This is a friendly, helpful book, centered around this key: "you don't have to change your life to be happier - you just need to change how you see your life to be happier."

Easier said than done, true, but doable with practice. I'm certain that I'm better at it now than I used to be, and this book offers accessible tips - tips you may already know, but none of us know them so well that we don't need regular reminders. That's what self-help books and church are for. The problem, as with most self-help books, is that the people who most need the advice may not be able to read it.

For those of us who have come to a place where we're only marginally unhappy, and understand the value of being reminded to think positively, Bright Side is a good addition to our shelves. It's organized by sections: When Life's Little Annoyances Happen..., When Your Social Life Goes a Little Awry..., When Your Relationships Could Use a Reboot...

It's a dipping book, in other words, not something that you'd read from cover to cover in one sitting - and then be done with. Amy Spencer writes with a comfortable, embracing voice, and each dip is a good one.

Or you can do the trick my brother showed me this morning. Put a pen or pencil sideways in your mouth, so that it's kind of like a stick in a dog's mouth. Now talk. The pen forces a smile, and the ancient part of our brain that controls us a lot more than we'd like to think evidently reacts with a slight buzz of happiness. Smiling = happiness. Either that or it's just so silly that it brings on some glee.

Thanks to first reads for a chance to read Bright Side.