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The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary
- Narrated by: Catherine Gray
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Categories: Health & Wellness, Psychology & Mental Health
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Not hugely interesting
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Summary
From the Sunday Times best-selling author.
We're told that happiness is in the extraordinary. It's on a Caribbean sun lounger, in the driving seat of a luxury car, inside an expensive golden locket, watching sunrise from Machu Picchu. We strive, reach, push, shoot for more. 'Enough' is a moving target we never quite reach.
When we do brush our fingertips against the extraordinary a deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenon called the 'hedonic treadmill' means that, after a surge of joy, our happiness level returns to the baseline it was at before the 'extra' event.
So, what's the answer?
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary theorises that the solution is rediscovering the joy in the ordinary that we so often now forget to feel. Because we now expect the pleasure of a croissant, a hot shower, a yoga class, someone delivering our shopping to our door, we no longer feel its buzz. The joy of it whips through us like a bullet train, without pause.
Catherine Gray was a grandmaster in the art of eye-rolling the ordinary and skilled in everlasting reaching. Until the black dog of depression forced her to rethink everything.
Along the way, she discovered some surprising realities about the extraordinaries among us: that influencers risk higher rates of anxiety and depression, high rollers are less happy and huge frothy weddings increase the likelihood of divorce.
Learning how to be exalted by the everyday is the most important lesson we can possibly learn. In Catherine Gray's hilarious, insightful, soulful (and very ordinary) next book, you may learn to do just that.
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What listeners say about The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary
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- CEM
- 28-01-20
Only relatable if you are in your 20s or 30s!
Whilst I think that there is some useful information in this book I found the authors stereotyping of baby boomers, yes I am one of them, really annoying. Believe it or not some of us do understand how difficult it is for people to get on the housing ladder in todays market. Some of us can even use a smart phone too and shop online!
9 people found this helpful
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- Katie
- 14-02-20
Loved it
After finishing the Unexpected Joy of Being Sober nearly 6 months ago, and being sober ever since, I knew I’d love this book too - wonderful and beautifully written 💕💕💕
4 people found this helpful
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- crystal1113
- 29-12-19
Amazing, absolutely loved this book!
Catherine reads so well and this book has been so refreshing to listen to. Has really helped me in my self healing journey. Catherine is realistic in her advice and isn't at all pushy or judgemental. She also shares her own journey which is endearing and relatable. I'll be recommending this to all of my friends. A must read!!
2 people found this helpful
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- Julie 73
- 11-04-20
Fabulous!
loved this book . From start to finish, so honest, very funny, well written .
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-01-20
You! But in a way that makes sense!
I honestly feel like I understand myself a little bit better after reading this beautifully relatable, utterly charming, brave and honest, audited account of a life lived, loved and saved. ✌️
1 person found this helpful
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- Doreen
- 31-12-19
love Catherine Gray books but not loving this one
I thought it was a bit all over the place and that it tried to cover too many things. I adored her last two books so sorry to write this and I'll always be a follower but it didn't do it for me.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mariangela
- 09-11-20
loved previous books, underwhelmed by this one
I really love CG and always will, but I felt this book was less specific then previous ones. still some good gems in there for sure, but I also think that if you've read her previous two books this one will feel a bit less powerful and the format of personal experience + research is great but gets a bit repetitive if you read all of the three 'The Unexpected Joy' books. However, I think it can still bring a lot of insight to many people in any case.
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- Mary bedford
- 05-11-20
brilliant
another excellent book by Catherine,. funny, sad, interesting. especially great to hear her do the audio. love this author.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-11-20
Best book I’ve read for a long time...
Well, I’m truly sad this book has finished. I loved it and sympathised with so much of what Catherine has beautifully written about. It was full of wonderful tales, really interesting findings and I really enjoyed listening to the author reading it to me whilst I unloaded the dishwasher or drove to collect my little boy from nursery. Thank you for writing this book and inspiring me to take my aspirations and view of myself down a notch and enjoy the wonder of every day. I will absolutely read this again and have already bought a friend a copy. Thank you, Lily from Norwich
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- MISS T.
- 02-11-20
Absolutely loved it!
I feel like this booked really resonated with me, I found myself saying ‘yes I do that’ or ‘yes I know exactly what you mean!’. It was really uplifting and a must read, especially for anyone feeling a bit behind in life. So glad I found it and highly recommend!
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- ArtisticDirector
- 30-10-20
Happiness is in you
This is her second book that I’ve listened to. Her sobriety journey helped me achieve mine and I think for many of us, achieving sobriety is tinged with wanting more. Wanting more is inevitable I find… Finding happiness and joy and reminding ourselves that our brain power is stacked against us is what she shares with us in an always amusing and not saccharine way. If you are looking to find more joy in your life and perhaps your sobriety I highly recommend this book. Oh, it’s not just for women...
2 people found this helpful