This was a somewhat tedious book to work through, which is reflected in my rather harsh 3½-star rating. The tedious aspect very likely relates to this being a library book and I have such a limited time to devote to the mental aspects that one should finish before moving onto the meat of Rien's advice. In many regards, parts of the book are 5-star passages. One of its biggest flaws was the font: fine typography and turquoise headings, were not easy to read, especially since some of the pages had squared backgrounds or the material on the following page shadowed the text via a thin paper. Even the best of lighting didn't cure the fine-lined font.

Otherwise, depending on what you want to find out, there is wisdom and amusement within many sections. A laugh-out-loud bent attempted to lighten the psychological 'work': the author emphasizes readers must come to know themselves and what will make the house their true home. These sections were a bit boring and didn't elicit clarity in the way of other books. I found that Let It Go: by Peter Walsh and Andrew Mellen's Unstuff Your Life! resonated much more clearly in that regard.

Nevertheless in deciding what you don't love in the house needs the commonsense attitude that Rien suggests ~ "a lot of times we keep things because someone else picked it out or gave it to you or you've inherited pieces of furniture". She writes that people hold onto things because (i) your grown child will need it when s/he gets their own apartment, (ii) you'd never find another one, or, (iii) your grandmother comes back from the dead and asks what you did with her sewing table. (p. 71).

I loved the three categories the author uses with no nuances, no pressure to discard, no "I can't get rid of this because XX gave it to me and they'll be upset to see I don't have it anymore" (that would be category C) ~ just make a list: A. I love it. B. Placeholder. C. Pass It On.

The placeholder really fit my aesthetic because it is where you list what you don't love, but cannot at this time afford or decide what a suitable replacement is for the item. The list is a clarifying exercise and for me, made it obvious what I was so done with (but unacknowledged), was a bad choice, or is wrecked beyond repair.

The other outstanding advice is in Chapter 15. I've read many worthy books in the redesign, renovate, declutter genre. I've yet to encounter such a clear-headed, in-your-face and get-over-it section on creatively venting about what you hate about your home and how to prioritize what to fix. The Hate List is a useful talking point between household members and can reveal really different points of view. The author provides a very eloquent quiz at the end to score the problem you want to fix. (p. 86). The balance of the book was a skim for me, a look at the details of what you want to change. My greatest gains were finding the exact section which addressed current niggles about our house (the entry way, a space so often overlooked but t with big impact on what confronts you as you enter). Paige Rien's layout made it easy to focus on what was relevant. ( )

40 steps to really getting to know your home and decorating it in a way you will love.