Japanese organizing specialist Marie Kondo has come to Netflix, and she has the literati talking.
As an article on the CNN website noted, “Kondo has been spreading her message of minimalism in the home, and her viewpoint of keeping only 30 books wasn't exactly embraced by some.”
I’m a librarian and an avid reader, so it was no surprise when this meme showed up on my Facebook page: “Ideally, keep fewer than 30 books.”—Marie Kondo. Additional text said: “Like on the nightstand?”
Yes, that’s about right.
I’ve been a fan of the “KonMari Method” since Kondo published her first book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” in 2014. That’s not to say I’ve changed my life around. I am still waiting for the day when I have enough time to take out all the clothes that I own, pile them on the bed, and work methodically through them to see what I should keep.
But I have espoused Kondo’s suggestion to ask ourselves if our possessions “spark joy.” That really works. Say I pick up a sweater I’ve only worn a few times. I might be inclined to keep it, to get my money’s worth out of it, so to speak. But if it doesn’t “spark joy” for me, I can let it go.
I’m not a person who sees life as either/or, black or white. So it helps me to have a rule of thumb when I need to be concrete. For example, after I lost weight, I told myself that anything that was in my larger size had to go. The item certainly wasn’t going to spark joy and I knew I couldn’t wear it anymore. I didn’t allow myself to feel nostalgic, mostly. I did shed a tear for a really cute plaid wool skirt that wouldn’t even hang on my hips anymore.
Kondo’s advice regarding greeting cards also struck a chord with me. She says we should just throw them away once we’ve appreciated them. I thought about that as I put the Christmas cards my husband, Paul, and I received in the recycling bin. There were a few I especially liked, and might have wanted to keep. But what would I do with them? I had enjoyed them for a month. Their job was done.
Now Kondo is hosting the show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” She goes into people’s homes and shows them her methods for decluttering. Basically, this is keeping only what makes you happy, organizing it and getting rid of the rest. Her message is now reaching a wider audience, which explains the bibliophile backlash.
In “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” Kondo devotes four short sections (about seven pages) to books. One chapter is titled, “Unread Books: ‘Sometime’ means ‘never.’” She feels that if you haven’t read a book that’s been sitting there awhile, you never will. It’s just taking up space. It’s a meaningless object to you unless you read it. “The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it.”
Intellectually, I get that. I might even agree with it. I can only think of one time—so far—that this hasn’t been true for me. I saw the book “The Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency,” by Alexander McCall Smith, in a bookstore and was intrigued by the cover and title. I bought it but didn’t read it right away. This was the first in a series, and it wasn’t until the second book came out and I read a review of that one that I actually opened up the first one. I have continued to enjoy this series ever since.
I do have a lot of books I may never read and probably should move on. But I will always have more than 30 books. My Agatha Christie collection, which was owned by an uncle, then passed on to my mother and then me, consists of something like 60 blue-bound volumes. Paul and I have more than 80 Library of America editions of classics that we’ve acquired over the years. And I do have “next” books in other series that I just haven’t gotten around to reading yet.
Ironically, as a librarian I know how important it is to maintain a book collection. Weeding is an annual task in most libraries; typically we focus on one or two sections at a time. We might remove books that haven’t gone out in five years, that are outdated, or that are worn and falling apart. When the dross is removed, it’s easier for patrons to find what they really want to read. The rest of the collection sparkles invitingly.
But even when I’m weeding professionally, emotions seep in. I’ve been known to keep books that are past their prime, for my own personal collection.
To which, of course, I have a hard time applying any objectivity. I enjoy buying books, and whatever I have in my home library, I bought for a reason. It’s hard for me to get rid of them, even if I can find them a good home.
The struggle is real. I’ll always have more than 30 books, but I do think Kondo has a point.
And I will also consider a suggestion tweeted by the staff of the Winnipeg Public Library in Canada: “If Marie Kondo’s KonMari method applied to your bookshelf brings you to tears, try out the PubLibrary Method! Empty shelves? Borrow up to 50 items at a time, fill your shelves, and change them frequently. How’s that for a bookshelf that sparks never-ending joy?”
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