book club: most mindful picks of 2025
At Dip & Doze, we believe that life is best lived at a more deliberate pace, and books have always been companions on that journey. They invite us into new tempos, hold us in moments of stillness, and remind us of the beauty of retreating from the bustle of everyday life.
We’ve gathered a collection of both fiction and non-fiction masterpieces that capture the essence of mindful living. Whether through poetry, memoir, or storytelling, each offers something more than a read: newfound wisdom.
Rural Hours — Harriet Baker
Winner of the 2025 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award, Harriet Baker’s Rural Hours takes us into the country retreats of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and Rosamond Lehmann. Part biography, part archival discovery, it’s a portrait of creativity rooted in place.
Why it matters
This book is a meditation on rural rhythms and creative solitude, perfectly aligned with the ideals of slow living—reminding us that stepping back can be as vital to creation as stepping forward.
The Cazalet Chronicles — Elizabeth Jane Howard
Sometimes, the books that come back to us are the ones we need most. This sweeping family saga, spanning multiple volumes and generations, has found fresh life on social media and in literary circles. Fans praise its immersive domestic detail and atmosphere of quiet intimacy.
Why it matters
At once nostalgic and deeply human, The Cazalet Chronicles series is a rediscovery of comfort in storytelling. A reminder that luxury can often be found in timeless narratives that hold us gently across years.
Aflame: Learning from Silence — Pico Iyer
In his newest memoir, Pico Iyer returns to solitude. Drawing on retreats to a Benedictine hermitage in Big Sur, he reflects on silence, community, and the profound clarity that emerges when the noise falls away.
Why it matters
In a culture of constant movement, Iyer invites us to embrace stillness as an art form. His words feel like a deep breath, or like slipping into fresh Dip & Doze sheets at the end of the day—simple, necessary, restorative.
Dwell — Simon Armitage
The UK Poet Laureate’s 2025 collection draws inspiration from Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan. Through poetry that honours hidden habitats and folklore, Armitage invites us into slower encounters with nature.
Why it matters
This is a lyrical ode to noticing—the flutter of a bird, the curl of a fern. It’s about seeing what lies just beneath the rush of daily life and choosing to dwell in it.
The Joy of Small Things — Hannah Jane Parkinson
Parkinson’s collection of light-hearted essays celebrates the overlooked pleasures of everyday life—from well-sharpened pencils to the quiet delight of an early night. With wit and warmth, she reminds us that meaning often lies not in grand gestures, but in the small, ordinary moments.
Why it matters
In a culture that chases the big and the busy, Parkinson shows us the luxury of “less”. Her words echo the philosophy at the heart of Dip & Doze: that simple joys come not from lavishness and quantity, but from simplicity and quality.
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times — Katherine May
A modern classic of mindful literature, Wintering is about embracing dormant seasons in our lives. It blends memoir and cultural reflection, offering solace for anyone navigating change or longing for rest.
Why it matters
It is permission to slow down—to see fallow periods not as failures but as fertile ground for renewal.
Slow: Live Life Simply — Brooke McAlary
This book takes slow living out of the abstract and into the everyday. McAlary’s reflections encourage us to align our days with our values and strip away the unnecessary.
Why it matters
Slow reads like a practical companion for those who find pleasure and value in a simpler life and believe the home can be a sanctuary.
Slow Productivity — Cal Newport
Published in 2024, Newport’s guide reshapes how we think about work. Instead of pushing for more, faster, he offers an antidote to burnout: doing less, but doing it better.
Why it matters
For readers seeking long-term fulfilment over short-term gains, this is a manifesto for sustainable success.
Slow Seasons — Rosie Steer
A tactile, seasonal guide drawing on the Celtic calendar, Slow Seasons is full of crafts, recipes, and rituals to reconnect with the turning of the year.
Why it matters
In an age of constant connectivity, this book grounds us in the earth’s cycles—a reminder to move with the seasons, not against them.
We hope you’ll discover something here that speaks to you—not only as a reader, but as someone who seeks a richer, calmer, more intentional way of life.
