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Books on the Nightstand published our final episode in July 2016. This is a place for listeners to find old episodes. 

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BOTNS #364: Newer Year, Fewer Books

Jan 5, 2016

Slimming down (our book collections) in the New year. Plus, we recommend Lum by Libby Ware and The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey.

Attention anyone planning on reading BOTNS Listener Faves during 2016: In addition to the list we collected, Mindy, from our Goodreads group, collected responses from commenters there and created a separate list which you can find here. Thanks again to everyone who shared their favorite books, and thanks to Mindy for compiling the list!

 

Newer Year, Fewer Books (06:31)

During our holiday break, Ann and I each watched a bit of television. Ann binge-watched Making a Murderer, and I worked my way through Jessica Jones.

25614984In addition to watching TV, our families, coincidentally, each ended up doing some purging of clutter, moving some books, and culling some books. These processes put us in mind, of course, of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Marie Kondo's recommendations on getting rid of books doesn't sit well with most true book lovers. (She basically recommends only keeping a few beloved books, and none that you haven't read yet.) Ann and I have each "Kondo-ed" our book collections, to varying degrees, and we discuss what that process has been like and how we feel about the books we did keep.

Marie Kondo's new book Spark Joy, expands on her method somewhat and includes many illustrations on her folding methods and other organizational ideas.

 

Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (29:53)

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One of the books Ann was able to find more easily after reorganizing her books was Lum by Libby Ware. The story follows Columbia who, at age eight, is diagnosed as intersex (physically both female and male). In her early thirties she moves among the houses of family members, helping out where she can. This outsider existence is thrown into turmoil when construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway threatens her family's farm.

I recommend Chris Bailey's The Productivity Project, a look a what he learned during the year he spent experimenting with multiple productivity methods, strategies, and apps. What I love about this book so far is how "hands on" it is: each chapter ends with a short exercise for the reader, exploring the topics and ideas just covered.