BooksareBetterthanPeople

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing | Marie Kondo

Hubs is reading "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." On our walk home from the local cheese shop today (i.e., after he got me in a good mood by plying me with dairy), he explained Kondo's theory about bookshelves: you shouldn't keep books you haven't read. You should have a single shelf with all of your favorites. Now I'm staring at my books like I'm Abraham, they're all Isaac... and Marie Kondo is God? I'm seriously considering it. Thoughts?

Jess7 I read that book. She makes some good points, but I do not buy into picking up every single item I own and asking myself "does this bring me joy?" ? however, I do buy only Ebooks to avoid all of the clutter. 7y

KVanRead Whaaaat now? NO WAY!!! Sometimes it takes me years, nay decades to knock one off the TBR and then I'm so glad I kept it! Also, it's possible I may judge people who have only one shelf of books.🙈 7y

monalyisha @Jess7 I don't like Ebooks (unless I'm traveling); I can sit for hours with a book & not move... but my attention wanes with Ebooks. https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-18/your-paper-brain-and-your-kindle-brain-ar... I do like the aesthetic of books on shelves but we have an apartment now (and are likely to for at least a few more years), and I definitely have boxes of books in the basement. And piles by my bed/nightstand/in my office. (edited) 7y

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NCNY I'm a convert. It seems extreme but once you get going, it starts to feel right. At least it did for me. I felt lighter after getting rid of stuff and its had a lasting impact on how I approach buying new things. I'm much more thoughtful about it so the things I buy end up meaning more to me. 7y

monalyisha @NYNC See?! That sounds nice! 7y

monalyisha @KVanRead I've had books that have moved with me from apartment to apartment that I've never cracked open. My thinking is: I work in a library in MA and live in RI. I have quick access to multiple *worlds* of books. If I want to read a certain title that I once had but have given away, I could grab it easily - and then return it. Right? 😬 7y

monalyisha @KVanRead re: judging people with one shelf: I'd like to think that you'd be so enthralled with my carefully-curated collection that you'd forget there was only one shelf. 😉 7y

Jess7 @monalyisha interesting article. Thanks for sharing. I read a kindle paper-white without the backlight on so it's very similar to reading a physical book without the weight of a book. Hard backs drive me crazy to read bc they're heavy. I definitely don't enjoy reading with a backlight bc that hurts my eyes, but I haven't had any issue reading my paper white. I love it and highly recommend. 7y

monalyisha @KVanRead I do worry that when we do buy a house (years from now), it will have the dream of built-in bookshelves... and then I won't be able to fill them. As a book lover, how embarrassing would that be?! 7y

KVanRead @monalyshia Those are some very good points, and I clearly need to work on my own issues 😂 I actually hang on to a lot fewer read books than I used to. Unless they're ones I know I'll return to, I'd rather see them bring happiness to another reader. But the unread ones are harder for me to part with. 7y

monalyisha @Jess7 I don't like reading hardcover books either. On that we can agree. 😊 I prefer paperbacks -- and I like to crack the spine, fold the book in half, dog-ear the pages, really f*ck sh*t up. 😂 That's my other reason for not digging Ebooks. I think you should impact a book in response to it impacting you. Ch-ch-changes! 🎶 (Apologies. I have very strong feelings about Ebooks. Though ultimately, reading is reading, right?) (edited) 7y

KVanRead @monalyisha As a book lover, I'm sure you'll have no trouble filling them, and oh what fun that will be! 7y

monalyisha @KVanRead I know. I have mostly unread books on my shelves right now and don't even own many of my favorites. I feel you. When we moved a few years ago, I got rid of a lot of books that I had read and purposely KEPT those that I hadn't read (even though, inevitably, visitors will see a title and ask "Oh, how was that?" & I have to admit that I haven't read it, making me look like an illiterate poser. ?) 7y

Reviewsbylola What the ever loving f*ck? Why would I only have books I've read? That makes no sense. I typically pass on books I've read unless they were amazing or they're BOTM. I'd say 75% of the books I own are unread. 7y

kspenmoll I have let myself purge every year for a huge Library sale we have. Sometimes I have regrets but we have 8 bookcases ( 2 small) for 3 of us - we have pledged not to buy more bookshelves- no room!!! We all have TBR shelves... (edited) 7y

monalyisha @Reviewsbylola Haha. I know, I know! But I think there's something appealing about a "Best Of" shelf! It's like packing all of your favorite people into one place... except they're books. #booksarebetterthanpeople (edited) 7y

monalyisha @kspenmoll I still anticipate having a TBR shelf (or stack, at least. Maybe on my nightstand. Or between bookends on top of the shelf) -- but they'd be library books rather than books I own. (edited) 7y

Soubhiville Nope. I do purge every once in a while, going through my TBR shelf for things I was once interested in but now I'm not, and when I finish a book I seriously consider if it's worth having in my collection or if I should pass it on. But there's no way I will ever be able to narrow down to one favorites shelf! 7y

monalyisha @Soubhiville I think I might be able to do it. And imagine buying the fanciest, most glorious bookshelf ever as a reward? 😱 7y

kspenmoll @monalyisha I have the advantage of a house that we have lived in 22 years- moving encourages purging. In my younger years I moved lots!!! Especially as rents went up in Boston! Libraries are the best; we visit ours often Thats why I donate to their sale ( gives me an excuse to buy a book ). I also swap books with neighbors so sometimes our books get mixed up. 😃 (edited) 7y

Gezemice Sounds like a great idea - except most books in my house are owned by my husband and kids, and they all re-read books. And never get rid of any. In fact many books we have found second life when the kids read them. It is great when they are old enough and start reading the books in the house. That's how I learned to love to read - reading through my parents' collection. I still have a lot of those and will never get rid of them. 7y

monalyisha @Gezemice That's sweet. 💖 7y

Laalaleighh I bought the secret history at the Harvard bookstore warehouse sell for a dollar in 2008, I took it to college with me, moved it from dorm room to dorm room through three consecutive apartments then to two new cities with three more consecutive apartments. I finally read it last summer on a whim bc I wanted something with a school setting and there it was. One of my favorite books of all time. Recommend it and gift it constantly. 7y

monalyisha @Laalaleighh Ugh! This decision is so fraught! 7y

LibrarianToujours I work in a library and still buy tons of books. What my patrons like and what I like are very different. And because we're small, we only get ILL deliveries once a week and libraries in my state won't loan brand new items. When I'm older maybe I won't want the clutter, but we have a house now and can dedicate a room to bookshelves. 7y

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