IT'S SIMPLE, REALLY
 
Our Lives are frittered away by detail ... simplify, simplify. 
--Thoreau          
 

 
A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit, and a violin;
what else does a man need to be happy?
-- Albert Einstein                

The $1,000 Challenge : How One Family Slashed its Budget Without Moving Under a Bridge or Living on Government Cheese

by Brian J. O'Connor

A guide based on a newspaper series the author wrote about coping with The Great Recession, and an 10-week experiment to cut the family living expenses by $1000 a month.
The Art of Simple Living : 100 DailyPractices From a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy

by Shunmy Masuno

Zen monk and garden designer Masuno does for mental clutter what Marie Kondo has done for household clutter: pare down and simplify, by offering 100 directives that are small and subtle.
Backyard Farming : From Raising Chickens to Growing Veggies, the Beginner's Guide to Running a Self-sustaining Farm

by Adams Media
 
You can create your very own micro farm right in your backyard -- no matter where you live! Discover ways to grow, raise, and store your own food year round whether you live in an urban environment, in the suburbs, or out in the country.
The Clutter Remedy : a Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff

by Marla Stone
 
A former therapist turned professional organizer helps readers eliminate clutter in their homes and offices. Instead of merely encouraging readers to throw away their possessions, the author shows them how to make their personal spaces harmonious with their values, personalities, and lifestyles
 
available in alternate format(s)
Daily Rituals : Women at Work
 
by Mason Currey

In a previous work (Daily Rituals: Artists at Work) on the daily rituals of artists, the majority of the profiles were of men.  Here, the author looks at women artists, both living and dead, and the routines that buoyed, nurtured, and spurred their endeavors.
Digital Minimalism : Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

by Cal Newport

A Georgetown University computer scientist outlines a minimalist approach to technology involving a radical reduction of personal online time as part of a healthy lifestyle choice to render technology the tools of humans, not the other way around.
 
available in alternate format(s)
A Family Guide to Waste-Free Living

by Lauren Carter

This book  provides a roadmap for anyone wanting to reduce their waste. It is packed with information and offers practical and achievable solutions for eliminating waste in the home, at work and in the world. 
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning : How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter
 
by Margareta Magnusson
 
The author instructs readers to embrace minimalism, and suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects).
 
available in alternate format(s)
The Lazy Genius Way : Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done

by Kendra Adachi
 
 If you need a comprehensive self-help strategy but are tired of reading stacks of self-help books, here is an easy way that actually works. No more cobbling together life hacks and productivity strategies from dozens of authors and still feeling tired. The struggle is real, but it doesn't have to be in charge.
Living Without Plastic : More Than 100 Easy Swaps for Home, Travel, Dining, Holidays, and Beyond

by Brigette Allen
 
Every year, the world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic. These products will never break down and will endlessly pollute our oceans, air, land, and food chain. But the good news is that there are many steps, small and large, we can take to change our plastic-using habits. 
 
available in alternate format(s)
The New Bohemians Handbook : Come Home to Good Vibes

by Justina Blakeney
 
Packed with hundreds of ideas for bringing positive energy to your home, the book features exercises and activities for thinking about rooms in new ways.
New Minimalism : Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living

by Cary Telander Fortin
 
Your external space reflects your internal state. What does your home say about you? This book promises an opportunity for self-reflection and lasting change, by getting to the bottom of why we've accumulated too much stuff in the first place.
Outer Order, Inner Calm : Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness

by Gretchen Rubin
 
Rubin illuminates one of her key realizations about happiness: For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. And for most of us, a rigid, one-size-fits-all solution doesn't work.
 
available in alternate format(s)
Shift Your Habit : Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet

by Elizabeth Rogers
 
Your budget is tight, and your time is tighter.  No matter your income or complicated schedules, this book written by an environmental consultant will help you find ways to make simple modifications to save time, money, and, maybe, our planet.
Simple Matters : Living With Less and Ending Up With More

by Erin Boyle
 
At once pragmatic and philosophical, this book is a nod to the growing consensus that living simply and purposefully is more sustainable not only for the environment, but for our own happiness and well-being, too.
 
available in alternate format(s)
Soulful Simplicity : How Living With Less Can Lead to So Much More

by Courtney Carver
 
A diagnosis of MS forced the author to re-evaluate her life in a quest to reduce the stress that exacerbated her symptoms. She discovered a practical minimalism, allowing greater creativity with less, while enjoying more more space, time, and love.
 
available in alternate format(s)
The Unsettlers : in Search of the Good Life in Today's America

by Mark Sundeen
 
A correspondent for Outside, the author tells the stories of three American families who have pursued alternative ways of living, and eschewing conveniences, materialism, and "the compromises of contemporary life.
Wabi Sabi : Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life
 
by Beth Kempton
 
With roots in Zen and the Way of Tea, wabi sabi teaches you to see beauty in imperfection, appreciate simplicity, and accept the transient nature of all things. 
 
available in alternate format(s)
The Way Home : Tales From a Life Without Technology

by Mark Boyle
 
It was 11pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever.' No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce.
When Less Becomes More : Making Space For Slow, Simple & Good

by Emily Ley
 
Getting to more might require some outside-the-box changes, some unraveling of the patterns readers have adopted, some reworking of the day-to-day so that they can build a life based on their core values instead of slipping into a life dictated by society or what's "normal." Because we weren't made for normal. We were made for more-for a life of fullness, dreaming, and lasting joy.