Don't Hate on Marie Kondo

There has been a lot of hype around Marie Kondo and her de-cluttering methods lately, especially with the advent of the Netflix series.  People are up in arms regarding her advice to *gasp* give away some of your books!  I won't do it they say, as they drown under the weight of all of their "stuff".  Being a reader who loves her books, but also having found the Spark Joy movement to create serious, lasting, positive change in my life I would like to rectify this willful misinterpretation.

First of all, Marie never says that you have to throw away ALL of your books.  She does suggest that you individually pick up every single one, look at it, and decide if it sparks joy. (No small feat, depending on the size of your library.) If not, then she is ruthless in her insistence on culling the herd.  However, if every single book you own legitimately brings you joy, then you can stop reading right now and joyfully enjoy your books!

I would be surprised if there were some books on your shelves that were, in fact, not giving you joy.

For example:

1) Old Text Books
As someone who previously had dreams of that golden academic office with lots of out dated textbooks in a book case in my office (seriously, who actually reads those things), I held on to textbooks for a long time.  I marie-kondoed most of them, but I have to admit I still have a couple that could probably go to a better cause at this point.  Even if you are not awaiting academic glory, those old science books you didn't even read when you were taking Bio101 can probably go to a better place.

2) Books you "should" read
We all have them.  The classics.  The books everyone else seems to love but we just can't get into.  The books we are never actually going to read.  It feels really really good to admit to yourself that you are never going to read War and Peace and to take it off of your shelf so it is not there staring at you every single day reminding you of your failure as a reader.

3) The books we want people to think we read
This is slightly more insidious than the books we think we should read.  This is about the image we want to project to the rest of the world.  Did I actually like that book or did all of my friends?  Is my book case over-populated with a certain type of book that doesn't actually bring me joy?  Cull cull cull!

4) The books we hide under the bed
Maybe they are under the bed because we don't want anyone to know that we secretly love trashy romance fiction.  Maybe they are under the bed because we don't have enough room on our shelves because we are too busy displaying the books that we think make us look good.  Pull them out of their plastic box, look lovingly onto the cover of the book, and if it brings you joy: Put it on your shelf!

5) Gifted books
This one can be difficult.  We all love getting books as gifts.  It is a great way to be exposed to new authors and genres.  But often, our own to-read lists can outstrip the generosity of our friends and loved ones.  What books are you holding onto because someone gave it to you, but in reality there are too many other books out there that you want to read more?  Maybe that book gave you joy in the moment, but it is not longer giving you joy as you feel guilt every time you look at it?  Be thankful and move on.