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Title: The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Luhrs ISBN: 0-553-06796-6 Publisher: Broadway Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (42 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Living in the Sidebars
Comment: Janet Luhrs brings her experience as the editor of Simple Living: The Journal of Voluntary Simplicity to the Simple Living Guide. Over 400 pages, this compendium of ideas for "less stressful, more joyful living" is heavy on the many philosophical ideas that fall under the simple living umbrella. In 14 topical chapters ranging from Money to Virtues Luhrs balances her occasionally redundant reflections with sidebars highlighting case studies, offering tips, and providing the nuts & bolts how-to's. Some of these are tremendously helpful and/or interesting. For example, in the chapter on Simple Pleasures and Romance, there is an article by Kirk S. Nevin about his family's decision to live without electricity or plumbing; and the chapter on Inner Simplicity includes a very practical article on dealing with insomnia.
Other sidebars are less helpful, more a mish-mash of 12-step generalisms, such as Luhrs' list of the 28 secrets to happiness, including "get organized," "be humble" and "learn from the past, plan for the future, and live in the present".
My two primary criticisms are that most of the ideas in this book are available elsewhere (see The Tightwad Gazette or Your Money or Your Life) and that some ideas aren't included. There is almost nothing here about permaculture, for example, and very little attempt at introducing serious or radical sustainability.
This book is a great primer for people who may have never encountered simple living philosophies before; however, those steeped in an already-intentional lifestyle will find little here that is new.
Rating: 5
Summary: Full of ideas
Comment: This book is full of great ideas for people following the simple living path. The author's essential thesis, although never explicitly stated, is that to live simply, we must consciously consider every consequence of the every decision we make. If we are unhappy with our current money/family/housing/health conditions, we need to realize that these conditions are the result of decisions we made in the past. To live a better life, we need to make better decisions and often a simpler option is the better choice.
Along these lines, the author points out how going along with the average American middleclass lifestyle of large house, large debts, high fat diet, and too much TV is neither fun nor healthy. She suggests countless alternatives, but more importantly, stresses that each person needs to make the choice himself or herself. Even if a person chooses to go along with the usual average American habit, that's not necessarily bad, as long as he or she makes the choice consciously and is content with all of the consequences.
This book doesn't have a lot of specific money advice on how to live a simple life. For this, a reader might look to a book like "Your Money or Your Life". Instead, its strength lies in helping the reader to develop a personal philosophy towards living simply, as well as providing ideas. To provide encouragement, each chapter ends with a short case history of a successful simplicity family story.
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply the best simple living book
Comment: This is really the best book if you are trying to simplify your life. I have read many others, and although they all have good points, this book gets to the heart of the matter. There are also many examples of how to make your life more simple and enjoy it more.
If you are looking to join the simple living movement, start with this book first. Then, if you are hooked get some others, they will just help you with what you have already learned. I wish everyone would read this book, we may just have a better world if they did. It is nice to have the focus off of consumer spending and keeping up with the latest trends, and putting the focus back on the simple pleasures in life.
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Title: Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Joe Dominguez, Vicki Robin ISBN: 0140286780 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World by Linda Breen Pierce, Vicki Robin ISBN: 0967206715 Publisher: Gallagher Press Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich by Duane Elgin ISBN: 0688121195 Publisher: Quill Pub. Date: 01 April, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Simple Loving: A Path to Deeper, More Sustainable Relationships by Janet Luhrs ISBN: 0140196102 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 03 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living by Georgene Lockwood ISBN: 0028639073 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 21 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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