Customer Reviews

The Only 127 Things You Need: A Guide To Life's Essentials

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If you are searching for ways to make your life more meaningful, less cluttered and deeper in spirituality and self discovery then this book will fulfill the expectations of exactly what the subtitle claims - "a guide to life's essentials". It is the most fabulous companion and guide in almost all the areas that we experience in this often perplexing journey through life. It's a book that is well written and you can read just for sheer enjoyment but also the book that you will keep close by to look things up when you are faced with mundane as well as life changing decisions. I particularly enjoyed gleaning practical advice from so many experts in such a variety of fields. The book focuses the reader in three main areas - basics for a healthy body, a healthy mind and a healthy spirit. Every chapter under those headings is filled with information and rationale of what the experts think and recommend, and often includes other websites that allow you to explore issues further. I particularly love the ideas that are shared in the healthy mind and the healthy spirit chapters.

I enjoyed reading this book and discovered plenty of great ideas and tips. I took lots of notes throughout the book on changes I want to make and resources for further reading. There were some sections where I learned quite a bit (building a wardrobe on a few good quality pieces) and a few areas where I already knew most of the information (nutrition), but that may vary from person to person. Overall, I thought it was a good read.

A sampling of the topics include:
Nutrition
Physical Exercise
Importance of Sleep
Wardrobe essentials
Kitchen, bath, bedroom essentials
Mental Exercise
Mindfulness
A Sense of Purpose
Time for Reflection

The author consults countless experts for her information and mentions resources readers can investigate for more information. The chapters are easy-to-read with short articles on specific topics at the end like "Home Safety Tips" and "Can You Learn to Be Happy?". One of my favorite chapters is "Mindfulness and Acceptance" which covers "being present" (live in the "now", not the future or the past), "observing without judgement or criticism" and "ability to notice new things". The book does cover a very wide range of topics from a healthy body and home to a healthy mind and spirit, and the pages are just packed with useful information and tips. I would definitely recommend it to other readers.

This is magazine pabulum parading as an instruction book. It's not even concise, so that it fails to live up to its claimed inspiration, a brief notice in the New Yorker about how to simplify and streamline the preparation of a summer wardrobe. There's nothing insightful or original here, just the collation of platitudes from "experts". On diet, e.g., who would think the USDA food pyramid should be consulted for guidance? The importance of stress reduction and good sleep habits are repeated in several different places, which introduces redundancy and diffuses the book's message.

The title caught my eye on the way out of the library. Not 100 things or four dozen things but 127 things I needed to know. I picked it up, thumbed through it, and was intrigued enough by the variety of topics that I decided to check it out. That night I dipped into it a little bit, and the next morning I found myself reading part of it as part of my morning meditation/inspiration. It has everything from advice on diet and exercise to helpful information on fashion, decorating, and spirituality. Plus, the author has done a fantastic job of researching her topics and backing up her ideas with those of authorities on various subjects.

Reluctantly, I returned the little tome to the local library...and then I ordered two from Amazon.com. You won't regret doing the same.

Length:: 1:21 Mins

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Good ideas for different aspects of your life, especially if you want to get your life in order.

I found the information in this book to be really grounding. I truely recommend it.

I'm beginning to believe, that you can. 127 essential things? You know that can only be hocus-pocus, because you weren't born 'just yesterday'. In the 80s my uncle, then a retired journalist, informed me of a study, which claimed that the number of book titles, published each year, is so great, that an average reader could not hope to read them (the titles) in a year's time. True or not, the number is excessive and can only have increased since that time.

And here we have another such title. The functions of life are much more complex than 127 'things' can describe. In fact, it is soooo great, researchers have proposed that native shamans in South America be awarded PhDs for their knowledge, exceeding by far that of the "scientist & researchers" themselves, concerning plant-life, nature, balance et al. Does anyone truly believe, that even 'simple' natives (my apologies to them for using this language) could get along with merely 127 facts? Get real! Nobody can. But these days anything sells to a starving public, rich in 'things', but poor in meaning.