The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
by Gretchen Rubin is one of those books that fit the category I like (stunt memoir) but that I never get around to reading when I check it out of the library. I'd had this one home twice before I saw this review by raych at books i done read, in which she gave it TEN caterpillars and then I had to go back and get it at third time.That insanely long title pretty much sums up the premise of the book. Rubin decides to spend a year trying to be happier, kinda on the basis of fake it til you make it. It's not that she's sad or depressed, but that one day she realizes that she's kinda going through to motions waiting for "real" life to start. At this point in her introduction I felt like I was going to love this book. I am increasingly aware of the fact that I am waiting for something elusive to happen before ... well, I don't know. It's just a vague feeling that I'm waiting on real life to start. I just had my third child. What else can I be waiting on? Anyway, the introduction hit all the right notes and I thought I was really going to connect with the author. And I did, for a while. Maybe 2/3rds of the way through I started to get bored. It was like she was losing steam and repeating herself, a lot. I went ahead and finished and I wouldn't say that I disliked the book at all, but it didn't pan out to be all that I had hoped.
Other reviews you could read if you wanted a different perspective:
books i done read
A Striped Armchair
Frugal Wife = Wealthy Life
she reads and reads
Both Eyes Book Blog
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
by Gretchen RubinHarper
2009
320 pages
Source: library
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Aww. What a shame that it sort of petered out towards the end..
ReplyDeleteHope you and the little ones are all well and that you're getting plenty of sleep? :)
I'm amazed that you're blogging already!!
ReplyDeleteI do think you can decide to look at things with a positive attitude which can contribute to happiness, but reading a whole book about it would get old after a while.
How you got this up with all that's going on in your little world right now, I have no idea... ^_^
ReplyDeleteToo bad the book fell a little flat toward the end, but at least you have the basic premise in your mind now to help you stay focused on the happiness in the here and now.
I think most people are continuously waiting for and anticipating the "next" milestone or great thing in their lives and forget that there's so much savoring to do in the here and now that can keep us plenty happy. Like a new baby girl in the family! ^_^
This book has been sitting on our fireplace for MONTHS. I've been wanting to read it but haven't been really motivated. Your post makes me even less motivated.
ReplyDelete