Back in January 2019, the internet was shocked and appalled by the misconstrued suggestion that famed tidy-upper Marie Kondo of the Netflix Series Tyding Up with Marie Kondo was telling people to keep less than 30 books on your bookshelf. Book-lovers around the world saw it apt to display their rage for all the world to see.
Of course, this was not her intention, just because she herself kept only 30 books, doesn’t mean that you have to too. Here is a pretty good video explaining it all:
Nevertheless, even now there are netizens and booklovers who post about their dissatisfaction with the KonMari method of tyding up your books.
Some, like Jen Sherman over at BOOKRIOT make a valid point that getting rid of some books just because you haven’t read them yet or will not reread them may not be the best idea. From my own personal experience, I’ve found that some books spark joy just by being on my shelf, just by the pure virtue of them being attached to a good memory or the like. And thanks to an increasingly hectic lifestyle some books have sat in an untouched TBR pile for quite a while before I’ve read them and discovered that they rank in my top 3 best reads ever (The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden). So you should always strive to give that book a chance.
Thus, the KonMari method can be interpreted and applied by different people in different ways. It is my belief that whichever way you choose to de-clutter your belongings, so long as it sparks joy, then that is the way for you.
I made a video where I attempt to apply my own version of the KonMari Method to my bookshelf. Check it our below for a tour of what’s on my shelves and find out which books I personally find sparks joy in my life.
“Thank you for coming into my life and giving me joy, thank you for loving me and receiving my love in return. Thank you for the memories I will cherish forever. But most of all, thank you for showing me that there will come a time when I can eventually let you go. ”
― Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle
The Reader And The Read 