Romanticize 18: Free Your Books

Clear up a cluttered shelf or two.

Look, Marie Kondo I am decidedly not. I love to be surrounded by clutter, tchotchkes, patterns on top of patterns—to me, they create a home that makes me feel held. And I have this thing for physical media—specifically, books. Their weight in my hands, their smell. It’s very difficult for me to get rid of a novel that I even mildly enjoy, which tends to result in sagging, groaning shelves and stack-laden corners. So, though I’m no proponent of massive spring cleans and minimalist aesthetics, I recognize the magical power of tidying up ever so slightly, for practical reasons. Today’s Romanticize will help all of us lighten our biblio-loads and donate those reads to folks who’ll appreciate them. Because books should live out in the world!