If you spend any time browsing Netflix, then you’ve seen that Marie Kondo has a new show that recently debuted. I can probably use some help tidying up, but I have no interest in the show.
But when you follow literary accounts on Twitter it’s hard to not hear about book-related “controversies”. Apparently she’s advising people to throw out their books and the internet of readers is having none of it.
I live in a small apartment by myself. And I’ll most likely have to get two new bookshelves this year. It hasn’t once crossed my mind that instead of new bookshelves I should just rid myself of my books. I just…can’t. Even though I’m not exactly sure where I’ll put the new ones when I have them.
But maybe I’m crazy.
Johnny Reads 
You are not crazy at all.
I just heard of Ms. Kondo’s TV show, so I have not had a chance to watch it. I did hear about her book ‘The Art of Tidying Up’, on NPR a few months ago and I went right out and bought a copy. While I can’t say it changed my life, it did help my wife and I to begin to prioritize what is important for us to keep and what we should discard.
That said, when it comes to books, I have always had a hard time ‘letting go’. Still, after 40+ years of moving from one house to another and one state to another, I suddenly realized that I had a large number of books (hundreds really), that I hadn’t opened in decades. What’s more I had a number of heavy boxes of books in my attic that I had been lifting, stacking and hauling from one house to another, up and down stairs and up ladders. As we look to downsize from our house to a condo in a year or two, the books suddenly came under scrutiny.
The first thing that I did was to go through my books — every last one of them and select those that had some meaning to me and place them in a box. These are books with some sentimental value. I had about 25-30 books.
I then stacked all of the travel books we’d purchased over the years and put them in one box for the recycling bin. If I ever go back to the Grand Canyon I will likely buy a new guide as the one I had was dated 1997. My “Guide to Norway, 1983” also ended up in the recycling box.
Next, I sorted text books and old computer manuals — right to the trash.
After that I found a few titles that were selling on eBay (very few). I sold half a dozen that way. Then I went through the paperbacks and pretty much closed my eyes and threw them away. Difficult yes…but so far I have not missed any of them.
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Wow. I’ve had to move mine twice. I’m sure you had many more than I do. I have a counter, but I think I’m around 220 I currently own. My oldest ones are actually just about a decade old now. Mine are all fiction or regular nonfiction. Nothing that would date like a travel guide or manual. Highly doubt I could do what you’ve done in another 20+ years. This is coming from someone who doesn’t even reread!
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I am trying to convince my husband that he doesn’t need to buy EVERY book he wants to read, which is a challenge. As a librarian, I am always encouraging him to borrow from the library, and if he REALLY enjoys it, go out and buy a copy for himself. Also, libraries will almost always accept donations, so the next time you decide to chuck a book, take them to the library!
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Tell him a random stranger on the internet says buy ALL THE BOOKS. 😂 I’ve never thrown out any book before, except when I worked at Half Price Books and people would bring in books falling apart or super old that could never be sold. ☹️
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Yeah, throwing out a book feels criminal to me!
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Oh, it definitely is!
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I should have mentioned in my post above, that libraries are a really good place to go with books. I did take quite a few books to a local library. But while some libraries will accept just about anything others will not. After my mom passed away, I was left with the task of cleaning out her house. She had lots of books and when I tried to drop them at a local library they would not accept all of them. They only wanted books in very good condition.
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I don’t think that was Marie’s intention… if you love the book you should keep it… only if it doesn’t spark joy to you then, you should get rid of it. She never said you have to get rid of it. It’s always your opinion. However, I don’t think the system can work on everyone and that’s okay.
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I know. I don’t think it would work for me. Because I’m not sure my books spark joy. They’re just mine. 🤷🏻♂️
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That’s fair and you should keep them. Just keep them tidy ahah
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Wellll. I try. But I keep my read and unread books separate. And unread books are not allowed on the shelf. So they’re in stacks at my dining table. 😂
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You are describing my bedroom right now to be fair ahah
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You have to keep your books neat!
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