Me and Gretchen in the studio. I recommend always wearing your fanciest tube socks for important occassions.
Welcome to the fifth chapter of 3 Books where I chat with Gretchen Rubin (@Gretchen Rubin) in the Penguin Random House studio in downtown Toronto.
I met Gretchen ten years ago before her New York Times bestsellers The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies took the world by storm with over three million copies sold. And before her fantastic podcast “Happier by Gretchen Rubin” was launched scoring over 40 million downloads.
Our books at the PenguinRandomHouse front desk
Back in the day we were just blogger friends who swapped stories and shared meals whenever we were in each other’s hometown. I’ve since watched her become one of the world’s most thought-provoking observers of human nature. Chatting with Oprah, hanging with The Dalai Lama, being the question to Jeopardy answers. You know. That’s just how she rolls now. The point I’m trying to make is I’m lucky she still takes my calls.
In this chapter, Gretchen talks about why she rereads certain books so often, why readers are shifting away from self-help books and towards biographies and memoirs, and why memoirs can effectively inspire us to change. We discuss themes like human nature, life-changing diets, and, of course, formative books...
Listen to Chapter 5:
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What You'll Learn:
What is the lightning-bolt strategy to making change?
What bookstore category is growing while self-help shrinks and why?
Which book completely changed Gretchen’s diet? (And changed mine, too.)
Why should you read certain books over and over and over again?
Which book made Gretchen want to play catch with a pig’s bladder?
How is the "radical authenticity" trend changing writing styles?
Which children's book series provides great value for kids ... and even more for adults?
According to Gretchen, what is the most important thing when it comes to writing?
notable quotes from gretchen rubin:
"The most important thing with writing is to have something to say." @GretchenRubin #3bookspodcast
CONNECT With Gretchen:
word of the chapter:
Resources Mentioned:
Gretchen's first book [6:26]
Gretchen's second book [13:23]
Gretchen's third book [20:27]
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell by Bertrand Russell
“Collecting Birds’ Eggs and Meditating on the Flight of Time.” – 2009 blog post by Gretchen Rubin
Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
Human Guinea Pig - The Tim Ferriss Show
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
Gretchen Rubin on Cityline (video)
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Crawford Doyle Booksellers (closed)
Rainy Day Books Kansas City
The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton
