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Collections of Nothing
I came across the new book Collections of Nothing by William Davies King on Amazon’s book blog Omnivoracious. As a teaser to the book, Omnivoracious posts its first few paragraphs:
On a hot summer day in 1998, I pulled up at the house I still owned with the woman who was soon to become my ex-wife to find that she had delivered every item connected with me to the garage. My surprise was not that she had divvied up our goods, though I would rather have done the work myself, but the spectacle of what an immense and unattractive volume of me there was, much of it retained only because I collect, as a collector collects, compulsively. And then some.
There I was, forty-three, wearing shorts and an old T-shirt already heavy with sweat, in the dusty glare of desert suburbia, Ryder truck still hissing and ticking at my back as the great panel door swung open with a shriek. The door shuddered, and I shuddered too. There were the usual black plastic bags of shoes and canted piles of shirts on hangers, portable radios and razors and power tools, but also the singular multiplicity of diverse collections of nothing, a junkstore dumpstore’s highlights, stuff of no clear value to anyone but someone like me.
I am a collector, something a lot of people can understand. My being a collector of nothing will require explanation. I am on the small side. A neighbor told my parents I was the only child he’d ever seen who could walk upright under a table. Eventually I grew to a normal height, but I sometimes think of myself as an overgrown runt. My weight has always hovered just above normal, which is typical, I think, among people who grew up fighting for a larger portion. I have two younger brothers who could easily be cheated, though I chose not to, and an older sister who always wanted it all and could not be cheated because she was disadvantaged, disabled, disastrous, and later insane. Because of her, I tend to measure my fair and healthy share, then sneak a bit more. My eating disorder is in my collecting. I eat nothing, in excess.
I’ve read accounts of people who one day give away everything, purging themselves of material association. They report feeling liberated, disburdened, and alive for the first time. The moment of my divorce might have been a good moment for me to cleanse myself that way. I did not like what I saw under the bare bulb in that shadowy garage. There, mixed in with my necessaries, shone forth what had doomed me to a life of collecting–that super-superfluity of sub-substance. During twenty years of living with my wife, decades of relentless acquisition, I had found ways of weaving my collections into the lattice of our life. Now, brought out from concealment, arranged in heaps, not carelessly but also not artfully, these things looked like signs of hoarding, which is a diagnosis, not a hobby.
So I transported the cumbersummation of me into the Ryder and into my new, unmarried life, in the hope that I might locate myself somewhere in the midst of it.
It is an unfortunate way for the author to find himself looking at all of his possessions, but it allowed him to take stock of his life and the belongings in it. Whether it is a junk drawer, closet, or a garage, you may not realize how much you have until it is laid out in front of you. Only then can you really evaluate what it is you are keeping.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Book review: Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?
Peter Walsh doesn’t sugar coat anything, and the title of his latest book is testament to his style. Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? takes his “creating the life you want” message from his previous book, It’s All Too Much!, and applies it to food, eating, and the body.
Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? will help you examine how your emotions, your home, your kitchen, and your pantry are working for — or against — the life you want for yourself.
Walsh doesn’t talk calorie counting or delve into the ills of preservatives, instead he offers a philosophy for change as his solution for weight loss. In my opinion, he really only discusses three things to change to lose weight: stop watching tv, start eating meals at home at a table, and get rid of clutter in your life. Although my statement of his process sounds simplistic, I actually agree with his premise.
At the start of 2007, I made a resolution to stop eating meals outside of my home. I had been eating out seven to 10 times a week throughout most of 2006. In the first five months of last year, I lost 20 pounds. I didn’t change anything else in my life except for where I ate meals. Sure, it’s anecdotal evidence, but my personal experience tells me that Walsh’s advice isn’t off base.
Walsh’s book is intended for a mass audience, so if you’ve read more scientifically detailed health books or even Walsh’s colleagues’ You: On a Diet, this book may not have anything new to share with you. However, for what it is, Walsh’s book is well written, full of straightforward advice, practical, and sincerely helpful. If you need to lose a few pounds and your house is cluttered, Walsh’s book will be perfect for you.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- From page 2, “As a nation we are reveling in an orgy of consumption and it shows no sign of letting up. We can’t get enough of anything. The American mantra has become ‘more is better’ and we are applying that motto with gusto to almost every aspect of our lives. If consuming is good, then consuming more is better.”
- From page 47, “The math of weight is the same as that of clutter: You can only have as many books as you have room on your shelves or only the number of shirts that can hang comfortably in your closet; if you eat more calories than your body needs, they will be stored as fat. Of all the possessions in your home, your body should be most treasured. Treating your body with honor and respect means you are treating yourself with honor and respect.”
There are a few things that confuse me about the book — like how he tells you not to watch television, but television is certainly a large factor in how he made his name — but on the whole I think it’s a worthwhile self-help book. As I mentioned above, if you need to lose a few pounds and get your house organized at the same time, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? is a great place to start. The book is available Feb. 5, and Walsh will be doing promotional appearances for it on The Oprah Winfrey show Feb. 7 and on The CBS Early Show Feb. 11-13.
Popularity: 20% [?]
Book review: One Year to an Organized Life
When Regina Leeds’ publicist contacted me about doing a review of One Year to an Organized Life, I hesitated. I knew that an advanced copy of Peter Walsh’s new book was already in the mail to me to review for the site, and I didn’t want to be overwhelmed with books in such a short period of time. Leeds is a master of home and office organization, however, so I ended up agreeing to read the book.
In hindsight, I’m very glad I decided to read it.
Leeds knows home organization. She has been a professional organizer for more than 20 years, and this book is the most realistic book on organization I have encountered. She is methodical in her presentation, and her book touches on every aspect of a person’s home. The book is broken into 52 weeks of organization activities, grouped into monthly themes (kitchen is January, bedroom is February, etc.), and is based on the idea that sustaining organization doesn’t happen overnight.
That being said, I’m not certain this book is for everyone. She includes monthly touchy-feely personal affirmations that were a bit much for my taste. Additionally, I don’t agree with the need for journaling and creating a “dream board” collage to envision organization goals. The majority of the book, though, is grounded and full of practical advice. Plus, I’m certain there are many readers who will benefit from the journaling and collage making.
Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, on the book:
- I fear that people may not pick up the book because the title suggests a year-long commitment to getting your life organized. For people already overwhelmed by stuff in their life, the title may seem overwhelming. This perception is a shame because the book can be used as a resource even if the yearly program isn’t followed. Also, her year-long method is exactly how not to be overwhelmed by the process.
- I like that she makes suggestions for activities that can become chores for children. Her advice is good for helping to teach children how to be responsible for their belongings and to the family.
- There is a terrific resource section at the end of the book. I am already researching more about these organizations.
- The month of May has too many rooms/areas assigned to it (attic, basement, garage, guest room, and laundry room) for the average reader. In my experience, these spaces are often the most cluttered areas of a home. If following her system, I would make this a two-month theme.
- Many of her tips include options for people who rent their homes, which is rare in home organization books. I was glad to see the inclusion of this advice.
- She acknowledges a lack of caring as a reason for disorganization. Many self-help authors attribute disorganization only to jarring life events, time management problems, etc., and overlook a simple lack of caring as a possible cause. Not only does she say that a general lack of caring can be a cause, she offers advice on how to overcome it.
- Her advice is filled with concrete examples that show how different people may interpret the same information. The real-world strategies will appeal greatly to pragmatic readers.
My favorite piece of advice comes in the first section of the book. In this dialog, she frankly discusses reasons why you shouldn’t hold onto random items just because you inherited them from someone who has passed away. This piece of writing is also a good sample of her advice-wielding style:
“Consider tossing grandma’s ancient potato peeler. If she were alive today, she’d have a new one. She’d also wonder what the heck was wrong with you for saving that rusty old antique.”
If you’re in the market for a comprehensive, concrete, methodical guide to home organization, Leeds’ book One Year to an Organized Life is an excellent place to start.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Download free audio books from your local library
One of the things I love about my local library system is its Digital Books Program. With a valid library card and my computer, I can download eBooks and audio books from my library’s collection and onto my computer, PDA, or iPod. The files expire after a couple of weeks, but can be renewed the same as a library book. There is no charge, at least at my library, for using this service.
The downloading digital book program isn’t available at every library, but it is definitely worth exploring if it is. To learn if your library offers this service, you can search here for locations in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the U.K. There are a few libraries not listed on this search engine, so if it comes up empty be sure to double check with a visit to your local library’s website.
Popularity: 16% [?]
