Chapter #18: Spring Cleaning Your Bookshelves

To read or to toss?

Feeling My Shelf is a bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and well, life with books. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and get comfy. First up, some recent reads (and shows.)

A Flicker In The Dark by Stacy Willingham

A psychologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is filled with guilt because 20 years earlier, she found evidence linking her father to the murder of six teenage girls. Now, in the present day, a copycat killer and the disappearance of more teen girls causes her to spiral, wondering if the past is back to haunt her. I was intrigued by the premise (and the Louisiana setting!), but by the last page was feeling pretty so-so. The main character self-medicates to cope with the trauma, and while I love following along with an unreliable narrator as I try to piece together whodunnit, the pacing was a bit slow. But the twists did keep me interested. Overall, I liked but didn’t love.

The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV+) 

At this year’s L.A. Times Festival of Books, I went to a screening of The Last Thing He Told Me, a mystery-thriller based on the novel of the same name by Laura Dave. Jennifer Garner stars as a woman forced to forge a relationship with her teen stepdaughter in order to find her husband, who has mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a note that says “protect her.” The book had been on my TBR list since 2021, and seeing the first episode (and then watching the second at home) moved it to the top. The free copy given at the screening also made this decision easier! Very excited to read the book and continue watching.

Maybe An Artist by Liz Montague

I look at a screen all day. I read a lot of words every day. And sometimes the only thing I want to do is look at pictures! Insert this graphic memoir from cartoonist Liz Montague, one of the first Black cartoonists to have her work published in The New Yorker. Montague traces her life from age five through college, and touches on growing up, identity, and following your dreams. It’s a quick but fun and heartfelt “read" with great cartoons. 

Spring has sprung! Spring cleaning has also sprung! Allergy season is in full bloom, and I’m knee deep in packing away sweaters. Tons and tons of sweaters I didn’t even know I had. Seriously, how does a single person accumulate so much stuff in a few short years? 

Much to the delight of my mom, who believes I own too many books (no such thing, woman!), the purging of old shirts and shoes has inspired me to reassess the overflowing, color-coded stacks in my living room. Emphasis on overflowing.

If your shelves could also use a little TLC, keep reading.

Take a step back and look at the shelves. What do you see? If the answer is just a few things out of place. Congrats. I hate you. If you see disarray, go ahead and…

Remove all the books from the shelves. Instead of tossing them off to the side, divide them into three piles. Keep, donate, recycle. The latter because, yes, sometimes books are beyond saving.

Dust. Prepare to sneeze…a lot. Shelves seem to hold a *special* layer of dust that takes shelter in every nook, cranny, and book. Speaking of which, also physically clean your books, if they’re looking a little eww or if you’re about to donate.

Return books that do not belong to you. Read that again and do it.

Research where to donate books. Find a Little Free Library near you.

Invest in new storage. If you’re like me and need more bookshelves, now is the time. No more books nesting on top of coffee tables or nightstands. Give them a proper home.

Organize your other reading essentials, i.e. extra notebooks, pens, highlighters, and bookmarks. Or consider donating these too.

Recycle the books in the recycle pile. The planet says thank you!

On the digital front, clear your TBR List: Saved books that you’re never going to read? Remove from Goodreads. Holds on library books via Libby that you’re no longer interested in reading? Let them go.

With some of my favorites!

Brightroom Organizer Bin with Handles (Target): I’ve got two of these. One holds my Post-its and stickers, the other holds my extensive collection of pens and highlighters. Both fit comfortably on this small, corner shelf by my desk.

STOLTHET Cutting board (IKEA): Cutting board or bookends? Both! Inspired by this blog post, I purchased a few of these bamboo boards, flipped them over, and created the perfect storage for my non-fiction, writing-related books on my desk.

Wallniture U Shape Floating Metal Bookshelf (Amazon): I’m out of floor space so I’m taking to the walls! These no-assembly-required floating shelves are perfect. Lined up beside each other, they’re barely noticeable and hold way more books than I thought they would.

As I said earlier, I’m reading The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. While reading, I naturally imagine what characters will look and sound like. So it’s fun, in this case, to read and immediately hear Jennifer Garner’s voice. Next up on my list: Happy Place by Emily Henry.

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret & Lizzie McGuire Made Puberty Bearable. How to find your people. Emily Henry’s book recommendations. What you need to know before the Queen Charlotte premiere. 17 books to read if The Hunger Games was your thing in high school. Southern drag queens tell ‘Cosmo’ what they really think about those bans. Here's how your favorite shows will be impacted by the WGA strike. The case for ghosting.