14,000 Things to be Happy About.: Revised and Updated edition [Paperback]

Barbara Ann Kipfer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2007

No opinions, no explanations, no asides, footnotes, editorializing, or proselytizing. And all in a plain white cover with large black type. With over one million copies in print, 14,000 Things to Be Happy About is the mesmerizing bestseller that celebrates all the little things that make life worth living. Any random page is an instant pick-me-up, and reading it is as irresistible as popcorn:

• new babies
• a well-crafted chair
• having a sense of your own space
• a real person answering the phone
• peninsulas
• leaves snuggled around the foundations of old country houses
• staying home on New Year’s Eve

Now revised and updated, with 1,500 new entries—the feel of the fur in Ugg boots, a favorite television program caught on TiVo—14,000 Things to Be Happy About is a panacea for a new time and a new generation, an antidote to the all-too-many things we might be unhappy about. Adding to the pleasure are 125 joyous and jewel-like illustrations from Pierre Le-Tan.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Smile lines, a Hawaiian beach shack, podcasting, children at recess, garden gnomes, downward facing dog in yoga, comfy chairs in large bookstores, pot stickers, bobsledding, painting the ceiling sky-blue, guitar lessons, and one perfect day.

NOW REVISED WITH 1,500 NEW ENTRIES

A quirky, compulsive, irresistible list of all the little things that make us happy. Items, places, thoughts, celebrations & our daily bread. 125 illustrations.

About the Author

Barbara Ann Kipfer is the author of more than 45 books, ranging from 14,000 Things to Be happy About to Roget’s International Thesaurus, 7th Edition. She holds numerous degrees, including a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in linguistics, a Ph.D. in archaeology, and a Ph.D.. in Buddhist studies. She is a lexicographer and ethnographist and lives in New England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 611 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; Rev Upd edition (April 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761147217
• ISBN-13: 978-0761147213
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1.5 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Happiness

More About the Author

www.thingstobehappyabout.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When you need a reminder that life is still good...no matter what. January 13, 2009

By Agatha Higginbottom

Format:Paperback

I bought this book when it was entitled "10,000 Things to be Happy About". Just picked it off a shelf in the bookstore one day when my mom was trying to survive her experimental chemo treatments and the rest of us were struggling to cope with her impending loss. That day, this book was like a shaft of sunlight splintering a murky room. It made me remember that there are good things in life no matter what crushing sadness we were experiencing. I'd just pick up the book, open it to any page, and I'd just start reading that wonderful list of happy things. It was like a lifeline to me at times. I've since purchased it as a gift for another person going through the same experience and will be purchasing it again soon to give as a gift once more to someone experiencing their own kind of pain. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that life is still good. To the author, a simple heartfelt thank you from me.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Positively Perfect May 30, 2010

By Tiffany R. Swanson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is so fun!

It's an easy read that I like to take to the park with my highlighter, and peruse through while the children are climbing on the playground. It's also a good reminder to do things that you've forgotten about but LOVE. This would be a great coffee table book, or a gift to a friend who's already high on life.

Highly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars cultivates your own capacity to be happy, and grateful, each day March 13, 2009

By Carrie Sheridan

Format:Paperback

this is fun to browse through periodically - i used to keep it on the coffee table in our livingroom and kids would pick it up and just turn to any page at random - and it really is true that happiness is more about wanting what we have than having what we want - well worth $10 to invest in learning to be happy with what is -

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Cute and Happy December 24, 2008

By S. D. Amos

Format:Paperback

I purchased this book to hand out during a Thanksgiving Eve worship service at my church. The list of things to be happy about are also things to be thankful for. I like the thoughts of happiness from the very little to the very big. Every joyful part of life is something for which to be thankful and I like the author reminding us of this fact. As a result, we can notice more than we have before and our lives will be richer, more connected to others and the earth, and more at peace. Reading the list of 14,000 things does not have to be read all at one time. You can pick up the book for short preiods of time, smile and think of your own list of things to be happy about. Very uplifting.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars good present for someone struggling in life December 18, 2011

By Brian Northrup

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

My family recently went through a tragic loss. While this book can not change or erase that lose and can never replace the life that we miss so dearly, it has helped one of the members of my family to appreciate some of the smaller things in life more and really helped her cope with the situation a lot. It is a very simplistic idea, one that anybody could do themselves if they opened up a word processor and started listing things that made them happy, but it is nice to be able to have such a list without literally having to sit at a word processor for however long it takes to type out FOURTEEN THOUSAND (14,000) of them their self! It is a nice, light read that you can skip around through and read over a long time to help raise your spirits a little bit.

Excellent present idea if you know somebody who is struggling with some deep, heavy, difficult things in life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Adorable book February 18, 2013

By Rachel S

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I actually ordered this book by accident and was pleasantly surprised by how much I have enjoyed it. It is unique because it's nothing more than a list of the small things that make us happy. I have started to jot some of my own things that make me happy on its pages. It is an enjoyable to pick up every now and then on a rough day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, and inspiring book January 26, 2013

By Lucky

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Love this book! :) Very funny. Lovely. and it will make you think about your own life and make you stop, think, and look around at what really you should be thankful for. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Interesting - Makes me happy! January 24, 2013

By Lorraine Keough

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I keep this book on my desk next to my computer. Anytime I need a boost, or to refresh myself, I will pick a page at random and start reading. I generally start smiling and thinking and recalling other thing that make me happy. In fact, I have started my own Happy List. I would always recommend anything that makes me feel good, and this does exactly that.