Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde

$16.99

Hardcover

This is my New Year's wish: I'd like us all to be happier.

This may initially strike you as bland, nonspecific and a bit sentimental. But bear with me, please.

Granted, in part this wish displays my altruistic side. But the lion's share of it springs from my snarkier and more discouraged nature. I look around and see us abusing, controlling and taking advantage of one another, and I know happy people don't behave like that. They have no need to.

Happy people have good self-esteem and never waste time trying to make anyone feel bad. What purpose would that serve? They don't compete unfairly with others, partly because they're not willing to hurt anyone, partly because they're not obsessed with amassing "more." They're already happy.

Read the rest at AOL News.

Thanks as usual to Gina Misiroglu of Red Room for putting me in touch with the AOL people. It's just one of the great ways she's bringing traffic to Red Room and getting attention for Red Room's authors.