12 Days of Christmas 2017, Writing Pieces

Old Books and New Books

It’s the last day of Christmas and to end off my blogging blitz I thought that I would talk about how my book taste has changed over the years. Obviously, changes in tastes occur naturally and as you grow up you become interested in different topics and genres. I’ve definitely seen a change in my taste from when I was 12, 15, or even 17, and this break I had a chance to go back and look at some of my old books. But what surprised me was that I would probably still read about some of those topics now.

Last summer, when I was cleaning up my basement bookcases and building my new ones, I took out nearly 50+ books that I had read long ago and had no more interest in reading. Due to my extreme sentimentality I had kept them for years and hadn’t bothered to get rid of them. I could never throw out a book – I think the act would physically tear me in two. So I only got around to donating them this week, and I had an interesting time going through them and remembering the stories. Donating them was also a super heartwarming experience

Let me tell you, there was a lot more angst in some of those books than in my current reads. Pining teenagers, love triangles (which now I really dislike) and basically just high-school drama were big topics in some of my younger books. I wasn’t sad to see those go, even though I know at the time I read them I was so interested in the stories. I really hope that some other younger kid will read them and get a kick out of them! I’ve definitely evolved into liking books that have more substance and discuss more topics than just a he-liked-she-liked type of plot, books that help me grow as a person and actually teach me something. Also the classic love triangle is (in my own opinion) something that has been overdone – give me a bisexual’s love triangle! Give me a love triangle where they end up being polyamorous, or in the end they realize that there was never any attraction between any of them, just lust and societal expectations. Just don’t give me the girl, the bad boy and the boy next door situation.

There were also some books that I think even now I would find interesting. For example there was historical fiction about ancient Egypt, where there was a fictionalized account of Nefertiti’s rise to royalty. There was also books with themes similar to Tomb Raider, where a young woman had found Excalibur and would go around the world in search of ancient artifacts. Then there was the Maximum Ride series, which I think I would still be reading to this day if Patterson hadn’t published another book after the ‘final’ book of the series (I was just too angry that he had wrote another book after the finale haha).

Ultimately I don’t regret buying any of the books (except for maybe one or two) because they definitely formed my reading preferences and even my current scholastic interests, seeing as I’m a classics minor in university. But I’m so glad that I donated them. The highlight of the entire experience was when I was bringing them into the donation room two older men were helping me, and one asked if I had any James Patterson. Surprise surprise I did, and he got so happy. He said “I knew you would have some. He’s my favourite writer. Can I have these?” and it was so heart warming to actually see the joy books can bring to people. I know that they really give me a lot of happiness to but to see it on someone else’s face was really beautiful!

I’ve already started getting more books ready to donate – if I’m not going to read my old books then I might as well make them new books for someone else. Spread the love of reading!

Do you ever get rid of your old books? If so, what do you do with the ones you don’t want anymore? Let me know in the comments below! If you don’t donate them then maybe next time that might be something to try! I brought my books to a local single parent’s association and a non-profit community center; if you need ideas just look up donation centers in your area!

Thanks for sticking with me through these 12 days! I hope you enjoyed my posts, and if there’s anything you’d like me to blog about let me know! I’m always down to try something new. But for now it’s goodbye ducks, and I’ll see you soon!

Happy Saturday!

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