We’re all familiar with the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. However, if you’re not, this lovely coming of age book about the March sisters during their father’s deployment as a Civil War Chaplain in the Union Army will certainly be what you need. Resilience, Grief, Happiness and Love. This book is perfect for winter reading. The books have a variety of foci, from spiritual studies to positive psychology, and even economics. I hope you have found this article to be helpful in summarising the main happiness books out there. Happiness is, according to this book, the purpose of life. Once a person’s basic needs are met, happiness is more the result of the mind rather than events, external conditions, and circumstances. If you don’t think a dystopian novel about bees can be beautiful and uplifting, this novel is here to prove you wrong. Flora 717 is a lowly sanitation worker, and she makes a fantastic narrator as she takes you through a year in the life of her hive. There’s danger and political intrigue and all sorts of adventures. The characters—all bees!—are fascinating. And though the hive is not a harmonious place, the book ends on a high note. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman By developing these qualities, according to Boorstein, we are able to deal with all that we encounter with a sense of balance and intelligence. This, according to the author, helps us have a grounded sense of true contentment.

Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord:Hector travels from Paris to China to Africa to the United States, and along the way he keeps a list of observations about the people he meets. Combining the winsome appeal of The Little Princewith the inspiring philosophy of The Alchemist, Hector’s journey around the world and into the human soul is entertaining, empowering, and smile-inducing—as winning in its optimism as it is wise in its simplicity. He conducted the largest ever study on happiness and human potential, surveying more than 1600 students. This is a book I expected to end in disaster, and the fact that it doesn’t makes me love it all the more. Spanning the 1980s through the 2020s, it’s a kaleidoscopic view of the AIDS crisis and its reverberating aftermath, as told through the eyes of an intersecting group of diverse characters all connected to the Christodora, an apartment building in the East Village. This one puts you through the wringer, but it’s worth it for the absolutely perfect ending (not to mention the whole emotional ride). America is Not the Heart by Elaine CastilloWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein:Shel Silverstein’s masterful collection of poems and drawings stretches the bounds of imagination and will be cherished by readers of all ages. This is a collection that belongs on everyone’s bookshelf. Makes a great gift for special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, and graduation.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them… ? Seligman, M. E. (2004). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Simon and Schuster.The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun – Gretchen Rubin With such a vast array of self-help and psychology books about happiness on the market, it can be a challenge to try and work out which ones to invest time in. Hopefully, this summary of ‘happiness books’ can act as a guide to the content of these books to help you make a (slightly!) more informed decision! The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate:Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.