A number of you wanted to know which books on simplicity I have been reading. I have a large stack I’m working my way through, with another large stack on order at the library. It seems I’m not the only one in my town interested in slowing down. And maybe I should slow down on the books, too. I’ve checked out so many books on simple living, slow living, and natural living in the last month that I’m sure no one at the library would be surprised to see me pull up to the book drop in a horse and carriage, bonnet strings fluttering in the autumn breeze.
Which is silly. The time it takes to hitch a horse to a carriage is time better spent feeding my sourdough starter. Priorities, Ruth.
Here is what I have on my nightstand this week. Mind you, I haven’t finished even one of them. I can only give you a first impression of the books thus far.
The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths to a Better Life by Wanda Urbanska. This books breaks down simple living into 7 actionable paths: financial independence, meaningful work, housing happiness, reclaiming homemaking, cooking, gardening, and ritual and community. I have enjoyed the chapter on financial independence, and the chapter on greening up your home provided me with a wealth of ideas and sources to research.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover. I know, I know. I have checked this book out countless times over the years since it’s publication, but I never get to it before the due date. It’s back, again, in my to be read pile. I have heard this is a life changing book. Maybe that’s why I haven’t read it, yet.
Gotta Have It! | freedom from wanting everything right here, right now by Gregory L. Jantz, PhD. This book isn’t what I was expecting. It has a religious foundation, and the book focus not on possessions but on how our compulsions (shopping, food, alcohol, technology, etc.) possess us. These compulsions are what we use to satisfy true needs (comfort, reassurance, security, validation, control), all of which God can provide. The replacement of a compulsive behavior with the help of God or a high power has a 12-Step feel to it. I’m interested enough to keep reading.
Simplicity Parenting | Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne, M.Ed., with Lisa M. Ross. I have only just started this book, but I love it so far. Some passages are unsettling, like when the author noticed similarities between children in war torn countries and children with busy schedules in affluent England. Both sets of children presented with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. In writing this post, I found the author’s website (here) and blog (here). Watch the video synopsis of the book. It’s good.
Home Made, Best Made | Hundreds of Ways to Make All Kinds of Useful Things, a Reader’s Digest book. I don’t think we need to elaborate on why this book made its way home. This is right up my nerd alley.
Love Your Life! O’s Handbook for Your Best Today–and Tomorrow by the editors of O Magazine. There are a couple of reasons this title makes me squirm, one of them being the exclamation point. (!) Love Your Life!� Zip! Zing! Peppy! There is just something about admitting you like Oprah that puts a stay at home mom in a precarious position. Like, if you say at a dinner party, “I saw on Oprah…” the room will turn on you with a look that says of course you did. For this reason, I have never watched more than two or three episodes of Oprah in the 25 years she was on air. That’s a shame. I enjoyed every episode I saw and when I buy the magazine, I like that, too. One of Oprah’s producers spoke at Camp Mighty, and he was fabulous, inspiring. I better appreciate everything Oprah has done and see what I’ve been missing. The plain and simple truth is that until recently, I allowed my ego to get the best of me when it comes to Oprah. I haven’t read the book, but I suspect I will like it since it’s a compilation of features from the magazine.
Those are the books on simple living I have checked out. I also own a few, like the classics Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs or Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. Both books I have owned for almost a decade. The Simple Living Guide is a good book, when ideas relevant to your life are culled and used appropriately. I’m not going to sell all my possessions and live on a boat. The same can be said about Your Money or Your Life to a lesser degree.
I’ve also been reading books on health and spirituality and how it relates to disease. One book, Crazy Sexy Diet, is a book I read cover to cover in Lake Tahoe in between writing the memorial for Helena’s dad. The book is gorgeous and I love it, but I can’t look at it without getting short of breath and anxious. It reminds me of Helena and her parents and that awful, awful June. I’m tearing up right now just writing about it. ANYWAY. It did inspire several line items on my life list, including praying the rosary. I should read that book again.
I’ll stop now before I hit my woo-woo mystic pile. That’s a post in itself.
All images are from my visit to the Parker in Palm Springs last weekend.
I read the Kingsolver book after hearing the hype and I think the hype killed it for me. I should’ve known that would happen b/c that’s what usually happens with me and hype. Oh well. I did think the book an interesting one, but I got tired of her preachy political rants that interrupted the flow of the book’s primary theme of growing/eating local and seasonal. I also felt very “well that’s nice for you but what about the rest of us” at the end of it.
Kingsolver also seemed to toss about a lot of statements regarding the food industry/environmental issues without citing sources; that really bugged me. I know my job as a research editor makes me more attuned to this sort of thing, but making strong statements without backup just makes you look bad, no matter how politically like-minded your reader may be. Often I felt like I was at one of those parties where people later say they had such a good political discussion and I’m sitting there going ‘How was this a discussion? Everybody just agreed with each other.’ Clearly I was let down.
So I almost deleted this post, but I also know that when somebody hears the hype and then reads something like this, they may be better enabled to appreciate the book’s true fine points (I vote for her descriptors and recipes!).
No need to delete. I always welcome different perspective, especially when they are respectful to those who might have a different opinion. I tend to dislike blanket statements and opinions, so it’s good to know what I am getting into.
I found your 31-series through the Nester. I loved it! Animal, Vegetable Miracle is awesome. I read it often, following the months each year. Another suggestion is Simple Abundance By Sarah Ban Brethnach. It is written as daily devotionals/entries. It helps keep me balanced. Thanks for your writings.
I have Simple Abundance! I found it at my parents’ house this summer. My mom gave it to me as a birthday present in my 20s. I’ve been meaning to read it! Thanks for the encouragement/reminder.
Animal, Vegetable Miracle was so inspiring to me. Someday, I will have my own cow. Unfortunately, that’ll have to wait until I’m a little more disciplined, for the cow’s sake.
Two other books that I’ve enjoyed on the homemade subject are Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich and Make Your Place by Raleigh Briggs. The former has great stories about the experiences of the author trying to live a more handmade life and the latter is a great practical guide to “affordable, sustainable nesting skills.”
I think next on my list will have to be Simplicity Parenting. Your description hit me right between the eyes. I want that so much for my kids. Thanks for sharing that one.
Now if I can just find a way to be held accountable for all this new information I’m pouring in my head, I’ll feel like I’ve really accomplished something. ;)
“Someday, I will have my own cow.”
This made me laugh out loud. :) I’m taking notes–both books you’ve mentioned sound great. As for accountability, I think that’s what this blog has turned into for me. A way to keep me accountable (that’s what you all do for me) and document changes I’m making.
I actually listened to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle on CD while driving, and I would highly suggest going that route. And there were so many passages that stuck with me that I ended up going back to the library and checking out the book, but after perusing the book, I decided I was happy to have listened to it on CD. (When I listen to something on CD, I can just tune out the boring or annoying parts, whereas when I am reading a book and stumble upon a boring or annoying part, I often lose all momentum.) Anyway, that would be my suggestion because so many parts of that book are worth reading and considering. Plus, it’s actually read by the author, which is one of my most favorite things ever. You can really get the feel for how a book is supposed to be read when the author actually reads it to you, right?
Anyway, I’m also a big fan of Deepak Chopra as far as the whole simplicity/sprituality/woo woo stuff goes. (The Book of Secrets, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success — he’s written about a hundred books — etc.)
And with respect to financial simplicity, you might enjoy reading Trent Hamm’s blog, http://www.thesimpledollar.com. I always find good little nuggets in his posts.
Happy simplifying!
When I first because a stay at home mom, I read Simple Dollar all the time. I even wrote in and ask him a question that he featured on his blog! Great blog. Do you know I have never read any Deepak Chopra? That doesn’t seem right.
Couldn’t agree more with Juliette’s assessment. Barbara definitely tends to get preachy in AVM (the last straw for me was when she started chiding her daughter’s friend for eating bananas…DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR THOSE BANANAS CAME TO GET TO YOUR PLATE? Yeesh.)
PS – Jules, LOVE the new look!
Thanks, Gail!
Ok – now I’m going to ask for the woo-woo books – you can’t mention it without following through! AVM I read a couple years ago – and LOVED it. For that kind of back to the farm, I also loved Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. For Simplicity (kind of) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin was good. For general simplicity (but probably woo-woo and certainly not Catholic) I found Buddhism for Young Mothers to be exceptional.
I’ll have to write a post on the woo-woo books. I have a ton. Don’t every worry about recommending to me non Catholic books. I have a million of non Catholic books and find them all interesting or enlightening. You learn by reading/listening to different opinions.
It’s almost ironic if you don’t slow down and savour these books slowly one by one. I’ll definitely check these out!
I borrowed Simplicity Parenting from the library and loved it, so much so that I’ve bought a copy for myself and plan to re-read it in the lead-up to Christmas. In the same vein of parenting books, I also liked “Calm and Compassionate Children: A Handbook” by Susan Usha Dermond, and “Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children” by Sharifa Oppenheimer. “Heaven on Earth” is based largely in Waldorf philosophy. I liked the focus of these books on having a simpler, slower family life that focuses on quality, not quantity.
Excellent! I’m check then all out. Thank you!
I don’t have kids, but I wonder if I could still get something out of Simplicity Parenting. Looking forward to hearing what you think about the book. The neighbors’ son likes to come over and hang out with us in the yard or garage. He just turned 7 and I’ve known him for a couple years. He is a great kid and I think he would benefit if I could interact with him from a place of calmness and order. I think his home environment is a bit chaotic, and surely it might be good for him to have a peaceful place to just figure out who he is, think his thoughts and talk about what’s on his mind.
Lisa,
I read Simplicity Parenting this summer and really enjoyed parts of the book. There was one section about being available for kids to talk to you. I think that part could have some great points about the little one who comes to visit you.
I think there are points in the book that are transferable to any age with or without children. For example, in regards to toys, Kim asks how we can appreciate our favorites toys if there are too many choices. And, along with all the choices there are broken pieces and missing parts. It actually made me think about a new way to clean out my closet.
hope you develop more of a special relationship with your neighbor!
Katie
“Which is silly. The time it takes to hitch a horse to a carriage is time better spent feeding my sourdough starter. Priorities, Ruth.”
I can’t stop laughing…
You’re the only one who ever gets my goofball jokes. That’s probably not a compliment for you. ;)
Add the book “Margin” by Richard Swenson to your list.
It looks amazing. All his books do. Thank you!
Katie,
Thanks so much for the review! I will definitely check it out. And you’re right – the idea of how can we appreciate our favorite anythings when we have too many choices really does hit home. Thanks for the encouragement!
Lisa
Is it just me, or do others find it ironic that we have piles of books on simplicity? In my effort to read these books, make this or that handmade, etc., I find that my life becomes more complicated. I’ll buy that jar of spaghetti sauce or loaf of bread instead of making it because I don’t have the time. Sometimes, I need to just relax on the couch next to my husband and dog – that is simplicity to me!
For me, it’s proof that I am over-scheduling myself or spending too much time online. I did way too much the last half of this year and committed myself to too many projects. I was left frazzled and exhausted. Never again.
p.s. But hanging out with your husband watching tv is great. I did that last night. :)