Earlier in the year I took a look at my bookshelf, nightstand, and desk. I must admit, I was pretty disgusted.
Piles of purchased books to be read as soon as I was done with the piles of library books that I swore I would finish before their due date. And oh, let's not forget the many slips of paper with new release titles scrawled on them. It was bad.
Some books had been there so long that I didn't even remember why I was ever interested in the first place. There were books in those piles that were even decades old. How did books so old make it there? Because even my local library didn't want them. So they dumped them in the free bin pile so hoarders like me would take them home and staff could go home guilt free knowing they weren't forced to trash a book.
I even found a YA book with my old Summer Reading log from when I was 15. I haven't been 15 in a long time. Something needed to change. So I went on a book cleaning frenzy. Falling apart? Trash. Good condition, but no longer sparking joy? Goodwill. Excellent condition, but still not sparking joy? Library donation. Book of sentimental value? Keep. Book I re-read once a year? Keep. All my book lists? Trimmed down and digitized. And so on. By the time I was done I could see my nightstand and desk. Better yet, my bookshelf looked amazing. I felt happy seeing old books that I loved and new books I was actually looking forward to reading. Also, I could look at my reading list without feeling like it was a list of chores that I had to begrudgingly complete. This time they were books I was genuinely curious to read. I have a lot of friends that are bookworms. Many of them liked Marie Kondo's decluttering method until it got to the topic of books. Personally, the KonMari Method became popular at just the time when I needed it most. My whole reading experience for 2020 was so much better than in previous years because I was finally reading books that sparked joy and not books that I felt I had to read out of obligation because they had been in my TBR for 2+ years. Many which I didn't actually finish because the whole experience felt so tedious. So going into 2021, I feel a lot better when it comes to my TBR. I look at my TBR list for my reading challenges and I'm excited because these are all books I've been looking forward to reading. Not only that, but the lists are manageable enough to where I would still be able to read books I discover throughout the year. Which is why I'm grateful to Marie Kondo. Not only was my living space significantly improved, but my reading experience greatly improved as well. I now read books that give me joy and I'm happy knowing that the books I gave away are sparking joy somewhere else instead of laying on a nightstand unloved and gathering dust.
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