Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Published: October 14, 2014 / January 5, 2016
Pages: 213 / 291
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 4 Stars

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). 

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home - and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

The KonMari Method of tidying up: keep only the items that bring you joy in your life. Seems like obvious common sense in a way, doesn't it? And yet I'm sure I'm not alone in owning many more items than necessary in my home - objects that are extras, or are kept around "just in case", or else are kept despite the fact that they are in varied amounts of disrepair. Well, Marie Kondo advocates getting rid of all of that stuff and keeping only the few items that are either a) used regularly or b) "spark joy" in order to keep your home tidy and your life de-cluttered and happy.

There are two issues I have when it comes to this method though. First, I really don't feel as though I have the money at the moment to take on what Marie Kondo is recommending. I mean sure, I would love to throw out/donate and replace all items of clothing that have holes and all the old objects in my home that are used second-hand, but unfortunately I am not working at this time and don't have much in the way of spending money. Kondo recommends tidying up all in one go instead of in little bits at a time, but this is just not a reality for me at the moment unless I was willing to get rid of almost everything I own all at once and not be able to replace it.

And secondly, I think I'm just too left-brained for some of Kondo's practices. Kondo believes that all inanimate objects are imbued with energy. And she advocates talking to all the objects in our lives, thanking them for the jobs they perform for us. It's just... a little too "out there" for me personally. It's not something I would be able to take seriously, and I know I certainly would not be able to feel such energies coming from objects to determine whether they "spark joy" in me.

Still, Marie Kondo makes a lot of other good points that I could see myself benefitting from. I know that lots of clutter in my home often makes me feel stressed. And it just seems like obvious good advice: if you don't love it or use it regularly, then don't keep it. I hope to start employing some of the practices that she talks about in her books (like de-cluttering by category instead of place and designating a "home" for all objects) and I anticipate seeing good results in the overall happiness and efficiency of my life. Though I will have to do it at my own pace (because of money issues) and in my own way (because I don't think any inanimate object has energy that could spark joy in me exactly as Kondo describes).

Anyways,  I would be curious if anyone reading this has tried the KonMari Method - did it work for you?

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In Which I Read Non-Fiction For The First Time And Find Out That It Can Actually Be Really Good

In a Top Ten Tuesday post almost a year ago, I explored topics that make me NOT want to pick up a book. Among them was non-fiction. I freely admitted that non-fiction was a genre that was way outside my comfort zone and one that I assumed I would find tedious. Well, a few commenters convinced me that maybe I ought to give the genre a try and see if anything catches my interest. And lo and behold, I found myself reading/listening to the following non-fiction reads and actually ENJOYING them. Who knew?

Bossypants

by Tina Fey

I listened to the audio of Bossypants as narrated by Tina Fey herself and as you can imagine, it was quite simply HILARIOUS. It was not only the stories as written by Tina Fey, but also the stories narrated in her OWN voice that sealed the deal. In Bossypants, she recounts various tales of her life, from theatre geek to SNL writer to 30 Rock creator. We all know that Tina Fey is one funny lady, but she is also an awesomely talented writer and actress with great comedic timing. And thus a book written and narrated by her is just made of awesome.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
by Mindy Kaling

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) was another one that I listened to via audiobook and was narrated by Mindy Kaling herself (and was all the better for it!). Similar in style to Bossypants, Mindy Kaling recounts through a series of essays various events of her life and again, it was really freaking funny. If you are a non-fiction noob like I was, I would definitely recommend starting off with the audio for Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling's books because you are SURE to enjoy them.

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson

I wouldn't consider myself a tech person by any means, nor would I have ever thought a biography could capture my interest, but boy, was this Steve Jobs biography ever fascinating! I am a fairly recent Apple convert and so was not aware of the backstory and history of the company, nor what Steve Jobs was like, so this book was enlightening indeed. This is the biography of the man who revolutionized the computer, the music industry, cell phones, and Pixar. He was quite the jerk-face personality-wise, but you can't argue with the fact that the man was a genius. I could go on and on recounting all the interesting tidbits that I learned in this biography and how this book actually changed the way I think about technology, design, and business, but instead I'll end it here and tell you to read Steve Jobs for yourself. I listened to the audiobook, which made the length considerably less daunting, and I recommend it.

Some Nerve

by Patty Chang Anker

Katie from Doing Dewey generously sent me this one when I mentioned in my comment of her review that I felt like I could probably really relate to the premise. Some Nerve: Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave is Patty Chang Anker's story of her quest to conquer her fears. After thirty-nine years of being afraid to try new things, she decided she wanted to be a better role model to her two young daughters and show them that it's okay to fail. I really love that Some Nerve never came across as a self-help book, which is one avenue of non-fiction that I'm still not keen on. By going outside her comfort zone and facing her fears head on she was finally able to live her life to the fullest.



So there you go, I can now say that not only is non-fiction a genre that I have read, but it's a genre that I can ENJOY - be it humorous or thought-provoking or enlightening. I now pronounce this sojourn outside my comfort zone a resounding success!!

So now I turn it over to you: have you read any non-fiction books that you would recommend to me? I would love to hear of them! As you may have gathered from my picks from above, I'm much more likely to get to your non-fiction recommendation quickly if I can get it in audio as I have many more openings for audiobooks at the moment than I have for physical books, but I'm still keen on any recs that you can give me!

Review: The Girl Who Was On Fire edited by Leah Wilson

Publisher: Smart Pop

Published: April 5, 2011

Pages: 210

Source: Won from A BookLover's Diary (Thank you!!)

Rating: 4 Stars

Katniss Everdeen's adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide. 
In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy's darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection's exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, protagonist Katniss' world really is. 
The Girl Who Was On Fire covers all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy.

The Girl Who Was on Fire is an anthology featuring essays on The Hunger Games Trilogy. I was amazed at the variety of subjects of essays presented (and keep in mind that I read an ARC version - the final movie version has 3 additional essays). The essay topics ranged from the light and silly - topics about fashion and reality TV and "Teams" - to more serious and weighty - topics about the ethics of genetic mutation and politics and the importance of community.

I appreciated how thoughtful the essays were. It was evident in every essay that the authors did their research. They understood the themes and messages in The Hunger Games Trilogy and effectively and correctly referenced specific scenes and quotes of the books in their essays. Not only did it seem like they were well versed in their topics, but they are very clearly fans of the trilogy, which is even more important and crucial to the success of their essays.

The Girl Who Was On Fire is not a critical read by any means. However, if you are a super fan of The Hunger Games and like analyzing and discussing aspects of your readings, then you may find that The Girl Who Was On Fire will enrich your experience of the series.

Interesting in getting the chance to read this book? There is still time to enter my giveaway to win a copy of The Girl Who Was On Fire, as well as some Hunger Games merchandise!

In other, related news: how FREAKING EXCITED is everybody for The Hunger Games movie this Friday?! I would love to know when/if you are going to see it, if you'll be dressing up (I plan on wearing my mockingjay pin and a braid, in honour of Katniss), what scenes you're most excited for, etc. Let me know in the comments!

Other Reviews:
A Blog About Nothing
A BookLover's Diary
That Hapa Chick