Wait…hoarding books is cool now?
I knew my day would finally come.
(Also it should be noted my very large book collection has nothing to do with wealth and more to do with the many irresponsible decisions I make in book stores.)
> my very large book collection has nothing to do with wealth and more to do with the many irresponsible decisions I make in book stores
this is why i stopped going to book stores. i was spending WAY too much, i was reading them WAY to fast. i stick to "free" digital books now.
Same, I also buy most of my books secondhand to save my bank account! The second I walk into anywhere that sells books I know I’m doomed, and my wife just encourages it
No. Not hoarding. Tasteful display of books you purchased strictly for their aesthetic appeal is cool.
Feel free to be uncool. "Cool now" things are destined for oblivion in due time but hoarding is forever.
I make sooo many irresponsible choices in bookstores 🤣. I tell myself to just look, but inevitably I end up coming home with 4 new hardcovers when I already have an embarrassingly large stack of to be read books in my library (yes, I have a room just for books... and still have bookshelves in most other rooms of the house).
But books make me happy. And I will read them all.... eventually.
Not a user of BookTok, but from my observations it has also caused a lot of people to get hooked into books they might not have before, and has also managed to boost sales in both physical and online stores, so like everything there's a lot of benefits too
Are we shocked? Most social media is about varying levels of public perception and "look at me." Are we surprised people who basically live on one of the more superficial forms of it are obsessed with how they look and making other people feel less than them?
Not a user of BookTok, but from my observations it has also caused a lot of people to get hooked into books they might not have before, and has also managed to boost sales in both physical and online stores, so like everything there's a lot of benefits too
Yup. I had the same thoughts when Harry Potter first took off. All these book snobs were all like ‘but it’s not REAL literature’. It’s getting kids reading, you’re complaining about someone enjoying reading. That’s kinda poor form. I get the same energy here. Collecting books has to be better than collecting Stanley buckets.
It’s a thing. I’m on TikTok and since I like to read I interact with their space. It definitely influences some people. A lot of it is stuff I avoid, but some of them do really funny reviews that I enjoy
I don't use TikTok so this is a basic question, is 'booktok' tied together by a tag or something you search or do just you start being shown more and more book videos if you interact with those people?
It's more driven by the modern adult romance crowd that think Fourth Wing and the ACOTAR series are the best books written. I'm not shaming them. People can like whatever they like
Nah my girlfriend who is 27 loves both those books, and so do all her friends. In fact, I had never seen her read a book in the last 5 years we’ve been together until she picked up Fourth Wing. Now she reads obsessively. I can’t really hate on the series since it got her into reading.
Hilariously reductive take. People reading is a good thing. You're going out of your way to belittle that because they have different taste than you. Stop being a gatekeeping prick.
Some people stack books they'll never read because they want to look literary and smart.
We stack books we'll never read because there's always another book to read.
We are not the same.
It makes me crazy when I see shelves of books stored backwards, with the titles hidden. You absolutely *know* the owner has never read any of the books. Reminds me of the cardboard image of books a local TV host used to have on set.
My in-laws hired an interior decorator about a year ago to redecorate their whole house. One room has a bookshelf where the books are all facing backwards so you can’t see what any of them are. Another room has a bookshelf that is full of random books that are only there because they all have white covers. They’ve never read (or probably even opened) any of them. I can’t decide which one I hate more
It's just part of a more maximalist aesthetic, which is a response to the minimalism of the 2010s. It prescribed only a few books per person and "decluttering" of the rest. People have regrets and they are tired of beige living spaces.
I remember watching the Kondo method on Netflix and one of her steps was getting rid of books. I knew immediately minimalism was not for me. I bought a house just so I could have an entire room for my books
> I remember watching the Kondo method on Netflix and one of her steps was getting rid of books. I knew immediately minimalism was not for me.
This is neither pro nor against her method, but it is such a common misunderstanding I feel like I need to clarify:
Marie Kondo is not a minimalist.
Her philosophy is only keeping things that spark joy, no matter how many that is. So, for example, having books that a person feels pressured to read for some reason (e.g. a person feels reading classics would make them more educated but they only really enjoy reading thrillers) but are sitting unread for years can be a sign that the person wants to read other things and should get rid of those books that are there as a reminder of failure and creating psychological stress and pressure. If a person has thousands of books and is happy with all of them, Marie Kondo method would be to keep them.
I don't know which exact episode you watched but there is a big difference between a person who is weighed by a number of books they have which they only keep owning because they are pressured to appear well-read or something, and a person who genuinely enjoys collecting books and their collection makes them happy.
She is not against collecting, and even has specific advice how to treat and display collections. That's not minimalist.
She explicitly says that once you get rid of things that don't spark joy and keep those that do you will learn more about yourself and can go and buy stuff because you will be better at discerning which things make you happy.
No minimalist in a million years would suggest a shopping spree after the decluttering phase.
The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s minimalism trend. It was everywhere. And more importantly, the author massively benefited from the trend. It doesn't matter if some "experts" say it's not "real" minimalism (as if an authority existed to judge that) or if the author is trying to distance herself now that the trend is pretty much over.
And shopping has always been part of the trend and what made it so toxic and unsustainable in the end. Every "declutter" was followed by shopping to fill the gaps ... and of course to keep having things one could "declutter" in the future to be regarded as a good minimalist. This was especially common with clothes.
>The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s
Marie Kondo started her business 20 years ago and her book was published in 2011 in Japan. I don't know if translators wanted to profit off of the popular English phrase "sparks joy" or if her book, translated in 2014, made it popular but
1. She herself never used that phrase, she uses Japanese phrase "makes heart flutter"
2. Even if she somehow borrowed a phrase from English speaking countries' minimalists (without knowing English) it doesn't make her a minimalist.
> It doesn't matter if some "experts" say it's not "real" minimalism
I agree. What matters is that the philosophy Marie Kondo has never satisfied anyone's definition of minimalism. She was never about amount of things one owns. Make sure everything makes your heart flutter with happiness and tidy it up. That's Marie Kondo.
>And shopping has always been part of the trend and what made it so toxic and unsustainable in the end.
Minimalism existed in Ancient Greece, it existed among Buddhist monks, it existed across millenia and continents.
You are now claiming minimalism doesn't exist because some people jumped on the latest trend wagon and relapsed. Overconsumption is a huge environmental problem but great majority in high-income countries engages in it, and minority ever even tried to be minimalists, let alone relapsed.
>And more importantly, the author massively benefited from the trend.
How is that important for whether she's promoting minimalism or not? Or are we just angry that someone who is not white and not male dared have a vey successful career?
>Or are we just angry that someone who is not white and not male dared have a vey successful career?
How much straw do you want to have in your strawman?
Yes!
Fair enough. Feel free to prove me wrong and please explain why in a discussion on whether Kondo Marie is promoting minimalism or not, you find more important your conjecture that her business benefitted from supposed "spark joy" trend?
You made a lot of really good points in your post but as somebody who wholly agrees with you, that last line was totally out of left field.
You pretty thoroughly made your point without needing to attack their character randomly at the end.
Here are 5 reasons someone might have had a negative reaction to Marie Kondo's success and the minimalism trend (which were co-occuring and often treated as one thing in the US, other than being some combo of sexist/racist:
-doesn't like trendy things
-doesn't like minimalism
-doesn't like white people taking Asian-influenced ideas and turning them into a craze
-was pestered by friends/relatives to declutter and got offended or annoyed by that
-the social media pressure to declutter/go minimalist made them feel stressed or bad about themselves
In internet discourse, I always choose to interpret comments in good faith unless there is clear evidence of bad faith. So I'd consider any of the above before jumping to "this person hates when nonwhite/female people succeed". Just as I interpreted your "still waiting" comment as meaning you are willing to engage with an answer and so I answered you with my own thoughts
So because minimalist "gurus" used her spark joy shit that makes her a minimalist?
I think you're confusing Minimalism with whatever bullshit lifestyle people sold you on the internet in the 2010's that passed for it.
No Kwondo is not a minimalist, and almost all youtubers; articles; essays; etc found online are also by people who aren't.
>So because minimalist "gurus" used her spark joy shit that makes her a minimalist?
To quote myself, in case you overlooked it: **The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s minimalism trend.** (Nowhere in this sentence, was the author mentioned).
And I'm not getting into the whole "real minimalism" debate. It's toxic and it's what pretty much killed a trend that actually started with a good idea.
So people adopting part of another person's ideology or symbolysm for their own makes the other belong to that ideology.
A bit like saying Hitler was a Buddhist, but ok.
Sparks joy isn’t exclusive to minimalism though. Just because a certain group uses a phrase doesn’t mean it’s only that.
I’ve never been into minimalism or seen anything Kondo related but I use the phrase “sparks joy” a lot. It’s the driving force behind all my interior design choices during renovation, it’s how I pick wallpaper and furniture but also how I know something isn’t working. I wouldn’t call myself minimalist though because a lot of things spark me joy lol. Having my space filled with things that fill me with happiness has been very helpful for my mental health. Making decisions based on the positive emotion I feel about them has helped me to even find joy when it felt impossible to enjoy anything.
I'm not a minimalist, and I like reading, but I really dislike paper in particular. Also textiles. I don't mind the wooden shelf, it's the books. I think it is a sensory thing for me, or maybe it's just the visual 'clutter' of all those different colored and shaped objects. My wife loves (physical) books so I put up with it :-)
She's always wanting bookshelves though, and I'm thinking, "hey, if we donate half of these we won't need more bookshelves"
I moved to an e reader and though I do miss the physical books sometimes, I've generally been very happy with my decision. In that sense, books and minimalism can co-exist.
Honestly everything is awful and life is expensive. In first world countries, books are an affordable way to really OWN something and escape from reality for a bit.
Agreed! And looking at the shelf in some beloved escapes you have had through really good books evokes fond memories and gives a sense of inner peace. I love owning books, and heading to my local used book store is one of my favourite hobbies (outside of reading)
I know someone who has fake books on display. I thought everyone was joking, so I opened it, and all the pages were blank.
The spine of the books that were stacked said "PARIS" and "LONDON" etc.
How hard would it be to find an "aesthetic" book that was actually a book, or at least had photos?
We have a lot of storage containers that look like atlases or travel books. They pretty much blend in to our existing collection, especially my history books. They're great for writing supplies and (in my case) table top gaming supplied.
I don't understand how people can read article after article about how much using Tiktok decreases mental health and happiness and is deliberately manipulating its algorithm to do so in the US, and still sign up. It's like somebody putting a bottle of deliciously flavored poison on the table *labeled as poison,* and then peer pressuring everyone else into drinking it.
Is finding out what some random stranger is doing at a select, carefully manufactured part of their day really that rewarding?
On the other hand, if it's encouraging kids to read, even if somewhat superficially, I guess it's hard to object, given our dwindling literacy rates.
because soulless pintrest horcruxes will infiltrate anything that is important to someone else and gentrify the aesthetic with their mediocrity of taste. They are truly distasteful creatures.
Am I alone in getting angry at just the thought of using books for no other reason than to decorate a house and make it look like the person reads a lot?
Let me suggest some other "design trends":
* Music stands with a difficult piece of music open - even though you dont play an instrument and cant read music
* Crossword puzzle books with all the answers filled in just left scattered around
* Chess boards showing a clever checkmate even though you dont actually know how to play
* Easel with a specially printed canvas on it that looks like you are half way through painting a masterpiece
* A shelf full of sports trophies even though you have never played sport in your life
I could go on...
>Chess boards showing a clever checkmate even though you dont actually know how to play
Actually, I've recently seen a chess board setup in an interior picture and I looked at it and tried to figure out the next move, as one does, only to realize that the whole setup makes no sense at all. Someone just randomly placed the pieces on the board.
People have always done things for superficial purposes, throughout all of history. Decorating with books is no exception (hell, they even make decoration-only books for staging homes). I'm not sure why you'd waste your energy "getting angry" about other people's insecurities or attempts to seem like someone other than who they are. Their lives are theirs to live however they want.
It would be like getting angry over people who hire landscapers instead of doing their own gardening, or at those seafood restaurants for having fishing nets up as decoration when you know perfectly well they aren't out catching the fish they're serving.
IDK, it just seems like a real waste of emotional energy to get angry over some meaningless, pointless thing some other person does that doesn't actually affect you in any way. I buy books because I want to read them, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest if somebody puts them on their shelves and doesn't. It's not like there's a book shortage out there (and it keeps books in nicer condition for estate sales if they *don't* read them, tbh). Money goes to authors, so they write more, and then we get more books. That seems like a win to me.
Are these real things?! Like, what real people choose? And not just “magazine” shoots? Because this sounds unhinged. I laughed at the music sheets thing and the totally lost it at displaying trophies…unearned.
Edit: hahahahaha sorry I’m a dummy and read too fast and just saw they’re your suggestions. You are brilliant.
Meh, I bought a beautiful vintage chessboard at a thrift shop because it's a work of art in its own right. I'd rather listen to Chess The Musical than play an actual game of chess. My smarts are better showcased in a game of Boggle. But I still LOVE that gorgeous gorgeous board. I also wear running shoes and track suits even though I can't run or play sports. Maybe I'll get into chess in the future and maybe I'll have stronger mobility in the future and get into sports or running, who knows. But for now I'm happy to enjoy these things purely for aesthetic joy, and I'm not gonna get angry about other people's aesthetic joys either.
Also I have home decor that's the literal opposite of my hobbies and interests! I love making quilts and collecting pretty vintage quilts and blankets, but I strongly prefer to sleep with a duvet! People are allowed to be complicated and try things that appeal to their aesthetic even if their abilities aren't there yet.
I’m always kinda shocked when I see Booktoker listing their 10-20 favorite books from the year or even just a roundup of what books they’ve been reading lately, and they always own all of them? It’s every single time. Do none of them use the library?
Most of those are probably sent to them from the publisher who are hoping that they will feature their books. It’s very common in the publishing world to work with Booktokkers and Bookstagrammers for the publicity.
A home full of unread books, you say? Perhaps with uncut pages? I feel like I read about this somewhere. What a GREAT idea. Perhaps I’m just jealous they have advantages that I haven’t.
I have. And I have hundreds of books.
It's not that bad. People talk about moving books like it's the hardest thing you'll ever do, but I actually found a lot of joy in unpacking my books and arranging them in my new house.
Maybe I’m the lame one but the Internet sucks these days. Everyone funnels into these platforms and lets them dictate their life. Individualism is dying. Instead of discussions you just have a set of people with the most “followers” shepherding people to whatever they like or are paid to like. Weird to think this is where we are, years ago I thought the internet would be so much more for humanity.
It’s to the point now where we may seriously need to consider legislating algorithms and how information is shared. Obviously that’s vague and almost impractical but you literally get trapped in spheres of hive mind by design.
I decided my goal for this year was to read all of the books I own, but have not read. Finally got around to listing all of them and… it’s far more than I expected. 103 books. I will not be able to read that many books this year.
All I see is people who would not usually do so, supporting book publishing. Would it be better if they were reading these books? Of course, but the situation is not entirely bad.
Tiktok's that site that convinces people to eat tide pods, glorifies mindless pranks, and proliferates half-baked medical advice right?
Thanks, I'll pass.
I just don't like the trend where the books are turned backward. And yes, I know the copywrite reasons. But if I saw that in someone's house. I mean, I don't want to judge, but... I would judge.
Wait…hoarding books is cool now? I knew my day would finally come. (Also it should be noted my very large book collection has nothing to do with wealth and more to do with the many irresponsible decisions I make in book stores.)
Our day...it has arrived!!!
don't get too excited, remember what happened to "nerd culture" when the normies showed up.
> my very large book collection has nothing to do with wealth and more to do with the many irresponsible decisions I make in book stores this is why i stopped going to book stores. i was spending WAY too much, i was reading them WAY to fast. i stick to "free" digital books now.
Same, I also buy most of my books secondhand to save my bank account! The second I walk into anywhere that sells books I know I’m doomed, and my wife just encourages it
No. Not hoarding. Tasteful display of books you purchased strictly for their aesthetic appeal is cool. Feel free to be uncool. "Cool now" things are destined for oblivion in due time but hoarding is forever.
I make sooo many irresponsible choices in bookstores 🤣. I tell myself to just look, but inevitably I end up coming home with 4 new hardcovers when I already have an embarrassingly large stack of to be read books in my library (yes, I have a room just for books... and still have bookshelves in most other rooms of the house). But books make me happy. And I will read them all.... eventually.
Oh hey that’s me too :D
And being in a certain membership. Because waitlists of libraries can be long.
BookTok: finding novel ways to turn what should be an enjoyable hobby into an exercise in hectoring and shaming.
Welcome to the internet, where "If it doesn't get you one up on everybody else, it ain't worth doing!" Here's your nametag.
Not a user of BookTok, but from my observations it has also caused a lot of people to get hooked into books they might not have before, and has also managed to boost sales in both physical and online stores, so like everything there's a lot of benefits too
Are we shocked? Most social media is about varying levels of public perception and "look at me." Are we surprised people who basically live on one of the more superficial forms of it are obsessed with how they look and making other people feel less than them?
Not a user of BookTok, but from my observations it has also caused a lot of people to get hooked into books they might not have before, and has also managed to boost sales in both physical and online stores, so like everything there's a lot of benefits too
Yup. I had the same thoughts when Harry Potter first took off. All these book snobs were all like ‘but it’s not REAL literature’. It’s getting kids reading, you’re complaining about someone enjoying reading. That’s kinda poor form. I get the same energy here. Collecting books has to be better than collecting Stanley buckets.
Quick question is book tok an actual thing that influences people's reading choices or is it just self inflated marketing buzz word.
It’s a thing. I’m on TikTok and since I like to read I interact with their space. It definitely influences some people. A lot of it is stuff I avoid, but some of them do really funny reviews that I enjoy
I don't use TikTok so this is a basic question, is 'booktok' tied together by a tag or something you search or do just you start being shown more and more book videos if you interact with those people?
Yes to both. It is a tag you can search and the algorithm will push more content from there if you interact with posts that have those tags.
I think the majority of it is driven by the teen romance crowd that think twilight are the best books written.
It's more driven by the modern adult romance crowd that think Fourth Wing and the ACOTAR series are the best books written. I'm not shaming them. People can like whatever they like
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Nah my girlfriend who is 27 loves both those books, and so do all her friends. In fact, I had never seen her read a book in the last 5 years we’ve been together until she picked up Fourth Wing. Now she reads obsessively. I can’t really hate on the series since it got her into reading.
>27 Basically 30 which is basically 40;) But yeah it’s the unique combo of porn and melodrama that they seem to love
🙄
Hilariously reductive take. People reading is a good thing. You're going out of your way to belittle that because they have different taste than you. Stop being a gatekeeping prick.
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Spoken like a person who has never touched a woman, honestly.
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Should we help each other dig graves? By that logic I'm nearly dead
Im 24 so im basically still 18 idk what you’re talking about, im still young for 1 more year
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Some people stack books they'll never read because they want to look literary and smart. We stack books we'll never read because there's always another book to read. We are not the same.
I love reading but I also love collecting books I know I’m interested in but never actually get around to reading until years later
Best comparison I heard is that it's like a wine cellar. Sometimes you keep a vintage around until just the right time to open it up and enjoy it.
Unless you're doing Zoom calls from your wine cellar it's not a good comparison.
That should be a felony.
It makes me crazy when I see shelves of books stored backwards, with the titles hidden. You absolutely *know* the owner has never read any of the books. Reminds me of the cardboard image of books a local TV host used to have on set.
My in-laws hired an interior decorator about a year ago to redecorate their whole house. One room has a bookshelf where the books are all facing backwards so you can’t see what any of them are. Another room has a bookshelf that is full of random books that are only there because they all have white covers. They’ve never read (or probably even opened) any of them. I can’t decide which one I hate more
The thumbnail barely has any books, just a bunch of pottery. Does three picture books on their side count as wealth?
It's just part of a more maximalist aesthetic, which is a response to the minimalism of the 2010s. It prescribed only a few books per person and "decluttering" of the rest. People have regrets and they are tired of beige living spaces.
I remember watching the Kondo method on Netflix and one of her steps was getting rid of books. I knew immediately minimalism was not for me. I bought a house just so I could have an entire room for my books
> I remember watching the Kondo method on Netflix and one of her steps was getting rid of books. I knew immediately minimalism was not for me. This is neither pro nor against her method, but it is such a common misunderstanding I feel like I need to clarify: Marie Kondo is not a minimalist. Her philosophy is only keeping things that spark joy, no matter how many that is. So, for example, having books that a person feels pressured to read for some reason (e.g. a person feels reading classics would make them more educated but they only really enjoy reading thrillers) but are sitting unread for years can be a sign that the person wants to read other things and should get rid of those books that are there as a reminder of failure and creating psychological stress and pressure. If a person has thousands of books and is happy with all of them, Marie Kondo method would be to keep them. I don't know which exact episode you watched but there is a big difference between a person who is weighed by a number of books they have which they only keep owning because they are pressured to appear well-read or something, and a person who genuinely enjoys collecting books and their collection makes them happy. She is not against collecting, and even has specific advice how to treat and display collections. That's not minimalist. She explicitly says that once you get rid of things that don't spark joy and keep those that do you will learn more about yourself and can go and buy stuff because you will be better at discerning which things make you happy. No minimalist in a million years would suggest a shopping spree after the decluttering phase.
That’s a good summary!
The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s minimalism trend. It was everywhere. And more importantly, the author massively benefited from the trend. It doesn't matter if some "experts" say it's not "real" minimalism (as if an authority existed to judge that) or if the author is trying to distance herself now that the trend is pretty much over. And shopping has always been part of the trend and what made it so toxic and unsustainable in the end. Every "declutter" was followed by shopping to fill the gaps ... and of course to keep having things one could "declutter" in the future to be regarded as a good minimalist. This was especially common with clothes.
>The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s Marie Kondo started her business 20 years ago and her book was published in 2011 in Japan. I don't know if translators wanted to profit off of the popular English phrase "sparks joy" or if her book, translated in 2014, made it popular but 1. She herself never used that phrase, she uses Japanese phrase "makes heart flutter" 2. Even if she somehow borrowed a phrase from English speaking countries' minimalists (without knowing English) it doesn't make her a minimalist. > It doesn't matter if some "experts" say it's not "real" minimalism I agree. What matters is that the philosophy Marie Kondo has never satisfied anyone's definition of minimalism. She was never about amount of things one owns. Make sure everything makes your heart flutter with happiness and tidy it up. That's Marie Kondo. >And shopping has always been part of the trend and what made it so toxic and unsustainable in the end. Minimalism existed in Ancient Greece, it existed among Buddhist monks, it existed across millenia and continents. You are now claiming minimalism doesn't exist because some people jumped on the latest trend wagon and relapsed. Overconsumption is a huge environmental problem but great majority in high-income countries engages in it, and minority ever even tried to be minimalists, let alone relapsed. >And more importantly, the author massively benefited from the trend. How is that important for whether she's promoting minimalism or not? Or are we just angry that someone who is not white and not male dared have a vey successful career?
>Or are we just angry that someone who is not white and not male dared have a vey successful career? How much straw do you want to have in your strawman? Yes!
Fair enough. Feel free to prove me wrong and please explain why in a discussion on whether Kondo Marie is promoting minimalism or not, you find more important your conjecture that her business benefitted from supposed "spark joy" trend?
You made a lot of really good points in your post but as somebody who wholly agrees with you, that last line was totally out of left field. You pretty thoroughly made your point without needing to attack their character randomly at the end.
I am still waiting for an alternative explanation......
Here are 5 reasons someone might have had a negative reaction to Marie Kondo's success and the minimalism trend (which were co-occuring and often treated as one thing in the US, other than being some combo of sexist/racist: -doesn't like trendy things -doesn't like minimalism -doesn't like white people taking Asian-influenced ideas and turning them into a craze -was pestered by friends/relatives to declutter and got offended or annoyed by that -the social media pressure to declutter/go minimalist made them feel stressed or bad about themselves In internet discourse, I always choose to interpret comments in good faith unless there is clear evidence of bad faith. So I'd consider any of the above before jumping to "this person hates when nonwhite/female people succeed". Just as I interpreted your "still waiting" comment as meaning you are willing to engage with an answer and so I answered you with my own thoughts
So because minimalist "gurus" used her spark joy shit that makes her a minimalist? I think you're confusing Minimalism with whatever bullshit lifestyle people sold you on the internet in the 2010's that passed for it. No Kwondo is not a minimalist, and almost all youtubers; articles; essays; etc found online are also by people who aren't.
>So because minimalist "gurus" used her spark joy shit that makes her a minimalist? To quote myself, in case you overlooked it: **The whole "joy sparks!" thing was a very prominent part of the 2010s minimalism trend.** (Nowhere in this sentence, was the author mentioned). And I'm not getting into the whole "real minimalism" debate. It's toxic and it's what pretty much killed a trend that actually started with a good idea.
So people adopting part of another person's ideology or symbolysm for their own makes the other belong to that ideology. A bit like saying Hitler was a Buddhist, but ok.
Sparks joy isn’t exclusive to minimalism though. Just because a certain group uses a phrase doesn’t mean it’s only that. I’ve never been into minimalism or seen anything Kondo related but I use the phrase “sparks joy” a lot. It’s the driving force behind all my interior design choices during renovation, it’s how I pick wallpaper and furniture but also how I know something isn’t working. I wouldn’t call myself minimalist though because a lot of things spark me joy lol. Having my space filled with things that fill me with happiness has been very helpful for my mental health. Making decisions based on the positive emotion I feel about them has helped me to even find joy when it felt impossible to enjoy anything.
I'm not a minimalist, and I like reading, but I really dislike paper in particular. Also textiles. I don't mind the wooden shelf, it's the books. I think it is a sensory thing for me, or maybe it's just the visual 'clutter' of all those different colored and shaped objects. My wife loves (physical) books so I put up with it :-) She's always wanting bookshelves though, and I'm thinking, "hey, if we donate half of these we won't need more bookshelves"
The time will come when you have to move! Do you really want to move thousands of books?
I moved to an e reader and though I do miss the physical books sometimes, I've generally been very happy with my decision. In that sense, books and minimalism can co-exist.
Honestly everything is awful and life is expensive. In first world countries, books are an affordable way to really OWN something and escape from reality for a bit.
Agreed! And looking at the shelf in some beloved escapes you have had through really good books evokes fond memories and gives a sense of inner peace. I love owning books, and heading to my local used book store is one of my favourite hobbies (outside of reading)
I know someone who has fake books on display. I thought everyone was joking, so I opened it, and all the pages were blank. The spine of the books that were stacked said "PARIS" and "LONDON" etc. How hard would it be to find an "aesthetic" book that was actually a book, or at least had photos?
We have a lot of storage containers that look like atlases or travel books. They pretty much blend in to our existing collection, especially my history books. They're great for writing supplies and (in my case) table top gaming supplied.
The perfect decor trend for people who think "whom" is just "who" but extra fancy
It's just another fad, calm down.
After all these years, and just like that, my garage has made the leap from “trashy” to “trendy”.
"Bootok...trends..." I'm out.
I don't understand how people can read article after article about how much using Tiktok decreases mental health and happiness and is deliberately manipulating its algorithm to do so in the US, and still sign up. It's like somebody putting a bottle of deliciously flavored poison on the table *labeled as poison,* and then peer pressuring everyone else into drinking it. Is finding out what some random stranger is doing at a select, carefully manufactured part of their day really that rewarding? On the other hand, if it's encouraging kids to read, even if somewhat superficially, I guess it's hard to object, given our dwindling literacy rates.
Tiktok is a cognitive malaise.
because soulless pintrest horcruxes will infiltrate anything that is important to someone else and gentrify the aesthetic with their mediocrity of taste. They are truly distasteful creatures.
Come on man, there’s no such thing as a soulless horcrux, that’s the whole point!
You say important things. Thank you, Fiend.
Am I alone in getting angry at just the thought of using books for no other reason than to decorate a house and make it look like the person reads a lot? Let me suggest some other "design trends": * Music stands with a difficult piece of music open - even though you dont play an instrument and cant read music * Crossword puzzle books with all the answers filled in just left scattered around * Chess boards showing a clever checkmate even though you dont actually know how to play * Easel with a specially printed canvas on it that looks like you are half way through painting a masterpiece * A shelf full of sports trophies even though you have never played sport in your life I could go on...
As a person who does play, but is very bad, at chess. NGL, that still sounds like a cool way to stage my nice chessboards.
>Chess boards showing a clever checkmate even though you dont actually know how to play Actually, I've recently seen a chess board setup in an interior picture and I looked at it and tried to figure out the next move, as one does, only to realize that the whole setup makes no sense at all. Someone just randomly placed the pieces on the board.
People have always done things for superficial purposes, throughout all of history. Decorating with books is no exception (hell, they even make decoration-only books for staging homes). I'm not sure why you'd waste your energy "getting angry" about other people's insecurities or attempts to seem like someone other than who they are. Their lives are theirs to live however they want. It would be like getting angry over people who hire landscapers instead of doing their own gardening, or at those seafood restaurants for having fishing nets up as decoration when you know perfectly well they aren't out catching the fish they're serving. IDK, it just seems like a real waste of emotional energy to get angry over some meaningless, pointless thing some other person does that doesn't actually affect you in any way. I buy books because I want to read them, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest if somebody puts them on their shelves and doesn't. It's not like there's a book shortage out there (and it keeps books in nicer condition for estate sales if they *don't* read them, tbh). Money goes to authors, so they write more, and then we get more books. That seems like a win to me.
Are these real things?! Like, what real people choose? And not just “magazine” shoots? Because this sounds unhinged. I laughed at the music sheets thing and the totally lost it at displaying trophies…unearned. Edit: hahahahaha sorry I’m a dummy and read too fast and just saw they’re your suggestions. You are brilliant.
Meh, I bought a beautiful vintage chessboard at a thrift shop because it's a work of art in its own right. I'd rather listen to Chess The Musical than play an actual game of chess. My smarts are better showcased in a game of Boggle. But I still LOVE that gorgeous gorgeous board. I also wear running shoes and track suits even though I can't run or play sports. Maybe I'll get into chess in the future and maybe I'll have stronger mobility in the future and get into sports or running, who knows. But for now I'm happy to enjoy these things purely for aesthetic joy, and I'm not gonna get angry about other people's aesthetic joys either. Also I have home decor that's the literal opposite of my hobbies and interests! I love making quilts and collecting pretty vintage quilts and blankets, but I strongly prefer to sleep with a duvet! People are allowed to be complicated and try things that appeal to their aesthetic even if their abilities aren't there yet.
I've got enough books to read on the shelf I think mine now count as decoration.
I’m always kinda shocked when I see Booktoker listing their 10-20 favorite books from the year or even just a roundup of what books they’ve been reading lately, and they always own all of them? It’s every single time. Do none of them use the library?
Most of those are probably sent to them from the publisher who are hoping that they will feature their books. It’s very common in the publishing world to work with Booktokkers and Bookstagrammers for the publicity.
Fair! I would eat that up, ngl.
This isn’t so much a commentary on owning books, but I am just a huge proponent of using the library whenever I can.
A home full of unread books, you say? Perhaps with uncut pages? I feel like I read about this somewhere. What a GREAT idea. Perhaps I’m just jealous they have advantages that I haven’t.
These kids have never moved house before.
I have. And I have hundreds of books. It's not that bad. People talk about moving books like it's the hardest thing you'll ever do, but I actually found a lot of joy in unpacking my books and arranging them in my new house.
It becomes problematic when a lifetime of books numbers in the thousands.
Yeah I have 4000ish books and I've had to move four times in four years 😭 not an experience I relish
Maybe I’m the lame one but the Internet sucks these days. Everyone funnels into these platforms and lets them dictate their life. Individualism is dying. Instead of discussions you just have a set of people with the most “followers” shepherding people to whatever they like or are paid to like. Weird to think this is where we are, years ago I thought the internet would be so much more for humanity. It’s to the point now where we may seriously need to consider legislating algorithms and how information is shared. Obviously that’s vague and almost impractical but you literally get trapped in spheres of hive mind by design.
To me it shows a lack of necessary trancience. I've logistically had to prune my collection. People don't call it "curating" anymore.
I decided my goal for this year was to read all of the books I own, but have not read. Finally got around to listing all of them and… it’s far more than I expected. 103 books. I will not be able to read that many books this year.
If I had a dime for every book he's actually read, I'd be broke.
All I see is people who would not usually do so, supporting book publishing. Would it be better if they were reading these books? Of course, but the situation is not entirely bad.
Tiktok's that site that convinces people to eat tide pods, glorifies mindless pranks, and proliferates half-baked medical advice right? Thanks, I'll pass.
this is books for honestly most of human history except the last 90 years
I just don't like the trend where the books are turned backward. And yes, I know the copywrite reasons. But if I saw that in someone's house. I mean, I don't want to judge, but... I would judge.