Love and Clutter is Melbourne artist Mirka Mora's love letter to the possessions and memories that narrate her extraordinary life. Like the birds that appear throughout her work, Mora has spent her life building a nest of treasures, each one able to spark a memory or association that renders it a prized possession, whether it be one of her many dolls, teddy bears, books, desks or a coffee grinder. The book is written in a somewhat disjointed but charmingly intimate style, reminiscent of Mora's description of her clutter, as each piece sparks a memory or an idea that recalls a tale of the Paris of her youth, a lover, a fairytale, her children, or the colour and bohemian wonder of the Australian art scene with memories of John and Sunday Reed and Albert Tucker. An exquisite publication illustrated by Mora's drawings and paintings, and photographs of her studio by Earl Carter, Love and Clutter is sure to be one of the highlights of Christmas. With its attractive format and price point, beautiful illustrations, romantic tone and the potential to appeal to a broad market of readers interested in art and biography, as well as those after an illustrated Australian book with a difference, Love and Clutter is a book that I anticipate will have an enduring place in the core stock of all good bookshops.

Molly Monro is the manager of Metropolis Bookshop in Melbourne.

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