Drew put up shelving in a closet in one of our spare bedrooms yesterday and so this morning I got out my book collection in an attempt to put an end to this damn unpacking business.

My collection is small. I don't like buying books, because (a) it's $$$$, (b) I like supporting public libraries, and (c) I think most personal book collections are a waste. I think most of the things people do in relation to books are a waste, actually. Do we all really need to hang onto every book we've ever read? Do we need to display them for everyone to see?** If it's because what we read supposedly says something about us, then I'd counter that I think our clothes say something about us but most people don't opt to display their clothes on wardrobe racks in the middle of their apartments.

I hid something in someone's personal library once. And I guarantee you it's still there, because that person hasn't moved and those books won't be touched until he does.

I realize this all sounds very superior, but it's only because I'm one of those people who enjoys reading things that are considered challenging and then letting everyone under the sun know I've read it. But I also recognize this as a vain quality and I don't necessarily need to be reminded of that particular shortcoming every time I walk into my apartment.

So, my book collection is small and it's housed in a closet.

Usually when I move I go through my books and ask myself "Do I need to hang onto this?" It's not a very clear standard and the answer, more often than not, is "Undecided" and then I err on the side of caution and truck it to my next apartment. This time, however, I had a plan. I had read an article in Harper's magazine about a library in San Francisco and suddenly I realized that there was a smart, good way to go about this.

So yesterday and today I went through my books and arranged them into categories (general history, US history, political philosophy, general philosophy, the great american novel, medical fiction, medical nonfiction, science textbooks). These are generally my areas of interest (except "science textbooks", which is more of a duty). I'd love to go deeper into all of those areas. What was left over (some V.S. Naipaul, a Jim Grimsley book, some stuff we read in book club) were books that I loved but realized I didn't need to keep in my personal library. I know I run the risk of sounding unbelievably geeky for saying this, but I got very excited when it was done. For the first time ever I had a completely unconflicted, happy feeling about this collection.

**If you're a friend of mine who has a large library on display in your house/apartment, please know I'm definitely definitely not talking about you. Your collection is awesome and very well thought out and I love it and I love you.