In "Housebroken: Admissions of an Untidy Life," Laurie Notaro shares her humorous and relatable experiences with everyday chaos. She emphasizes the importance of finding pleasure in reading and suggests a practical rule for navigating through books. If a book doesn't captivate you within the first fifty pages, she advises moving on to something else. This approach encourages readers to prioritize enjoyment and engagement over persistence.

Notaro's guideline serves as a reminder that life is too short to struggle through books that don't resonate with us. By advocating for this rule, she invites readers to explore diverse stories and authors, fostering a more fulfilling reading journey. Ultimately, her philosophy highlights the joy of discovery in literature and the freedom to pursue what genuinely interests us.