What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to Mindfulness
The international publishing phenomenon and ridiculously funny new parody series that helps grown-ups learn about the world around them using large clear type, simple and easy-to-grasp words, frequent repetition, and thoughtful matching of text with pictures.
Have you been having trouble with the How, Why, and Wheres? Well fear no more. The Fireside Grown-Up Guide series understands that the world is just as confusing to a forty-year-old as it is to a four-year-old. We’re here to help and break down the most pressing and complex issues of our day into easy-to-digest pieces of information paired with vivid illustrations even a child could understand.
Mindfulness: the skill of thinking you are doing something, when in fact you are doing nothing. In this Fireside Grown-Up Guide to Mindfulness, we’ll meet a blissful cast of characters who’ve learned to free themselves from unnecessary worries like work, friends, and family. When they are fired from their jobs and abandoned by their friends and family, they learn to combat their stress by practicing mindfulness, and teach us a few lessons along the way.
Have you been having trouble with the How, Why, and Wheres? Well fear no more. The Fireside Grown-Up Guide series understands that the world is just as confusing to a forty-year-old as it is to a four-year-old. We’re here to help and break down the most pressing and complex issues of our day into easy-to-digest pieces of information paired with vivid illustrations even a child could understand.
Mindfulness: the skill of thinking you are doing something, when in fact you are doing nothing. In this Fireside Grown-Up Guide to Mindfulness, we’ll meet a blissful cast of characters who’ve learned to free themselves from unnecessary worries like work, friends, and family. When they are fired from their jobs and abandoned by their friends and family, they learn to combat their stress by practicing mindfulness, and teach us a few lessons along the way.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2015
5 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
October 16, 2021
A lighthearted, amusing tongue-in-cheek look at mindfulness, complete with original illustrations from various Ladybird books published in the past. Recently, mindfulness had been a huge item on several staff meeting agendas at the school district I taught at, at least before I retired from teaching. I gifted this book to a colleague who was in charge of organizing professional development in this area. A laugh-out-loud kind of book!
November 16, 2017
Has anyone else discovered these Ladybird books for adults? They're a nice quick and comical read. Here's my favourite mindfulness tip -
Alison has been staring at the beautiful tree for five hours.
She was meant to be in the office. Tomorrow she will be fired.
In this way, mindfulness will have solved her work-related stress.
Alison has been staring at the beautiful tree for five hours.
She was meant to be in the office. Tomorrow she will be fired.
In this way, mindfulness will have solved her work-related stress.
Read
January 1, 2016One of the other mainstays of my early reading were Ladybird books, particularly the history series many of which were written by a gentleman with the curious surname of du Garde Peach. Anyhow all these books had the same format, small hardbacks, text in a large friendly font on the left hand page with a full page colour illustration on the right hand side. They covered a variety of subjects in addition to history, I had Ladybird bird books on Conversation, the Telescope (I'm not sure if the microscope was included in the same volume or if was allowed to be a big enough subject to warrant having a book by itself, the Human Body and so on and so forth. I suppose they were all aimed at early readers - the pictures were a meal enough by themselves and I can remember some of them without effort even now.
Well naturally with the coming of the internet providing your own humorous text to go with some of those pictures was a diverting pass time for many of my generation or thereabouts. I think there was an attempt by a woman to publish her own book recycling old Ladybird illustrations in that way and once the dust of court action eventually settled the publisher who currently owns the rights to Ladybird books realised there was some money in the concept and lo, it came to pass that Messrs Hazeley & Morris wrote a series of light-hearted Ladybird books for adults on useful subjects such as the Hangover, the Mid-Life Crisis, as well as the alleged subject of this review, among others making use of the full range of illustrations from the original Ladybird books.
My first reaction was that I found the joke on page 24 funny. My second was that the publishers had missed a trick by not writing serious books on these topics for adults in the same format. My third that the other jokes were not as funny. Although in anycase you can always look at the illustrations and tease your memory until you remember in which book it was first used.
Perhaps at this stage I ought to mention that I have only been practising mindfulness for two years . It's hard work, as I notice when I find myself scoffing food rather than paying attention. There's an awful lot that you can pay heed to. Recently I was on a station platform, it was a winter morning, I was reading, probably Romantics, Rebels & Reactionaries, drinking a double espresso which tasted of dark flowers , at the same time it was becoming lighter, the sky and clouds a mixture of purples and blues, varieties of birds were singing across each other, there were gaggles of schoolchildren not reading, outcrops of adults travelling to work, people working like the man in the coffee booth who stopped the coffee machine prematurely and in my imagination depriving me of a couple of seconds worth of espresso. Of a sudden it was overwhelming, and with apologies to Mrs Butler (deceased) who wrote the marvellous text I was devouring, I snapped the book shut for a bit.
Hmm, now I realise that I've lost the thread of my review somewhere...let me just...grope around a bit...
A benefit to me has been allowing myself the time and space to be open to the whole cloth of an experience rather than just the garment that I'm used to seeing, and with time some more of the jokes have unfolded for me even though only the one on page 24 is sharp enough for me to tempted to buy another copy of the book to be able to cut it out and put up on the wall of the office .
Well naturally with the coming of the internet providing your own humorous text to go with some of those pictures was a diverting pass time for many of my generation or thereabouts. I think there was an attempt by a woman to publish her own book recycling old Ladybird illustrations in that way and once the dust of court action eventually settled the publisher who currently owns the rights to Ladybird books realised there was some money in the concept and lo, it came to pass that Messrs Hazeley & Morris wrote a series of light-hearted Ladybird books for adults on useful subjects such as the Hangover, the Mid-Life Crisis, as well as the alleged subject of this review, among others making use of the full range of illustrations from the original Ladybird books.
My first reaction was that I found the joke on page 24 funny. My second was that the publishers had missed a trick by not writing serious books on these topics for adults in the same format. My third that the other jokes were not as funny. Although in anycase you can always look at the illustrations and tease your memory until you remember in which book it was first used.
Perhaps at this stage I ought to mention that I have only been practising mindfulness for two years . It's hard work, as I notice when I find myself scoffing food rather than paying attention. There's an awful lot that you can pay heed to. Recently I was on a station platform, it was a winter morning, I was reading, probably Romantics, Rebels & Reactionaries, drinking a double espresso which tasted of dark flowers , at the same time it was becoming lighter, the sky and clouds a mixture of purples and blues, varieties of birds were singing across each other, there were gaggles of schoolchildren not reading, outcrops of adults travelling to work, people working like the man in the coffee booth who stopped the coffee machine prematurely and in my imagination depriving me of a couple of seconds worth of espresso. Of a sudden it was overwhelming, and with apologies to Mrs Butler (deceased) who wrote the marvellous text I was devouring, I snapped the book shut for a bit.
Hmm, now I realise that I've lost the thread of my review somewhere...let me just...grope around a bit...
A benefit to me has been allowing myself the time and space to be open to the whole cloth of an experience rather than just the garment that I'm used to seeing, and with time some more of the jokes have unfolded for me even though only the one on page 24 is sharp enough for me to tempted to buy another copy of the book to be able to cut it out and put up on the wall of the office .
October 2, 2016
I grew up with Ladybird books and my children had many also. This short and quick read is part of a fun series for adults and quite frankly, they’re an absolute riot. The illustrations are the same classic ones from before and seeing them was pure nostalgia.
December 25, 2015
Christmas prezzie - hubby knows me well!
Nice nostalgic feel from a childhood filled with Ladybird books, several of the illustrations are familiar to me. Like the originals there is a page of large print then a classic picture page to accompany it. Unlike the originals this is geared to adults, filled with wry but gentle humour. Nothing overstated, plenty to raise a grin.
While I'm equally thrilled with my adult-colouring-book the latest push for 'Mindfulness' amuses me, I don't need a backpack and winding path to find my inner cynic, she was sitting centre of the rug in Reindeer slippers waving this book and cackling.
Nice nostalgic feel from a childhood filled with Ladybird books, several of the illustrations are familiar to me. Like the originals there is a page of large print then a classic picture page to accompany it. Unlike the originals this is geared to adults, filled with wry but gentle humour. Nothing overstated, plenty to raise a grin.
While I'm equally thrilled with my adult-colouring-book the latest push for 'Mindfulness' amuses me, I don't need a backpack and winding path to find my inner cynic, she was sitting centre of the rug in Reindeer slippers waving this book and cackling.
August 19, 2018
hahahaha
November 18, 2016
I grew up with Ladybird books and so did my children. We all loved them. Feeling nostalgic, I thought this adult version would be a nice thing to try. It's part of the "Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups" series in the UK or the "Fireside Grown-Up Guides" in the US version, now published by Touchstone. (Thank you very much to them for providing me with a copy via NetGalley). The books combine the classic pictures with small amounts of text explaining our confusing world to grown-ups. Very relevant in these times.
There are books on dating, hangovers, husbands, Moms etc. They can be read in under 5 minutes and are obviously meant to be funny. Unfortunately, I was the wrong audience. Maybe I'm suffering from a sense-of-humor-failure, but I just didn't find this particular one humorous at all. I'd be willing to try a different one, but this one was not right for me. Nice idea, though.
There are books on dating, hangovers, husbands, Moms etc. They can be read in under 5 minutes and are obviously meant to be funny. Unfortunately, I was the wrong audience. Maybe I'm suffering from a sense-of-humor-failure, but I just didn't find this particular one humorous at all. I'd be willing to try a different one, but this one was not right for me. Nice idea, though.
August 5, 2016
Well, this was a treat, a funny and cool treat. I loved the artwork, cool old school vintage art, the different kinds of mindfulness were extremely entertaining and very tongue in cheek.
As the book says "Mindfulness: the skill of thinking you are doing something, when in fact you are doing nothing". Oh look at me bring all mindful as I sloth around on the couch contemplating, finally the excuse I've always needed. A great laugh.
As the book says "Mindfulness: the skill of thinking you are doing something, when in fact you are doing nothing". Oh look at me bring all mindful as I sloth around on the couch contemplating, finally the excuse I've always needed. A great laugh.
December 31, 2024
Quite amusing!!!
Read
January 22, 2017These seem to have started turning up in charity shops now - even more places to read them in full under cover of browsing!
(NB I bought other things from both charity shops where I did this today. I'm not a monster. Or at least, not that sort)
(NB I bought other things from both charity shops where I did this today. I'm not a monster. Or at least, not that sort)
November 3, 2017
Genius! Quite possibly the best five minutes reading I've had in ages. I laughed so hard I cried, especially at page 46. Not just a series of gags, this gem is an incisive piece of social commentary. Deserves regular reading.
November 26, 2016
'The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to Mindfulness' by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris combines classic book illustrations with funny captions. Like the other volumes, I had mixed reactions.
The captions are told in large fonts. They are a little funny. Where the humor comes in is with the classic illustration that has been found to match up with the text. Some of the pictures seem idyllic or fantastical, like a chair being pulled by swans or a beautiful woman painting in a window. Some are mundane, like a man working on a huge duct in a factory, or a drab building.
The illustrations are all from Ladybird Books. I didn't grow up with those. Perhaps if they'd used illustrations from Golden Books, I'd be more nostalgic about the series. The captions are marginally funny. Occasionally one really stands out. These would possibly be good gift books for someone who grew up with Ladybird Books.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Touchstone and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
The captions are told in large fonts. They are a little funny. Where the humor comes in is with the classic illustration that has been found to match up with the text. Some of the pictures seem idyllic or fantastical, like a chair being pulled by swans or a beautiful woman painting in a window. Some are mundane, like a man working on a huge duct in a factory, or a drab building.
The illustrations are all from Ladybird Books. I didn't grow up with those. Perhaps if they'd used illustrations from Golden Books, I'd be more nostalgic about the series. The captions are marginally funny. Occasionally one really stands out. These would possibly be good gift books for someone who grew up with Ladybird Books.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Touchstone and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
December 10, 2015
Years ago as a child I read ladybird books, this version for adults has the same style of writing with the corresponding picture but did make me smile.
The pictures are original ladybird pictures, some I'm even sure I saw as a child, but I don't remember phrases like:-
People learn a lot about themselves from mindfulness. Mindfulness has taught Django to live in the moment. He used to live in the peak district.
The book also advertises other books in the series which don't exist, but sound like fun.
The pictures are original ladybird pictures, some I'm even sure I saw as a child, but I don't remember phrases like:-
People learn a lot about themselves from mindfulness. Mindfulness has taught Django to live in the moment. He used to live in the peak district.
The book also advertises other books in the series which don't exist, but sound like fun.
April 14, 2018
Wendell achieves a state of mindfulness by imagining he is floating in a beautiful lake until his mind empties of everyday worries.
Soon he is aware of himself, but no longer worried about money, work, family or whether he left the taps on.
Many home insurance policies now cover Acts of Mindfulness.
Soon he is aware of himself, but no longer worried about money, work, family or whether he left the taps on.
Many home insurance policies now cover Acts of Mindfulness.
July 18, 2017
My partner has decided to collect these when they pop up at the used bookstore. This one was worth the purchase for the joke about being kidnapped by swans :) If you want a few minutes of chuckles, the Ladybird books are worth a look, and mindfulness is always a fun topic to poke fun at :)
October 12, 2019
Bought it for my wife really. When I read it to her (well, to both of us, really) I laughed on the inside, but she laughed on the outside. It's a silly book, but a nice kind of silly. Truth in a silly skirt. Silly.
December 14, 2015
Hysterical :-)
February 29, 2016
A big laugh-out-loud surprise!
May 22, 2018
These are fun enjoyable reads.
Entertaining stock-fillers, though Id image most readers would have forgotten the jokes by January!
Entertaining stock-fillers, though Id image most readers would have forgotten the jokes by January!
February 5, 2018
Didn’t get it, I didn’t find it funny at all. This was a huge miss for me.
September 14, 2020
Mindfulness is defined as a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
This book parodies that. Just without putting anything amusing into it. Mindfulness isn't laziness. The definition of laziness can be found in this book.
Each written page has a picture next to it. These are mostly tenuously related to the text. The main positive for this book is that it is short. The effect it had in me was that I was painfully aware that I was reading something that I would be mindful to forget.
This book parodies that. Just without putting anything amusing into it. Mindfulness isn't laziness. The definition of laziness can be found in this book.
Each written page has a picture next to it. These are mostly tenuously related to the text. The main positive for this book is that it is short. The effect it had in me was that I was painfully aware that I was reading something that I would be mindful to forget.
January 17, 2021
Comical
Read
April 12, 2023Shoutout to Sean’s sister for the short entertaining read.
Not sure how I’d rate this as I read it within 5-10mins 😂
Not sure how I’d rate this as I read it within 5-10mins 😂
December 10, 2020
A simple but totally justified satire.
October 5, 2016
Back in July, I wrote a review on a book I found in England called The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis. Ladybird Books is a (very) longstanding publisher in the UK and have a huge back catalog of images from their 150 years of publishing mostly children's books. They've recently taken many of those images an paired them up with clever text to offer a series that "understands that the world is just as confusing to a forty-year-old as it is to a four-year old. We're here to break down the most pressing and complex issues of our day into easy-to-digest pieces of information paired with vivid illustrations even a child could understand."
I loved the Mid-Life Crisis book and so was very excited to learn that Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, is publishing many of the books in Americanized versions on October 11th.
Read the rest of my review at wanderaven
I loved the Mid-Life Crisis book and so was very excited to learn that Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, is publishing many of the books in Americanized versions on October 11th.
Read the rest of my review at wanderaven
October 15, 2016
This is short, sharp and very funny. I grew up with Ladybird books and they were very much a staple part of my childhood. Fast forward and I find myself reading them again, although this time they are very different.
Instead of a well loved fairytale Ladybird book we now have a series that is written for adults and they are entertaining, sometime satirical but always funny.
This book looks at mindfulness. Mindfulness to me is a kind of meditation and it has a growing popularity but as with all that is new and trendy, it can seem rather ridiculous especially when the meaning is lost or it just becomes another fad. This very short volume pokes fun at the kind of mindfulness that is a buzz word and it does so using short, witty observations and images which have a Ladybird book style.
Very amusing for anyone who has an irreverent sense of humour.
Copy provided by Touchstone publishers via Netgalley
Instead of a well loved fairytale Ladybird book we now have a series that is written for adults and they are entertaining, sometime satirical but always funny.
This book looks at mindfulness. Mindfulness to me is a kind of meditation and it has a growing popularity but as with all that is new and trendy, it can seem rather ridiculous especially when the meaning is lost or it just becomes another fad. This very short volume pokes fun at the kind of mindfulness that is a buzz word and it does so using short, witty observations and images which have a Ladybird book style.
Very amusing for anyone who has an irreverent sense of humour.
Copy provided by Touchstone publishers via Netgalley
December 31, 2015
My fifth and final book in this series today, well worth the twenty-odd pounds it cost to get them here this morning to cheat my way to victory on the yearly book count!
This edition is about the topic of Mindfulness. No I don't know what that actually is either.
Mindfulness appears to be about clearing your mind of problems and entering a state of peaceful calm and tranquillity. I think it seems quite similar to being a pretentious prick.
Example funny:
I do love trees...
This edition is about the topic of Mindfulness. No I don't know what that actually is either.
Mindfulness appears to be about clearing your mind of problems and entering a state of peaceful calm and tranquillity. I think it seems quite similar to being a pretentious prick.
Example funny:
Jane has tried many ways of energising and detoxing.
She went on a raw food diet, but the chicken made her very poorly.
Then her tutor told her to "be like water". Jane thought this was a good idea.
Now, just like water, she is drunk most lunchtimes.
I do love trees...
June 20, 2016
This was a very long and hard book to finish. I found myself staring for seconds at a time at each page, taking in the details of the image and the meaningful philosophy of the words.
(for those that might not realise, that was meant as a joke - this is a slim book but is also a laugh out loud funny poke at the pomposity some people bring to mindfulness)
Well worth the 15 minutes it takes to read and then read again out loud to anyone who's within earshot.
(for those that might not realise, that was meant as a joke - this is a slim book but is also a laugh out loud funny poke at the pomposity some people bring to mindfulness)
Well worth the 15 minutes it takes to read and then read again out loud to anyone who's within earshot.
Read
October 10, 2016I don't think I am the right audience for these books as it turns out as I don't find them at all entertaining.
April 26, 2016
Ridiculously witty and laugh-out-loud funny, it's laden with irony and humour. There's a pun on every page. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews