Nothing Left Over is a gem of a book by Toinette Lippe. It is part memoir and part meditation on how to approach a simple yet full life. I intentionally avoided the term "self-help" because the connotation it carries is one of a step-by-step process by which to do or be something. This work is both something more and something less than that, and sometimes less is good.

The suggestions and ideas for appreciating life are presented as both basic statements ("not only was [telling the truth] the right thing to do but it was also the simplest") as well as embodied in anecdotes from her life. In this way one can read the book as a memoir and gain some wisdom as well, or read it to learn and learn within the context of Lippe's life. In other words, a win-win (another phrase I usually avoid, but it fits here).

If you are looking to simply be told how to lead a simple life or a full life, you may well be disappointed, at least at first. From that perspective she may well come off as sounding superior, which I personally did not find. If, however, you are used to learning useful life lessons from novels or biographies, from within the context of lived (real or imaginary) moments, there will be many insights in this book beyond the basic ones presented in each chapter. Or, simply read it to experience some aspects of her rich and wonderful life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who might be looking for advice (not necessarily a checklist) on living and enjoying life. I also think those who enjoy biographies and memoirs, especially literay ones, will find this quite interesting.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing. ( )

Excellent, Simple Advice ( )

In this (thankfully) relatively short book (257 pgs mm), Toinette Lippe discusses her thoughts on and practices for living a 'simple' life. While she imparts some ideas that are useful - but hardly original - for the most part this book comes across as a justification by Ms Lippe for living her life the way she does. In reality, her life does not seem 'simple' at all. She comes across as being fairly 'tightly wound', doing 30 minutes of yoga in ten minutes each morning and never leaving the house without making her bed (she wouldn't dream of it!). She says that she just lets life unfold as it will, but still seems to be her darned best to control it. Why the fast yoga??? I have to say that she lost me at that point - I just couldn't trust her as someone I could reliablity trust for information on this topic. There are plenty of books out there on simplifying and removing stress from one's life - I suggest that you try a different one. ( )