"From America's funniest and most trusted home columnist, a must-have guide to living beautifully with unstylish spouses, sloppy kids, muddy dogs, and unwelcome guests." -- book back cover
Marni Jameson's House of Havoc only has a few chapters dedicated to decluttering and organizing. And while the organizing advice is solid - she consults with experts such as Barry Izsak - there's nothing new here. The main attraction in this book is the stories - such as the one where Marni helps her mother - who is in her eighties - clean out her clothes closet.
She has outfits with oversized shoulder pads from the 1980s, when it was fashionable for women to look like armadillos, shoes with three-inch heels she can't walk in, and what's this - old maternity clothes?There's also the story about finding her daughter's birth certificate; reading this one motivated me to get Jameson's book from the library.
"I'm all for medical miracles, Mom, but seriously?"
"I thought they'd make nice drapes."
I enjoyed reading 'The House Always Wins' so I may well look for this one at the library, too. The stories definitely sound amusing!
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading the quote from the back cover, I thought "Erma Bombeck". I must be woefully behind on household humor writers.
ReplyDeleteStruggler, I've never read her earlier book, but I'd guess if you enjoyed that one (and her style) you'd like this one, too. I'm returning my library copy today. (Hurray for interlibrary loans and 75 cent reservation fees.)
ReplyDeleteJustGail: I can see thinking Erma Bombeck - but sadly, she died in 1996, and this is a new book.