Reviewed by annieb123 on
Seeking Slow: Reclaim Moments of Calm in Your Day is a new tutorial and philosophy handbook by Melanie Barnes. Released 24th Sept 2019 by Quarto on their Rock Point imprint, it's 128 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.
Almost everyone I know has a more or less frenetic life. We race from place to place and overbook our time to the minute. Our society has become one where being a workaholic is a good thing. Most of us are overconsuming and have a throwaway philosophy concerning everything from phones to relationships. This book provides some good arguments for why we can (and should) slow down and take control of our time and recapture calm for psychological and physiological health benefits.
I liked the layout of the book. The introduction (~10% of the content) covers 'what, how, and why' for slow living. The following chapters cover these whats hows and whys in more depth and in specific situations (work, social interaction, prioritizing time use, recapturing time from our schedules and using it wisely, and more). I especially liked the tips for being more aware of how much time electronic devices use up of our days. I think most people have experienced planning to only check their social media quickly to be surprised that an hour (or more) has disappeared.
Tips and techniques are often set into sidebars for focusing readers' attention to the info. The book is generously illustrated with crystal clear illustrative photos and the text is easy to read and accessible. Information is grouped into logical chapters so readers can find and easily access the info they need, a la carte. There are a number of wide-reaching subjects covered here, from meditation to decluttering. The info is presented objectively and well.
Four stars, well written, accessible, sensible, and useful.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 9 October, 2019: Reviewed