Admit That You Are Happy!

If you're seeking a deeper understanding of happiness and how to cultivate it in everyday life, a thoughtfully curated book list on the subject can be a powerful resource. These books span a range of perspectives—from psychology and neuroscience to philosophy and memoir—offering insights into what it truly means to live a joyful and fulfilling life. These titles explore both the science and the spirit of happiness. Whether you're looking for practical strategies, personal stories, or thought-provoking ideas, this list is designed to inspire a more intentional and uplifting approach to your well-being.

Updated July 21, 2025
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Fond du Lac Public Library
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Life in five senses : how exploring the senses got me out of my head and into the world
Rubin, Gretchen
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. "Life in Five Senses invites us into the seismic shift toward a life grounded...

152.1 Rubin 2023

Happiness
Chittister, Joan.
Ebook
Everyone longs to be happy, yet many wrongly believe that happiness comes from having enough money, fame, personal comfort, worldly success, or even dumb luck. Happiness all too often seems to be an elusive, arbitrary thing -- something that is always just out of reach. Joan Chittister...

152.42 C449 2011

Think again : the power of knowing what you don't know
Grant, Adam M.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller "THIS. This is the right book for right now. Yes, learning requires focus. But, unlearning and relearning requires much more--it requires choosing courage over comfort. In Think Again, Adam Grant weaves together research and...

153.42 Grant 2021

From strength to strength : finding success, happiness, and deep purpose in the second half of life
Brooks, Arthur C.
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age, from bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic's happiness columnist Arthur Brooks. Many of us assume that the more successful we are,...

155.67 Brooks 2022

Look again : the power of noticing what was always there
Sharot, Tali
Paper Book
This "smart and fun read, and a valuable way to revitalize your life" (Walter Isaacson) deftly explains how disrupting our well-worn routines, both good and bad, can rejuvenate and reset our brains for the better. Have you ever noticed that what is exciting on Monday tends...

158.1 Sharot 2024

In emergency, break glass : what Nietzsche can teach us about joyful living in a tech-saturated world
Anderson, Nate
Audiobook

193 Nietzsche Anderson 2022

The art of happiness : a handbook for living
Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV
Paper Book
Available for the first time in trade paperback, the multi-million copy bestselling guide to happiness from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the...

294.3444 B849

The laws of connection : the scientific secrets of building a strong social network
Robson, David (Science journalist)
Paper Book
This groundbreaking study reveals how social connections are far more important than we thought, showing us the steps we can take to build better relationships and improve our lives. Social connection is as essential for our health and happiness as a balanced diet and regular...

302.3 Robson 2024

Modern friendship : how to nurture our most valued connections
Goldfarb, Anna
Paper Book
From the "Friendship Explainer," a definitive step-by-step guide to understanding the fundamental mechanics of friendship Modern friendships can be painfully ambiguous. But they don't have to be. Journalist Anna Goldfarb has your back. "It's understandable if your friendships...

302.34 Goldfarb 2024

The in-between : unforgettable encounters during life's final moments
Vlahos, Hadley
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Passionate advocate for end-of-life care and TikTok star Hadley Vlahos shares moving stories of joy, wisdom, and redemption from her patients' final moments in this "brilliant" (Zibby Owens, Good Morning America) memoir.   "This...

616.029 Vlahos 2023

Four thousand weeks : time management for mortals
Burkeman, Oliver
Ebook
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Provocative and appealing . . . well worth your extremely limited time." --Barbara Spindel, The Wall Street Journal The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty,...

650.11 Burkeman 2021

Design happy : colorful homes for the modern family
Wentz, Betsy
Paper Book
An accessible and inspiring guide full of creative ideas and practical lessons for designing happy, family-friendly spaces. In her first book, interior designer Betsy Wentz shares 13 fabulous family homes. The book is really a practical design guide for anyone who may not want--or...

747 Wentz 2023

A pocketful of happiness : a memoir
Grant, Richard E.
Paper Book
Academy Award-nominated actor Richard E. Grant's "genuine and compelling" (The New York Times), "moving and entertaining" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) memoir about finding happiness in even the darkest of days. Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to...

791.43 Grant, Richard Grant 2023

In the form of a question : the joys and rewards of a curious life
Schneider, Amy
Ebook
"Warm and funny." --The New York Times * "Refreshingly no-holds-barred." --USA TODAY * "Delightful." --San Francisco Chronicle An inspirational, witty, and bold memoir from the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy!--an exploration of...

791.45 Schneider Schneider 2023

Living the vanlife : on the road toward sustainability, community & joy
Grevemberg, Noami J.
Paper Book
Discover what it's really like to live and work on the road in a camper van full time from eco-vanlifer and founder of the Diversify Vanlife movement, Noami Grevemberg. Feeling dissatisfied with her office job and her "stationary home," in 2016 Noami Grevemberg took a bold step....

796.7 Grevemberg 2023

The happiest man on Earth : the beautiful life of an Auschwitz survivor
Jaku, Eddie
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller In this uplifting memoir in the vein of The Last Lecture and Man's Search for Meaning, a Holocaust survivor pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life. Born in Leipzig, Germany, into a...

940.5318 Jaku Jaku 2021

Looking for the good war : American amnesia and the violent pursuit of happiness
Samet, Elizabeth D.
Paper Book
"A remarkable book, from its title and subtitle to its last words . . . A stirring indictment of American sentimentality about war." --Robert G. Kaiser, The Washington Post In Looking for the Good War, Elizabeth D. Samet reexamines the literature, art, and...

940.5373 Samet 2021


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