Start Sparking Joy In Your Library

The Reader’s Edge | Charlie Samways | May 24, 2026 |

It was one of those weeks when I realised how unorganised my office had become.

I know I’m at my most productive when everything is in its place. But clearing out an old office had left me with stacks of boxes to be sorted.

The job constantly felt too big, and I had other priorities.

Then one day, I saw Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up staring at me from my bookshelf. Every day, I ignored the glares telling me there was a way to handle this situation. I allowed this feeling of neglect to build up until the stacks of boxes in my offices were too ugly to ignore. 

I went about this with a simple strategy inspired by the KonMari method. Sort my items by category and then ask whether they sparked joy or not. If they did spark joy, I found a place for them. If not, I would donate, recycle or throw the item away.

In my office boxes, there were plenty of old papers, which sparked no joy, so they were recycled. I did find some watercolour pencils, which reminded me of a happy time when I was attempting to improve my drawing (it’s not a strong suit of mine). The pencils sparked joy and have been used every day since finding them again. 

After a week of allocating time to this, I suddenly felt back to having an office I loved spending time in. Having put this off for so long, the process and result were something enjoyable.

On the back of this positive experience, I started to think – could these same principles be applied to my Kindle library? 

As someone who checks into the Kindle Daily Deals every single day, at times my library has felt overwhelming. And yet, I still can’t stop myself from buying great books I want to read. 

The good news is that applying the KonMari method to my Kindle took less than thirty minutes. This started with deleting my old collections and deciding which books spark joy. 

It has taken me from a Kindle library that was very black-and-white in terms of category selection to something far more emotionally driven. It makes my Kindle experience far more enjoyable. 

All by asking myself whether each book sparks joy. 

Tsundoku

A few weeks ago, in this newsletter, I briefly mentioned a Japanese word: tsundoku.

This is a word I’ve fallen in love with. In one word, you are describing the habit of buying books that you allow to go unread.

I assumed this would be a negative description, so I was surprised to find it is neither positive nor negative. Instead, it is simply describing the act.

Knowing about tsundoku and the KonMari method is a powerful combination. When I look at Kindle’s daily deals or browse new releases, if a book sparks joy, I’m still likely to buy it.

Where I apply these two principles is through an understanding that organising your library through emotion increases your chances of reading more. As long as you only buy books that spark joy.

The key difference is that now you will find yourself more drawn to read on your Kindle. You’ll be pulled by the emotion and excitement of the books you’re reading. And the ones yet to come.

Personally, I was amazed at the change in my library. I went from reading books that felt “right” for me at a certain time to picking books that genuinely excited me.

Now, I have a beautiful word that elegantly describes my habit of buying books. It’s just that engaging with my library from a joyful perspective means that some of those books don’t have to sit so long on the shelf waiting to be read.

This Week’s Question

Is there a book sitting unread in your library right now that you bought with genuine excitement? And what's actually stopping you from reading it?

Reply to me at hello@charliesamways.com. I read every one.

From The Channel This Week

This week’s video is a practical extension of this idea. I go through the exact method I use on my Kindle to implement the KonMari method and spark joy in my library.

 I Tried the Marie Kondo Method on My Kindle Library

Plus, don’t miss out on my Free Kindle Guide, available to download here

Wishing you all the best this week, and building a joyful connection with your library.

Catch up next week,

Charlie Samways