Honest is a brand about more than cannabis accessories: it’s about using design to embrace an alternative perspective. When using a thoughtful, aesthetically pleasing vessel like the Capsule water pipe as opposed to just whatever’s lying around, intention remains at the forefront of the session.
That intention carries through to a lifestyle shift outside of your consumption — from how you spend your days to how you fill your home. This edition of Honest’s Favorite Things features our top 8 picks for the best books about weed culture, design, and lifestyle.
Honest’s Favorite Things: The 8 Best Books About Weed Culture, Design, and Lifestyle
How to Live with Objects: A Guide to More Meaningful Interiors - Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer
Knick-knacks mean more than you might think. Instead of choosing interior decor in accordance with a certain color scheme or the latest trend, How to Live with Objects argues that the most important criterion is how an object makes you feel. The design philosophy at the center of the book asks how objects impact our lives, and more importantly, how can we improve it: a question at the core of Honest’s philosophy as well. Intentional design allows for an intentional relationship with the world around you.
This is Your Mind on Plants - Michael Pollan
A master of sharing the perspective shift he’s personally found in plant medicine, Pollan’s latest takes a deeper look at our societal relationship with the psychoactive plants opium, mescaline, and coffee. Exploring different cultures’ societal taboos and traditional practices involving plant medicine, This is Your Mind on Plants aligns with the Honest mission to destigmatize cannabis and psychedelics – and it might make you rethink your morning cup of joe.
A Weed is a Flower: Artful Cannabis Photography - Broccoli Magazine Press
The first step towards destigmatization is a re-exploration of what we think we know about weed. This photography book from the quirky minds behind Broccoli Magazine is full of beautiful floral arrangements featuring our favorite flower of all. Featuring work from artists all over the world, individual culture is deeply infused in these celebrations of cannabis as a natural thing of beauty.
Nothing Special - Joko Beck
Meditation runs deeper than just sitting still. Nothing Special explores the art of Zen Buddhism: a belief system that surrenders to the idea that we’re all just pebbles rolling through the stream of life — resist and you’ll cause a whirlpool. Just like cannabis is used for mental and physical relief, you can tap into a mindset that frees you, too: what else is a pebble to do?
How We Roll: The Art & Culture of Joints, Blunts, and Spliffs - Noah Rubin
If you’ve ever tried to roll a joint, you know there’s an art to it. From interviews with world-famous potheads to the many unique methods for the act itself, How We Roll is a stoner manifesto featuring fun illustrations along with quizzes and charts to keep your attention (especially if you’re a little buzzed).
Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto - Tricia Hersey
As most of us probably know, capitalism controls our daily existence as a society. What you might not realize, though, is how much we contribute to this structure in our own minds. In Rest is Resistance, Tricia Hersey (better known as The Nap Ministry online) examines the ever-popular “hustle culture” and how capitalism is deeply tied to white supremacy – a mindset you can choose to resist on a personal level through, you guessed it, rest: from naps to daydreams.
High on Design: The New Cannabis Culture - Gestalten and Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi
This Berlin-based read feels like it was written directly with our niche in mind: aesthetically-oriented cannabis connoisseurs who know that what you’re smoking from is half the fun. While there will always be a time and a place for an apple bong, High on Design explores the many facets of weed culture from its association with creatives to the history of hemp to discover how we’ve arrived at our modern cannabis culture – and where it’s headed.
The Poetics of Space - Gaston Bachelard
A classic in many architecture circles, The Poetics of Space is a philosophical musing on how we co-create meaning with the domestic objects we surround ourselves with. Arguing that no place is too small or large to hold a memory, Bacheloard also emphasizes that no moment is too minor to make special – like a smoke break on the balcony.
Reading While Stoned
Engaging in the act of reading books while under the influence of cannabis, often referred to as being "stoned," can lead to a unique and altered reading experience. The altered state of mind induced by cannabis can potentially allow readers to perceive stories and ideas in new and unexpected ways. Words might take on a different texture, and sentences may unfold with a heightened sense of creativity and depth. In this state, readers might find themselves immersed in the narratives of books, feeling a stronger emotional connection to characters and their journeys.
However, the impact of reading books while stoned can vary greatly depending on an individual's tolerance, the strain of cannabis consumed, and the specific book being read. Some readers might find that cannabis enhances their ability to focus and fully absorb the material, while others might struggle with concentration and comprehension. It's important to approach this experience with an open mind and a willingness to embrace the altered mental state, allowing for the potential emergence of new perspectives and insights that might not have been accessible in a sober state.