The Art of Napping

Instinctively, I picked up these two small but wonderful books while browsing the local bookstores during one weekend: 1. The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourtself, by Veronique Vieene; 2. The Art of Napping, by William Anthony; Ever since I have read Jeff Davidson's Breathing Space: Living & Working @ a Confortable Space in a Sped Up Society, many years ago, I have always valued - & benefitted tremendously from - the power of time-out. In a world where the future is hurtling at breakneck speed with hurricane-force changes, all of us must learn to do some time-outs! Donald Mitchell's earlier review of the first book sums up very much my personal sentiments about the first book. As for the second book, which is also equally lighthearted & humourously illustrated, I find myself amused & entertained by the author's introduction to a napaphobic culture. In a nutshell, these are his fun stuff: - profiles in napping (stories of legendary nappers, including JFK, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edision, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan!); - napping strategies (noice to advanced levels); - nap management (getting the most from your naps); - the future of napping; In some way, this book reinforces the chapter on 'The Art of Napping' in the first book. While the first book is beautifully illustrated by the co-author's photographs, the second book has several funny & bone-tickling cartoons. To sum up my review, I want to say that these two books (plus, Jeff Davidson's book)are excellent handy guides for the time-pressed, over-achieving generation.

I was there when he was planning the book, but it still came as a surprise. I guess I napped through most of his idea stage. He's a pretty good napper, but as they say "those who can, nap; those who can't write about those who can."

As a member of a family of nappers, I thought the book was right on the money. It enabled me to get a few snoozes in while reading this. I was even able to sleep through the author's interview on CNN and not feel guilty about missing him. CA