Librocubicularist- March 2016

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I reviewed the Grisha Trilogy a year ago, in my very first book review post. This is a sequel set in the same world. I really enjoyed learning more about the other countries and how they relate to one another. I also liked reading a heist/ prison break story with a less modern setting. Some of the descriptions of the Ice Palace and its security features make it sound like a great setting for an RPG adventure.



The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book lays out a very simple method for clutter control/ reduction, mainly get rid of all your extra stuff. However, the basis for deciding what to keep is what I think makes this method work well. At the very beginning of everything the author asks that you visualize your destination, that is what does a life without clutter look like to you. Now that you have space and time freed up where you are not cleaning, what do you do with it? What are your end goals in tidying up your home? Then with that picture in mind, you start to clear things out. The end goal is to keep only those things that make you happy and having that future in mind seems like it would be a big help in making decisions about items to keep. Unlike other decluttering books there is no pressure to get rid of purely sentimental items. The idea is to think about each item and if it still makes you happy find a way to store it that lets you enjoy it rather than hides it away. She also suggests an order to sort items in, starting with things like clothes that typically have less sentimental value and thus are easier to discard and working up to keepsakes and photos.
For the most part, it seems like it would work really well but there a few issues I have. The first is that I have items I need which don't 'Spark Joy', mainly shirts I wear at work. I know that is a sign that I should find a new job which would make me happier and that's part of the point of the book but it doesn't change the fact that I can't get rid of those things until that happens. Second, my college degree is in interior design and the idea that you shouldn't worry about flow planning or frequency of use when deciding where to store things seems a bit off. Yes, if you need something you will walk to where it's stored no matter what but that doesn't mean you want to walk clear to the other side of the house to put something away when you are done. I think that there are multiple factors to consider but the frequency of use has to one of them. If you only ever use something in the kitchen that's probably the best place to keep it. Which brings me to my next issue, organizing your kitchen is mentioned only in the briefest passing comment but is a place I could use a few storage tips for. The final problem is that the system is very personal, meaning it is not intended to be used to get rid of a family member's thing, only your own. In order to really get things uncluttered, you'll have to convince each person to go through their own things which may be difficult.


Better Living Through Science by Mark Frary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a fairly quick read and I found it quite enjoyable. It offers tips on how to use science to tackle common tasks in real life such as both preventing and removing ice buildup on your car windshield. Other tips include things like how to prevent food spoilage, eliminate household odors, and help cakes and bread rise when baking. My one complaint is that several of the sections deal more with math than science. These are mostly tips at how to be better at games like poker and risk that mostly deal with probability and while I found it interesting to read I usually don't think of math as a science. The two are certainly interconnected but I feel like math is more a tool for use in science than a separate science itself.

Move Over, Rover: What to Name Your New Pup When the Ordinary Just Won't Do by Kyra Kirkwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We had already decided what to name our new puppy when I came across this book at the library but I couldn't resist checking it out. It starts with a quick personality quiz for your dog and the bulk of it is lists of name suggestions corresponding to that personality. There are also a variety of sidebars, in two main types. The first deal with tips for new dog owners such as grooming tips and how to take better pet photos. The second type of sidebars contains even more name suggestion lists such as names of dogs from cartoons or books. For me, it was fun just to read through the lists and think about names for pets someday in the future... or maybe even animal companions in a Dungeons and Dragons game.


Dogwear: Over 30 Super Easy Sewing Projects: Fashionable, Functional, Fun Gear for Your Four-Legged Friend by Mette Syrstad Hoydal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is full of cute stuff to make for you dog. I think our puppy would look adorable in a hoodie but I'm going to wait for him to grow up some before I go to all the trouble of making one for him. There are also instructions for more practical items like storage for grooming tools and liners for dog bed baskets. I would recommend that you have some previous sewing experience though because each pattern has only a short page of written instructions with very few diagrams to follow. There is an insert with the patterns but they require resizing to fit your dog.

I am still struggling a bit with the changes from being someone who's never owned a dog before to the person who is home with the dog most often and therefore responisble for training. You can expect more reviews of books about dogs and dog training because I'm trying to learn. I have also have several books about cats in my reading que because I need to make sure they have everything they need to feel comfortable and happy as well. Right now we are still working on housetraining but for the most part things are going well and getting easier. He has already gotten quite a bit bigger and we made his day by repairing his raccoon toy.