Three books to get you into the mindset to simplify your life

Megan Collins of @TheManicuredShelf is back with her recommendations for books that fall into our March theme of SIMPLIFYING. We’re so excited for this next batch of books, let us know if you’re reading along!

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I’ve always appreciated the simple things, but going through 2020, I found all-new ways to embrace them. Perhaps my favorite was adopting a Steve Jobs-style uniform to simplify getting ready (for Zoom) every morning. Sometimes, making decisions and having too many choices can be daunting! To that end, we’re making things easy with a short & sweet list of books centered around different interpretations of this surprisingly ephemeral theme.

SELF CARE by Leigh Stein (Fiction)

A straight-forward satirical look at the self-care industry through a series of vignettes into the lives of the people who work in it. The plot is incredibly simple, which allows Stein to focus on witty dialogue and crackling character dynamics.

“I highly recommend this whip-smart, breezy read to anyone who—like me—rolls their eyes at GOOP but also loves their jade roller. “ —excerpt from the full review on @themanicuredshelf

CULTURAL THEMES: Women, Mental Health, Self Care, Work, Toxic Femininity
READ SPEED: Very fast

LESS by Andrew Sean Greer (Fiction)

Less follows author Arthur Less as he seeks to get over his soon-to-be-wed ex-boyfriend by embarking on an odyssey across the globe. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, and as I captioned on @themanicuredshelf, “A 272-page thesis on the old adage “less is more” and I loved every word.”

CULTURAL THEMES: Psychology, Travel, Omnicultural Love
READ SPEED: Fast

BEACH READ by Emily Henry (Fiction)

Sometimes, between Agatha Christie headscratchers and Barack Obama doorstoppers, you just need a good old-fashioned read-in-one sitting romance novel. Beach Read takes the simplest rom-com trope—girl & boy next door—and adds a modern sensibility for a fun, juicy read.

CULTURAL THEMES: Millennials Going Rural, Mental Health
READ SPEED: Very fast

Megan Collins is a Cultural Insights Analyst & Founder of @themanicuredshelf and a regular contributor to the M.T. Deco Blog