REVIEW: The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Title: The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up 
Author: Marie Kondo
Publication Date: July 4th 2017
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Infibeam || Kobo || Chapters Indigo || Google Books
Blurb Description: From the #1 New York Times best-selling author and lifestyle/cleaning guru Marie Kondo, this graphic novelization brings Kondo's life-changing tidying method to life with the fun, quirky story of a woman who transforms her home, work, and love life using Kondo's advice and inspiration.
Marie Kondo presents the fictional story of Chiaki, a young woman in Tokyo who struggles with a cluttered apartment, messy love life, and lack of direction. After receiving a complaint from her attractive next-door neighbor about the sad state of her balcony, Chiaki gets Kondo to take her on as a client. Through a series of entertaining and insightful lessons, Kondo helps Chiaki get her home--and life--in order. This insightful, illustrated case study is perfect for people looking for a fun introduction to the KonMari Method of tidying up, as well as tried-and-true fans of Marie Kondo eager for a new way to think about what sparks joy. Featuring illustrations by award-winning manga artist Yuko Uramoto, this book also makes a great read for manga and graphic novel lovers of all ages. 
 
I’m not what you would call a tidy person. I’m not a hoarder or a clutter-er either, but at any given point, my room which is where I spend most of my free time, is always a little messy.

There’s no piles of clothes lying on the floor, nor junk trashed everywhere, but things do get messier than I would like and, on occasion, I find myself just going on a spree to clean everything up and then the whole process repeats itself.

I wasn’t sure what this book was going to be about when a lovely publicist at Penguin Random House sent it my way, but it certainly seemed like something I could use in my life.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       My first thought as I opened The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up was about how BIZZARE it was that I was ACTUALLY reading a book that would teach me how to clean up. I was unsure if I would learn anything and a little weirded out that I was trying to.

2.       One of the first things I noticed was how absolutely ADORABLE all the characters and illustrations were. It totally kept my attention through the entire book.

3.       There was also a real story going on in the background, one with a girl who had a tendency to hoard and how a tidying instructor taught her not how to dump things and throw them away, but in finding the joy in small possessions and only keeping those.

4.       The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up definitely had some really interesting tops such as categorizing and tidying by OBJECT (like clothes) instead of by physical space, which actually helped me.

5.       It also taught you the art of de-cluttering and how it isn’t about just throwing everything away, but instead finding the things that gave you JOY to keep around and only keeping those.

6.       There were also a lot really well illustrated HOW TO parts to the book including how to fold different types of clothing that really MADE SENSE and isn’t how I would traditionally go it but definitely gave me the sense that I should try it out.

Honestly, this book inspired me to go and clean up my own room. I only followed a few steps in this book but perhaps next time, I’ll actually declutter by finding joy as well. 3 stars. 
Marie KondōMarie Kondo (近藤 麻理恵) is a Japanese organizing consultant and author. Kondo's method of organizing is known as the KonMari Method, and one of the main principles is keeping only possessions which "spark joy."

Kondo's best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been published in more than 30 countries.

She was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2015.

Personal website: http://konmari.com/en/
Book website: http://tidyingup.com/
App website: http://konmari-media.com/

Are you a hoarder or a clutterer? Have you heard of the KonMari Method before?
I'd love to hear from you guys. 

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