? This happens to a lot of us: we pick up a book because of the cover, read an interesting synopsis, buy the book, and then read it. But then . . . we finish the book and think about it for a while. If you only liked the book's cover, then that might be good to un-haul.

Was it a gift? If the book was a gift, it may be harder to let go of. But look at it this way: if the book gifted to you fits under any - and I mean any - of the questions above, then you can un-haul it. It is perfectly okay to un-haul a book you got as a present. (We do that with other things - clothes, shoes, etc. - so it's okay to do it with books.)

Controversial Bookish Topic: Un-hauling Your Books

Controversial bookish topic time!

When you're a reader, it can be hard to part with your books. Even if it's a book you didn't enjoy, saying "I'm going to give you away/sell you" can be difficult. Un-hauling your books, I've noticed, is an act that tends to be looked down upon in the bookish community.

Here are 4 reasons why I think un-hauling your books is a good thing to do.

1. If you DNF a few of your books and don't plan to pick it up again, you don't need to hold on to it. See the following two posts about DNF-ing your books - DNF-ing a Book: Why It's a Good Thing and DNF-ing a Book: When to Do It and What to Do.
2. If you finished a book and don't see yourself picking it up again or didn't enjoy it, it's okay to un-haul it.
3. If you've never touched a specific book - it's just sat on your shelf being pretty - then that would be a good thing to let it go.
4. You make more space for more books!

While I've noticed that un-hauling books has become a more normal thing on Booktube, I definitely think we need to be more accepting of the idea. You shouldn't tell someone they need to keep all their books just because you don't un-haul your books.