Give Me the Simple Life.......

Those weary of the hustle and bustle of modern consumer society should enjoy three new accounts by individuals who tried extremely different lifestyles for a year. "In Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping", a middle aged couple agree to avoid buying anything but absolute necessities . Generic groceries, internet time for their work from jobs, and insulin for their diabetic cat are three basics they agree on from the start. "See You In a Hundred Years: Four Seasons In Forgotten America" by Logan Ward is the story of a young couple who buy a farm in rural Virginia, remove the bathroom, have the electricity turned off, and try to live for a year as an average farm family would have in 1900. They find growing and preserving all their own food for a year and coping with contrary farm animals more of a challenge than they had anticipated; but one unexpected resource, the goodwill and helpful advice of their neighbors, helps them make it triumphantly through the year. "The Year Of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs is the story of a modern New Yorker who resolved to literally observe every single New and Old Testament injunction that he legally could. I'm probably cheating slightly including Jacobs book since it hasn't arrived at WPL yet; but all the reviews of it have been very positive. Does anyone have anyother new books on experimenting with alternative lifestyles to add to the list?