“On With The Butter!”: A Book Review

A wonderful resource for the retired person

Earlier this summer, Hekla Publishing reached out to me via ye olde blogge, to ask if I was interested in reviewing an about-to-be-released book : “On With The Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life”, by Heidi Herman. And I absolutely was, being a recent retiree myself and a lover of all things dairy, especially butter. So I have been waiting ever since to receive my free copy (my only compensation for saying whatever I wanted to about it). Last week it finally arrived – yippee!

Imagine my disappointment that the only thing buttery in this book was a recipe for apple “butter”. JUST KIDDING! Actually, the apple butter recipe looks easy and intriguing – thanks for including it, Heidi!

The phrase “on with the butter” is an Icelandic saying that means, among other things, “carry on, keep moving”, and this book encourages retired people to do just that. In fact, this book would be a great resource for just about anybody worried about falling into a rut, retired or not.

I thought I had gathered a lot of ideas regarding adapting to and enjoying retirement (after all, I did a whole A-Z blogging challenge on just that topic), but this book has hundreds more!

Inspired by her mother’s zest for life, Heidi Herman has written the most comprehensive and handy dose of inspiration for anyone who has ever stared around their four walls and wondered what to do next.

The book contains 15 chapters full of ideas on how to “spread more living onto everyday life”. These ideas don’t demand a ton of money or Olympian fitness levels. Chapter titles remind us to “Enjoy the Simple Things”, “Taste Life”, “Explore Nature”, “Keep Learning”, and “Take the Scenic Route”…to name a few. Each chapter ends with “A Challenge Checklist” of activities to try, related to that chapter’s topic.

Probably most of all, I loved the stories of Heidi’s mother and her adventures. Heidi’s mother reminded so much of my own dear mother, whose motto was “the day I stop learning is the day I die”. These ladies could have been friends I think, egging each other on in their appetite for new and fun experiences.

At 239 pages from front to back, this book is a quick and easy read yet is jam-packed with ideas. You could just dive into whatever chapter strikes your fancy and start “spreading the butter” onto your life from there if you wanted to, without having to read the entire book first. But why would you want to do that? It’s such a fun book!

My only quibble with this book (as a Canadian reader…and it’s a minor one) is that it is written specifically for Americans. Most of the resources/locations listed in the book are American ones. However, I do feel it wouldn’t take too much imagination or effort to look for similar organizations or destinations in your own country, especially if you are familiar with internet searches.

I think this book would make a lovely gift for a just-about-to or newly-retired friend. Really though, this book is for anybody who would like a dose of inspiration and a handy reference of activities and challenges with which to keep the mind and body young and moving. On with the butter, everyone!

Rock on,

The WB

35 thoughts on ““On With The Butter!”: A Book Review

  1. May the butter be with you. Thanks for the review. I’ll have to check it out when I get closer to the next phase. Canadian resources? Snow shovels and mosquito repellent? Just kidding…

  2. I’ve never heard this saying before and I’m a dairy farmer’s daughter! But it sounds like an awesome way to live life. I am going to get the library app on my phone and will add this to the short list. I love inspirational easy reads that have a life impact. My fav one is Focus on the 90 by Darci Lange. Changed my life.

  3. Hi, Deb – ‘On With the Butter’ not only sounds like a perfect way to live retirement, but also a perfect approach to all ages and stages of our lives.Thank you for sharing this thoughtful and fun review. Oh, and by the way, I’m free this Tuesday or Wednesday if you would like to spread some butter on the trails nearby! 😀

  4. AJ Blythe

    My folks certainly don’t need the book (although it sounds like a wonderful resource). I think my Mum would be happy if their life could actually slow a little. For the same reason, if I am able to ever retire, my list of things to do will stretch into more years than I am sure I will have. 🙂

  5. I’m not short of ideas, and I’m not going to be able to use the American aspects of it, but I’ll check this book out and also look for Focus on the 90.
    Keep on with the butter!

  6. Jean R.

    Great book review, I’ll bet it was fun to do. I wish Heidi success with a book that sounds like we could all get something worthwhile out of reading.

  7. I think women have an easier time with retirement Deb because we never really retire. We still have cleaning, meal planning etc and that can be time consuming. Men on the other hand tend to identify with their work and hence feel more out of sync when they retire.
    Leslie

  8. Hey Deb! Just finished some completely grain free banana pancakes with probably a bit too much butter. But at Julia Childs always said similar….most things are better with butter. Glad you enjoyed the book. And all the better that it didn’t cost you anything! Thanks for the review. ~Kathy

  9. Deb, I would have also thought more butter was involved in the book.🙂

    We were recently in Iceland and I do not recall hearing the phrase “on with the butter.” But, then I cannot understand the Icelandic language.

    I find my days are very full, yet I appreciate new ideas and new activities. “…the day I stop learning is the day I die…”. Goosebumps! This book sounds like a perfect book to add to a retirement gift bag. A great review!

  10. I also am never bored and have long lists of things to do. But I am always happy to hear of more, and look forward to another retirement lifestyle book..I’m downloading it to the old kinkle.

Here's where the magic happens. I love comments!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.