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104th out of 115 books
—
47 voters
Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World
This ground breaking work goes beyond the books that tell you how to simplify your life. This book reveals what has happened in the lives of real people who have done it. Based on the author's three-year study of over 200 people from 40 states and eight countries, Choosing Simplicity is a delightful and rich blend of real-life profiles and guidelines on simplicity. Interwo...more
Paperback, 348 pages
Published
January 1st 2000
by Gallagher Press
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filled with stories of ways in which people simplified their lives. i did like reading about simplicity from a variety of perspectives, and appreciated that the author took ample time to emphasize that there's no exact formula for this type of life style, but felt parts of the book seemed redundant (i.e. needed to be simplified!). there also seemed to be far too many instances of plugging several books - it felt almost as if they were being advertised through the text.
Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World by Linda Breen Pierce is filled with stories of real people who have chosen to well, live simply. I found the stories inspiring and enlightening. I was nodding along in agreement with the things I do now and the wishes and dreams I have for the future. I enjoyed reading the variety of perspectives and appreciate that the author emphasized that there's no exact formula for this type of life style.
This book affirmed...more
This book affirmed...more
Sep 07, 2010
Gloria
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Voluntary Simplicity Enthusiasts
Shelves:
non-fiction
While written in 2000, the current economic crisis makes this a perfect time to read or re-read this book. It does an excellent job of explaining voluntary simplicity and how its definition will vary from person to person. In short interviews, many types of enthusiasts describe their motivations and their lifestyles. Gives one lots to think about. Good resources included.
Nice little book of folks and their tales on the road to voluntary simplicity...and in a few cases, not so voluntary. Parts of it were interesting, parts of it dragged, and I wasn't crazy about the writing style, but it is encouraging enough to make you feel that you CAN have a more simple lifestyle if you set your mind to it.
I liked the stories of people's lives but as for the rest this was a slow and ponderous read. What struck me is that the stories were not so much of people choosing simplicity but giving themselves permission to think about what they really wanted and needed from their lives... and choosing it.
Liked to hear other peoples takes on what living simply means to them, because of course it is different for all of us, very motivational...can't wait to live in Carmel like the author! hahahaha
A very inspiring book, giving many examples of what living on purpose looks like. The subjects of this book look at time, work, money, relationships and leisure, in a very unconventional way. Though the book leans very much toward the environmentalist and new age way of thinking, the end result is that the readers can find motivation to think outside the norm when choosing how to live their lives.
Good, real-life examples of those who are simplifying. The author serves as a guide who helps the reader determine how simplicity could be applied in his/her life.
An enjoyable exploration of the lives of real people living simply. It is interested to hear why they made the choice to live a simple life and the varied lifestyles they lead.
Inspirational!
It took me a long time, but fittingly I finished this book on the day I made a big (and simplicity-aligned) career decision official. The book has a great premise but is just too long. The anecdotes and chapter themes don't vary enough, so there's a sense of reading the same material over and over. The author also has some kind of obsession with the book "Your Money or Your Life," which must have been mentioned 50 times.
I don't think I can really be trivial about it at the moment. Extremely resonant. Validating, in a kind of Is that what you call what I've been thinking?!? way.
Ironic: I got this in the $1 pile at Barnes & Noble. In Ithaca? Also resonant in that Holy crap, I'm cheap and this was a good book way.
Ironic: I got this in the $1 pile at Barnes & Noble. In Ithaca? Also resonant in that Holy crap, I'm cheap and this was a good book way.
Great book about those who have actually made the change to living the "Simple Life" (no, not like the Paris Hilton TV show). Gives great ideas and tells stories of people and how they were able to restructure their lives so that they weren't frantically running from work to activities, etc.
I really enjoyed this book. I found the tone friendly and educational, and the study had a good amount of research to draw on. It was very inspiring to read about so many different lifestyles in one book, and I think it's a book that more people should read.
Actually, this turns out to be one of the best simple living books I've read so far. Although it's a little dated, it includes details about the lives of many folks living simply and the life decisions they've made to simplify. Nicely done.
A thick book that reads slowly. I guess I wanted the book to reflect simplicity, too. Some interesting reasons people chose simple lives ...
Filled with lots of stories of people who are choosing simplicity in the modern world. This is a different way to view life and what we do.
I'm hard to please when it comes to Voluntary Simplicity. I guess I wanted to read something new on the topic, but didn't find it here.
What a refeshing book. I really enjoyed it. It is about learning to nurture the soul not just go to a job and earn money.
I enjoyed reading how and why different people have simplified their lives and it has certainly given me food dor thought.
Just finished this book and thoroughly enjoyed the various ways that people choose to live simply.
This book really affirmed many of the choices I've made about the kind of life I lead.
A bit formulaic, but it was enlightening to read how people had simplified their lives.
great examples of people who chose to live more simply, in various ways
Paradigm shifting!
Jun 16, 2013
Mtp
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Timo
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Muhala
marked it as to-read
Jun 12, 2013
Morgan
is currently reading it
Jun 11, 2013
Diana Tena
marked it as to-read
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Oct 17, 2010 07:10am