The all new 50 Books Challenge!
Title: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, translated by Cathy Hirono
Details: Copyright 2016, Ten Speed Press
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to using her acclaimed KonMari Method to create a joy-filled home that works the way you need it to.
Spark Joy features step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. Kondo also answers frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, digital photos, and even building your own personal “power spot” in your home, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I read and was charmed and inspired by Marie Kondo's first book.
How I Liked It: With the success of her first book, it was absolutely inevitable that Kondo would write a sequel. The only question was the fact that since The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is so complete and she's eschewed so many other self-help book tropes, would this just be filler?
Thankfully, she continues to skewer self-help tropes because this genuinely adds to and improves upon the first book. There's more philosophy, more personal stories that shed light on organization practices and how they can trip you up (if you send boxes of your unsorted things to your parents' home, you're not really dealing with them) and solutions to help overcome you keeping anything that doesn't spark joy (including how to get rid of a stuffed animal!).
Kondo also doubles down on mentioning her own Taoist practice, including the sprinkling of ritual salt (a woman burdened by memories of an ex boyfriend is able to move on after getting rid of his things and sprinkling them with the salt), but also the idea that every object has a "life" and when the object's "life" with you is finished, it's fine to thank it and bid it farewell.
Viewers of Kondo's popular Netflix show got a taste of this when Kondo "greeted" their home which was met with everything from confusion to polite acceptance to laughter, but actually, this is a religious practice. And one of the most interesting things of all to me is the fact Kondo can relay it throughout the book without it sounding like she's attempting to convert you to her religion (which she is definitely not; the only conversion Kondo has in mind is living spaces filled only with things you love) or is completely alien to people who do not follow her faith.
The illustrations are cute (naturally!) but I found her video demonstrations on folding (which did not exist at the time of the book's publication, as the videos I saw were tied into promotion of the Netflix series) more useful than the diagrams that accompany the adorable bunny illustrations in the book.
Spark Joy genuinely, skillfully expands on the first book, making it the rare useful sequel.
After all, if she could take down self-help and organization book tropes with her first book, doesn't it make sense she'd stick to her brand with the second?
Final Grade: A
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