A Life Less Punishing: 13 Ways to Love the Life You're Given, by Matt Heath (A&U, 2024)
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Matt Heath had an epiphany a few years ago. He determined to find out why his life wasn't as good and fulfilling as he wanted it to be, and why he was always grumpy. He read the classics, the stoics, Marcus Aurelius, and consulted the world's experts in science, philosophy and psychology. This book is based on what he found out, and is arranged in 13 chapters on topics such as anger, dissatisfaction, fear and loneliness, and in each chapter he starts with a hilarious personal anecdote about his own experience with that emotion, then explains the advice he has gleaned form his reading and discussions. It's a terrific formula, and the book works very well, either as a dipping-into solution to a particular life issue, or to read the whole thing to gain a fuller understanding of humanity and its foibles.