Out of (my) Sight

Out of (my) Sight
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Several Elmore Leonard books. (And one other book I tried to release by lending it out...only to have it returned!)
Origin: I love Elmore, particularly his dialogue.
How long kept: Ack, some probably since the 80s. They're yellowing! Last read? Gulp.
Why kept: Because I love Elmore, maybe I thought I'd read them again? Thus They Might Be Useful. Also, some sense of my own identity. I can't be a total egghead and "heart" a writer like Elmore Leonard.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: I've reasoned that I can buy them back for a dollar each if I miss them.

Confession, part deux: I saved my two favorites, Get Shorty and Out of Sight. I Might Need Them!

Confession, cont:  I was inspired to lose this little collection by a Peter D. Kramer book review in the NY Times about a new book called Stuff:   Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee.   The opening:

"Working with a patient he calls Debra, a compulsive hoarder, the psychologist Randy O. Frost tried a simple experiment. Frost proposed sending Debra a postcard, blank but for the name and address. Debra’s assignment was to throw it away.

Days later, Debra complained that she had not had enough time with the card. She described the stamp and the postmark. When she finally let go, she pictured the card’s position in the trash. Later, she confessed she had cheated by writing down everything about the card she could remember and then saving the notes."

Part of me says, hmmm.   What's up in our culture with the stream of stories in popular culture about "hoarders"?    How often does someone like me, with an inclination to own the 5 extra Elmore Leonard books or "stash" of fabric, develop attachment at a level that might garner Oprah's attention?

The other part of me says, Aargh!  (And, what can I get rid of next?)