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A review by readingwithkt
Nothing Much Happens: Cozy and Calming Stories to Soothe Your Mind and Help You Sleep by Kathryn Nicolai
3.0
When you first think about reading a book where nothing really happens, you might think it’s a bit of a strange way to spend your time. However, this book was a great meditative tool. I read it slowly, mostly before bed, and it’s slow and calming pace really settled me into sleep. It took me roughly 3-5 of the short stories to fall asleep, and I did find that when I fell asleep after reading this book, I slept better and woke feeling more rested. I could also feel in my body, at the time of reading, how much the book was relaxing me and letting me forget about the worries of the day. My favourite of all the stories was ‘In the Library’.
Around the 70% mark, I would say there were aspects of the stories that started to aggravate me. Firstly, I became aware of how upper middle class this book is, with such passages as “I went through the fridge again and came away with a package of cremini mushrooms and some fresh parsley. In the pantry I found broth and arborio rice and a bottle of wine” completely alienating me.
The reference to the bottle of wine also sat uneasily with me. In a book of stories designed to help you relax, I find it irresponsible the number of references which are made to alcohol, a well known depressant. Indeed, in one story entitled ‘Instructions for Feeling Better After a Bad Day’, the author suggests “you can make a cup of tea, milky and sweet with a good pour of whiskey in it. You can say to yourself while you’re adding the whiskey ‘practically medicinal.’ But you don’t need to. You can have it just because you want it.” This is beyond irresponsible and I’m baffled when I think about how this made it through the editorial process. However, it’s not the only reference to alcohol and, indeed, one note that I made on my kindle says “this is the third story in a row featuring alcohol.” The references were totally redundant every time and could easily have been removed with no impact on the story. One specific recipe was given for an alcoholic beverage.
Essentially, this is a lovely book to help you sleep, especially if you are an upper middle class American woman who has no history with alcohol dependency.
Around the 70% mark, I would say there were aspects of the stories that started to aggravate me. Firstly, I became aware of how upper middle class this book is, with such passages as “I went through the fridge again and came away with a package of cremini mushrooms and some fresh parsley. In the pantry I found broth and arborio rice and a bottle of wine” completely alienating me.
The reference to the bottle of wine also sat uneasily with me. In a book of stories designed to help you relax, I find it irresponsible the number of references which are made to alcohol, a well known depressant. Indeed, in one story entitled ‘Instructions for Feeling Better After a Bad Day’, the author suggests “you can make a cup of tea, milky and sweet with a good pour of whiskey in it. You can say to yourself while you’re adding the whiskey ‘practically medicinal.’ But you don’t need to. You can have it just because you want it.” This is beyond irresponsible and I’m baffled when I think about how this made it through the editorial process. However, it’s not the only reference to alcohol and, indeed, one note that I made on my kindle says “this is the third story in a row featuring alcohol.” The references were totally redundant every time and could easily have been removed with no impact on the story. One specific recipe was given for an alcoholic beverage.
Essentially, this is a lovely book to help you sleep, especially if you are an upper middle class American woman who has no history with alcohol dependency.