Well, not really unthinkable. I’ve thought if it many times, and done it many times.
I am getting rid of most of my books. In fact, I just did it. Over the weekend I boxed up 90% of my books, and today at work I donated them to the library, which will sell them either in the book sale or via a vendor who sells our nonfiction donations for a good price and splits the money with the Friends of the library (so it eventually benefits the library, just like the in-building book sale does).
I had a lot of books sitting there, taking up space in my office, doing nothing. I kept a few books about skateboarding. I’m a skateboarder. They are inspiring to me and to some extent represent who I am. I’m not the other things.
It feels good to be rid of them.
OUCH! I have books that I’ve been carrying around for years that I know I’ll never re-read. Lots of art books that are “references” and as such, must be kept (never mind that it’s mostly all available online). Skateboard books too. I need to do it too, but it seems so wrong…
Hopefully someone else will enjoy reading them. I have done the same thing before and within a week had re-filled teh empty shelves with other books. Some books are keepers while others need to be passed along. I must have bought and passed on Good Omens at laest 18 times now. It and Stranger in a strange land are two books I always have on hand.