Person
Gretchen Rubin's book recommendations
Key facts
- Gretchen Rubin has recommended or discussed 14 books on podcasts, as of May 25, 2023.
- Gretchen Rubin has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of May 25, 2023.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of May 25, 2023.
- The 3 books Gretchen Rubin has mentioned in the most episodes, as of May 25, 2023: A Pattern Language, Goodnight Moon 60th Anniversary Edition and Graceling.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Gretchen Rubin aired on May 25, 2023.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Gretchen Rubin appears on, in one place — not just one.
Gretchen Rubin’s most recommended books
- A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
- Goodnight Moon 60th Anniversary Edition by Margaret Wise Brown
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
- Internal time by Till Roenneberg
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright
- The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Gretchen Rubin is an American author, blogger and speaker. During podcast appearances, she has recommended several notable books across different genres. On ChooseFI, she suggested Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein's A Pattern Language, describing it as a fascinating work on space that she frequently gives as a gift. She also strongly recommended Viktor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning as a book she thinks everyone in the world should read, and suggested Till Roenneberg's Internal Time to help understand sleep data and school schedules for teenagers. Additionally, during an appearance on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Rubin shared a list of her favorite children's books that she recommends, which included Dare Wright's The Lonely Doll, Mary Ann Hoberman's The Seven Silly Eaters, Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, and Charlotte Zolotow's Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present. Through these various recommendations, Rubin highlighted works that range from architectural design and psychological endurance to foundational children's literature and human circadian rhythms, demonstrating a diverse array of reading interests that she enthusiastically shares with listeners across multiple podcast platforms and interviews.
Books recommended by Gretchen Rubin
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A Pattern Language
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein is a foundational architectural and design treatise that maps universal patterns across towns, buildings, and spaces.
Recommended“a book that I most often give as a gift is a crazy book called a pattern language which is like this weird Rogue architect Christopher Alexander about how to look at spaces which I find super fascinating”
Where to get it
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Goodnight Moon 60th Anniversary Edition
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is a beloved, timeless children's picture book that follows a young bunny bidding a gentle goodnight to every object in the great green room.
Recommended“Tell us some of the best children's books you recommend. I love The Lonely Doll, I love The Seven Silly Eaters, Goodnight Moon, of course, Crazy Strange, Where the Wild Things Are.”
Where to get it
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Graceling
Graceling is a fantasy novel by Kristin Cashore that serves as the starting point for a well-regarded series set within the Graceling realm.
Recommended“You should read His Dark Materials, the trilogy and subsequent books by Philip Pullman, Kristin Cashore's Graceling trilogy, The Hunger Games is amazing by Suzanne Collins.”
Where to get it
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His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a celebrated fantasy trilogy following children Lyra and Will as they traverse parallel universes encountering armored bears, witches, and theological conflicts.
Recommended“You should read His Dark Materials, the trilogy and subsequent books by Philip Pullman, Kristin Cashore's Graceling trilogy, The Hunger Games is amazing by Suzanne Collins.”
Where to get it
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Internal time
Internal Time is a fascinating scientific exploration of human chronobiology written by Till Roenneberg that examines how biological clocks influence sleep patterns, health, and daily productivity.
Recommended“so anyway so you should read the book internal Time by till ronenberg because it makes that case and it goes through all the data about how teenagers”
Where to get it
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Man's Search for Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning is a profound psychological memoir by Viktor E.
Recommended“if people say to me what's the one book I think everybody in the world should read I say Victor Frankel's man search for meaning”
Where to get it
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Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
Mr.
Recommended“Mr. Rabbit and the and the gift.”
Where to get it
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The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian young adult novel set in a ruined nation where children are forced to compete in a televised death match.
Recommended“You should read His Dark Materials, the trilogy and subsequent books by Philip Pullman, Kristin Cashore's Graceling trilogy, The Hunger Games is amazing by Suzanne Collins.”
Where to get it
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The Lonely Doll
The Lonely Doll is a classic children's picture book written and photographed by Dare Wright, featuring unique doll photography and a poignant story about companionship and separation.
Recommended“Tell us some of the best children's books you recommend. I love The Lonely Doll, I love The Seven Silly Eaters, Goodnight Moon, of course, Crazy Strange, Where the Wild Things Are.”
Where to get it
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The Seven Silly Eaters
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman is a delightful and humorous children's rhyming book about a quirky family and their demanding children with very particular culinary preferences.
Recommended“Tell us some of the best children's books you recommend. I love The Lonely Doll, I love The Seven Silly Eaters, Goodnight Moon, of course, Crazy Strange, Where the Wild Things Are.”
Where to get it
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Where the wild things are
Maurice Sendak's Where the wild things are is a beloved children's picture book that follows a young boy named Max on an imaginative journey to a land of fantastical creatures before returning safely to his bedroom.
Recommended“Tell us some of the best children's books you recommend. I love The Lonely Doll, I love The Seven Silly Eaters, Goodnight Moon, of course, Crazy Strange, Where the Wild Things Are.”
Where to get it
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Better Than Before
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin is a comprehensive self-help guide that explores the mechanics of habit formation, offering twenty-one distinct strategies to help individuals successfully build positive routines and break destructive behaviors in their everyday lives.
Discussed“so that led me to Habit formation and I wrote a book called better than before that was all about the 21 strategies that we can use to make or break our habit”
Where to get it
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Story of a Soul
Story of a Soul by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is a deeply moving spiritual autobiography detailing the author's path of simple holiness, childlike trust in God, and everyday devotion known widely as her 'Little Way.' On an episode of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von in September 2026, Bishop Robert Barron discussed Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and her famous book, highlighting how massively popular the spiritual text has become all over the world due to its accessible and profound message of love.
Discussed“favorite Harry Potter book story of a soul has been very influential to me”
Where to get it
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What color is your parachute?
What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles is a classic career-guidance and self-help book designed to help job seekers identify their personal strengths, priorities, and goals through structured introspection.
Discussed“That's when you have to like read What Color Is Your Parachute? and like do all that soul searching.”
Where to get it
Books by Gretchen Rubin
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The Happiness Project
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Life in Five Senses
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Happier at Home
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The four tendencies
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Better Than Before
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The Happiness Project, Tenth Anniversary Edition
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Outer Order, Inner Calm
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Secrets of Adulthood
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 162 | The 4 Tendencies and FI | ChooseFI | 2023-05-25 | 5 |
| MASTER THESE Habits If You Want To Become SUCCESSFUL! | Gretchen Rubin & Jay Shetty | On Purpose with Jay Shetty | 2021-01-11 | 9 |
Other mentions (6: passing, ad reads, own books)
“well I write about that better than before if we just monitor something we tend to do a better job of it”
“Gretchen what's your favorite Harry Potter book maybe Goblet of Fire”
“Um and and it was there were all these I had been writing a book called Better Than Before that was all about habit change, how we make or break our habits.”
“So like when I would talk to people about New Year's resolution, because I wrote this book better than before that's all about habit change.”
“And so I think one of the things for, and one of the things I try to do in the book, the four tendencies is to give lots and lots and lots of examples,”
“Ever since I wrote The Happiness Project, one of the things that really struck me is that often it's not that people don't know what would make them happier.”