On de-cluttering - or not.

Isn't it hard to part with books? Many charity shops don't want them any more: a local shop invited donations of books to be resold for a good cause but within  a short time they requested, "No more donations until further notice." By then I had off-loaded a mere fraction of the ones I was willing to part with.
It isn't just where to take them, it's how to bear to part with them.
Intending to reduce the numbers on my bookshelves recently I spent more time reading snippets and deciding I must read those books again, than in placing any in the bag for 'give-aways'. I knew from experience that I would regret parting with them . . . . .

On the subject of parting with things . . . many years ago and with Christmas looming, I decided to sell an old oak chest that I had lovingly polished and cherished for many years.  It paid a worrying electricity bill and put a few extra presents under the tree for my young son.  But it hurt to part with it.
(This is an internet photo, but the style is similar to mine.)
                                                                                                                                                           

A few years down the line, I was due to downsize; there wouldn't be room for all my furniture.  One of the items was a Singer treadle machine which had been my Mum's before me.  On this machine she had made most of her own clothes, as well as mine and later her granddaughters'.  I had also made good use of it, sewing clothing, curtains, cushions and bedding, etc.  It had all the original shuttles, spools, needles and a hand-written receipt from Mum's original purchase.
Oh my, how I have always regretted parting with that precious sewing machine.
(Again, this photo has been taken from the internet.)

Many years later I sold my house and bought a caravan, where I lived for 5 very happy years, on a secluded rural site just a few miles from my place of work.  This time, just about everything had to go.  Luckily one of my sons had just rented a house in town, so most of the furniture had a new home waiting.  It's surprising how many books I managed to fit into that caravan - it's a wonder it didn't collapse under the weight.  A good job I wasn't planning on towing it !  As a matter of fact, I so loved the way of life that after a while I bought another caravan, a little 1979 Fairlane two-berth which I did tow, all over Cornwall and parts of Devon.  Many happy holidays in that little elderly caravan for me and my Border Collie with the much bigger 'van as our main home.
The lifestyle made me realise that we really don't need to clutter our homes with 'things' so why, now I live in a 3-bed bungalow, am I asking the same question again?  Where and how do I part with my books (and other items!)?  And yes, this is definitely a photo from the internet.  Honestly, my bookcases don't look as terrifying as that!