I'd have loved to read this book, but the file would never load to my kindle. Maybe my library will have a copy someday.

Very informative book. Full of a lot of useful information. This book will also be very useful for future reference

Have you ever felt better and less stressed after you spend time in the woods, or after you viewed plants of any kind? If so, then this is the book you MUST read. Karen Hugg gives us tools to use in our lives to help us de-stress in our stressful world. She gives you examples of things to do to spend time doing what she calls "green leisure" activities. How to create a space in your home that is less stressful. This is a great book that I highly enjoyed and would definitely recommend!

Leaf Your Troubles Behind is a reassuring and interesting volume about de-stressing and the positive mental health benefits to be found in interacting with plants and nature written and presented by Karen Hugg. Due out 15th July 2022 from Prometheus Books, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

Taking time to work with an enjoy plants has been shown to have a positive effect on mental health. The last few years have been tough on most of the planet with isolation, stress, economic challenges, job stresses, and all the other negatives of the pandemic. This book does its small part to help readers find the time and techniques necessary to interact with houseplants and flowers.

I liked that the author emphasizes play and enjoyment and less strictly goal-oriented techniques. This is not so much a how-to guide as a manual for enjoyment and possibly improving readers' happiness and mental health.

The first section of the book helps readers examine their own motivations and desires in building and maintaining a green space. The following chapters explore the value of playing with plants, meeting up with like minded people (including an uplifting account of Ron Finley's successful fight with city hall), embracing and enhancing our mental spaces. The final section of the book is a synthesis of the techniques and tutorials provided in the earlier parts and discusses methods of selection and growth and how to interact with plants in a -non-stressful manner (since being stressed about the choices and processes negates the entire point of the book).

This is a very well written and practical book. It's a bit diffuse and philosophical in places. It's not full of instructions and the illustrations are sparing and drawn, not photographed. The entire vibe is laid back, gentle, and contemplative.

Four stars. This would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, gift giving, or possibly for the houseplant enthusiasts' home library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This book really encourages you gently into becoming a Plant Person, even if you previously did not have any interest. There’s a ton of helpful activities (full list available on my blog), and it combines Real Sciencey Science with personal experiences and anecdotes. This book is really cozy, honestly, and I think I really recommend it. I’m not sure if I’ll be becoming a Plant Person, but I’m going to try out some of these activities and see what happens. Five stars.

This is a great book about using plants to help you de-stress. I really have a plant addiction and this book is not going to help...

This is a green hug of a book from Karen Hugg! It is essentially a guide to de-stressing by spending time among plants. This book follows the trend of how-to guides dedicated to getting back to nature. It offers accessible, low-cost ideas for all types of readers and gardening skill sets. The book is divided into seven strategies based on “leisure.” They include: Learning about nature; Experiencing nature; Idly playing with nature; Supporting green life; Uniting with like-minded nature enthusiasts; and Exercising outside. It doesn’t include much new information compared to other books on the subject, but it is a cute reminder with practical suggestions to get outside more.