Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters

Readers looking for a how-to guide to spring-cleaning won't find it here. Yet this book may give them reason to declutter their lives. With a "harebrained idea to downsize," the DiMarcos, authors behind the media and book company Hungry Planet, moved into a motor home where they lived on the road for three months. Combining this nomadic experience with scripture-based advice, the couple asks 30-somethings, accustomed to multitasking and owning the latest technology, to rid themselves of anything that gets in the way of a relationship with God (e.g., dieting, busyness, material purchases). The couple's ability to make do with less is questionable: the book itself is packed with sidebars for reflection, journal entries, tweets and quotes; and often their idea of downsizing merely involves swapping expensive items for cheaper versions (they replace their cars with older models). The book might have more impact if the couple had eliminated their transportation or, say, lived on $50 a week. Still, readers will appreciate their honesty and will be reminded to refocus their lives. (Jan.)