Is there a way to eliminate Google Play Books / Newsstand? I've never used Books or Newsstand, and I'm continually running out of space. Is there a way to just delete these apps? 

Android 4.1.2
Kernel 3.0.31-889555
Since Android 4.0, it is possible to "disable" apps without root. However, not all apps can be "disabled": some (pre-installed) system-apps are protected against this. Still, it's always worth a try if you don't want to root your device:


Go to Settings→Apps
Select the "All" tab
Scroll to the apps in question, and open their entry
Here you see either a button labeled "Disable", or one labeled "Uninstall Updates". If the latter is there, tap it: this will uninstall all the updates this app received during the time you already used the device. Now the "Disable" button should be visible in its place.


Is it "grayed out"?


Tap "Delete Cache", then "Clear Data". This will remove all cache files the app might have created, all its data, and its configuration.
Still "grayed out?" Then this app is "protected", you cannot "disable" it without root.

Otherwise: Tap it. This will disable/freeze the app.



These actions are reversible: You can always re-visit the apps entries here, and push the button again (it will be labeled "Enable" then).

If you could not deactivate an app this way, all that's left is root and some "Bloatware remover", as indicated by Lucas' answer. Apart from Titanium Backup, there are several other "root-apps" which can do that – though Titanium is a great choice, as it also provides the means to do full backups and more. If chosing this path, make sure to freeze apps first to check for side-effects: As with above steps, a "freeze" is revertible – a "remove" is not (at least not easily).

Also see our bloatware tag-wiki, which will give you / point you to more information.