This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!
O’s Little Book of Happiness by O The Oprah Magazine
Narrated By: Alison Elliot, Cynthia Hopkins, Helen Litchfield, Scott Shepherd, Joanna Adler
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Self Help
Running Time: Unabridged | 2 hours and 59 minutes
Source: Received From Publisher
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With a sprightly dose of insightful inspiration, a sprinkling of practical advice, and a bounty of exuberant stories by great writers, O’s Little Book of Happiness features some of the best work ever to have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine. Inside you’ll find Elizabeth Gilbert’s ode to the triumph of asking for what you want, Jane Smiley’s tribute to the animal who taught her about lasting fulfillment, Roxane Gay’s sure-fire cure for complaining, Brené Brown’s celebration of the powers of play, Neil deGrasse Tyson’s take on the joyful participation in the universe, and much more. Revisiting fifteen years of the magazine’s rich archives, O’s editors have assembled a collection as stunning as it is spirit-lifting.
It’s been almost a year since I listened to and loved Oprah Winfrey’s What I Know For Sure. So having loved that audiobook and having been a longtime subscriber to O Magazine, I was thrilled when the latest audiobook from the Oprah empire found its way in my mailbox. Talk about a pleasant surprise!
I admit, it took me quite so time to sit down and listen to this audiobook because I had a feeling it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. And…well, there are two sides to this coin. One on side, I really enjoyed the stories being told here, the lessons being learned here, and so on. There are so many different journeys from so many diverse lives in these stories about loss and survival, being vulnerable and accepting help, taking chances and embracing the unknown. Saying yes. I really appreciate the fact that some of the most touching life lessons from O Magazine contributors can be found in one place. That in itself is something to be very happy about.
What’s great about this is that it’s more reflection, more insight and inspiration than it is a traditional self help book filled with direction and advice and facts and not a whole lot of substance or depth. So, I really liked the structure of the essays. They were each so distinct and each left their mark and it never felt preachy. I loved how most of these essays are simply about how these people found happiness, what the turning point was for them in their search for joy. It’s quite something to see the turning points in other people’s lives. The human experience is something else. In all of this, there was an overall theme of optimism and joy and open arms and gratitude. An overall sense of peace. Even in all of the mess that life throws at us. I loved that overall theme of relinquishing control and enjoying the adventures of life or learning to appreciate and shape and extend our place in this world. I especially loved “Book Lust” by Pamela Erens and “Stop Whining” by Roxane Gay.
Now on the other side, I didn’t quite connect with the audiobook as much as I had hoped. Narrated by five people, I only found two of the voices to be extremely compelling, two to at least hold my attention, and one to be quite frankly…boring. So if you’re on a road trip and looking for a more serene listening experience, this is perfect. Go with the audiobook format and sit with this for three hours. Otherwise, I think this is much better suited consuming as a coffee table book and I’ll stick to The Moth for more insight and inspiration through the spoken word. But because I am such a fan of the Oprah empire, you know I am definitely looking forward to whatever is released next!
O’s Little Book of Happiness by O The Oprah Magazine is available today.