The art of decluttering your life is HUGE this year.  

The physical copy of Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is nearly always checked out, and there’s even practical parody books out now about tidying up your life such as The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight.  And, to top it all off, our recent Adulting 101: Declutter for Life program taught by professional home organizer Cassidy Nasello was a full of eager people ready to declutter.  In preparation for our decluttering program I had listened to the audiobook version of Kondo’s book, and one thing really caused me to pause. Kondo suggests limiting the amount of books one has in their collection to a small portion of what it once was. For someone like me, who has books on her bookcase and everywhere else (that’s right- they’re in my car, my closet, my purse, under my dresser… etc.)  I can’t really imagine having a mere 30 books in my possession. Does this make me a chronic clutterer?

Marie Kondo explains in her book that the only objects that one should keep are ones that “spark joy,” and she follows up more on this in her book Spark Joy. But what if having hundreds of books actually sparks joy?  I had went into a bookstore once in Nyack, NY that had piles upon piles of books everywhere.  For me, that is joy.

So today, we’d like to ask you.  How many books is too many books?

To read more about Marie Kondo and decluttering, come down to the library and check out her book.  The e-audiobook version is also always available via our Overdrive e-library. You can also check out this article that appeared on the Oprah Magazine’s website written by Arianna Davis. Looking for the Oprah Magazine at home?  You can get digital copies via RB Digital.  All you need is your library card.        

-Jessica Bielen, Adult Services