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Gretchen Rubin


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Gretchen Rubin

Goodreads Author


Born
Kansas City, Missouri, The United States
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July 2009

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Out now: "Secrets of Adulthood"
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness. Order your copy of "Secrets of Adulthood" today.

Author Bio
Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. 

She’s the author of many New York Times bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies, Life in Five Senses, and Secrets of Adulthood, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her next book Secrets of Adulthood comes out April 2025.

She’s the host of the popular, award-winning po
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Popular Answered Questions

Gretchen Rubin Thanks so much for being a Super-Fan! (For anyone else who wants to join the Super-Fans, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/nYHon)
It took me a long time…more
Thanks so much for being a Super-Fan! (For anyone else who wants to join the Super-Fans, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/nYHon)
It took me a long time to make the switch from law to writing, but it was made easier because I had an idea for a book that I desperately wanted to write (and was already writing, in fact), my sister was a professional writer, so I had that model; and everyone in my family was very supportive of me taking a big risk. At one point, I thought, "I'd rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer," so I knew I had to give writing a shot.(less)
Gretchen Rubin Thanks for your enthusiasm! The book is called "Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World." What a joy it…moreThanks for your enthusiasm! The book is called "Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World." What a joy it was to write this book!

It's about how we can tune in to the five senses for more energy, creativity, luck, and love. As with my other books, it's a mixture of stories, research, and self-experiments. I tried cryotherapy, I held a Tastes Party for my friends, I visited the Metropolitan Museum every day for a year. I hope that reading "Life in Five Senses" will have people jumping out of their seats to find new ways to explore their OWN senses.(less)
Average rating: 3.68 · 299,048 ratings · 28,293 reviews · 37 distinct worksSimilar authors
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More books by Gretchen Rubin…

Gretchen Rubin’s 2025 Gift Guides

Giving someone the perfect gift is a wonderful feeling. Finding the perfect gift, on the other hand, can be more of a challenge. We’ve all had those moments of wandering around a store thinking, “What do I get for my brother-in-law who already has everything?”

One thing that makes it simpler is to understand your recipient’s gift-appreciation style; if you’re not sure about their style, try my fun,

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Better Than Before: Masteri...
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"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." -Jim Rohn Ah, January! The time of optimistic promises,...
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Gretchen’s Recent Updates

Gretchen Rubin wrote a new blog post

Gretchen Rubin’s Gifts That Are Not Candles

Gift-giving for acquaintances can be tricky—you want to show you put some thought into it, but keep the choice general enough that you don’t give them Read more of this blog post »
Gretchen Rubin finished reading
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
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Go Gentle by Maria Semple
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Fat by Barbara Wersba
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On the Beach by Nevil Shute
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The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
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So, so, so good. How I love Philip Pullman. I cannot wait for the final book in the trilogy. I love being immersed in this imaginary world of Lyra.
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La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
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The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
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Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
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A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Quotes by Gretchen Rubin  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.”
Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“The days are long, but the years are short.”
Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“Never start a sentence with the words 'No offense.”
Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Polls

Ok, this is a poll to decide our group read for January & February.

 
  2 votes, 40.0%

 
  2 votes, 40.0%

 
  1 vote, 20.0%

No Group Read for January/February
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

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The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Fall Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread) 2785 1207 Nov 30, 2010 09:03PM  
“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, An Apology for Idlers

869742 Happier Podcast Book Club — 1778 members — last activity May 28, 2023 01:09PM
Nothing makes me happier than reading a great book -- unless it's the chance to talk to other people who've loved that book as well. Elizabeth and I ...more
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message 1: by Luisa

Luisa I love Flannery O'Connor's works. But then I like a variety of writers and different genres.

Good seeing a title I hadn't read.


Luisa


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