There is much to be learned from their example and way of living. They are some of the happiest and most content people I know. Get a grip man! Zen — no! Attachment anyone? Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Own less, live more, and create space for the things you love. Get new posts delivered right to your inbox:. Here are a few suggestions to help even the biggest bibliophile relieve your sagging shelves of stress: 1.
Write It Down. Organize your non-fiction books by topic. Look for multiple copies, and get rid of them. While going through this process, here are a few tips to keep in mind: Take breaks. When I first began paring down my books, I would get dizzy after 15 minutes! Take five minutes to step away anytime you begin to feel overwhelmed — this is a new experience for your body, and it takes some getting used to! Stay hydrated. I found I would get drained and tired as I went through my books — keeping a glass of water next to me helped keep me alert and focused.
Set a timer. Sort through your books for no more than 30 minutes the first go-round or you will find yourself getting frustrated and overwhelmed. Honor your emotions. Your sentimental attachment to your books is not something to feel ashamed of or sad about. Acknowledging your emotions as you sort through your books can be the first step in helping you move past that attachment and towards a more minimalist reading habit.
And above all, remember this: you did not acquire those books overnight, so you will not release your attachment to them quickly either. By spending a few minutes a week and by letting go of a few books at a time, you will find your feelings shifting towards the stories and the moment rather than the books themselves.
Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Comments Some day I will pare down my collection… it will likely be many years from now and will be no where near 20 books. Lucky I went digital a long time ago. Thank you for your article: it was helpful and reassuring. I almost blew a gasket when I read that lol. Interesting article.
I recognise myself in a lot of what you said. Thank you for sharing. Other bibliophiles never reread books. She keeps those books because she loves them. Like once I bought Brideshead Revisited at a library booksale. This might include adding a dehumidifier in particularly sticky locales; or, conversely, utilizing a humidifier in particularly dry areas. If you live in an urban area with poor air quality , an abundance of nitrogen and sulfur components in the air can speed up deterioration, says Melching.
There are some great storage boxes that can seal out these elements more on that later. Alternatively, placing an air purifier in the room in which your books are stored can help improve the air quality and prolong shelf life. If the spine is in good condition, most books can—and should—be stored upright , says Melching.
When it comes time to grab the book you want off the shelf, most people go about it all wrong, she explains. Tugging books by the upper lip of their binding can compromise and ultimately damage the spine over time. Instead, push in the books on either side of the volume you want. Then, grasp the desired tome by either side of its spine, gently pulling towards you. Skip the hand sanitizer , though: "There's some research that suggests hand sanitizer can transfer onto paper and cause it to yellow over time," says Melching.
If you have a book that's already beginning to show signs of wear, do what you can to limit handling of any kind —even with gloved or washed hands. They are not impersonal units of knowledge, interchangeable and replaceable, but rather receptacles for the moments of our lives, whose pages have sopped up morning hopes and late-night sorrows, carried in honeymoon suitcases or clutched to broken hearts.
They are mementos, which she cautions readers not to even attempt to contemplate getting rid of until the very last. Keeping parts of books might make sense if your entire library consisted of cooking or craft manuals, but sounds completely crazy when applied to novels or narrative nonfiction.
But to my surprise, I found plenty of books in my possession that did not spark joy either. All told there were 30 such books, or perhaps They filled three shopping bags. And indeed they do. I then stacked up my remaining unread books against the wall outside my bedroom. Kondo argues emphatically and in bolded text that the right time to read a book is when it first comes into your possession. Only you can gauge your appetite. The good ones are incantations, summoning spells.
They are a spark, a balm, a letter from home. They contain demons, gods in a box. They are tiny rectangles with the whole universe packed in.
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