Slimsdotter - I'm sharing your post on here so it's easily seen. The one I got today, started with "can you hear me ok"? Then if they get your voice saying "yes" they can say you agreed to whatever they are selling. I said "I can hear you", which didn't fit their plan and they hung up on me. Thank you for sharing this. It just goes to show that you can never be too careful!
YouTube happened again. I found this video - do not click if you don't like seeing books torn up. The YouTuber is making small envelopes out of pages of books, ripping them up and stamping them and generally being crafty, using old books (one was a grammar from 1896) as materials.
The thing is, I know that there are books out there that will never get read. Lots of charity shops can't shift all the books that they get. There is usually a row somewhere of Readers Digest abridged books that no-one can shift for love nor money. I know my mother was very upset when she passed a public rubbish bin just outside a charity shop and saw it full of books. So many will be getting pulped. It makes sense to use them for decoration. It just doesn't seem right.
On the other hand, newspapers are always being recommended for things like papier mache, as well as various cleaning uses. I miss having father's paper for scraping the rubbish from the bottom of pans and clearing out the gunk in general. That is sort of the same, but it doesn't feel like it!
I think I shall continue to enjoy watching the videos, but I don't think I will be using any of the ideas unless I use printed papers or similar. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'd do with one of the journals she creates. They look amazing, but I think that they wouldn't get used, which is sort of sad. If you knew someone liked that sort of thing for a gift, it would be great.
Mind you, I've been dipping my toe into Bullet Journalling and I can see how it could get out of control. I keeping going back to goblincore ideas, and then look at bullet journals (some of which are true works of art) and then at my spartan lists. I really need to resist this!
Hugs and good health to all.
My knee-jerk reaction is 'don't destroy books!' but as you so wisely say, there are things no one is going to look into again and if they can be repurposed or used to create something, surely that's a better fate than being thrown in the bin. And they do produce some lovely results. But like you I'm not sure what I'd do with the item when finished. I am quite worried by the books libraries get rid of. I constantly order from the catalogue, and most of what I get comes off the stacks, the out of circulation books. Some are in poor condition (and come with a charming note about asking the reader if they're willing to accept such a poor specimen) but 95% are fine, they're just by authors who've become unfashionable, I suppose. I don't know how long they're kept before new purchases push them out as they too become less desirable to have on show - and heaven knows, most libraries don't have much room for actual books - but I hope they don't go on the rubbish heap if they can't be sold. That said, I've enjoyed box after box of books from library sales and I wouldn't have if they didn't dispose of excess stock... oh the dilemma! Somehow it's so much easier to decide to buy a second-hand book than new ones! Do you have the same problem? I got rid of over 2000 when we moved last, but we are slowly accumulating more, despite our vow to use the library for the majority of our reading matter. In the village where I used to live the nearest library was in the village up the road, in the front room of a house. It was tiny and became a community library after a while. In order to keep it going as long as possible as a county library several of us had the librarian 'take out' stacks of books for us which went in a box under her desk and then went back into circulation the next week when they were 'returned'. However that only earned it a reprieve for a couple of years. I do hope they've got enough volunteers to keep it going - we need more libraries, not fewer.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of those journals, but can't bring myself to tear up books. I specifically bought a cheap book to gut the insides and use the cover but have yet to do it as it feels really strange to do that when you love books. Sigh.
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