Nonfiction Book Reviews

Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out by Marci Shimoff is one of the better self-help books that I’ve read (although, I’ll confess, I really haven’t read that many). She’s down to earth, funny, and self-deprecating.  She even uses cartoons, which my husband thought was just about the coolest thing ever.  My only real complaint with the book was the fact that Marci is linked to The Secret, a book I made no bones about not liking in my review of The Secret Revealed.  And yes, there is some stuff in Happy for No Reason that is draws off the philosophy of The Secret, which I could have done without, but there was less in there than I had worried there would be.  I just tried to skim past and ignore it when it came up.

Almost from the beginning, I found myself nodding in agreement with her.  It was amazing how many bad habits I had, that I never really thought about.  I am definitely a “I’ll-Be-Happy-When” person - I’m always saying that!  “I’ll be happy when we get a new washer and dryer” or “I’ll be happy when school is out for the summer” or “I’ll be happy when we go on vacation.”  Yet when those things happened, I never was really happy.  I was excited for a day or two, sure, but then I went back to normal.  Normal, of course, being me thinking yet more of the “I’ll-Be-Happy-When” thoughts.  It was a never-ending cycle, but I couldn’t figure out why.  Marci explained it all amazingly well, and I’ve been trying, since I finished the book, to correct those thoughts when I have them.  It’s been hard - it’s a lifetime habit I’m trying to break.

And if you’re struggling with depression, then you’ll really enjoy this book, because unlike many of the books out there that tell you how to deal with your depression, this one is written by someone who has actually been there, done that.  Marci Shimoff was not born with her “happiness gauge” set on high - just the opposite, in fact.   She talks about always looking at the bad side of situations, and most people will find themselves relating to what she’s saying.  Speaking of depression, there is a blog here at Today.com that talks about dealing with depression - Life After Depression might be a good blog to check out if depression is something you or a loved one deals with.

If you’re on the market for a good self-help book (even if it has a smidge too much of The Secret in it) you definitely should pick up Happy for No Reason.  It just might change how you think.

4.25 out of 5 stars.

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