Book Unhaul | January 2018

This is my first book unhaul of 2018, and maybe the first of my life, to be completely honest. A big driver of my 2018 Reading Challenge – inspired by Marie Kondo – is to remove from my bookshelves the books that no longer have a solid place in my heart and soul. I will donate the books I no longer want, but first I’m laying them all out here in case anyone in the book bloggersphere (or general bloggersphere) is interested in them. If you are in the United States, I would be happy to send you one (or more) of these books if you wish, at no cost to you. Just fill out the contact form here with a little message and your details and I’ll get the book out to you as soon as possible. My apologies, friends outside of the U.S.; those shipping costs are outside of my budget at the moment.

Now, with those specifications out there, here are the fourteen books I’m unhauling this month.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye ☆ This is one of two books I’m removing from my shelves because I accidentally bought two copies. Has anyone else ever done that? Maybe? Anyway, if you love Jane Eyre and can handle blood and gore this book is for you. The writing makes the story work so well, and since I already have a copy, this one (paperback) is basically brand new.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen [A Signet Classic] ☆ If you read my On the Road post about the bookstore Another Read Through, you know that this is the second of the two books I’m removing from my shelves because I accidentally bought two copies. The paperback cover is in good condition and there are no marks or notes on the pages inside. (CLAIMED)

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari with Eric Klinenberg ☆ I enjoyed reading this sociological study, finding the research thorough and well represented. But the nature of this non-fiction book is such that I will not likely pick it up again to read for pleasure. It is a hardcover edition which I did underline and annotate a decent amount.

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham ☆ I asked for this book as a gift one Christmas, I think maybe two or three years ago, because I wanted to know more about Lena Dunham and thought I would like getting to know her through this book. But it just kept moving further and further towards the bottom of my TBR list, and at this point I’m just not interested in reading it. The condition is like new.

The Death of Innocents by Richard Firstman and Jamie Talan ☆ The third nonfiction book of this book unhaul, The Death of Innocents, was a book assigned to me when I was in Grad school (journalism) by my professor, Richard Firstman (yes, one in the same). It’s a book – an investigative, journalistic book – about a single family in which five children died in a span of six years (late 1970s to the early 1980s, I believe). All five were diagnosed with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, by a doctor and researcher whose life work depended on the study of SIDS. It’s quite an interesting story and case, so if you’re looking for a true crime book, you could check this one out. I annotated and underlined many parts of the first half (I’ll let you deduce what that means…) but otherwise it’s in great shape.

Confessions by Saint Augustine ☆ I was hesitant to add this book to the removal pile, solely because it’s a Penguin Classics edition. But I have to be strong and let go. This book was also an assigned tome, this time in my undergrad, and I believe I found it quite dreadful. There are a few underlined sentences, but I did most of my note-taking on sticky notes which I’ll remove before passing it along. The cover isn’t close to pristine, since I received it used and the University bookstore slapped a bunch of USED stickers and barcodes to the back, which I’ve tried hard to remove. But it’s still an okay looking book.

The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke ☆ Also an assigned book from my undergrad, this paperback is in okay shape with highlighted passages and more of those cemented USED stickers on the back. As far as its content: I did read it by the looks of my sticky notes, but my annoyance of men and politics at this point in time makes me sick at the thought of rereading the book. Maybe one day again the future, but I certainly don’t need to own this copy any longer.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli ☆ The same sentiments above go for this book. I bought it new in my undergrad and haven’t touched it since those couple of weeks we discussed it, so it’s in quite good condition. No markings on the inside, which annoyingly means I have a notebook somewhere with notes on this book…

The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius ☆ Another book assigned to me as an undergrad, and while I do appreciate the meaning of this tome, it’s not something I could sit down and read. The cover is in decent condition, with some residue left over from a USED sticker on the back, and just a few underlined words here and there on the inside.

Sidereus Nuncius or The Sidereal Messenger by Galileo Galilei ☆ I still find this book to be quite interesting, actually (also an assigned book from my undergrad), but simply being interested in a book is not enough to keep in on my shelves. It’s in good shape; a few underlined words; and the disdainful pile of USED stickers on the back.
(CLAIMED)

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer ☆ I’m giving away a series – yeesh. Series always look so wonderful on bookshelves. They are so complete. So uniform…Anyway, before I change my mind, I’m giving up this saga. I’m not as interested in rereading it like I am with Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, so I need to let it go. The first three of the series are paperback, the first has the movie cast cover (my apologies), and the last book is hardcover with some extras. A Breaking Dawn Concert Series DVD, which I’ve never taken out of the case and is attached to the inside back cover, is the first extra. The second extra is the jacket. When removed from the book, the inside is a poster of Edward and Bella. It was drawn by Young Kim, who illustrated Twilight: The Graphic Novel and contributed illustrations to The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide. Each book is in near mint condition.

So there we go, the first batch of books I’m removing from my library. I’ll be totally satisfied once they are out of my apartment, but until then I can be happy with myself for actually letting go of a handful of books.

You can find my complete January Reading Challenge update here. And I’d love to hear about the books you unhauled (or hauled!) this month – share the titles in the comments below!