Once all the seeds were potted and growing was underway, Kate turns her attention to other ‘simple life’ projects to try. She takes a bread making course and shares a few recipes for bread & chilli jam. Ok, now we’re getting something useful. Sadly, next up was a trip to New Mexico for three weeks to help build an Earthship (Google it I had to!). So when Netgalley and the publishers offered me an early release copy of A Year of Living Simply, I jumped at the chance. A Year of Living Simply It also all feels an honest account, when reading the book, which holds a lot of positive, strong values throughout and also just how to ease life a little bit, instead of everything going from 0-100 and missing everything in-between. There seems a lot that society could take from this book and learn from. The last person you textedMy friend Emma. She is staying at mycabin in France and had seen akingfisher for the first time in her life!

I just felt aggrieved that she was promoting this simple life, but much of it would only be possible if you had the time and the funds to pursue it. So not really so simple then! And I felt she was slightly judgmental of those who didn’t aspire to these things whilst at the same time trying to be self deprecating about her own abilities eg with making bread.She writes of kindnesses and community and having that social interactions with others, in all the different forms it takes, but especially the importance of physically seeing someone. This, and so many parts of the book is so heartwarming. There's plenty about "earthships" and about shopping too and I must admit, I love her attitude to shopping in a physical shop. It's also interesting reading about her gain knowledge on gardening. To live simply requires a more conscious, more considered state of mind. One that is calm and unhurried and undistracted.” She shares her own experiences with decluttering especially how we can throw ourselves into a task like this to soon be followed by being surrounded by a big pile of mess and wondering what have I got myself into! But by breaking things down into a drawer or room at a time, it can make sorting out so much more achievable and less overwhelming. The book is not only inspirational and aspirational, it holds some key things that people, even in these uncertain times, can do now and maybe create an improvement in their own lives or to others. What's great about this book, is it all seems so naturally written and so much may resonate with people or may give people some thought about their own lives and may inspire people to appreciate the simple things in life more than, what they perhaps currently do, since the book shows a great deal, in different forms, how to show appreciation and also how time can be given to really value things and people.

PDF / EPUB File Name: A_Year_of_Living_Simply_-_Kate_Humble.pdf, A_Year_of_Living_Simply_-_Kate_Humble.epub Thanks to Netgalley, Aster publishing and Kate Humble for my digital copy of the book for my honest review. Humble debut as an on-screen character in Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming in 1990. Humble began her TV profession as a scientist, later exchanging to showing projects, for example, Top Gear, and Tomorrow’s World. At this point I was mildly disappointed with the book. I was expecting to read more about de-cluttering her life, making simple swaps as well as money savings ideas as ultimately Kate was advocating living debt free. I wanted to like this book, I really did. Unfortunately it mainly consists of "early morning walks with my dog" and "having a bit of a tidy up" intermingled with travelling around the globe visiting people who have attempted to live a semi-alternative lifestyle and who are making a decent living from it! There is a constant undercurrent of "Where is my next job coming from" despite the author having far more wealth and opportunities than her average reader will ever have.

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A Year of Living Simply is timely, given thatthe pandemic has forced most of us, in someway, to simplify our lives, whether we plannedto or not. Kate wrote it before any of us wereaware of the upcoming crisis, but it capturesthe current moment perfectly. There is a recipefor banana bread, included, she swears,before we became a nation obsessed;advice on making the most of your outdoorspace; thoughts on stepping away from ourphones and social media obsessions (‘I couldn’tbe less interested in what people are havingfor breakfast or what they’re wearing’). It’snot necessarily a ‘how to’ book, more of a‘why not try?’ approach. If you’re a fan of Kate Humble then buy this book as you will enjoy it. Kate’s writing is open, honest and easy to read. You will learn more about Kate’s ‘off screen’ country life. As a dog owner myself, I enjoyed reading Kate’s country walks with her dogs. I totally identified with the simple pleasure of dog walking. Getting out in the fresh air, enjoying nature and giving yourself some space and a chance to unwind a busy mind. Now that’s simple living. Where to Buy Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Kate raises several thought-provoking questions and challenges us to think about what are the simple things in life? There were a number of good quotes that I have taken on board for myself, some of which I’ve added to this post. Kate Humble on television never fails to lift my spirits. Her wide smile, buoyant curls, infectious enthusiasm - I was delighted to read her latest book and thank Net Galley for enabling me to do so. The title, ‘A Year of Living Simply’ and the subtitle, ‘The Joys of a Life Less Complicated’ are enough in themselves to pique my interest. I was already well-placed to love this book. I did like it. But I didn’t love it. And it didn’t deliver what I’d expected.

This book is written in an easy to read and accessible style and isn't remotely pretentious in the way it and the author 'speaks' , in the voice that comes over as you read. Kate Humble jets here and there and has the life of a TV presenter who is well known, so there are some aspects of this 'simple' life that are rather less simple than an everyday person's life. Yet you know what she means... This book has been patiently sitting on my Netgalley Shelf for a couple of months now. So I’m pleased to have been able to read it this week. Here’s my book review of A Year Living Simply by Kate Humble. Unexpectedly I was very busy doing five different series. My husband is a cameraman and director and we ended up doing a lot of work and I was very grateful to get to do some lovely projects, including Weekend Workshop for Discovery, which was about upcycling. A year of focussing on the issue of living more simply, perhaps. The listing of simple pleasures and pursuits that make a busy life less frenetic, certainly.

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I also appreciated that not only does she share things that work—both for her and the people she talks to—, but also what didn't work for her—this is mostly the case when she starts gardening and making bread. She doesn't give up though, and comes out with with solutions or tries again. That was uplifting!