For those who don’t know, KonMari is an organization technique created by Marie Kondo. Her books, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (2014) and the follow-up Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (2016) became instant bestsellers. She even had a Netflix Show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, that aired its first episodes in January 2019.

The Marie Kondo Backlash

It amuses me how many writers got angry when they found out about the KonMari method, especially when so few of them read the book it is based on. Instead, they responded to one-liners and memes on social media. Writers, of all people, should know better. It is no different than when a book is made into a movie. All the juicy and subtle details are left on the cutting room floor, if they even made it to the script in the first place.

Why all the drama? On her Netflix show, Marie Kondo says, “ideally, keep fewer than 30 books.” People pounced on that statement as if she were the anti-christ. How dare this woman tell them to throw away all their books!

A Library That Sparks Joy

That’s not what Marie Kondo said at all. In fact, the premise of the KonMari method is that you only keep things that spark joy for you. Her criterion is that an item — a book or whatever else you are sorting — gives you a thrill of pleasure when you touch it.

Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. Isn’t that image spellbinding? For someone who loves books, what greater happiness could there be?

She prefers a limit of 30 books. That is a number that sparks joy for her for whatever reason. The number may be different for other people. In fact, she specifically acknowledges that authors and scholars tend to have larger libraries and that they often reread and reference their books. Her goal is not for you to get rid of all your books. Rather, she wants you to hold onto the ones that mean something to you personally.

Re-Reading Books

The truth of the matter is that books take up physical space. Not everyone has the room to house a library with boundless editions. Not that some of us wouldn’t love to. I myself get a bit teary-eyed when I see the library in Beauty and the Beast. Let’s say it sparks joy for me.

It’s your prerogative to keep every book you’ve ever owned. You may even see it as a badge of honor, but do you really love every book you’ve ever read? I doubt it. Do you even re-read some of the books you like? How often do you go back to reference them? Do you hold onto books out of obligation, i.e., so and so gave it to you? Would it be better to make room for books you do love?

In reality, few people re-read their books. If they do, those books are usually limited to a small sampling. Be honest with yourself. How many times have you re-read a book? If so, which ones? Those are the keepers. I re-read The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and On Writing by Stephen King every few years. Respectively, they lift my spirit through hard times, inspire creativity, and kindle nostalgia.

That said, I understand where Marie Kondo is coming from. If you love books, she wants you to have them. She just wants you to have the best ones. Is it unreasonable for you to want that for yourself too?

Your To-Be-Read List

Books on your To-Be-Read list are a bit trickier to sort. Something prompted you to buy those books. It may have been the cover, a written word, a recommendation from a friend, or even something you were going through in your life at that time. Perhaps someone you care about gave it to you. Something sparked joy in you the moment you got it.

Now you’re on the hook! You’re emotionally invested in a book even though you do not even know if you like it. Giving it away may seem like a betrayal of sorts. But think of it this way. If a book sits around for weeks or months on end, neglected, ignored, forgotten, without a crack in its spine or a single page turned, is that really a commitment you want in your life? The emotional currency you bought it with has already been spent. You would be better off chasing after a book that inspires you to enjoy it today.

Obligations and commitments can be stifling. Feeling you have to read that mountain of books toppling at your bedside is another unnecessary checkbox on your to-do list. Your mood may change and your tastes too. That may mean it might be time to let some of those books go. It is not a bad idea to adjust your life to the things that make you happy now.

Marie Kondo may be onto something, but I say that knowing my personal book collection has way more than 30 awesome books in it.