Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World

A perfect book to start the new year. Rubin works through one of her senses at a time, trying to enjoy each one to the fullest. She visits the Met in NYC each day. She tries a meal at a restaurant where you are blindfolded. She takes a class on developing your sense of smell. She discovers the taste & visual cues that bring her joy. I love the idea of collecting things that are all one color (hers is scarlet), so you always notice them when you are in a thrift shop or on vacation. I know I’ll be putting some of these tips into practice as I try to deepen my appreciation of the world around me.

*In the months after reading this one I started collecting cobalt blue items. It's brought me and my kids so much joy to add to our "blue show more collection" and to keep an eye out for those things when we visit a fun shop. show less

This is a beautifully written treasure.

While reading, my husband was sitting next to me on our outside porch. It was one of those beautiful sunny afternoons. I kept interrupting him when every few minutes when I was learning something new from this book. Listen to this, I would say. A few minutes later, I blurted out something else. And so on. I said to him, you must read this.

At the same time, I was thinking of all the people I would have to text to let them also know that this book is full of fascinating facts we can all relate to. It's the first book I've read from this author and won't be the last.

It’s about the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. What makes it different is that the NYC author injects show more her life into tons of tidbits you’d like to share at your next party to impress upon your friends. Included are fine examples of senses with food and art.

The cover jumps out at you with the bright colors. There are nice additions with the graphics and also at the end with resources, notes and list of suggested readings. show less

Perhaps a string glowing reviews that described Rubin’s work as a life-changing book set my expectations too high. Don’t get me wrong. The book has nudged me into paying more attention to my sensory experiences, a fact that merits at least a couple stars. It even offered several helpful tips for making the most of our senses. But I couldn’t connect with some of her sensory experiments. Other assertions were not exactly "light bulb" revelations (example: our sense of sight can help us to "connect" with people as we share life experiences.) As an expanded magazine article or perhaps even a five-part magazine series, it might have worked for me. As a full-blown book — albeit a slim volume — there simply wasn’t enough show more “there” there. show less

Gretchen Rubin is a rich white woman, but it’s still good to be reminded to use my five senses to not take the world for granted! Many of the things she does to be aware of her senses don’t cost (much) money either, for example going for a walk, visiting a museum, or buying brightly coloured pens.

Slow start, but more interesting with the last senses

A must read!