I LOVED this book. Paquette creates a compelling and highly readable case for why including more moments of awe in our lives can lead to us feeling more fulfilled and with better mental health. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety and has recently dealt with a long period of grief after two major losses this book has given me amazing insight about how to move forward and have a life that is meaningful and positive. I've also been incorporating the material into a training I'm doing with a co-worker on habits for greater resilience and the material has been well received. Would recommend!

"Awe," writes clinical psychologist Jonah Paquette in the introduction to Awestruck, "is the rare sort of experience that can truly transform our lives." But not so rare as to be impossible to encounter and embrace in everyday life, which, Paquette goes on to argue, can make people "less stressed, healthier, happier, and more connected to those around us."

Anything that promises such incredible gains can easily sound too good to be true, but Paquette is thorough in backing up his claims. He first offers an overview of how awe has appeared throughout religious, philosophical and academic texts, then details how the experience of awe affects the human brain and body. This settled, the second half of Awestruck moves on to providing concrete and actionable ways readers can increase the amount of awe they experience on a near-daily basis. Many of these tips are inherently tied to experiencing nature, and many more draw on the same themes of mindfulness and observance that so many self-help books on similar subjects encourage.

While the methods in Awestruck may not be particularly groundbreaking or unusual, they combine with Paquette's scientific context to remind readers that experiencing awe is not an "extravagant luxury," to be enjoyed only occasionally and only by those who can afford over-the-top experiences. Instead, awe is "an essential part of a life well lived," and easy to come by, if one makes the time for it. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Discover: A clinical psychologist makes the case for why--and how--experiencing awe can improve nearly every aspect of daily life.

Although we might use words like "awe" and "awesome" often, we rarely reflect on its meaning or implications for our lives. Paquette's book invites us to reflect on its meaning and, as we do so, we have the opportunity to view our lives in more profound ways. Highly recommended

This was not as good as I'd hoped, but pretty good overall. For me the bottom line is that we each need to find our own way to awe, and we certainly need more of it. This has some good suggestions, including approaches I haven't thought of. For me, the book picked up a little steam as it went on. This is really a tough subject to cover just with words, but this does a decent job. 3.5 stars.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!