Culling books

[MickyD]

.
... I am told by mme v that our loft is now impossible to negotiate, and a grand cull is to be implemented this winter. I am dreading it. I have not yet got any clever ideas as to the way forward...

Oh dear, this touches a nerve with me, as my French husband often passes by the stacked shelves of books and thousands of CDs, often uttering the words "Will you ever read/listen to these again?" to which I always reply "I don't know, but there is always the possibility I might!"

He cannot understand the collecting bug and in a year or two we are intending to move house. That is usually an ideal occasion in which to chuck out unwanted stuff but I know I will fiercely guarding my books and CDs. And even if I wanted to cull my books, I'd have a devil of a job to get rid of them here in Arles as they are all in English!

[vinteuil]

... the stacked shelves of books and thousands of CDs, often uttering the words "Will you ever read/listen to these again?" to which I always reply "I don't know, but there is always the possibility I might!"

.

... the reply I tend to use is "what we have here is a library - the books/CDs are a resource available for us to use when the need arises... "

You would probably get a similarly unimpressed response...

[MickyD]

.

... the reply I tend to use is "what we have here is a library - the books/CDs are a resource available for us to use when the need arises... "

You would probably get a similarly unimpressed response...

Yes, something along the lines of "n'importe quoi!"

[Petrushka]

Oh dear, this touches a nerve with me, as my French husband often passes by the stacked shelves of books and thousands of CDs, often uttering the words "Will you ever read/listen to these again?" to which I always reply "I don't know, but there is always the possibility I might!"

He cannot understand the collecting bug and in a year or two we are intending to move house. That is usually an ideal occasion in which to chuck out unwanted stuff but I know I will fiercely guarding my books and CDs. And even if I wanted to cull my books, I'd have a devil of a job to get rid of them here in Arles as they are all in English!

I'm in the fortunate (or unfortunate, whichever way you look at it) position of having neither spouse nor partner so have no one to tell me what do with my own things!

[Alain Maréchal]

And even if I wanted to cull my books, I'd have a devil of a job to get rid of them here in Arles as they are all in English!

You could, should you need to, and I suggest you should not and need not, contact Boukie's Bookshop in Périgueux. They deal in books in English, selling them to the hordes of Anglo-Saxons who visit the area each summer.

https://www.boukiesbookshop.com/

[vinteuil]

... and, perhaps nearer to MickyD, the English bookshop in the book village of Montolieu -

https://englishbookshop.org/

.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20240226-montolieu-the-french-village-dedicated-to-books

.

[MickyD]

Many thanks for both suggestions, I'll look into it. The Montolieu place sounds fascinating and indeed is nearer to me.

[richardfinegold]

I'm in the fortunate (or unfortunate, whichever way you look at it) position of having neither spouse nor partner so have no one to tell me what do with my own things!

When my wife and I discuss downsizing living space, she glances at my CDs, I look at her sewing machines and fabrics piles, and we both laugh. And we are equal offenders when it comes to saving books. We do bring a few boxes of books every year to donate to our library for their resale, but we usually buy an equal if not greater amount back