The Life-Changing Magic vs Spark Joy: Which Should I Read?
Two books, one truth.
So which book to read first if new to Marie Kondo's method? Do you need both books?
From my reading and experiencing of them both, The Life-Changing Magic is the better book for the uninitiated because the first book works efficiently to inspire and teach. It is short and concise. The teaching stories impart the rationale behind her method and serve to vividly teach her method. The book itself is magical in the sense that the author imparts the whole realm of the KonMari method in a mere 204 pages.
However, Spark Joy is an expanded exploration of all which is covered in the first book plus extras--extra stories, extra insights, and for extra joy and assistance, illustrations. The 279 page volume still offers a quick overview of the fundamentals of her method but also expands discussion of each of the tidying categories in her method.
The added illustrations in Spark Joy of tidied closets and drawers and the how-to folding instructions add value and are instructive though not exhaustive. The simple and whimsical line illustrations will be a spark joy for many readers but are not essential to understanding her method. (Her method of folding is still best learned watching Marie Kondo demonstrate the task herself in one of the many videos and interviews available online.)
Marie Kondo's first book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
teaches everything one needs to know to perform
a successful KonMari Festival.
teaches everything one needs to know to perform
a successful KonMari Festival.
&
Marie Kondo's second book Spark Joy
teaches everything one needs to know to perform
a successful KonMari Festival.
teaches everything one needs to know to perform
a successful KonMari Festival.
So which book to read first if new to Marie Kondo's method? Do you need both books?
From my reading and experiencing of them both, The Life-Changing Magic is the better book for the uninitiated because the first book works efficiently to inspire and teach. It is short and concise. The teaching stories impart the rationale behind her method and serve to vividly teach her method. The book itself is magical in the sense that the author imparts the whole realm of the KonMari method in a mere 204 pages.
However, Spark Joy is an expanded exploration of all which is covered in the first book plus extras--extra stories, extra insights, and for extra joy and assistance, illustrations. The 279 page volume still offers a quick overview of the fundamentals of her method but also expands discussion of each of the tidying categories in her method.
The added illustrations in Spark Joy of tidied closets and drawers and the how-to folding instructions add value and are instructive though not exhaustive. The simple and whimsical line illustrations will be a spark joy for many readers but are not essential to understanding her method. (Her method of folding is still best learned watching Marie Kondo demonstrate the task herself in one of the many videos and interviews available online.)
While Spark Joy offers many extra tips, hints, and insights into her method, anyone having read the first book will need to read through the entirety of Spark Joy to discover the new information since it is integrated and woven throughout the whole book.
As a reader of both books, the added insights in Spark Joy are valuable. But not necessary. But not inconsequential or trivial, either. For those who have read her first book and embraced her ideas while doing their own tidying festivals, Spark Joy will feel like an affirmation of everything good discovered by the doing of her method while additionally offering a few priceless pieces of advice and much appreciated clarifications along the way.
Which should you choose? If you are new to the method, start at the beginning of the phenomenon and read her first book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It contains everything you need to start and complete your own KonMari festival. If after reading her first book you want even more of her tips and insights, or if you have found yourself stalled in your festival mid-komono, the "master class" of her method Spark Joy is the perfect way to re-spark your festival into high gear.
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