"The Post-College Guide to Happiness"

by Bryan Cohen, NF, 2011, 149p, rating=3.5
Source: received from author in exchange for an honest review

The world can be a bit negative sometimes, which is kind of like saying rain is wet. Smiles have been replaced by cell phones and cynical is the new normal. The pursuit of happiness has been changed into the pursuit of dollars and in a tough economic climate, it's a race most of us are losing. Comedian and author Bryan Cohen thinks that it's time to remember what happiness is all about. He believes that normal people like you without diamond-bejeweled muscle shirts can still be happy with a few changes to your attitude, your beliefs and a short training routine to build up your joy.
Cohen has laid out 35 exercises that you can use to create a happiness workout plan ... (Goodreads)

Often self-help books can be a tedious read because of so many facts and details.  I'm so glad that this book didn't go in that direction ..tedious that is, it still contained facts and details.  So now the question is, did it offer enough valuable information?  By George it did!  Mr. Cohen did his homework and compiled practical happiness achieving exercises and outline them well.  He even threw in a bit of humor to help you move along in the reading. 

The author's approach to the guide was drawn from personal hands-on tried experience.  Still a young-single lad, I was skeptical at the degree of value his short experience would weigh on his perspective toward a long range of sustaining happiness.  However, this guide referenced several school of thoughts on the subject, so basically he picked out what he felt were the best ones and showed us how we can incorporate them into our daily life since he tried them himself. 

There was enough enriching substance in the guide that even picking a few of the exercises would provide one a great start at living a happy life (though I wasn't crazy about the Law of Attraction section because personally I didn't like the book it was based on, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne).  Also, I couldn't help but smile at the realization that I was practicing some of those exercises already.  They were similar principles and programs set to LDS members (see Words of Wisdom, Provident Living, Family Home Evening) so indeed the suggested activities were plausible. 

Overall, this was a user friendly and beneficial (potentially life changing) handbook for a happier today and everyday.  I am especially grateful that Mr. Cohen outlined it all up in the end because I would have had a heck of a time going back to certain passages considering I have an ebook version of this book.  So thank you for the summary.