My shelves are perennially overflowing. I’ve weeded out more than 500 paperbacks these last few years, but i’ve been replacing them with hardbacks and large-format books. I thought it’d be a good idea to move my to-be-read pile into a wheeled trolley. At best, i’d pare it down to a few books and reclaim some shelf space. At worst, every book would eventually return to the shelves. Turns out, there was a third scenario i hadn’t anticipated.

You see, nature abhors a vacuum. I discovered the joy of estate sales and bought a lot of books from the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, those prestigious French editions with their thin bible paper and elegant bindings. And by a lot, i mean multiple lots¹. A year into this little experiment, i had to do what i’d wanted to avoid: buy a new shelving unit. This meant i could give my large-format books their own dedicated space and return my TBR pile to the main library.

Each and every one of the 50+ books moved back… because i haven’t read a single one. The trolley wasn’t exactly out of sight — it’s a mere twenty centimetres on my right while i’m writing this. But it sure was out of mind. It became a void where books languished unread. When i wanted something new to read, i turned to my e-reader instead. At least there i could instantly browse what i owned.

It’s far easier to stumble upon my next read now that my TBR pile is spread across visible shelves instead of stacked in obscurity. From Douglas Adams to Michel Zink, i have more than 100 unread books calling out to me. I guess reading them really is the best way to make room for new books… even though i’m sure i’ll continue buying more books than i can read.

1. I’m into auction jokes now. Sorry. ↩︎