"The Trouble With Being Born" by E.M. Cioran

The king of despair?  No, actually he's very funny and witty in his own way.   This collection of aphorisms are single bite-fulls of wit, smartness, and for me a sense of beauty or understanding of the world out there.  In his point of view it is not facing death that's the problem, but the fact one is born in this world -well, that's the problem. 
For me this is the ultimate book to read before a nap or outside on the patio - watching trees sway or traffic go by and then reading bits and pieces of "The Trouble with Being Born," well, its paradise of sorts.