The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau

The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was really hoping to learn something new about happiness from this book. That definitely did not happen. This book could easily have been understood just by reading the first appendix. In the first chapter, he decides to define what a quest is. I didn't agree with his findings. According to the author, worthy personal pursuits like losing weight, getting fit, or quitting smoking are not lifelong focus types of activities. Suffice it to say we didn't get off on the right foot with this book.

Further reading resulted in long explanations of goal setting and alternate statements of Just Do It. Anyone who has had a big dream will know immediately what he is talking about. The anecdotes were disappointing in some respects. He justifies their pursuit of a quest over other life values, like friends and family.

Overall, this is a book I should have skipped reading.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

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The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay

The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read many books on de-cluttering and organizing and getting rid of stuff. This book had some very good insights into why we hold on to things and how to let them go. Some of this was about me being ready to hear the message, and some of it was the way the author explained the reasons for letting go of things. My closet is only half full now, and it is a little closet. It is not a walk-in or a double door kind of thing. I realized when I read the book that I wasn't wearing most of the clothes and some of the clothes I was only wearing because it fit. I didn't like it anymore. I realized that I didn't have to keep anything I don't like. Even if I spent good money on it, even if it was a gift. Someone else might really like it and use it, instead of it sitting in my closet year after year. I would have given the book 5 stars, but the last couple of chapters got a bit preachy about researching purchases even the small ones. After all the talk about minimizing stuff and minimizing what we commit our time to, the author wants to add a bunch of to-dos to our list. No thanks.

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