What do you think?
The Monocle Companion: Fifty Ideas for a Better World
The Monocle Companion: Fifty Ideas for a Better World is our summery new paperback that’s brimming with cheery, thoughtful and canny ideas for leaving things better than we found them.
The latest outing of our popular paperback format is ideal for enjoying on a sunlounger or popping into a tote to read on the go. It is packed with entertaining reads, insights and thoughts that might just nudge the world in a better direction.
Here is just some of what you’ll find under the covers:
– Why words matter, how to use them more clearly and what taking pictures can teach us all.
– Travelling better, how not to be an expat and the importance of friendship in a lonely world.
– The difficulty of doing nothing at all – and getting around it.
– What would happen if children ran our cities and how urban centres might survive the loss of workers.
– Why we need to trash the recycling symbol, go easy on greenwashers (really) and exercise our imagination.
– War and peas: food diplomacy and why it matters, and rethinking how we eat to save the planet.
– How to avoid losing sleep over technology and be in the moment with others.
– The importance of planting seeds and the lessons that gardens can teach us.
– A common-sense manifesto for businesses and entrepreneurship.
– How to rethink society for the better. First question: do we need the nation-state?
For more big thoughts from authors, thinkers and architects, plus a dose of sun, humour and wit, buy your copy today.
The latest outing of our popular paperback format is ideal for enjoying on a sunlounger or popping into a tote to read on the go. It is packed with entertaining reads, insights and thoughts that might just nudge the world in a better direction.
Here is just some of what you’ll find under the covers:
– Why words matter, how to use them more clearly and what taking pictures can teach us all.
– Travelling better, how not to be an expat and the importance of friendship in a lonely world.
– The difficulty of doing nothing at all – and getting around it.
– What would happen if children ran our cities and how urban centres might survive the loss of workers.
– Why we need to trash the recycling symbol, go easy on greenwashers (really) and exercise our imagination.
– War and peas: food diplomacy and why it matters, and rethinking how we eat to save the planet.
– How to avoid losing sleep over technology and be in the moment with others.
– The importance of planting seeds and the lessons that gardens can teach us.
– A common-sense manifesto for businesses and entrepreneurship.
– How to rethink society for the better. First question: do we need the nation-state?
For more big thoughts from authors, thinkers and architects, plus a dose of sun, humour and wit, buy your copy today.
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2023
3.5. Overall a very cozy read. The type you enjoy while sipping your morning coffee. I really liked some of them, in other cases I didn’t feel like reading past the preface…
October 7, 2024
*The Monocle Companion* is a delightful collection of short, sharp essays that offer insightful and uplifting reflections on the small things in life that truly matter. Each piece serves as a reminder that it is often the simple, everyday moments and connections that bring warmth and meaning to our world. The book is filled with practical, thoughtful ideas that show how focusing on these little things can genuinely make a difference, encouraging readers to cultivate a more thoughtful and connected life.
One of the standout essays, *How to Make Friends*, discusses the value of investing in genuine interpersonal relationships. It highlights how building meaningful connections, beyond superficial networking, can foster personal growth and healing. This piece is a beautiful reminder of the power of real friendship and its ability to transform our lives for the better. Overall, *The Monocle Companion* is an inspiring read that encourages us all to engage more deeply with the world and the people around us.
One of the standout essays, *How to Make Friends*, discusses the value of investing in genuine interpersonal relationships. It highlights how building meaningful connections, beyond superficial networking, can foster personal growth and healing. This piece is a beautiful reminder of the power of real friendship and its ability to transform our lives for the better. Overall, *The Monocle Companion* is an inspiring read that encourages us all to engage more deeply with the world and the people around us.
September 28, 2025
Always enjoy the Monocle perspective - particularly liked the essays on leaning into being a night-person, how greenwashing is a positive sign of change, making space for serendipity, how to build friend-making skills, and the power of going on a walk in the woods.
May 18, 2024
highly aesthetic no-commitment book which is worth a read whether you're a monocle subscriber or not. each essay is somewhere between a personal anecdote and a think piece, so prepare to have your senses quietly tickled by the intrigue of someone else's mind at work. if you're lacking in inspiration, each chapter will certainly give you something to receive and respond to. i particularly enjoyed: 9, 11, 25, 29, 32, and 46.
November 8, 2023
Fresh reading with shared wisdom and encouraging ideas. Some favourites:
How to slow down to leave for fresh and creative thoughts (Glaser, Read), a thought provoking essay about being in foreign places (Aiyar), the merits on seeing and photographing through a camera instead of the smartphone (Pill) and my favourite essay 'On serendipity' by Chiara Rimella.
As a result of finishing this book I want to embrace the in-between more and leave room and time for creativity and encounters.
How to slow down to leave for fresh and creative thoughts (Glaser, Read), a thought provoking essay about being in foreign places (Aiyar), the merits on seeing and photographing through a camera instead of the smartphone (Pill) and my favourite essay 'On serendipity' by Chiara Rimella.
As a result of finishing this book I want to embrace the in-between more and leave room and time for creativity and encounters.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews