The Great Purge of 2014: Moar Books

The Great Purge has been a great success. I’ve gathered even more stuff to donate. The only annoying part is that I don’t have time to donate it before Friday so I’m stuck dodging the boxes until that time comes. Believe you me, this is high on my to-do list.

A lot of the minimalist blogs and podcasts out there talk about how getting rid of stuff is addicting. I totally get that now. Watching space free up in my closet or on my shelves is liberating. I felt a bit lighter after my latest evaluation. I’ll feel even lighter if I can get rid of these boxes. As of Friday, everything on this list is going to a place that will sell or donate it. If you don’t claim it by then, it’s gone.


Genre Fiction
Wicked - Maguire
Son of a Witch - Maguire
Lion Among Men - Maguire
The World House
What-the-Dickens - Maguire
The Princess Bride
Ender's Game - Card
Midnight Riot
Steampunk'd 
Trolls in the Hamptons
Night Mares in the Hamptons
Dead until Dark
The Magic Shop
Songs of a Dying Earth
Horn of Ruin
He Is Legend
Classics Mutilated
Dracula in London

Teen
How to Deal (2 novels) - Sarah Dessen
City of Bones - Clare
City of Ashes - Clare
City of Glass - Clare
City of Fallen Angels - Clare
Meridian
The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong
Dreamland - Dessen
Along for the Ride - Dessen

Mystery 
Murder of a Bookstore Babe
The Book of Lies - Brad Meltzer (autographed)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime 
Mind's Eye - Nesser

Fiction 
History of Love - Krauss
Suite Francaise
Something Borrowed - Giffin
Something Blue - Giffin
State of Wonder
Juliet
Party Girl
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass 
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To
I Just Want My Pants Back
29
A Dog's Purpose
How to Buy a Love of Reading

Memoir 
Love Is a Four Letter Word (essays)
The Winter of Our Disconnect
My Life in France - Julia Child
The Science of Single
Suck It Wonder Woman - Munn
Class 11
The Gastronomy of Marriage 
A Little Fruitcake: A Childhood in Holidays
Traveling with Pomegranates - Sue Monk Kidd

Nonfiction 
The Man Behind the Nose: Larry Bozo Harmon
Why? Because We still Like You: an Oral History of The Mickey Mouse Club
Writers Gone Wild
High School Confidential
Christmas: A Candid History
Sisterhood of Spies
Witsec 

MISC
The Deranged Stalker's Journal of Pop Culture Therapy (one panel comics)
The 500 Best Urban Legends
You Might Be a Zombie - Cracked.com
Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays
The Truth About Santa: Wormholes, Robots, and What Really Happens on Christmas Eve

A Few of My Favorite Things

Going through my closet and consciously thinking about what I like and what’s comfortable made me realize some very important wardrobe facts.

-I’m not a huge fan of pullovers I do better in cold temperatures than the average person so when I get inside, I like to shed my layers. If I wear a cute, long-sleeved sweater to work, I’m stuck in that sweater even if I’m warm. If I had doubts about any pullovers or long-sleeved shirts in my closet, they were gone.

-I like wearing leggings in the summer One of my favorite summer uniforms last year was leggings and a short-ish dress or skirt. I also only like ‘shorts’ that at least hit my knees. I cut down on old or heavyweight capris and any shorts that didn’t fit the bill.

-I don’t like collars I can rock a Victorian collar like nobody’s business for costumes but when it comes to work wear, I really don’t like collared shirts. Because I get warm easily, I don’t like closing off my neck. Only a couple remain in my closet.

-I’m not much of a dress person Dresses are harder to wear with leggings and I’m not skinny enough to have a thigh gap. I have more dresses than I wear and it simply doesn’t make sense.

-I don’t like wearing hats I love how hats look on other people but I generally don’t like things on my head. I also have a large head so only a handful of headgear remains in my closet.

-I am super-picky about shoes My feet are incredibly difficult to outfit. They’re long, flat, wide, and have a high instep. I have shoes that I haven’t worn since college because I found things that work better. Any style that hadn’t been worn in the last 18 months was gone.

-I don’t like heavy jewelry I had hematite beads and a long pearl chain but they were both so heavy I almost never wore them. I like my jewelry to be light and comfortable so anything too bulky or heavy is on to better places.

-I’m not a bracelet or ring person I own no rings and am cutting down on bracelets. I almost never wear anything on my wrists because I don’t like how bracelets feel. The only ones I’m comfortable in are sailors knots and leather cuffs. What I have doesn’t get worn very much so some of those are going to better hands.

One of my favorite tenets of minimalism is that all of your things are your favorite things. You cut out the excess and only keep what matters to you. I’m still not perfect about this but I’m trying to get down to only my favorite things.

Current music: Santa’s Lost His Mojo by Jeremy Lister

The Great Purge of 2014: Board Games

I have too many board games collecting dust. Even if I'm able to start hosting my own game nights, I have plenty to ensure a good time is had by all with what I've got left. Here's what needs re-homing:

Games
The Hunger Games
Clue
Life
Apples to Apples Clue: Secrets and Spies
Never Have I Ever
Pirateology
Scene It TV Edition
Trivial Pursuit 25th Anniversary Edition
The Dirt Game
Yam Slam
Dirty Minds
Mad Gab (mini. card game)
Fact or Crap (mini. card game)
Battle of the Sexes (mini. card game)
Quelf (mini. card game)
Tribond (mini. card game)
Asshole (mini. card game)

Minimizing

Part of what inspired the Great Purge of 2014 was my discovery of minimalism

It started with a BuzzFeed article that lead to some Googling. That searching lead me to find other blogs like Becoming Minimalist and Mindful Riot. One of my favorite things about Mindful Riot is that she likes the idea of minimalism but isn’t a hardcore shipper and recognizes it’s a process. She also writes about feminism which is a big sell for me.

I also love Tiny Houses. I think I’d feel too claustrophobic to live in one full time but they fascinate me. I love seeing the different designs and how every inch of the space is functional. The Boy and I aren’t Rockefellers or Astors so we probably won’t be getting a McMansion any time soon. It’s nice to see how people make the most of small spaces.

I’m still parsing down as I write this. Last night while putting away laundry I went through my closet and decided I didn’t need at least another 10 things. I want more space in my closet. Instead of storming the mall on Black Friday, I plan on making a Goodwill donation run. 

And maybe a trip to the bookstore. I do have a decent coupon and my local comic book shop is running some pretty decent deals. (Don't judge me. I said it's a process and I'm supporting a local business.)

That’s the other part of my inspiration with minimalism: money. Now when I go into stores, I try to avoid browsing. I have to ask myself what I need and not seek out new things out of boredom. My car is very close to paid for but a year of unemployment definitely had an impact on my finances. I need to stop spending. 

Another part of my Black Friday unloading will be dropping some books off at the library and one of the book sellers at my alma mater. I did that last month and got around $25 for my troubles. I want to see if I can make some extra money again.

The Great Purge of 2014: DVDs

Looking around I realized that I have way too much stuff. It's not just books; it's clothes, DVDs, board games, purses, and even shoes. Yes, I of the massive feet, own too many shoes. It is definitely time for another purge.

I don't know too many women who would wear my clothes well but I know a couple of people who might be able to make some things work. Purses are pretty universal among women so I'll post the ones I don't have much need for anymore. Shoes are a lost cause. Those bad boys are just going to good will. 

Board games will have all their original pieces and in good to like new condition. I take care of my things. That list is forthcoming. I may also go through books again once I get through the rest of this stuff. This time we're focusing on DVDs.

TV Shows

Charmed seasons 1-5

The Office seasons 1-6
Arrested Development Seasons 1-3
Mythbusters Collection 6

Movies

Finding Nemo
Enchanted
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
27 Dresses
Killers
The Ugly Truth
He's Just Not That Into You
In Her Shoes
The Devil Wears Prada
New Year's Eve
Valentine's Day
Kinky Boots
Pay It Forward
Inception
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Thirteen
I, Robot
Freakonomics
Murder on the Orient Express
Thank You for Smoking
City Slickers
Young Frankenstein
The Other Boleyn Girl
Camp
Patch Adams
A Life Less Ordinary
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Airplane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

(Before everyone puts on their crazy pants, I never watch it alone and most of my friends have a copy. I'll never be far from arguing whether women distributing swords is a valid form of government.)

The Great Purge of 2014: Books

Yup, I'm parting with even more books. I seriously own too damn many. I've read some articles on minimalism and decided to use some of their ideas.

More than once I asked myself, "I've had this book since college and haven't read it. Why not?" Based on that, I'm parting with:


Fiction
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald
The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
Been There, Done That by Carol Snow
A Vist from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer
The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano
Children of Men by P. D. James
The Art of Losing by Rebecca Connell
Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
Summer People by Brian Groh
School's Out by Christophe Dufosse
Bedtime Stories edited by Diana Secker Tesdell
This Is Not Chick Lit edited by Elizabeth Merrick
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Here Comes Another Lesson by Stephen O'Connor
The Scandal of Lady Eleanor by Regina Jeffers
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson
Room by Emma Donoghue

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Teen
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sones

Prom Nights from Hell edited by Meg Cabot

I Am Number Four by L. Lorre

Lost Voices by Porter


Mysteries
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
The Dark End of the Street edited by Jonathan Santlofer
The Missing Ink by Karen Olsen
Murder of a Bookstore Babe by Denise Swansom
Suite 606 by JD Robb et al
The Other Side by JD Robb et al
Three in Death by JD Robb
The Dark End of the Street edited by Jonathan Santlofer
Russian Roulette by Austin Camacho
Collateral Damage by Austin Camacho

Genre Fiction
Steampunk edited by Jeff VanderMeer
Shadow on the Sun by Richard Matheson
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Stolen Kelley Armstrong
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
City by Alessandro Baricco
Paul Is Undead by Alan Goldsher
Chyrstallia and the Source of Light by P. M. Glaser
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
Beyond the Dark edited by Angela Knight
Unbound edited by Kim Harrison
Dates from Hell edited by Kim Harrison
Bite edited by Charlaine Harris
Grails: Quests of the Dawn edited by Richard Gilliam
Love Is Strange edited by Martin Greenberg
The Werewolf's Guide to Life
The New Vampire's Handbook
Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker


Nonfiction
The Mirror Effect by Dr. Drew
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
It's a Wonderful Lie edited by Emily Franklin
Who Cooked the Last Supper? by Rosalind Miles
Fame Junkies by Jake Halpern
Good Time Girls of the Alaska Yukon Gold Rush by Lael Morgan
50 Facts that Should Change the World by Jessica Williams
In Search of Dracula by Raymond McNally
Such a Pretty Fat by Julie Lancaster
Reduced Shakespeare by Reed Martin
Lit Riffs edited by Matthew Miele
Letters to Juliet by Lise Friedman
Spin magazine: Greatest Hits

Reading in the Brain by Stanislas Dehaene

Second Reading by Jonathan Yardley

George Steiner at The New Yorker
See Jane Date: Writing Chick Lit
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010
Suddenly Frugal
A Very Short Introduction to Bestsellers

Memoir/Biography
Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman
I'm Just a Guy by Bill Engvall
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
Lost in Suburbia by Tracy Beckerman
Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent
Stories from Candyland by Candy Spelling
Adventures of a Continental Drifter by Elliott Hester
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kit by Bill Bryson
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster

Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

Crossing the Heart of Africa by Smith

Confessions of a Continental Drifter by  Hester

The Whole Five Feet by Christopher Beha

Head Over Heel: Seduced by Southern Italy by Harrison

Badass by Shannen Doherty



Other
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Bla Bla Sex (random sex factoids)

Forbidden Knowledge Sex

Cruel and Unusual Idiots

Stupid Science

Stupid on the Road

Planet Dog: A Dog-lopedia by Sandra Choron

If you're interested in any of these titles, you know where to find me.