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The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning : how to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter / text and drawings by Margareta Magnusson.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Scribner, 2018Description: ix, 117 pages : illustrations ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781501173240
  • 1501173243
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 648/.5 23
LOC classification:
  • TX324 .M326 2018
Contents:
Death cleaning is not sad -- Death cleaning is as much (or more!) for you as for the people who come after.
Summary: In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." Margareta instructs readers to embrace minimalism, and suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects). Digging into her late husband's tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Book Bedford Public Library Non-Fiction Non-Fiction 648.5 MAG Available 32500001748277
Book Book Bedford Public Library Non-Fiction Non-Fiction 648.5 MAG Available 32500001748285
Book Book Bedford Public Library Non-Fiction Non-Fiction 648.5 MAG Available 32500001744128
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions*

A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.

In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning , dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning , artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming.

Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects). Digging into her late husband's tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

Death cleaning is not sad -- Death cleaning is as much (or more!) for you as for the people who come after.

In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." Margareta instructs readers to embrace minimalism, and suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects). Digging into her late husband's tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Those interested in Scandinavian living may be intrigued by this end-of-life guide. The popularity of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing also provides a ready audience. Magnusson, a visual artist who has moved many times within her native country of Sweden and abroad, speaks from ample experience. After explaining the concepts of Swedish death cleaning (döstägning) for family members, the author describes paring down from a large house to a modest apartment after her husband died. Striking a balance of gentle encouragement, philosophical musing, and pragmatism, her recommendations are wholly practical and warmly convey her hope for a positive outcome. VERDICT The title alone, with the juxtaposition of "gentle art" and "death," is eye-catching. Invoking the Swedish theme of lagom ("just the right amount"), this book should appeal to readers who have faced the challenge of sorting through their loved ones' or their own belongings at various life transitions.-Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

As a Swedish woman between the ages of eighty and one hundred, Magnusson has some definite ideas about decluttering. She refers to it as death cleaning (i.e., getting rid of things when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet). Why should your children have to make decisions that you didn't want to make? Why should they be left with a deluge of possessions? The author suggests breaking your possessions into categories and then attacking these categories one at a time. (She says clothing is the easiest, so start there.) Her methods are pretty basic: make one pile to keep and one pile to get rid of. Put notes on the discards showing where they should go. What makes this book worthwhile isn't the sorting tips. It's Magnusson's humorous common sense. She rightly reminds readers that it takes time to downsize and that putting it off won't make it go away. And that hanging around with young people can be fun. At least they don't talk about hearing aids and canes.--Smith, Candace Copyright 2017 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Margareta Magnusson is a Swedish author, based in Stockholm, but has lived all over the world. She is a graduate of Beckman College of Design. Her work has been exhibited in galleries from Hong Kong to Singapore. Her debut book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, has become a 2018 New York Times Bestseller.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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