The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Unabridged Audio Version from Audible

I've known about the wildly popular, best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, for quite some time now and have toyed with the idea of actually reading it for myself. I have clutter issues, but where to even begin decluttering seems so daunting that I've been putting off the idea for one reason or another. Long story short, I finally bit the bullet and listened to the unabridged audio version of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and I am glad that I did!

Listening time for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is 4 hours, 50 minutes and is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Emily Woo Zeller does a phenomenal job of narrating The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, which made my listening experience all that much more enriching.

As far as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo goes, I really liked it and found some great information on how to declutter and reorganize my own home. I really look forward to trying out the advice that Marie Kondo shares with her readers to see if it can help me transform my home into a sea of tranquility and tidiness.

Here are some of the things I learned while reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo:

* Discard/organize items/things by category, not by room.
* Best time to start discarding is in the morning.
* One must tidy in the right order: Discard items first, then tidy/reorganize after you've discarded the things you no longer want.
* Before you begin tidying, start by visualizing why you want to tidy. What is your end goal? Really drill down and visualize how tidying up will transform your life.
* Exam what you own and ask yourself if each object sparks joy. If It doesn't spark joy get rid of it. Also, discard items that no longer serve a purpose.
* Focus on what to keep, not what to get rid of.
* Don't discard momentos first... Start with clothing, then books as they are easier to discard than mementos.... Momentos should be the last category one goes through.
* Discard and organize in one big marathon event. Not in small spurts.

What I didn't like was some of the woo woo aspects that the author discusses/mentions in her book. I felt like some of the information was repeated several times throughout the book, which was a bit frustrating. Also, the idea of doing a marathon discarding and reorganizing event sounds like way too much to do... For me doing stuff in smaller spurts seems much more manageable/doable.

The following is a publisher's summary for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo from Audible:

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 bestseller 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.

I am giving The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Three Easy Steps to Parting With Books You Do Not Need

Parting with books is something that is difficult for avid book lovers and readers to do, but may be a necessary task to accomplish under certain circumstances.

Recently, I came across an article on Bustle's website titled, Get Rid Of Books You No Longer Need With This Easy 3 Step Process
by Melissa Ragsdale. In the article, Melissa Ragsdale wrote the following:

Moving is the perfect time for paring down and clearing out. And, since the heaviest parts of your move are probably your boxes of books, it's especially important that you clean out your bookshelf as you pack up. Trust me, you'll seriously thank yourself if you cut down your book collection before the big move.

But cleaning out your bookshelf is easier said than done. Books have an importance that goes beyond the typical object, and giving one away can sometimes feel like giving away a piece of your soul. Every book I've read feels like a close personal friend, and I have so many important memories attached to nearly every one on my shelf.

Then of course, there's the age-old conundrum of the books you've bought but haven't read yet. I certainly have had books sitting on my shelf for years, untouched. But the thought of giving them away is devastating. I paid money to take that book home with me!

Author and renowned organizing consultant Marie Kondo describes this feeling of attachment beautifully in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: 

"The process of facing and selecting our possessions can be quite painful. It forces us to confront our imperfections and inadequacies and the foolish choices we made in the past…The things we own are real. They exist here and now as a result of choices made in the past by no one other than ourselves. It is dangerous to ignore them or to discard them indiscriminately as if denying the choices we made…It is only when we face the things we own one by one and experience the emotions they evoke that we can truly appreciate our relationship with them."

I did listen to the unabridged audio version of Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up last year and enjoyed it... Admittedly though, I have yet to apply her methods to my own life! However, the silver lining her is that Melissa Ragsdale's article does give me a quick refresher on Marie Kondo's method for letting go of books should I decide to go decide to go that route.

Click on the top link to read the entire article to use the Marie Kondo method of parting with books.

Top Ten Tuesday --- Top Twelve Books I'm Thankful For!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

I'm so grateful for so many books that it has been difficult to narrow down which ones to add to my list this week! I've chosen to stick with nonfiction titles for this week's Top Ten Tuesday post. Click on the links provided below to read my review of each book.

1. Power of the Habit by Charles Duhigg ~ This is a very engaging read filled with tons of knowledge about the power of habits.

2. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo ~ Need to rid your life of clutter?? This book has some really good tips on how to dispose of your clutter for good and organize your life to become clutter free.

3. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen ~ Getting things done in a stress free manner is the theme of this book.

4. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert ~ This book is pure magic. It's well written and engaging. I liked it so much more than I thought I would.

5. Mind Over Medicine by Lissa Rankin MD ~ Loved the outlook on medicine by a medical doctor.

6. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey ~ During a time of illness, the author discovers the life of a wild snail and writes about it. Who knew that the lives of snails could be so interesting? Another book I enjoyed so much more than I though I would.

7. This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor by Susan Wicklund ~ Abortion is such a controversial topic. It was interesting to read about this topic from the view point of a doctor who had performed abortions for much of her career.

8. My Life On The Road by Gloria Steinem ~ I've admired Gloria Steinem for years. I loved her memoir, My Life On The Road. What an interesting life Gloria Steinem has lived so far.

9. Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Raden ~ I love jewelry and this nonfiction read discusses how jewelry has shaped history. It's a very entertaining historical journey that takes the reader around the world.

10. The Assassination of the Archduke by Greg King & Sue Woolmans ~ This well written book is FABULOUS!! It's packed with so much history and information that my mind is still spinning... The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sets off World War I. This book touches upon royal history, the lives of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife + their children. Along with a lot of history before and after Franz Ferdinand's assassination.

11. The Soloist by Steve Lopez ~ Another wonderful book! Not only is The Soloist a story about a lost dream, an unlikely friendship, and the redemptive power of music, it also sheds light on mental illness, homelessness on LA's Skid Row and the struggles that go along with it in ways I could have never envisioned before my encounter with The Soloist.

12. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester ~ The history of the Oxford English Dictionary is fascinating. I really enjoyed this book immensely.

Top Ten Tuesday --- Best Books I've Read In 2017 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

The following is my list of best reads for 2017 so far.

1. Kentucky On The Rocks by Gwendolyn Grace

2. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

3. The Sound Of A Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

4. Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera

5. Bone Deep by Bonnie Dee

6. Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame

7. Eat Dirt by Josh Axe

8. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

9. All By My Selfie by Jo Noelle

10. Deenie by Judy Blume

So, which books have been your favorite reads so far this year?

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

My list features books that I not only gave a high rating, but would also reread again in a heartbeat!

1. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
2. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
3. The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers
4. Kentucky on the Rocks by Gwendolyn Grace
5. Bone Deep by Bonnie Dee (Read this book twice this year!!)
6. Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame
7. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
8. The Vegetarian by Han Kang
9. Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera
10. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Which books were your favorites in 2017??

2017 Second Quarter Reading Update

2017 is officially halfway over with, can you believe it?? I've read a total of 100 reads this year so far, which seems unfathomable to me as I've never read this much before in previous years to my knowledge.

Some of my best reads this year have included the following:

1. Kentucky On The Rocks by Gwendolyn Grace

2. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

3. The Sound Of A Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

4. Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera

5. Bone Deep by Bonnie Dee

6. Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame

7. Eat Dirt by Josh Axe

8. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

9. All By My Selfie by Jo Noelle

10. Deenie by Judy Blume
11. Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

I've also visited 13 new to me Little Free Libraries and exchanged books, which has been fun.

I've enjoyed seeing and hearing author, Lisa See, speak at a local independent book. 

Plus, I also attended the 2017 Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, California for the 3rd year in a row and had a blast. I attended three of the author speaking events and had five of my books sign by the author! Seeing and meeting Roxane Gay, Cornelia Funke, Aya de Leon, and Cathryn Jakobson Ramin at the Bay Area Book Festival was awesome.

How's your year in reading been going so far this year??

50/50 Friday ~ Best/Worst Book Read in April

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reads and Karen @ Blue Eye Books. This fun themed meme focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week a new topic will give bloggers the chance to showcase their answers.

This week's topic is to highlight your Best/Worst Book Read In April 2017!

I read a total of 24 unique reads during the month of April... Several of them received 4 star ratings and several received 1 star ratings, so it's going to be tough deciding the best of the lot and the worst of the lot!

My Best Read for the Month of April is:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

(Click above link to read my review)

My Worst Reads for the Month of April are:

Dominated By His Ghostly Touch by Alexx Andria

(Click above link to read my review)

The Belmont Hotel, Room Service by Pauline Allan

(Click above link to read my review)

Share your best and worst reads with me for the month of April 2017 in the comments section below.