Simply Happy: A Crash Course in Chicken Soup for the Soul Advice and Wisdom

This compilation of lessons from a Wall Street investment banker turned self-help author and publisher will enrich the lives of its readers. Nine years ago, Newmark (Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Less) and her husband, Bill, acquired the ubiquitous Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise. With this book, she aims to help readers enact similarly dramatic life changes. Newmark weaves her stories and those of others into a series of lessons on going easier on yourself, loving your body, pretending to be confident so you eventually come to be so, expecting the best of people, being bold and trusting your instincts, practicing gratitude, enjoying the little things, and living with passion. Newmark adds that “happiness is not a mysterious, elusive lottery ticket” but “a jackpot within everyone’s grasp once we remove the obstacles we put in our own paths.” Those obstacles also include “frenemies,” whom the author advises readers to ditch. Sensible and empowering, Newmark’s work aims to teach others how to live a satisfying life. (Oct.)