How book about simple pleasures changed a Hong Kong womenswear brand founder’s life
- Hannah Jane Parkinson’s The Joy of Small Things taught womenswear brand Parallel 51’s founder Rebecca Ling to find contentment in daily life
The Joy of Small Things (2021), by British journalist Hannah Jane Parkinson, is a compilation of more than 100 columns written for The Guardian newspaper on the small pleasures and rewards to be found in daily life.
I read it last year. I got gifted it by my mother for Christmas, but I didn’t pick it up for a while because honestly, finding the time to read is a luxury.
My day job as a lawyer is hectic and involves reading a lot, and I don’t necessarily associate reading with relaxation, so I let it sit for about a year.
It appealed to me because each chapter is a stand-alone and only two pages long. It was the first time I’d read anything by her. I didn’t read it all in one go – I almost read it out of order.
When I did decide to read it, I liked the tone and the style, which were really to the point and matter of fact, but it was the title that jumped out at me.