Live Happy - Bridget Grenville-Cleave and Ilona Boniwell

Part self-help book, part psychology primer, Live Happy features 100 pieces of advice on leading a life of contentment. 

A distillation of the latest research into happiness, this is a guide to the tools and strategies most likely to make you happy. Informative, factual, accessible, and scientifically rigorous, Live Happy gives the best available advice across a range of situations and activities that are relevant to our happiness. 

Advice featured ranges from simple lifestyle changes, such as taking up a new hobby and spending time in the garden, to more abstract long-term goals, such as improving your luck and putting value in experiences. Presenting recent psychological and scientific studies as practical steps for the reader to take, Live Happy offers the perfect mix of practical and aspirational.

What did I think?

A lot of work has gone into the presentation of Live Happy and it certainly pays off; you can't help but smile and feel relaxed just from the beautiful sky blue sunny cover.  Each page is either coloured or illustrated with clipart style drawings of what the section is about and I really think the presentation helps to inspire and get the message across.  Although I read this book from cover to cover, it is definitely one that you will benefit from dipping in and out of when you want some inspiration.

Live Happy sets out 100 ways to fill your life with joy.  Well, I don't know about you but I'd be quite happy with just a handful of joyous activities, so with 100 to choose from I really think there will be something for everyone in this book.  A lot of the ideas to find happiness are common sense but some of them are reminders of the simple things we may have forgotten.  We are all so busy with lives running at 100 mph these days that we rarely stop to smell the roses.  Funnily enough, that is one of the tips in the book: 'connect with nature' - spend more time in the countryside or your garden as natural environments help to reduce blood pressure and stress.

For me, the sections that resonated with me and became tips that I will take away with me are: improve your luck, think highly of yourself, relieve stress, forgive yourself, worry less,  learn to like yourself, learn how to say no and my personal favourite: enjoy a glass of wine.  What I love about books like this is that somebody else will read it and pick out a different set of tips to help and inspire them.

Live Happy has something for everyone, whether you need a quick pick-me-up or a reminder to appreciate what you have in your life.  I think that everyone who reads Live Happy will end up smiling at some point whilst reading it, so the book does indeed do what it says on the cover. 😊

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Woolly Hat Knitting Club - Poppy Dolan

Finding happiness one stitch at a time

When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst rumours of inappropriate behaviour. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all but has no proof.

When Dee bumps into an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby she convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make lots of tiny woolly hats. Then Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking and she ropes him into helping the knitting cause. 

But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…

What did I think?

I do have an affinity for knitting and I certainly don't get my needles out often enough, but I was drawn to The Woolly Hat Knitting Club like a granny to a woolshop.  I expected it to be a bit of a chicklit book, with a bit of knitting in it, so I was really surprised to find myself taking note of some life lessons along the way.  I love a book that gives me something to think about at the end, and I think it's rather apt that I am starting a new job on the day that I am releasing my review of The Woolly Hat Knitting Club for the blog tour.  You will see why if you read on...

Delilah and her brother, Julian, (Dee and JP to their friends) co-own a haberdashery in the picturesque village of Fenwild.  Not one to be sexist, but you would expect Dee to be the knitting enthusiast but instead it is her brother JP.  JP has made quite a name for himself on social media as About a (Knitting) Boy so he is distraught when he breaks both his wrists and has to call on his sister for help.  Luckily for JP, Dee has just been fired from her high-powered job in the city so she is around to help out...or take over and PR the hell out of his knitting business, more like!  When she's not seething about her arch-rival, Ben, who she thinks got her fired, Dee is trying to secure investment in JP's business...but is that what JP wants or is it all that Dee knows?

When Dee runs into an old friend, Becky, in the local supermarket a new business plan is born.  Becky has just prematurely given birth to her son, Chester, but she hasn't even been able to hold him yet, never mind find clothes to fit him.  Although JP is unable to knit in his current predicament, Dee asks him to give a shout out to his followers to knit tiny baby hats and they are overwhelmed by the response. The idea snowballs into a knitathon and JP really gets to see who his friends are...with Dee finally seeing that there's more to life than work.

What a thought-provoking story this was, both about paying it forward by being charitable and about the work/life balance.  I've heard all the 'work to live not live to work' sayings many times and at the beginning I really didn't see what was wrong with Dee throwing herself into her work 24/7 - after all that's all she had.  EXACTLY!!!  That's all she had but she could have so much more!  Family, friends and love are all waiting to be plucked from the tree of life but you have to take a walk into the forest to see this as you can't see it from your desk at work.  As soon as Dee felt the warm glow of happiness, I had a bit of an epiphany and saw where I had been going wrong for the last however many years.  So like I say, I expected to settle down to some warm glow hot chocolate sipping chicklit but got a lot more out of The Woolly Hat Knitting Club than I expected.

The Woolly Hat Knitting Club ticked all the boxes for me with family and friendship playing a huge part, but also thinking of others as well as yourself.  There really is something extra special about giving a gift you have made yourself as there's a little bit of love and happiness woven into the item along with every stitch.  The Woolly Hat Knitting Club is what I would call an onion book; it has so many layers and it's a delight to see them being peeled away to reveal a shiny new core or whatever an onion has in its middle.  Maybe an onion doesn't have a kernel, but there's definitely a kernel of wisdom in this book should you choose to see it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour.

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Strip Naked and Redress with Happiness - Maria Hocking

Strip Naked & Re-Dress With Happiness is a handbook not only for surviving adversity, but for discovering how to thrive as a result. Maria Hocking’s own inspiring personal story is woven throughout the book, accompanied by ‘changing room tips’ - tools and techniques to help you understand your emotions and behaviours, and move through personal challenge. You’ll discover that ‘getting naked’ – losing what you used to take for granted - is an opportunity to let go of who you thought you were, and find out who you really are.

Enter the changing room to change your mind and your life. Maria is walking, talking, pen pushing proof that these tips work, because she used them to change her own life. Within every challenge lies a gift, just waiting to be discovered: this book will open your eyes to help you find it, and discover a higher level of happiness as a result.

What did I think?

I defy anyone not to be inspired by Maria Hocking's story.  Oh my word!  However bad you think your life is, just be grateful you haven't had to limp in Maria's shoes.  It was a rather sobering experience to read Maria's story as, at the time of reading, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  I just have to look at Maria's smiling face on the back of the book to give me a lift now.

Strip Naked & Re-Dress With Happiness, through excellent concise exercises, gives you the tools to be able to look inside yourself and go back to basics.  Just look at a child playing with an empty cardboard box and see how happy they are...take off your many layers of cynicism, negativity and self-doubt and go into the changing room to Strip Naked & Re-Dress With Happiness.

I'm not going to say that Maria's book changed my life the minute that I finished reading it as this is a book to go back to again and again, along with the resources available on Maria's website.  It has, however, changed the way that I think with simple exercises such as my favourite: random acts of kindness.  Have you ever noticed how contagious a smile is?  I've certainly noticed how contagious a bad mood is and, to my shame, I can see the mood of others around me changing to reflect my dark aura.

A sobering thought came towards the end of the book: "life is far too short to just exist" and if you take nothing else away from this book, take that one thought.  We only get one life so don't waste it by being unhappy, you have the power to change it with Maria's help, of course.

Think of Strip Naked & Re-Dress With Happiness as a guidebook to life and you'll live a much fuller, happier life by using it.  I know that my copy will be constantly within my sight and hopefully soon I will have a smile as true as Maria's.  Strip Naked & Re-Dress With Happiness  in one sentence: an enlightening quick read with huge rewards.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest an unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Happiness Millionaire - Janet Jones

Get ready to be a Happiness Millionaire and change your life forever.

Are you struggling to reach your potential, believing there is more to life but don’t know how to change it?

Perhaps you are feeling unconfident, unfulfilled or even a little vulnerable?

Chances are you’re suffering from a poverty mindset, born out of fear. You’re not alone. In fact, I used to feel the same way. Like you, I was stuck, struggling with life. And, through discovering 13 time-tested life principles and creating powerful visual imagery, I discovered how to turn my life around and achieve a R.I.C.H life—

Relationships, Income, Confidence, Health.

In short, I became a Happiness Millionaire, and now it’s your turn!

Through my workshops, I’ve helped people just like you break through to a R.I.C.H. mindset and a fulfilling life. And now, the transformative power of the 13-positive images from the workshops are available to you in this book, to work through at your own pace. Take the journey they offer and move towards that worthy goal for which we are all striving: happiness.

What did I think?

How very brave of Janet Jones to share her story with us and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am that she did.  It sounds easy but I think it is a difficult question to ask yourself - are you happy?  If you have to think about the answer, then chances are you are not.  I admit to being happy in some areas of my life but not so happy in others.  I thought it was my lot in life and just took what I have been given but this wonderful book has taught me that I can take back control and change the direction of my life.

As a born worrier, I recognised straight away that I am P.O.O.R., with a Poverty mindset and often feeling Overwhelmed,  Off-balance and filled with Regret.  I didn't even see anything wrong with this, thinking that it's just the way I am, until Janet started talking about 'desire'.  It was like an epiphany for me as I realised that I'm floating along on the sea of life, letting the tidal currents take me where they will, and settling for 'good enough'.  So what am I doing wrong?  Listening to my pesky inner voice, that's what!  How many times do you call yourself names that you think are harmless?  You go shopping and forget your shopping list - what an idiot, or you drop your bookmark and lose your place in your book - you muppet!  I didn't realise how often I did this and what makes it worse is that your brain can't distinguish between fact and fiction so it actually believes what you're telling it.  This was another eureka moment for me and further confirmation that I was reading a truly inspirational book.

The book contains 13 positive images that you are encouraged to look at for a certain length of time.  Everyone will see something different in each image and afterwards we are given examples of other thoughts and interpretations.  There is no wrong answer!  For me, the images are there to inspire, provoke and enhance and I loved the 'in a nutshell' section at the end of each part so that we can be reminded of the images we have seen so far.  I do feel, however, that these images wouldn't transfer so well to kindle - seeing them in full colour and having the ability to flick back to them when required was an absolute necessity for me.

You're not going to be a Happiness Millionaire by the time you finish this book; like anything worthwhile, it's not going to happen overnight but you can start making deposits into the happiness bank today.  I hadn't even reached the start of the inspirational images before I had changed my outlook and started to see immediate results.  

Truly inspirational and thought-provoking, Happiness Millionaire is a book to live, not just to read.  Only by putting the ideas into practice will you start to see results and hopefully, like me, you will start to see results before you even finish the book.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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