And... Done.

My book collection yesterday

I should have known I wouldn't need to give myself three weeks to finish sorting and organizing my books. When I get into sort/purge/organize mode, the momentum can be difficult to stop. This morning, I was back at it around 7:30. Gaining that momentum can be trickier but that's beside the point.

As I took the books from their shelves, I sorted them into piles. The categories pretty much shaped up like this:

• Easy to part with,
• Difficult to part with but definitely going,
• Not sure I can get rid of this but it may need to go,
• Expensive but I can't think of any other reason to keep it, and
• Keep

I was surprised at how quickly the pile of books headed out the door grew. I'd purged the stacks pretty heavily a little over a year ago but I guess I'd given myself more room for irrational keeps at that point.

Nap time amongst the stacks

Can I sleep here?

Mogli enjoyed the entire process since he's a fan of changes in his landscape. He had a little nap on the empty bottom shelf of one bookcase, nestled behind my stacks of journals. Then he explored a half-filled box.

When the shelves were completely cleared, I dusted them thoroughly. While I was up on a chair taking care of the topmost surfaces, I also noticed how disgusting the ceiling fan was and took care of that while I was in the mood.

The cupboards were bare...

because all the books were on the bed.

After lunch, I began the process of re-shelving what was left. I was a little worried that I'd need to purge more books due to my one bookcase rule but, as you can see, I needn't have been concerned. Harry Potter was on the chopping block but the number of volumes I'd already purged left plenty of room for all seven volumes. My books used to be organized in color order but I stuck with series/genre this time.

Still plenty of room even with Harry Potter.

I didn't want to get rid of my second bookcase, so that left me with the task of filling it. So, on the top shelf, I have journals waiting to be used and the few stuffed animals I've never been able to give up. The next two shelves are occupied by the journals I've filled over the years with what I'm sure are quite repetitive ramblings. Then, there are pictures of some of my favorite people. Followed by blank journals I'd like people to buy. Finally, on the bottom shelf are books I'm going to read and then donate. If they are extra good, they still have a chance of making it onto the keep shelves.

I do have a journal in the shape of a bumble bee. Got a problem with that?

Though I enjoy books, I can't even tell you how much lighter and brighter my whole room feels now. If you're interested, you can click this link to see the books I'm donating to the library. If there is one you simply can't do without, comment here or on flickr. I'll get an email notification either way and we can might be able to work something out.