I enjoyed Walsh's book Does All This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat, and thought I'd give his original decluttering book a try as well. [I'd seen him on the "Clean Sweep" TV show, but didn't recognize him from his cover photo...]

Later: A decent book on how to declutter, with lots of suggestions both general and specific. Sure, a lot of the ideas aren't new, but they're expressed here in a clear, entertaining style, and a few of them even made me want to get up and sort stuff {grin}.

I'm always interested to see what clutter experts say about books; some of 'em clearly are not book lovers themselves, while others do seem to understand the connection that many of us have with our books. Here, Walsh acknowledges these differences, mentioning the people who buy books for specific purposes and don't need to cling to them once they've been read, as well as those who "derive a great sense of security and contentment from knowing that they own the book." [He goes on to note that for some of these folks fear letting go of books as symbolic of losing the information or pleasure that came from it, wbether they've read the books or not; interesting viewpoint, and not one familiar to me!]

His take on organizing books: available space. "...there is only one simple rule when dealing with books: If they don't fit on your shelves, they shouldn't be in your home.... You should have no more than the number of books that fit comfortably on your bookshelves - not stacked on the floor or on top of the entertainment unit or in boxes in the garage." He does admit that the solution to books-on-the-floor could include getting new shelves as well as disposing of some books, but he tries to convince the reader that stockpiling books past the point where they can be useful or enjoyable is not treating them with respect - a nice point. "Try to see the book purge as a way of creating a space conducive to reading and the acquisition of knowledge in a way that showcases the volumes you love and honors the collection you have."

At the end of the book is a section divided into months, with suggestions for specific things to tackle each month - a way to approach clutter issues incrementally and to establish some rituals for regular weeding out of clothes/collections/etc. Some good ideas here; now if only it were as easy to do them as it is to read about them!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

[I set out to hunt for The Haunted Looking-Glass, which had been released at the shopping plaza near La Javanaise, but I didn't see the book anywhere by the time I got there.] I left this book on a table in front of La Javanaise at about 1; hope the finder enjoys it!

Decided to check out La Javanaise Cafe today after work (first time I'd been in since Herbata Tea Bar closed). I asked the girl at the counter if the new management of the place was ok with us BCers leaving books there (I haven't done much releasing lately but would like to get back into it) and she said they were ok with it. I had my lunch and noticed this book on the front table, hiding under some newspapers. I'm not interested in reading it myself (I'm not the neatest person around, but I'm no pack rat by any means) but I think my best friend could benefit from it -- she gets emotionally attached to all her stuff and has a hard time clearing out her clutter. I'll pass it along to her next time I see her. Thanks for leaving it, Gory!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I gave this to my best friend, who has some serious clutter issues, and I completely forgot to make release notes!