Digging for the root and background for this pattern can be useful. At the end of the day, it’s still clinging, and you identify it yourself as “silly”. So maybe when you get stuck in those thoughts, you can ask yourself what it was you really wanted. OK, you really wanted those books, but it’s bothering you so much it’s clearly not about the books. So what did you really want?

Did you want something no one else could have (to feel special)? Did you want to have more things (because possessions make you feel secure)? Did you want something beautiful? Do you want to feel connected to your history (as a writer) by owning these old books? Did you want to impress your friends? Did you want something that would have made your family members happy? Or envious?

Once you distill the want to something pure, like feeling special, security, beauty, identity as a writer, status, you can try to think of other ways you could give yourself that. Maybe by buying something else, or maybe just by doing something, or remembering you already have something. That might help take the sting out of the internal but I really wanted it angst.

Also, forgive yourself for having silly emotional hangups. Welcome to humanity. It’s easier to let go if you don’t constantly judge yourself for having held on in the first place.