Some book lovers seem horrified at the Marie Kondo recommended techniques for de-cluttering (at a very distilled level:  take your stuff out where you can see it all, go through each item and ask if it sparks joy. If not, tell it thank you and give it away. Off to somewhere else where it may spark joy. Ta dah! You are de-cluttered). De-clutter your life, de-clutter your mind. But books clutter your mind in a good way. For most things, clothes, extraneous power cords, baking pans (why do I have three different 9×12 pans?) this is all fine. And then you get to books. The mind recoils. How can one even consider books as clutter? They are the balm of the soul. Book lovers struggle with this approach because to them, books aren’t in the ‘stuff’ category. Books represent ideas, other worlds, stretching your brain, and are potentially life changing. How can one just let go of that? I love being surrounded by books. Books are everywhere. Rammed into the overflowing book cases, on the nightstand, for a period of time there some piles under the bed until I acquired some additional storage. Books everywhere do spark joy! That is how book lovers should look at it and not be so upset with Marie Kondo.

I did the Marie Kondo thing when her book came out. It did help me with clothes, coats, random crap on my desk, and somewhat with books. I did cull some books and give them to the library, but I’m sure she would still be appalled.

Proof!

No Edith Wharton will leave this house!

The truth is sometimes I am overwhelmed by the volume of books. I do feel cluttered. I would surely die if my bookshelf fell on me.

Is this really so bad? This is before Marie Kondo, but I can’t say it looks better now because.. more books! Also, this is only one of the bookcases.

But my love and joy of the books is greater than my disdain for clutter, so they are staying. I just need a better organizational system, more bookcases or to move to a bigger place where books can fit and not appear cluttered. Sorry, Marie Kondo!