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118 reviews for:
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life
Chris Guillebeau
3.54 AVERAGE
118 reviews for:
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life
Chris Guillebeau
3.54 AVERAGE
Chris' new book was such an easy read, yet it also challenged me deeply about my own personal quests. I particularly enjoyed reading about other people's quests, all very different, but all so personal and majestic. Definitely a thought provoking read.
Didn't meet my expectations. This book explores the idea of a "quest," encouraging everyone to take on a difficult quest that aligns with their passions. And while I like that idea, there's just not much insight at all in the book—just lots of common sense instead.
The example stories of quests real people have taken were mostly all extremes (sail around the world by yourself at age 15, not speak for 17 years, etc.) which makes them seem more out-of-reach than serve as inspiration. Also, you only got a page or two about each quest, which really wasn't a deep enough look to provide much value—each is just glossed over.
As a serial expat and slow traveler myself, it was frankly also annoying to read about the author's quest of visiting every country in the world. His tales of accidentally double booking flights (three times!), visiting several countries in a week, and the challenge being in obtaining a visa and being allowed in a country really made me cringe. (I travel to spend long periods of time in a place, to really soak up the environment and culture). Although he says it's not about crossing things off a list, his quest totally appeared to be of that type, in the way that he presented it.
Something felt off about the writing tone, too. There would randomly be a more light-hearted comment in parenthesis that felt out of place. Guess I'm too used to reading geniuses like Bryson and Pollan!
The example stories of quests real people have taken were mostly all extremes (sail around the world by yourself at age 15, not speak for 17 years, etc.) which makes them seem more out-of-reach than serve as inspiration. Also, you only got a page or two about each quest, which really wasn't a deep enough look to provide much value—each is just glossed over.
As a serial expat and slow traveler myself, it was frankly also annoying to read about the author's quest of visiting every country in the world. His tales of accidentally double booking flights (three times!), visiting several countries in a week, and the challenge being in obtaining a visa and being allowed in a country really made me cringe. (I travel to spend long periods of time in a place, to really soak up the environment and culture). Although he says it's not about crossing things off a list, his quest totally appeared to be of that type, in the way that he presented it.
Something felt off about the writing tone, too. There would randomly be a more light-hearted comment in parenthesis that felt out of place. Guess I'm too used to reading geniuses like Bryson and Pollan!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I first marked this to read in October 2016 just days after finishing an Ironman. I’m guessing I was looking for my next big quest. I do think stories can motivate and encourage others. I just felt the book was a compilation of too many little stories and so felt disjointed. I enjoyed hearing about others quests though.
In [b:The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life|20170321|The Happiness of Pursuit Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life|Chris Guillebeau|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403535131s/20170321.jpg|28028873], [a:Chris Guillebeau|3367145|Chris Guillebeau|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1372087146p2/3367145.jpg] explores how the act of questing can provide structure and goals that make life feel more meaningful. He goes beyond his personal quest to visit every country in the world and describes other quests, from cooking a meal from every country to producing the world’s largest symphony. The variety of quests is helpful when considering how this concept could be used by anyone in their lives – regardless of their personal interests.
As Mignon Fogerty said in her own excellent, succinct review, I had no desire to tackle any of the personal quests described in this book, yet I got useful takeaways from all of them. Read this too closely, as a step-by-step, how-to, and you're likely to be disappointed. Read between the lines, and you'll draw great lessons from the successes, "failures", and subsequent turns. I especially loved the story of Mark Burns, who "failed" at his stated goal of traveling from the UK to India as close as France, and went on to uncover and create something far more meaningful out of the experience.
(I received an ARC of this title; I'm just shamefully late, with no excuse, in publishing this review.)
(I received an ARC of this title; I'm just shamefully late, with no excuse, in publishing this review.)
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
I've always been captivated by people who take on a quest, so this book was interesting and inspiring. It made me consider possible quests that I might take on - visiting every winery in Virginia with my dog? Camping in every state? Walking the equivalent of the Appalachian Trail on my local trails? Doing a book signing in every state? I didn't pick one, but it did cause me to spend a lot of time daydreaming. Hopefully, someday I will find a quest to pursue.