Update: Completed Books and Purchased Books

The book I finished first was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by Marie Kondo.  Marie introduces her KonMari method of organizing, which basically has you "tidy" your entire home by organizing in a category-by-category system.  Within each category, she has the reader hold each item and ask the simple question, "Does this item spark joy?" If it does, you keep it.  If not, it is discarded.  The result is a lot less stuff.  She then goes through the process of deciding where to keep these items and how to store them.  Her second book, Spark Joy: an illustrated master class on the art of organizing and tidying up is considered the "Companion" book to the first, and contains illustrations on her organizing and storage methods.  I keep this book with me on-the-go, as it is easy to open and read a paragraph without needing to remember a previous story-line.

       

In keeping with my goal to complete the 14 started-but-never-finished book on my 2016 reading list, I now keep ONE book on my nightstand (to discourage switching from book to book and loosing interest again), and ONE TWO books in my car.  Slight confession: I completed the ONE book (see above) that was in my car- I would read while waiting in the car pool line, bank line, Starbucks line, you-name-it-line- and was so encouraged when I finished it that I *may* have picked up the sequel at Costco.  So, while I have completed the first book of my 14, I have now started another, which keeps my number of books to read in 2016 at a solid 14.

Just in case you were wonder, the book kept on my nightstand is Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell.  I read this book at night when I have a larger chunk of time.  I am not sure how historically accurate it is, but I am enjoying it, nonetheless.

The second book I am keeping in my car is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  This book is broken into months, starting with January.  I am currently in the middle of April and being motivated and challenged every time I pick it up.

In all honesty, I can see how I so easily accumulate books.  Last Saturday I even attended a symposium session called, "The Piano Teacher's Bookshelf," and highlighted at least 10 more books to purchase.  The promise of wisdom and knowledge promised by books make them so irresistible to me!