Before the Blog #4

   Before the Blog is a new meme hosted by YA Litwit. The idea here is that we have all been reading much longer than we have been blogging and have many books in our reading past that are worthy of blogging about. This is a way to 'rediscover' these gems by answering a few basic questions. For details check out the YA Litwit blog.

This week I am choosing to remember 'A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder--How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place' by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman

Why did you choose this book? I chose this book because the front cover was a pretty color and I liked the clean, simple design. But it was skimming a few pages thatt hooked me. Talk of 'chronlogical organization' or those stacks of papers and mail on my desk. And pointing out that time spent developing on organization system and filing papers you will be using very soon are a waste. I was shouting 'YES!'....in the library!!!

When did you read this book? May 2007

Who would you recommend this book to? This book is not for people who believe 'a place for everything and everything in it's place. You will only get annoyed. It is also not for 'hoarders'. But it is perfect for people like me, who quote sayings like 'a floor is the biggest shelf in the house' and 'the brightest kids come from homes cluttered with magazines, newspapers, and books'.

   Here is the synopsis from Goodreads. You can read member comments here.

The authors of this antidote to obsessive neatness assert that "crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place," thus creating a huge target audience of inveterate slobs. Actually, Messrs. Abrahamson and Freedman display less concern about your closet than your mind. With scads of fittingly spontaneous anecdotes and case studies, they justify our seemingly inherent need to keep things messy. Give this book as a gift to the person it brings to mind. 

   To be honest, I never finished this book. It was in high-demand at the library and I had to give it back. But what I did read really spoke to me. And it made me relax a little and not worry so much about having the 'neatest' house in the neighborhood. I already knew most of this, but the validation was so perfect for me. Now that it is no longer on the reserve list all the time, I will plan to check it out in the fall and reread it to the finish. 

   I rated this book 5 Stars. Other Goodreads members have combined to give it a 3.43 star-rating.