Status
Available
Call number
Publication
WaterBrook (2018), 238 pages
Description
Home Design & Déco Self-Improvemen Nonfictio HTML:USA TODAY BESTSELLER �?� A popular minimalist blogger and author of The More of Less shows you how to methodically turn your home into a place of peace, contentment, and purposeful living. One of today's most influential minimalist advocates takes us on a decluttering tour of our own houses and apartments, showing us how to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. He both offers practical guidelines for simplifying our lifestyle at home and addresses underlying issues that contribute to over-accumulation in the first place. The purpose is not just to create a more inviting living space. It's also to turn our life's HQ�??our home�??into a launching pad for a more fulfilling and productive life in… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member PinkPurlandProse
Many thanks to NetGalley, Waterbrook and Multnomah, and Joshua Becker for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.
Joshua Becker has been in the “minimal” business for about 10 years. He has a website where you can get
Ugh - what an awful read. First I felt like his tone was so condescending. I couldn’t take it. Obviously I have a lot of stuff - that’s why I’m reading this book. He would repeat himself, ad nauseam, throughout the whole book. There wasn’t any comprehensive guide - again, he would repeat the same thing over and over for each room, literally the same steps - for each room! Why bother going through each room, listing all of the possible things you might have accumulated, telling me “get rid of what you don’t use or don’t need”. Obviously I knew that much! I don’t need a book for that. I was hoping for some insight, maybe some ideas that I hadn’t thought of to help declutter, some instructions. There was no real guidance other than “don’t do it” for lasting change. Then, don’t tell me how my life is going to change, I will become richer, have a fabulous job, help the poor, have more time, blah blah blah, just because you told me to get rid of some stuff. I didn’t buy any of it. I have decluttered before and none of those things have happened to me. The “real life” examples were ridiculous, laughable. Look, I believe in keeping a home without a lot of junk. Nobody needs piles of clothes, lots of knick knacks, and yes, you should keep those things that mean something to you. You shouldn’t get sucked into marketing ideas of having the latest, greatest and best thing out there, which will go out of date and then you need something new. I also happen to live with a (mild case) hoarder, who believes every rock, piece of junk, paper, etc. is extremely important and sentimental and will not throw out anything. So according to Becker, those are the things to keep. Not helpful. But without something new or real to add to the discussion, don’t fill up a book with one idea. My advice is don’t add one more book to your bookshelf with this one.
Joshua Becker has been in the “minimal” business for about 10 years. He has a website where you can get
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lots of tips and advice, including a newsletter sent to your inbox every so often. He has written other books but this one is sort of the culmination of his life’s work. He has been on TV, speaks all over and I have been following him for the past couple of years. In today’s world of massive consumerism, we can all use a dose of paring down and keeping things simple. We all have too much stuff. We are promoted, advertised, propagandized into thinking that it’s all stuff we need, what we have isn’t the right stuff and that the more stuff we have the happier we will be. This has been going on for years, I mean George Carlin had a bit about “Stuff” in the early 80’s. So I was excited to read what Becker had to say on what he promotes as a step by step, comprehensive room-by-room guide to decluttering your home and your life.Ugh - what an awful read. First I felt like his tone was so condescending. I couldn’t take it. Obviously I have a lot of stuff - that’s why I’m reading this book. He would repeat himself, ad nauseam, throughout the whole book. There wasn’t any comprehensive guide - again, he would repeat the same thing over and over for each room, literally the same steps - for each room! Why bother going through each room, listing all of the possible things you might have accumulated, telling me “get rid of what you don’t use or don’t need”. Obviously I knew that much! I don’t need a book for that. I was hoping for some insight, maybe some ideas that I hadn’t thought of to help declutter, some instructions. There was no real guidance other than “don’t do it” for lasting change. Then, don’t tell me how my life is going to change, I will become richer, have a fabulous job, help the poor, have more time, blah blah blah, just because you told me to get rid of some stuff. I didn’t buy any of it. I have decluttered before and none of those things have happened to me. The “real life” examples were ridiculous, laughable. Look, I believe in keeping a home without a lot of junk. Nobody needs piles of clothes, lots of knick knacks, and yes, you should keep those things that mean something to you. You shouldn’t get sucked into marketing ideas of having the latest, greatest and best thing out there, which will go out of date and then you need something new. I also happen to live with a (mild case) hoarder, who believes every rock, piece of junk, paper, etc. is extremely important and sentimental and will not throw out anything. So according to Becker, those are the things to keep. Not helpful. But without something new or real to add to the discussion, don’t fill up a book with one idea. My advice is don’t add one more book to your bookshelf with this one.
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LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
I've been slowly trying to organize our home, and when I say slowly I mean sloooooooowly! We've lived in our current home for over three years and still had unopened boxes in basement storage from our move. I requested this book from NetGalley in the hopes that it would motivate me to finally do
"A home that is filled with only the things you use and love will be a home that you love to use"
(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)
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something about all this stuff. While some of the book and the minimalist movement is not for me (I need to live with more than two towels and one plate and fork per person), some of it was incredibly helpful and motivating. I asked my in-laws to watch my children for one day and was able to tackle that basement storage room and open every box and the majority of the contents immediately went into the garage sale pile. I've managed to make it through the children's toys and bedrooms and have removed so much stuff! I still need to tackle the kitchen, and master bedroom and closet this week but I know I will be as ruthless as I was with the rest of the house. I'm planning an epic garage sale for this summer!"A home that is filled with only the things you use and love will be a home that you love to use"
(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)
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LibraryThing member carole888fort
The goal of minimalism is not just to own less stuff. The goal is to unburden our lives so we can accomplish more." This is a quote by Joshua Becker in The Minimalist Home. Minimalism in your home and life simplifies every aspect of living. The author offers room-by-room examples to streamline
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possessions and furniture. Objects that are not necessary can be relocated, sold, donated or recycled. This book is not for hoarders: minimalism could apply to most of our homes. Joshua Becker guides through the process to make life simpler and allow more time to do things that really matter. The Minimalist Home is well-explained and provides easy-to-follow suggestions on how to proceed. This is definitely an example of less is more. A useful tool. Thank you to Waterbrook & Multnomah and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Show Less
LibraryThing member JennyNau10
The Minimalist Home is my new favorite book on the subject. This book takes you to step by step (with lists!) through each room in your home, guiding and advising you on how and why to de-clutter that area.
Joshua has such an easy-going tone that you’ll find yourself nodding along in agreement
Being minimal with seven people under one roof is hard. However we have made great strides in ridding ourselves of excess clutter, and I credit a lot of that to reading what Joshua has to say in this and his other books on the subject.
My only complaint is the anecdote about someone getting “cured” of depression after going minimal. I’m not sure if that’s a great example. I do agree that having clutter certainly won’t help any mental health issues, but not having it won’t cure them either.
The rest of this book is gold. Even if you’ve read a lot on the subject, go pick this up, you’ll find something new.
Joshua has such an easy-going tone that you’ll find yourself nodding along in agreement
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with him, even if at first you think you NEED all that stuff. You can go slow and start with one closet or one drawer and soon you may find that by making literal space in your home, you make “space” in your life for stuff other than stuff.Being minimal with seven people under one roof is hard. However we have made great strides in ridding ourselves of excess clutter, and I credit a lot of that to reading what Joshua has to say in this and his other books on the subject.
My only complaint is the anecdote about someone getting “cured” of depression after going minimal. I’m not sure if that’s a great example. I do agree that having clutter certainly won’t help any mental health issues, but not having it won’t cure them either.
The rest of this book is gold. Even if you’ve read a lot on the subject, go pick this up, you’ll find something new.
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LibraryThing member jeanbmac
The Minimalist Home is yet another book that reinforces our determination to download and hone down to the essentials-another tool in the arsenal, this time presented with a spiritual connotation.
LibraryThing member thewestwing
Of all the minimalist books I’ve read this year, this has been my favourite because it is so practical. If bringing minimalism into your life and home is something you want to do, this book is essential!
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