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I am debating getting rid of some books. This is sketchy ground for me: I am a book hoarder. If I haven't read the book, I always tell myself I "might" read it, no matter how bad I think it will be. If I've read a book, I definitely don't want to get rid of it. Perhaps I might want to read it again. Or if it was really bad, it's a kind of a trophy to prove I've read this really bad book. But I think most of all, it's a memory thing. I can glance at the titles on the shelf and re-live parts or large chunks of each of the titles as my eyes stray across them. Glancing at a bookshelf might remind me of what I was doing when I read the book, how old I was, what I was feeling during that time. The spines of books on a shelf can be a time machine back to your own past.

Last night I dreamt I found a copy of one of the Zelazny "Prince Charming" books. I was happy to see it even though the copy was dusty and would make me sneeze to read it. Then I woke up and it was gone. Why did I ever let that book out of my hands? That whole series is rip roaring funny.

So do I get rid of the book I rated "Most Worthless Read" last year and a few of its kin? My shelf runneth over.

To pitch, or not to pitch,
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler, in the spines,
to endure the bad and boring
of previous reading
or by donating toss them.