The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking

Starting with the subtitle, "The Antidote" positions itself against "positive thinking" - the sort of mind-over-matter faith in the future that pretty much every other self-help book espouses, a doctrine that author Burkeman neatly and thoroughly dismantles with copious endnotes. But there's no lazy cynicism here, in a search for happiness via unconventional and counterintuitive ways, and a surprising amount of, well, positivity. From Seneca and the Stoics to memento mori's and a shrine to Saint Death, Burkeman guides the reader on a whistle-stop tour of philosophies that reorient our ideas about happiness, success or even the self. I absolutely devoured it - it's also, in parts, very funny! - and think it might become an annual read, or at least a great starting point on further reading.

Well I read it, and I have already almost no memory of what I read, sooo.

Thoughtful book explaining why being realistic is the way to go. It discusses Stoicism, Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle and the "Little Book of Calm" ("Black Books" TV show reference, anyone?).
It's a light read that talks a lot about death. And that's okay!

For the most part, I enjoyed this book, which offers a different perspective on happiness. There are a number of very interesting concepts, and the book is fairly enjoyable to read. However, I feel it runs out of useful ideas about two-thirds of the way through, and by the end I was a bit sick of it.