Declutter your bookshelf!

When I was younger, I used to think spring cleaning was a myth my mom invented to force me to do a lot of housework every year. I still kind of think that, but the myth has stuck: Every April I feel this weird itch to clean my house from top to bottom.

The cleaning part is easy. I just bust out the vacuum and go to town. The harder part is decluttering-specifically when it comes to my book collection. Because while I don't really have an emotional attachment to all of those old dresses I toss out each year, books are another story.

Voracious readers will understand my pain. Despite my best efforts to not buy any more physical books, by the end of the year I usually have stacks of them piled up around my already-overcrowded bookshelves. But I'm once again cleaning house and that includes my book collection. Based on some hard-earned experience, here are a few tips for how to keep those bookshelves under control: