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A review by greengaybles
Nothing Much Happens: Cozy and Calming Stories to Soothe Your Mind and Help You Sleep by Kathryn Nicolai
5.0
Okay, I love this book. I can't really be objective about it in terms of quality, because the whole time I was reading it I was just so delighted and soothed. There are sweet little stories for each season, beginning with late winter and ending with Christmas Eve, and while the title would suggest that nothing much happens in them, I found them to be rich with detail and nostalgia and so much love. It's a very cozy book, as you might expect since it's meant to send people off to sleep, and while perhaps someone less charitable than me might say the writing is a little twee, it worked perfectly for me. I am a shameless fan of all things twee, after all, and gleefully embrace both the aesthetic and the way of life.
I can't speak to the illustrations because, you know, totally blind, but I plan to buy a print copy for my mom for Mother's Day, so I'll ask her about them then. There are also recipes and meditations sprinkled throughout, and I'm not a meditation person, being perpetually unable to quiet my mind or focus on any one thing for very long, but I still appreciate the spirit in which they're offered. And I'll definitely be trying out some of the recipes, eventually, when I turn my kitchen into a place I don't hate being. I saw a review which criticized the amount of alcoholic beverages mentioned, which strikes me as a very odd complaint, even though I myself don't drink. There was quite a bit of wine and some whiskey and champagne and so on, but like...the author is an adult? She's well within her rights to drink if she wants to? And you don't have to make those drinks for yourself?
Anyway, this is a perfect book as far as I'm concerned, and I can't wait to delve into the podcast. It's a quick read if you do it straight through from beginning to end the way I did, but you could also read a story or two at night before bed and savor it for ages if you were so inclined, and since it has stories for each season, you could even read just the ones for the season you're currently in and save the rest for when those seasons come around. It's adaptable.
I needed this shot of joy in my life at this present moment, and I'm so glad I found it when I did. Life feels just a little bit more manageable now, and even like something I might enjoy and revel in again someday.
I can't speak to the illustrations because, you know, totally blind, but I plan to buy a print copy for my mom for Mother's Day, so I'll ask her about them then. There are also recipes and meditations sprinkled throughout, and I'm not a meditation person, being perpetually unable to quiet my mind or focus on any one thing for very long, but I still appreciate the spirit in which they're offered. And I'll definitely be trying out some of the recipes, eventually, when I turn my kitchen into a place I don't hate being. I saw a review which criticized the amount of alcoholic beverages mentioned, which strikes me as a very odd complaint, even though I myself don't drink. There was quite a bit of wine and some whiskey and champagne and so on, but like...the author is an adult? She's well within her rights to drink if she wants to? And you don't have to make those drinks for yourself?
Anyway, this is a perfect book as far as I'm concerned, and I can't wait to delve into the podcast. It's a quick read if you do it straight through from beginning to end the way I did, but you could also read a story or two at night before bed and savor it for ages if you were so inclined, and since it has stories for each season, you could even read just the ones for the season you're currently in and save the rest for when those seasons come around. It's adaptable.
I needed this shot of joy in my life at this present moment, and I'm so glad I found it when I did. Life feels just a little bit more manageable now, and even like something I might enjoy and revel in again someday.