“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” ― Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.
Good advice. I’m doin’ my best, Henry ol’ chap – but there’s a lot of ’em and only one of me. To put it crudely, wanting to read more of the “best books” before I drop dead is one of the reasons I joined The Classics Club, and finally put together a reading list. It’s not about ticking boxes (“look how clever I am!”), for me it’s about prioritising wonderful books over what happens to be in the house or what happens to be on offer in the bookshop on a Saturday.
And my house is full of bad books – you may own more books than I do, but I’d be surprised if you had more bad books. Mostly it’s a legacy of years getting freebies from publishers (some are pre-publication copies) and receiving discounted books and library rejects. And how do you get rid of bad books? Suggestions below please. Now I have a rule – I will not be reading and giving house room to any more horrors. I shall “do” an Edgar Allan Poe.
“I intend to put up with nothing that I can put down.”
[Letter to J. Beauchamp Jones, August 8, 1839] ― Edgar Allan Poe, The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe
I have recently received some books to review. But I did a bit of research first, and they look promising (reviews of some non fiction to follow). I would not have taken them on if I didn’t think I would enjoy the experience.
The Long Victorian 
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