The Great Book Purge of 2015 (And of Ever)

I am what you might call a book hoarder.

I love books. I have a thing for books. I smell the insides of books. They are my children. We do not ever talk about getting rid of my babies.

Until now. Well, until the other day when I read a book that told me to get rid of books.

In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing the author, Marie Kondo, says that we should get rid of everything that does not “spark joy in our hearts.”

What a lovely way of encouraging you to THROW AWAY BOOKS. And everything else. But seriously, it was so helpful for me because my bookshelves really did need cleaned out (as well as everything in the rest of my house).

I took the author’s advice and took every single book off the shelf and then went through each deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. In addition to asking myself if it sparked joy in my heart, I also asked if it was educational for my children or would spark joy or relief in their hearts one day. If it didn’t, or I felt like it already served purpose in my life, GONE.

We purged and we purged and we got rid of over TWELVE bags of books! CRAZY.

Oh my goodness, I had no idea how good it felt to PURGE! I feel lighter already. I can’t wait to tackle the rest of my house! PURGE BABY PURGE! Anyway, I’m telling you this because I recommend the book and the purging. It was so helpful for me. If you can’t get the book, it can be summed up in this: “Get rid of everything by going through it systematically by category instead of room (clothes, books, papers, etc.) and ONLY keep what sparks joy in your heart.” 

I am telling you, there is such freedom in getting rid of things and just keeping the things you really enjoy.

One quick caveat with the book before I show you the after pics: Marie tells you to hold your book and thank it and a few other things that I’m not into. As with any book, just pick the bones and keep the meat! 

Okay, want to see the reveal? YEA YOU DO!

Doesn’t it look SO refreshing?!!! I know!

Best. Decision. Ever. I love it SO much, and I actually want to be in this room now! Yay! Thank you Marie!

Oh, and for those who are concerned about my babies, they are being given to friend.

Ahhhh, here’s to a CLEAN SPACE!

Now, want to clean WITH me? Check out my 31 Days to Clean series right here on the blog and/OR check out my new book Having a Martha Home the Mary Way (revised version of 31 Days to Clean)!

Love, SM

P.S. My husband built those beautiful shelves