If you are an avid reader like me you probably have an abundance of books, which means you have an abundance of old books as well. There are children’s books you grew out of, old textbooks, books you read and don’t care to read again, books you don’t know where they came from — you just have them, and the list goes on. Don’t feel like you have to throw them away because they are worn and torn. There are plenty of things to do with old books that you probably never thought of.

1. Donate!

If it is in good enough condition you can donate it to Goodwill or any local thrift shop in your area. It is an easy and accessible way to give back to the community while also decluttering your shelves.

2. Blackout Poetry

If you books are not in the state to be donated or sold, but you cannot bring yourself to throw them out, using them to create poetry allows you to keep you favorite childhood novels forever. Blackout poetry is when you take a page of text and use the words on the page to create a poem, then black out any of the words you don’t use. This would be done with a book you have no plans of rereading. It can be fun and challenging trying to produce a meaningful poem with only the words on the page. You could even tear out your favorite poems and frame them.

3. Book Fort

This one might seem silly, but it’s possible. One women created a fort in one night. Now it is a tedious task, and you need a lot if books to complete it, but if you are a fan of forts and a challenge, then give it a try! You would create an outline of the book fort on the ground first, then stack the books along the outline until you reach the height you want. Building the roof is the tricky part, so make sure you have a stable base so when you go over horizontally the whole thing doesn’t collapse.

4. Hollow it.

You can hollow out your old books to create a secret storage. This works best with thick, hardcover books because it allows you to cut deeper into the book and create a bigger area to store your things.

5. Art

Try repurposing your books as your new art medium. If you like jewelry, you can cut out a small section of words or illustration to but on a necklace. You’ll need a chain and a bottle cap is an easy base you can use, or you can get them at crafting stores.

Jewelry might not be you thing, but there are many ways to use books for art. You could create a collage or dream board using book pages and illustrations. You can even use the pages to personalize your items; for example, taking a shoe or tool box, a picture frame and covering in with pages of the book. You can paint it or leave it as is; it gives you the opportunity to make it you own.