Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin
Nonfiction
What it’s about: Have you ever driven home and realized you can’t remember anything about the drive? This engaging book will inspire you to awaken your senses so you see the bright-colored tulips, hear the honking geese, and smell the budding trees. In a lively, conversational tone, Rubin describes her own awakening, which involved experiences such as a sound bath, tasting parties, and the luxury of visiting a museum repeatedly.
Why you might like it: While some self-improvement books ask a lot of the reader, this book invites you to take small steps to enrich your life through sensory experiences. In other words, it’s easy to do these things. For example, you can really, really pay attention to eating an amazing food, or pause for one minute to pay attention to all the textures around you.
You might also like: Check out Rubin’s The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, which have a similar structure. Also, Melody Warnick’s This Is Where You Belong invites readers to truly appreciate the place where they live.