Dorm Room Feng Shui, by Katherine Olaksen

Several years ago, when I was in the midst of my witchy/New Age-y phase, I read a few books on Feng Shui. I found it interesting, and have since put to use some of the tips I got out of it, but I never really got hard-core into the practice. I don't color coordinate my living space in accordance with the Bagua Map or make certain that particular knick-knacks are placed in particular corners. But I do tend to favor simplicity over clutter. And I value neatness. And I know enough to tell that my current home, and its surrounding property, naturally has a positive Chi flow and a good balance of Yin to Yang (that comes without too much effort on my part). 

At its most basic, the theory behind Feng Shui teaches that a person can improve their overall life and health by becoming more organized. There's a whole lot in there about elements, colors, interior design, and zodiac animals and such too, but we won't get to that here. So in short: Organization.

And what better place to begin that journey to being a more organized person than college? 

College is the first place you're really getting a taste of what it's like to be on your own. It's up to you to go to class, do your homework, clean your room, eat (reasonably) balanced meals...and your mom isn't going to be there to get on your case about any of it. Sounds awesome, right? But if you don't start adulting NOW, you never will. So get organized.

I picked up Dorm Room Feng Shui because it looked interesting and because I wanted to see how author Kathleen Olaksen applied the (actually quite complicated) principles of Feng Shui to college life. The book was short, less than 150 pages, so I didn't expect much.

I was surprised. Olaksen did a great job of packing a lot of info into a small space without losing too much essence. And she made it relative to younger readers. The book is fresh and fun and not at all dry. I would recommend this to anyone (college student or otherwise) who is looking for an intro to Feng Shui or who is just trying to improve their organizational skills.

A fun read :) --AJB