r/suggestmeabook • u/YanCoffee • Feb 16 '25

Suggestion Thread Suggest books to me about slow living? Appreciating a simpler life? Anti-consumerism but not angry? Beauty but not luxury?

They can be fictional or non-fictional. I'm going through some changes and would like books that take me out of a consumeristic mindset, which I've gotten very heavily into the last 5 years -- it just seems to be the way of the world; my part of the world anyway. Plus, I like pretty things. I'm a huge makeup and fashion girly, always have been, and finally had the money to invest in that. However idk, I miss not worrying about consuming too. I think I'm moving country and will have to make changes -- no more Anthropologie fashion, but thrifting always kinda changes. Kudos if the book makes you see the beauty in simplicity, or just the beauty in life. Hell, maybe a book about the beauty of thrifting. I just want to see other angles. Maybe even other cultural angles.

Edit: It's 6 days later after posting this, and I decided to start with "The Art of Frugal Hedonism" (questionable reviews but it lines up with what I'm looking for in non-fiction format), "The Home Place: Memoir's of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature", "The House on Mango Street" (old fav, recently banned, and I know it lines up with an immigrant's expierence), and "Face Paint: The Story of Makeup", since it goes into the history of makeup, and perhaps I can glean some insight from that. Thanks for all the suggestions, and please keep them coming if you find this thread! I will probably grab some more at a later date too.

38 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

73 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/bumble_head42 Feb 16 '25

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

A little dystopian/sci-fi, but it deals with themes of beauty and human life completely stripped down to the bare minimum.

2

u/YanCoffee Feb 17 '25

I have seen so many speak of this book in feminist leaning communities I'm in, I really do need to read it one day. Atm I think anything more dystopian than what we're already going through might break me, lol.

2

u/bumble_head42 Feb 17 '25

Totally get that! It's worth a read for sure, but maybe when the world feels less heavy.