"Joyful," by Ingrid Fetell Lee

Genre: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 300+

Published: 2018 (Little Brown Spark)

Potential Triggers: Mention of Evolution, Mentions Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts,

Mental Health Topics: < See Below >

This book is one that both fascinated me and also off-put me, which is an odd combination to say the least, but let me first tell you why I included this book on this list, even though it doesn't explicitly mention mental health topics.

In this book, it focuses on joy and how we can encourage joy to fill our own lives no matter our situation. It talks about joy in color, in surprises, and in things that seem "magical." It's something that may not be specifically about certain disorders, but is about the idea that your mindset and your surroundings can impact your emotions. It's for this reason that I included it, because I wanted to share the notion that you can change your mindset, no matter where you're at. And for those out there who prefer black to color like me... well, even you might learn a little bit. I know I did.

But let's go back to my first point of this review: the fact that this book fascinated and off-put me.

At the beginning of the book, there was a quote that implied that there's a correlation between color and being a warm person. And as a person who loves black and puts it everywhere, adding a small pop of color here and there, that kinda put me off because I've been told I'm a warm person, and yet I surround myself with blacks and greys and things like that—certainly not what people would call color! And the idea that I was faking my warmth, or that the only way to be a warm person was to be "colorful" so to speak, kinda drove me a little bit crazy (but you know, a little craziness per book is warranted).

That said, the book was incredibly interesting and enlightening on its emphasis on other things, too. One example is the chapter on surprises, which I loved. Who doesn't enjoy a little surprise here and there? Finding something hidden in an old jacket pocket, uncovering something you forgot about while cleaning your desk, or even someone showing up to an event when you thought they wouldn't be there! It's the small things that really make you happy, isn't it? This delves into examples and ideas that just filled me with such fascination that I wanted to share. I loved that chapter.

I'm not entirely sure what I would give this book overall, though. Because there were parts that were hard to get through and then parts that I loved. I'm tempted to give it an "in-the-middle" rating, but I feel like a 3 is too harsh. I think I'll give it a 3.5 just to soften that a bit, because while I liked it, it wasn't terrific.

Overall, those are just my thoughts! Let me know if you read this book and what your thoughts are! I'd love to know what you think! For more reviews like this (and reviews on non-mental-health-related books), follow me on Goodreads!