I recently (and very quietly!) celebrated an important milestone on the Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness podcast: I reached the 225 episode milestone!
It truly seems like yesterday when I nervously hit record and uploaded a very real, raw episode into the world and it’s been a wonderful journey of learning ever since. Recently, I’ve started posting some of these backlist episodes in my current show notes as they relate to the current theme in case you missed it or are new to the podcast and I’ve loved seeing new life brought to these old episodes.
So, I’ve decided to periodically bring back a backlist episode that relates to my current one-word theme in hopes that it re-energizes your reading and writing life, too.
Starting today!
Spring is in the air and that means Spring cleaning, organizing and freshening. This kind of work pairs perfectly with my RELEASE theme and might help you let go of the old and make space for the new on your bookshelf….and your life.
Today, I am talking about shelf-care or showing love to your bookshelf in mindful and intentional ways to rejuvenate your reading life and how it can lead to self-care in our actual lives, too. Here’s a quick overview of the steps I shared in the episode:
Know Your Why
First, before you even get started, articulate why you are choosing to cull your book collection. Clearly stating your ‘why’ behind this work will give you the energy your bookish heart will need to tackle it. Say it out loud. Are you sorting through your books to gain:
* a cleaner and refreshed look to your bookshelves?
* additional space for new titles and genres?
* a chance to sift through your reading life past and plan for the future?
Whatever the reason, define your why and hold it close throughout the process.
Remove & Sort
Next, pull all the books off of your shelf so you can literally see and touch each one. This contact is important. Quickly glancing at the titles on your self will not suffice. Pick up each book and sort them into two piles: read and not read yet.
Review the Books You’ve Read
Then, head to the stack of books you’ve already read. Pick up each book, say the title and author out loud and fan the pages. Saying the title out loud will jog your memory of the book and fanning the pages will highlight any dog-earned passages, bookmarks or sticky notes, all signs you loved the book. If this process does NOT jog your memory of the book, then that’s a sure sign you might let it go.
Make a decision to keep or donate each book. Is it a book that you read, loved, remembered and want to keep? Yes? Well, why? If you have a compelling reason to keep the book on your shelf waiting patiently for another reader that might never come, then do so. If not, set it aside so you can pay it forward to share with a reader who will love and appreciate it. Continue the process until you have sorted all of the books into KEEP and SHARE piles.
But don’t put them back on the shelf. Not yet!
Review the Books You Haven’t Read Yet
Next, it’s time to head to the stack of books you have not read yet. Just as with the books you’ve already read, pick up each book and say the title and author aloud. How do you feel? Does the book register in your memory? Does it tug at your reading heart? Or do you feel nothing at all? Use that gut feeling to decide whether to keep the book on your shelves or donate to others. These questions might help you decide:
* Do you remember when and why you purchased the book?
* Are those reasons still relevant in your life today?
* Do you remember who recommended it to you and why they thought you might enjoy it?
If you can answer these questions and are still interested in the book, keep it. If not and you do not feel any tug at your reading heart, then pay it forward to another reader.
Now, there are two steps left: to reorganize your newly culled reading shelves and decide on your donation strategy.
Reorganize & Reshelve
First, let’s reorganize. Organization of your bookshelves is a personal process that should be based on your preferences and wishes as a reader AND your desire for organization and accessibility. Here are a few methods you might try:
* Shelve books by reading status: read and not yet read
* Arrange books alphabetically by author last name
* Categorize books by genre and/or format
* Sort books by hardcover and paperback
* Cluster books by your mood for reading
* Visually display books by color, size and/or shape
* Celebrate favorite books in a showcase
Choose a method that speaks to your bookish heart and experiment with combinations of strategies, too. You might have a TBR shelf arranged by genre. Or an alphabetically arranged shelf within a certain genre. The choice is yours.
Donate Books Forward
Lastly, it’s time to get your excess books into the hands of its next reader. Here are a few possibilities:
* Donate adult books to your local library.
* Donate children’s literature books to your local school.
* Add a few books to a Free Little Library in your neighborhood (or start your own!)
* Gift them to family and friends with handwritten recommendations
* Declare yourself a book fairy and leave a book in a random place for the next reader to find.
Once you see the possibilities for pressing books into the hands of its next reader and making space for the books that need to find you next, it doesn’t seem quite so daunting, does it?! Culling your book collections is a necessary stage of the reading life: sharing books that no longer serves you to others and making space for those that need to find you in this season of life:
Shelf-Care to Self-Care Magic
Moving through this book-culling process and releasing the books that no longer serve you in this particular season of life can feel quite thrilling and leave you with a sense of accomplishment. It also leaves you with new space: space to connect with new books that are just what you need in this moment.
So, your last step is to reflect on these three questions, even better if you jot them down in your notebook:
* Who do you want to be in this current season?
* How do you want to feel?
* What do you want to do?
Use your unfiltered, gut-reaction responses to connect with new books that can offer you the kind of care you need right now.
Here are the books originally mentioned in the backlist episode that I made space for on my newly refreshed bookshelf:
ABOVE GROUND by Clint Smith (Amazon / Bookshop)
WHEN THE RAIN ENDS by Mary Ellen Taylor (Amazon / Bookshop)
ADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler (Amazon / Bookshop)
And here are the current books I’ve made space for inspired by the re-airing of this episode:
THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi (Amazon / Bookshop)
A SPRINKLE OF SWEET SERENDIPITY by Rachel Linden (Amazon / Bookshop)
LOVE, FINALLY: UNTANGLING THE KNOT BETWEEN MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, AND FOOD by Geneen Roth (Amazon / Bookshop)
I’d love to hear what you think of this episode! How has culling your book collection helped you move into a new season of your reading life AND your actual one, too? What books are on your newly-curated bookshelf?
Share in the comments below!
Let’s Work Together!
I love to connect with others around our shared love of reading and writing.
Here are some ways we can work together to create a life you love where restorative reading and writing is at the center of it all:
🩷 Join my private Substack community for themed book calendars, bonus posts, book clubs and events each month!
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