64 Ways to Beat the Blues

Book excerpt: You're low. Really low. Haven't gotten off the couch all weekend. Stopped returning phone calls. It feels like the sun will never shine again, and you're living on chocolate and bad TV. There's Prozac, of course, but who can be bothered going to the doctor? What you need is immediate help. You need cheering up. And here it is. Clever, witty, full of comfort and sympathy, 64 Ways to Beat the Blues offers instantaneous relief through the gift of laughter. Written and illustrated in full-color by Yolanda Nave--author of Breaking Up and Welcome to Our Company, together with 314,000 copies in print--it's a been-there, done-that guide to getting out of the dumps and getting on with your life. Try a pet--and watch him eat your rug. Phone a friend--though not one living in Paris while you're stuck in a snowstorm. Take in a funny movie--if you can stop crying long enough to laugh. Go shopping (and pretend you're not already wearing the push-up bra), find a good shrink (who won't fall asleep), or buy a brand new car (and tick off each payment). The situations are instantly recognizable, and whether the blues are seasonal, occupational, hormonal, or matrimonial, Yolanda Nave knows what it takes to laugh them away.