Book Review: Happier at Home

I am linking up with my lover bucket, Bonnie, to share this book with you all today! I love to read, but sometimes I am bombarded with grading, my health plan, and well, just, life. I am grateful that this online book club encourages me to keep reading, like I do with all my of students.

The novel that I recently read was Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. I am happy that this book was the chosen one for this month because I just finished The Happiness Project this past summer.
(Also, remember when Gretchen Rubin tweeted at me the other week on twitter. No big deal. I'm basically famous now.) 

Overall, I liked it. No, I did not love it. (My same opinion goes for Happiness Project) I like the idea of it. I think that it had some wonderful quotes, ideas, and it is still inspiring for you to change something on your own personal level so that you can become "Happier at Home." I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads. This novel is about a woman's personal journey and monthly goals to make herself feeling more comfortable, happy, and at peace at home.

Here are some of my thoughts:

*The Quotes
I loved a lot of quotes in this book. I love quotes and am sort of a quote fiend. I make collections in books, on my phone, and anywhere that I can possibly imagine. I thought that the author did a great job of involving some interesting, thought provoking quotes.
For example:
-"Feeling right is more elusive. Feeling right is about virtue (doing my duty, living up to my own standards) and also about living the life that's right fro me. Sometimes choosing to "feel right" means accepting some "feeling bad." Happiness doesn't always make me feel "happy." my feeling "right" is reflected in the ways to make my home reflect my values. My ordinary routine should reflect the things most important to me."
-"We are happy when we are growing. Striving after goals is what makes you happy."
-"Personal Control is a very important element to happiness.

*The Ideas
-The strange thing about this book was it didn't work for me as either a self-help book or a memoir, but yet I am supremely glad I read it for the helpful reminders and tidbits of wisdom sprinkled throughout. I am grateful for the day-to-day On one hand some of Rubin's discoveries about herself, people and the code that she lives resonated with me. For example, her reminder that we are happiest when we are growing meant a lot to me. Also, I could have blessed her for her understanding that opposites can be true at different times. For example, at some times we need to be more organized, but at other times we need to back off. I appreciated her embracing the fact that things aren't always black and white and easy like so many self-help books want their readers to accept. I don't agree with all of her ideas and goals (some of them seems kind of trivial to me), but I agree wholeheartedly with her reminder that we can only change ourselves and not to try to change others. This is how most of the book went for me, hmmm I don't agree with that, but hey! that is a great idea. So, back and forth it went, but at the end I have to say I am glad I read it.


Have you read this book?
What did you think about it? I would love your thoughts.

Other Book Reviews: Happiness Project// Wild // Elizabeth Smart: My Story //