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

Very Practical View of Happiness (2010-03-10) : 5/5
I loved this book and could not put it down. It offered a lot of insight about the author's personality, struggles and resolve. I share the same personality traits with her, so I can relate to many things she was struggling with. Her insights are also very action oriented, and I was able to take some small steps immediately. I am tracking my happiness activities on my chart and found it to be very helpful.
Good idea, but... (2010-03-10) : 1/5
I was looking forward to reading this book since I found the idea of it intriguing. As I was reading, I realized that something was bothering me, but initially I couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, about half way through, it hit me: the author seems to be boasting. She goes on and on about how great her life is by letting the reader know that she has a soul mate husband, wonderful kids, a great education, her dream job, perfect relationships with in-laws and parents, tons of friends and acquaintances, etc. It had me wondering why she even embarked on this project other than the obvious: money. If she's not as happy as she could be with all of these advantages, then I am not interested in her journey, anyway. If you're looking for something insightful, I would not recommend this book.
Happiness is doing and a little bit being (2010-03-08) : 4/5
The author's first commandment is "Be Gretchan". That is what we get in this book. I laughed out loud at her sincere attempts to be nicer to her husband even though he didn't seem to notice when she did an "Extreme Nice" week towards him. Her honesty about needing and wanting a gold star for all of the things she feels she needs to do to be a good wife, a good daughter, and a good daughter-in-law yields a lot of good suggestions. It's just that she can't seem to let go of her strong need for approval and a pat on the back. Her husband's "please don't make me" plea not to be coerced into stuffing and sealing Valentine photo card envelopes which is solely her idea was a tender observation of her self-described personality traits (anger, self-righteousness and prickly critical reactions.) I thought the weakest part of her sojourn was spirituality and mindfulness. Especially her quick resistance ("Be Gretchan") to exploring or even reading about Buddhism and mindfulness: no desire to do extensive research here. Her ignorance and subsequent arrogance shows up when she comes up with her own "koans" as though she already has an understanding of what Zen Koans and Buddhism are about. Cleaning out one's closets does make one feel better. There ARE a lot of helpful suggestions. In the end, Gretchan has written a book about DOING THINGS that will make one happier: the ultimate Western World approach to completing goals in life. What she is less willing to explore by "being Gretchan" is Eastern, which teaches BEING in the world. There, the striving quiets down and the self is able to reflect its true nature. Without even trying.
Life changing to say the least! (2010-03-07) : 5/5
Great book, I couldn't put it down! Gretchen Rubin does and excellent job of combining wit, philosophy and advice with her own personal journey on her "Happiness Project." It'll encourage you to improve your own life and even after a few chapters I could feel a difference.
good, but not great (2010-03-07) : 3/5
I have mixed feelings about this book. Some of it was really good and resonated with me (including the included comments from her blog), some I thought was plain stupid. I also thought a lot of it was written in a very egocentric tone and somewhat lengthy - I had to skip over some pages to keep going. But then again, Rubin makes quite clear that this book is about her project, so why shouldn't she speak about herself?
Overall, I liked it and it got me thinking, but it is not a literary masterpiece - like most blogs turned books.