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inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I LOVE Gretchen Rubin’s work. I first discovered her in college through The Happiness Project (and made several failed attempts at my own). Her book on habits - Better than Before - is wonderful, and I am a loyal listener to her Happier Podcast, from which I have gained so many helpful tips and tricks that have immensely improved my life. I never felt strongly about reading this book, especially as a 20 something living young, wild and free, but now that I’m 33, have a house and am less than 7 months away from marriage (!!!!), I figured this one would finally feel more relevant to me.
It did and it didn’t—while some parts were powerful and inspiring in their practicality, other sections felt more scattered and less engaging. The book is a documentation of Rubin’s second year-long happiness project that is focused on her home life. Like the original, each month/chapter has a different area of focus (possessions, marriage, children, etc.) and she makes “resolutions” within each of those categories -- some very specific like “give warm greetings and farewells” and “try acupuncture” and some more abstract, like “dig deep” and “now is now.”
I’m very familiar with Gretchen’s writing style and tone from listening to her podcast, and listening to this audiobook definitely felt like listening to an extended, rambly at times podcast episode. I think my conflicted feelings about the book stem from the inconsistencies in my experience. I loved hearing her talk about her Halloween photo gallery of her daughters’ previous costumes that only comes out each October. I wasn’t as engaged by the lengthy narrative about her researching a miniatures artist for a display in her family’s kitchen cabinet. And maybe that’s personal preference, but it gave parts of the book a disjointed feel that I don’t recall experiencing in The Happiness Project.
One of Gretchen’s greatest strengths as a writer is that she knows herself very well. She uses this self knowledge to design her resolutions and work through happiness stumbling blocks. Through this vulnerability, she inspires the reader to “know themselves better”. Her style is never preachy, often practical and lighthearted. I love how she weaves in quotations and musings on happiness as well as psychological studies as a way to compliment what is always a story about her own quest to make her life happier.
I enjoyed reading this, and took away things that I am excited to try out in my own home life, I just don’t know that it was necessary given the success and comprehensiveness of her first book. I can’t help but wonder—if her podcast had existed before this book, would she have felt the need to write it? I mean that with genuine curiosity and love because no matter what, I’ll always be a big fan of Gretchen Rubin and her quest to make life a little happier.
It did and it didn’t—while some parts were powerful and inspiring in their practicality, other sections felt more scattered and less engaging. The book is a documentation of Rubin’s second year-long happiness project that is focused on her home life. Like the original, each month/chapter has a different area of focus (possessions, marriage, children, etc.) and she makes “resolutions” within each of those categories -- some very specific like “give warm greetings and farewells” and “try acupuncture” and some more abstract, like “dig deep” and “now is now.”
I’m very familiar with Gretchen’s writing style and tone from listening to her podcast, and listening to this audiobook definitely felt like listening to an extended, rambly at times podcast episode. I think my conflicted feelings about the book stem from the inconsistencies in my experience. I loved hearing her talk about her Halloween photo gallery of her daughters’ previous costumes that only comes out each October. I wasn’t as engaged by the lengthy narrative about her researching a miniatures artist for a display in her family’s kitchen cabinet. And maybe that’s personal preference, but it gave parts of the book a disjointed feel that I don’t recall experiencing in The Happiness Project.
One of Gretchen’s greatest strengths as a writer is that she knows herself very well. She uses this self knowledge to design her resolutions and work through happiness stumbling blocks. Through this vulnerability, she inspires the reader to “know themselves better”. Her style is never preachy, often practical and lighthearted. I love how she weaves in quotations and musings on happiness as well as psychological studies as a way to compliment what is always a story about her own quest to make her life happier.
I enjoyed reading this, and took away things that I am excited to try out in my own home life, I just don’t know that it was necessary given the success and comprehensiveness of her first book. I can’t help but wonder—if her podcast had existed before this book, would she have felt the need to write it? I mean that with genuine curiosity and love because no matter what, I’ll always be a big fan of Gretchen Rubin and her quest to make life a little happier.