Should you read The Small Stuff by Ian Bogost

The Small Stuff was this month's book club book. Join 3000 other readers to talk about books each month. November's book will be How to Not Know by Simone Stolzoff. The main ask of Bogost's book is to get readers to slow down and enjoy the physical experiences already existing in their lives1. Don't just go rake the leaves, enjoy the fresh fall air, the feeling of the rake on the grass. Enjoy the feeling of the carpet on your bare feet. Don't just rush through the chore to get it done so you can move onto the next thing on your list of productive tasks. One big problem with this idea of slowing down is that we feel we need permission to enjoy things around us2. Society has ingrained a crazy desire in us that every moment should be productive. We can't simply sit and enjoy the outside, we better be reading a book that can help us be better at...something. Unfortunately, Bogost doesn't do a great job addressing how to get away from that societal pressure towards productivity. He simply…