Over 100 book reviews!

On By Rosie AdamsIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Hello my faithful followers!

Thank you for your participation in Reads and Roses, whether it be a drop by when you have some free time, or a like, or a comment. I truly love hearing from my fellow book lovers.

I wanted to celebrate when I reached 100 reviews, but that time has come and gone, and I missed it! But hey, it’s still super fun to have over 100 book reviews on this blog, so it’s still worth celebrating and acknowledging.

So thanks again for your involvement in this blog! It means so much, really it does.

Top 5 picks: books on organization and minimalism

On By Rosie AdamsIn Lifestyle, Minimalism, Self HelpLeave a comment

If you’ve stuck with me and my reviews for the past two months, I salute you. If you got any ideas or inspiration from my posts on organization or minimalism, I would love to hear from you!

Maybe you are interested in these kinds of self-help books, but don’t know where to begin – there are so many! And yes, some self-help books are more helpful than others. For this reason, I have put together my Top 5 Picks of the books I have recently read. (Included are links to my reviews of each book, as well as links to purchase them on Amazon.)

The Joy of Less

 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

 

The More of Less

 

The Curated Closet

 

Simple Matters

Have you read any of these self-help books? Are you adding any of them to your list of books to read? Let me know if you liked them as much as I did!

It’s All Too Much

On By Rosie AdamsIn Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self Help, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Title: It’s All Too Much: an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff
Author: Peter Walsh
Genre: Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self Help 
Publisher: Free Press
Release Date: January 1st, 2007

I think I would have devoured this book, had it been among the first few I had read on this subject. As it was, I still really enjoyed it, though I have read similar things in similar books (probably copying this author!)

Walsh has some great ideas in dealing with your stuff, and later organizing it. Part One of the book addresses The Clutter Problem, while Part Two deals with Putting Clutter in Its Place. He then tackles room by room, which I find helpful when dealing with clutter and organization.

This is definitely a book I would recommend if you are looking for a fresh start with your things and your home… I just might recommend reading some other books first!

Click on the link below to get your copy of this book:

L’art de la Simplicité

On By Rosie AdamsIn Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Title: L’art de la Simplicité: how to live more with less 
Author: Dominique Loreau
Genre: Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self Help
Publisher: Trapeze
Release Date: January 12th, 2017

Let me begin by saying how much I wanted to love this book and read it in one sitting. I just didn’t. I wasn’t able to connect with it the way I’ve connected with others like it. Maybe it was the style of writing, as well as the content. It’s hard to say.

There was a lot to like about this book, a lot of wisdom shared, from eastern civilizations in particular. Many of the ideas found in this book will stick with me for a long time, so I am grateful to have read it. Ideas such as living lightly and eating lightly and overall quality of life. There were so many things I agreed with.

Some of the things that I didn’t necessarily agree with however, the author stated them as rather black and white subjects. To me, there are few things in life that are truly black and white, but we needn’t get into any of that here. It just came across a bit on the harsh side, and I doubt that was the author’s intention. It felt like this is right way, this is best way, when there might be other acceptable and good ways to approach lifestyle. (I won’t get into any specifics, as it was sprinkled throughout the book.)

The book was divided into three parts: Materialism and Minimalism, Body, and Mind. I did appreciate and take away a lot of ideas from each part. I just would have liked the book more if it had been a little more “here is what I think” and less “this is the only way to live.” But anyway, there you have it.

Click on the link below to get your copy of this book:

Real Life Organizing

On By Rosie AdamsIn Lifestyle, Nonfiction, Self HelpLeave a comment

Title: Real Life Organizing: clean and clutter-free in 15 minutes a day
Author: Cassandra Aarssen
Genre: Lifestyle, Nonfiction, Self Help
Publisher: Mango
Release Date: April 18th, 2017

This book begins by asking the questing: what kind of clutter bug are you? Haha. But really. The author states that every person deals with clutter differently, and falls under the category of butterfly, cricket, ladybug, or bee, or some kind of combination of these. This idea was actually interesting to me, as my husband and I seemed to have different ideas of what organized looked like.

“A butterfly is a very visual person and generally likes to see all their belongings for fear of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ They also can become easily distracted and can float like a butterfly from task to task without really completing any of the projects that they begin.” More is said about butterflies, but you get the idea.

“A cricket is a classic piler!” Image result for hand raised emoji “They are very neat and tidy piles, but piles nonetheless. Crickets like very detailed and logical organizing systems, which can sometimes take too much time to set up or require too much effort to use properly. Therefore, Crickets will stack neat piles until they have time to put them away properly…” Me, me, definitely me. Next.

“Ladybugs are generally stressed out by surface clutter and strive to keep their living space clean and clutter-free. Without a micro-organizing system in place, the small stuff can get shoved here, there, and everywhere!” (Now, imagine a cricket and a ladybug living together. The cricket has neat, little piles that the ladybug likes to hide so that the surfaces are clear! #rantover)

“A bee is someone who always has a new project or hobby on the go! They almost always like to keep their tools, papers, and supplies out in plain sight until they have finished the job or hobby they are working on.”

There is (obviously) a lot more to the book than “clutterbugs”, but this idea was probably the most helpful thing I took away from the book, especially since it can reveal how you and your partner tend to look at clutter and how to deal with it. The author also includes many cute charts in the back of the book to help get you going with your decluttering and cleaning!

Click on the link below to get your copy of this book:

Simple Matters

On By Rosie AdamsIn Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self HelpLeave a comment

Title: Simple Matters: Living with less and ending up with more
Author: Erin Boyle 
Genre: Lifestyle, Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self Help
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Release Date: January 12th, 2016

Keeping with my current pattern of books on minimalism and simplicity, I picked up Simple Matters from the library, and am now wishing that I had bought it instead. That’s how good it is. I can’t wait to have it among other favorites on the shelf. So let me tell you a bit about it.

In addition to the beautiful, subtle pictures throughout the book, Simple Matters shares truths and wisdoms that I believe anyone can apply to their home and lifestyle. I loved the author’s perspective, having lived in a small flat in NY. Not only did she make the best of the small space that she had, but she made it a home.

This book has it all, beginning with decluttering, simplifying, and organizing, but not stopping there. She goes on to discuss decorating, bath & beauty, getting dressed, cooking & entertaining, cleaning, and finally thriving. I appreciated how thorough Simple Matters was. Not just tackling the clutter (which is essential) but making your home a place where you can rest and grow and thrive.

Each different chapter in Simple Matters was well thought out and intentional about things concerning the home and the body. On a bigger scale, living smaller benefits our environment, too, by being more sustainable, and less wasteful. If you are interested in minimalism, or just a simpler approach to a sustainable life, this book is for you!

Click on the link below to get your copy of this book:

The More of Less

On By Rosie AdamsIn Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self HelpLeave a comment

Title: The More of Less: Finding the life you want under everything you own
Author: Joshua Becker
Genre: Minimalism, Nonfiction, Self Help
Publisher: WaterBrook
Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Joshua Becker, creator of BecomingMinimalist.com, defines minimalism as “the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from them.” I like this definition because it encourages things in our lives, but not just “things” – the right things! Don’t you love the idea of being surrounded by only the things that add value to your life? I know I do.

One thing I personally appreciated in Becker’s perspective of minimalism was the way he tied it to Jesus. With his teachings on selling your possessions and giving to the poor, and storing up treasures in heaven, we can see that Jesus was a minimalist before his time! Now I don’t think any of us are saying that possessions themselves are wrong; instead, the point Becker makes is that “excess possessions keep up from fulfilling our purpose.”

When we consume less, we have more time, energy, and resources to spend not just on ourselves, but on others as well. Becker states, “People who give away possessions hold their remaining possessions in higher esteem. People who donate money are far less wasteful with the money left over. And people who give their time make better use of their remaining time.” That’s the kind of lifestyle I’m interested in living.

To summarize, minimalism should bring more meaning to our lives by removing things that are truly meaningless. In having less, we find that we really have more – more time, more money, more energy. More of everything that matters, and less of everything that doesn’t.

Click on the link below to get your copy of this book: