Joyful: The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness Paperback – 6 September 2018

Book came as described

Muy bonito libro, aún no lo leo pero llegó muy sucio, creo que son detalles que tienen que cuidar al vender un producto

This book is well-written and full of information and interesting ideas with something new to learn on every page. But while it is written with the rigor of thoughtful research, it is as enjoyable and easy to read as a novel. It is a fascinating read! At least twice in every chapter I went to the internet to see and learn more about the people and places mentioned in the book. I started taking notes before realizing that key elements of the ideas in the book are summarized in the back, along with worksheets that can be downloaded as well. There is an excellent list of references in the back as well and a good index. The book has really surpassed my expectations and I am only halfway through. I had started several weeks ago trying to find some ideas about happiness and joy on the internet but these “joy lists” were predictable and not very inspiring. But this book has given me so many new ideas, and has also confirmed a few things that I had already known about making my home environment better, but had not consciously thought much about.I have to update my review after reading the chapter on Magic. It was condescending and tone-deaf to nature-based spiritualities. For example the author assumes that people who ‘light a smudge stick to “cleanse” a new home’ as a ‘guilty pleasure...we admit only with reluctance.’ What? She obviously put “cleanse” in quotes because she doesn’t believe in the concept. She also states that ‘With few exceptions, magic in modern culture appears as either juvenile and primitive or dark and occultist.’ Naturally I found this to be offensive. Another quote from this chapter, ‘To this day, some Aboriginal groups view the appearance of rainbows as a sign that the rainbow serpent is moving from one waterhole to another.’ But she doesn’t mention that ‘even today, some’ Christians believe the rainbow is a sign that the Earth will never have a large flood again, even though that is the same thing. She emphasized things like stage magicians and mirror and op art illusions. To her, magic is only an illusion. She definitely misses the boat with respect to magic and this chapter made me cringe.I am sure as I read the remaining chapters I will recover my enthusiasm for the book as I cannot fault the other chapters I have read.

Ótima leitura para todos que acreditam nessa coisinha mágica chamada "alegria" relacionada ao cotidiano e aos espaços que frequentamos, os objetos que compramos e tudo mais que nos influencia.

It started out innocently enough. My husband asked me to do a bit of research around JOY, as a possible pivot theme for their holiday campaign. Thanks to Google, I landed on Ingrid's website - and, down the joy-filled, magnificent, madly inspiring rabbit hole I went. Hours and hours and hours were spent reading all things JOY. I was so inspired by her work, that I had to read her book. And, because I have a hard time waiting, I ordered it on Amazon and it came the next day - small miracles! I read cover to cover so quickly, I was deeply saddened when I turned the last page. There is SO MUCH GOODNESS in this book. Ingrid is an exquisite human for bringing us all of this work. Her book is loaded with words you are going to highlight and underline to come back to again and again and again. THIS book was the MUSE to our holiday campaign; but, I think most importantly it invited me into a new world of colour. Of joy. It helped clear my monochromatic lens on life. And, I now tell every single human I know that they MUST READ THIS BOOK. So buy it. Read it. And, go buy a pair of bright yellow rain boots to slosh around in during our gray winter days. I did. Thanks Ingrid. Your soul has to be one of the most colourful I know. xo

Best book I read in the last 10 years!