My Bookish Life: Marie Kondo and Me – part 2

Last week I started writing about my decluttering journey, which began with Marie Kondo’s tv series “Tidying Up” and will continue with her books and other organizational-guru authors. If you have not yet read Part One of this mini-series, go here.

As I said in my last post, I didn’t exactly have the greatest method for cleaning my room. What teenager does? Over the years I did improve and would be mad-organized at work, yet my home still tended towards organized chaos instead. The older I got the tidier I got, but it wasn’t until I saw Marie Kondo’s show that I was inspired to actually deal with all my possessions. We are never really taught how to tidy up, but only see our parents’ example (though they definitely knew better than me). Yet seeing your mom vacuum doesn’t really help you understand how to declutter and that is what I needed.

My Bookish Life: Marie Kondo and Me – part 1

At the beginning of the year I, along with much of the world, began watching Marie Kondo’s Netflix series “Tidying Up”. I had never heard of her before that point, but I was definitely hearing about her KonMari method after the show aired. I did not actually have too much interest in the idea at first —hello, it’s just cleaning—which is why I didn’t bother reading the books before watching. I always enjoyed home make-over shows, however, so I figured why not check it out?

My Bookish Life: Regencies and Netflix

When I was a teenager I used to read a lot of regency romances. I think this was because my introduction to adult novels was from perusing my mom’s bookshelf and finding a handful of Signet Regencies in her mostly nonfiction collection. As you know, a desperate bookworm will go to any length to acquire a new novel to read!

So it was those regencies that got my dreamy-eyed self hooked on historicals and thus began my journey as a romance reader. I loved the balls and the etiquette and the chivalry of gentleman… all things missing from the daily life of a high schooler. Eventually I moved out of the historical phase, but every once in a while I would pick up a book to fall back into the glittering social whirl of the marriage market.

Bookish Thoughts: Reading Retreat

You know how people go on weekend retreats? Well, there is one for booklovers too. My jaw literally dropped and I was all “Yes, I need that!” (even though I technically don’t). From what I gather, a handful of people go to this farmhouse and just read, then talk about their books over dinner. Quite often one book is chosen in advance so everyone has time to read it before/during the retreat to discuss it together.

At first I thought, if you really need to get away from your family that badly just to get a little reading time in there must be something wrong.