Book Review — “Taunton Home Organizing Idea Book”

You know how, say, you have a little ceramic hippo on your desk, then someone notices it, and gives you another hippo? Then you have two, which makes them harder to miss, and you receive more? Then you’re a hippo collector? Eventually, you’re some sort of hippo lifestyle guru, and you’re not quite sure how you got there. Well, accidental collections happen more often than we’d like to think, and we can talk about that some other time, but in this case, I just wanted to let you know that I don’t receive those metaphorical “hippos” very much anymore, but I did get one for the holidays, in the form of The Taunton Home Organizing Idea Book.

“You’re an organizer, so we got you a book about organizing!” It could have gone so very wrong, but this book is actually very, very right. It’s colorfully and liberally illustrated with relevant and attractive photos of all the areas of your home you might wish to address, from closets to garages to kitchens to children’s rooms. The text is clear and concise, gives some fresh ideas, and while it shows some lavish rooms, does not assume that every home or project is backed with endless space or funds. I especially appreciated the spectrum of decor highlighted, from traditional to modern, allowing a wide range of readers to imagine these solutions into their homes. I recommend it.