(This might make you uncomfortable)
I recently deleted 100 eBooks. I read more than planned for during a recent trip and opened the e- reader app thinking perhaps there was a book there I had bought but not read. There was.
But first, I was overwhelmed because there were well over 100 books and I had no idea there were that many lingering (hiding?) there. All I wanted was to read something and instead I was scrolling and stressing. My book dragon friends out there may be unimpressed by this small digital hoard, but as I only keep the physical books I think I will read again, I have maybe 30 books I consider actual treasure, and I’m doing my best to read all the books I own but haven’t read yet this year (2026). I didn’t even consider the digital books when I made that list – just looked at my physical bookshelves and my nightstand book mountain.
This digital hoard felt like clutter, but complicated. A physical book retains its value when you are done with it. I pass them on to friends or donate them to my library, some folks resell them. Sadly, most digital books have far more limited options – keep it or delete it.
I dug in. I recognized some of the 100 was just clutter, shadows (for lack of a better phrase) lingering because my library app parters with the e-reader app. This means books that I never owned showed up in a shadow form, a cover page but nothing more. So “delete forever” (the e-reader apps phrasing, not mine) was an easy option because I never owner these at all.
A second review of the list exposed books I had read and had no intention of reading again – yet “delete forever” was harder because it came with bonus clicks to get to that stage, and additional instructions that if I wanted the book in the future, I would have to repurchase it.
It was remarkable what chaos that phrase brought to me – I had no intention of reading them again, but it was a reminder I had paid money for them, and I was going to throw that money away if I deleted them. The question it brought up was this: were these books an investment? If yes – was it then financial ‘loss’ if I clicked delete? I took a deep breath and mentally reframed it.
There are many things I pay to experience and don’t get ownership over any part of (besides my memories). I don’t own a movie when I see it in the theater, and it’s no cause for consternation. What I paid for was a payment to be entertained, a rent of sorts, an investment in the experience.
As a culture most of us have given up ownership for access thanks to easy technology. Movies made the cut decades ago as we left behind owning blurays and DVDs for streaming services. Music followed the same path; ease of access was the path – not ownership. I do own a few sentimental things in these categories – but don’t feel a need to own every movie or song I see or hear.
And so that is the idea I landed in for my e-books. I paid to enjoy the story in the moment I wanted to enjoy the story. I did not pay to become a keeper of the story in richer and poorer or until death did we part. If I had read the book, and it wasn’t a reread for me…
Delete. Delete. Delete. Yes e-reader, delete forever.
The last step was harder. I was now left with books I hadn’t read. Some I bought at least a decade ago, some two decades ago – in the early days of my first e-reader. A few books made me wonder why I bought them at all. If they were physical books, would I still own them? Would I give them shelf space and dust them? Packed them into heavy boxes and moved them? Nope.
So, if it wasn’t a book I could see myself reading in the next 12 months… Delete. Delete. Delete. Yes e-reader, delete forever.
What’s left was just 12 e-books. Two I love and are on my read again list (hello Marie Kondo) but I might buy physical copies one day. I kept 10 that I had not read however since I was (way back when all this digital clearing out started) looking for a book to read, I read one book, and then deleted it – freeing the energy of keeping it, reclaiming the time my future self would scroll past it and think “that book wasn’t a read again.”
It’s easy to think digital clutter doesn’t matter. The app on my phone didn’t at its icon level feel like a burden because once clicked it linked to so many books. Most of the books were not downloaded so it wasn’t a space issue. But there are very real bits of lost time looking for that one e-book you want to read, the song you want to listen to, that photo you want to share.
I want my digital life to serve me, not steal time while wearing the mask of ease and the cloak of convenience. Bit by bit, I am getting digitally tidy.
P.S. I went ahead and added these 9 bonus books to my 2026 reading goal. It feels a little unreasonable, but I don’t want to forget about them again. Check in here for the updated list.
Journal Prompt: What is my relationship with eBooks or other digital forms of ownership?
Physical Prompt: If you have your own unruly stash of e-books, commit to reviewing what’s in there – pick five books and decide if you want to read it or release it. Bonus level – get rid of one book you have absolutely no interest in reading, but you bought because someone said you “should”.
All content I share here, elsewhere on my websites and in social media is created by me, Alison Gurevich – and not AI or other sources unless otherwise specifically attributed. This includes all photographs, writing, and ideas. All rights reserved by Alison Gurevich. “What to do with 100 e-books” was originally published to www.breathtomotion.com on April 27, 2026. When you find typos or grammar errors, celebrate humanity and enjoy a little song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk (Human by Rag N Bone Man).