Brilliant Little Book: My Review of Marie Kondo's Spark Joy

"Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order." Thus begins the delightfully illustrated companion guide to author Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up. I am at a decided disadvantage having not yet read the first book, and I will definitely get it as soon as I can brave the crowds at our local book nookery, but I did fall quite in love with this little compact volume.
Tiny, detailed drawings illustrate everything from how to fold plastic bags properly (fold the handles down and fold the bag up small!) to sweet ways to add spark to your storage. I like the illustrations, the clear, happy line drawings kept me smiling and lifted my heart enough to allow me to focus on the words. And her stories intrigued me throughout the book. Who could resist this little anecdote, for example?

Under a section titled "Things that spark joy soak up precious memories", Kondo describes a happy memory of a picnic and cherry blossom viewing lark with her mother and sister:

"...my mother had prepared a picnic lunch and my sister and I behaved like excited little girls. Unwrapping and opening the lunch box, we found nori-wrapped onigiri stuffed with pickled plum and grilled salmon, fried chicken, a sweet potato dish, and red and yellow cherry tomatoes. While the menu was limited, it was packed beautifully and obviously with a loving care that touched my heart. The sight of the neatly arrange contents activated the tidying freak in me, and I couldn't help comparing it to the perfect example of a well-organized drawer."

I highly recommend this book, though  I would suggest you read her first book, first, and then proceed onto this one. I give this book FIVE stars.

*I received this book courtesy of Blogging For Books in order to review it, but the opinion and review content are my personal impressions of the book.