This is a book of 366 evocative essays, one for every day of your year, written by women who wish to live by their own lights.

Really good for women to read. ( )

Simple Abundance is a book of evocative essays - one for every day of the year - for women who wish to live by their own lights. A woman's spirituality is often separated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily life can be an expression of your authentic self ... as you choose the tastiest vegetables from your garden, search for treasures at flea markets, establish a sacred space in your home for meditation, and follow the rhythm of the seasons and the year.

No, I didn't finish it. Not the book for me. My rule (which works pretty well for fiction) is to try to read at least 25%, and generally by that time I'm into the book and go ahead and finish it. It didn't work so well here.

I immediately felt a disconnect with this book. It seemed a little too preachy. But I decided to stick with it. Like some others, I did get a worthwhile push from her discussion of the gratitude journal, and I applied that lesson to my prayer journal which has a section for "thanks."

But her other exercises didn't appeal to me. And, to be honest, I don't think I need help in finding my "authentic self."

The book title uses the term "simple abundance" and she would refer to it often. I felt I would have appreciated an overview of what she meant by it. The piecemeal explanations just weren't giving me a big picture.

Still, I had promised myself to read through whatever page corresponds to April 1. (Oddly, there are no page numbers in this huge tome.)

But the more I read the more she reminded me of what I dislike about Martha Stewart and her ilk. Her new-age spirituality was a turn-off, although she apparently was trying hard not to offend anybody who isn't religious. I am religious, and don't mind saying so.

Late in Feb., she challenged her readers - had they been doing those exercises from January? The gratitude journal and 3 or 4 others. She said something to the effect that if the reader wasn't doing those, they should give the book away to somebody who wanted to take the journey with her. I guess I should have listened.

Still, it was only a bit more than one month's worth of essays. So I stuck it out. And now I'm celebrating the fact that I am DONE with this book. Others may feel differently. So the book goes back to the public library to be available for them
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Amazed that there are no other reviews. Maybe this is not the most common edition of this title. I recommend. Sentimental value is 5 stars, but will give 4.5 star rating ( )