nut free nerd

Yet another round up of some eclectic reads. Let’s go!

The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing. I loved this book. It’s so many things at once: Laing’s relationship with gardening generally and a garden they recently started tending to; an exploration of the horrific colonial roots of so many famous gardens; a discussion of the way gardens seem to run on their own cyclical time; an ode to all the lovely flowers that inhabit Laing’s garden. I flew through this book in just a few days because I couldn’t put it down. Beautifully written, and so well researched. I’d recommend this one to fans of How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell and Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller.  (From review originally posted on my bookstagram.)

The Hustle Cure by Sophie Cliff. I’ve listened to Sophie’s Practical Positivity podcast for years, so I was thrilled to hear that she was coming out with a book about rethinking and reimagining our relationship with productivity. She uses evidence-based research to debunk some of the common productivity hacks that are often deemed “universal,” and discusses how personalizing our definitions of success and productivity can make a big difference in our daily lives. Highly recommend for anyone who feels like they need a little reset when it comes to their relationship with productivity.

Half-Arse Human by Leena Norms. Listening to Leena Norms — whose videos I have watched for years — narrate this book was a joy. She posits that it is impossible for us to give our absolute 100 percent to every single aspect of our lives (without completely burning out), and therefore we should consciously choose aspects of our lives that are less important to “half-arse.” From the clothes in our wardrobes to the food in our fridge, Leena begs readers to ask ourselves: To what do we want to give our all? I already can’t wait to reread this one.

Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading lately? I’d love to know.

Take care xx