Two questions.

[summerstormrain]

Number One:

I am looking for a book to read. I've found that it is a good way to deal with the excess of free time I seem to keep ending up with. However, it has to be pretty good and catch my attention quickly or I will revert to default behavior... watching tv or reading a book I've already read.

I'm looking for somewhat-serious, but not overly

Comments

[anonymous]

Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone. I recommend Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert and Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. Both are non-fiction and deal with the subject of happiness. Daniel Gilbert is probably an easier read and more humorous but both are good. Another interesting book is The Progress Paradox by Gregg Easterbrook. The last chapter impressed me enough that I still tell people the main ideas from it. He deals with the subject of why people are unhappy despite the fact that our lives are better than in the past. Sharon aka Rachel's Mum

[summerstormrain]

I have read Stumbling on Happpiness. The ideas are interesting, but all in all I found it to be a bit depressing. The other two sound interesting, I will look them up. Thanks.

[anonymous]

I found it interesting to look at how people remembered feeling compared to how they reported feeling at the time. My husband uses the reverse of this idea sometimes. When I don't really feel like doing something but can't decide, he'll ask me to imagine if later I'll feel glad that I've done it. If I can imagine that the memory of having done it will make me happy (even if the experience of doing it won't), then he'll encourage me to do it. For example, sometimes volunteering to do something at church will fall into this category. I have found knowing that feelings and the memories of those feelings can be two different things to be useful sometimes and annoying at other times.
But I'm glad that you're considering my books. Currently, I'm reading Deep Economy which looks at the economic system in a new way. I'm not far enough into the book to make a recommendation but so far it is very interesting so you might peek at it online and see what you thnk.