It's irrelevant.
Because I'm not happy,
and I don't pretend to be.

Instead,
I'm busy.
I'm interested.
I'm fascinated.

It's ok not to be happy because happiness is not a binary state! Love this idea.

“Our sense of happiness is so brittle it can be destroyed simply by asking whether or not it exists.

I started reading this during my lunch break so that I can getaway from work. Little did I know beforehand that it will start a mini-crisis. A good crisis (is there such a thing?).

The book is short but explained sooo much. Am I unhappy? Yes, I definitely am, and I’m proud to say it out.

<p>I fall in and out of like with <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/">The Oatmeal</a>. I used to read it fairly regularly, but now -- I blame the demise of <a href="https://twitter.com/pogform/status/875775664770736128">Google Reader</a>. Still I requested <A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/20162554/book/145603019">this</a> on <a href="http://www.netgalley.com">Netgalley</a> because why not. And so I obtained a short fifty-page treatise on happy; more exactly on how not being <i>happy</i> doesn't imply being <i>unhappy</i>.</p>

<p>As a fundamentally sour, pessimistic person myself, it's a concept I've read about before -- happiness is some sort of nirvanic state where all needs, wants, and desires are met. But needs, wants, and desires are constantly shifting -- everything is nice and happy and perfect and then suddenly your car breaks down or you lose a pair of socks or a huge, multinational computing conglomerate decides that google reader isn't monetizable so shuts it down and how are you supposed to read your freakin' RSS feeds now, huh? Huh? Well f*$# you google.</p>

<p>Instead, be interested in things. Be creating things. Be learning things. Keep busy and maybe that nagging voice that lives in the back of my head will get distracted from criticizing and start to wonder what I'm doing, then watch, then contribute. </p>

<p>Not that I do what Inman does (me run fifty miles ha ha ha ha ha ha), but I write. I sew. I crochet. I duolingo. It isn't that I have to learn that that is enough, but rather that chasing the dream of happiness is not something my actions can necessarily create for my mind. So yay, random dude on the internet reinforcing my world view! Everyone agree with me!</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/20162554/book/145603019">How To Be Perfectly Unhappy</a> by Matthew Inman went on sale October 31, 2017.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

I am so happy that I read this book! It makes me want to sit atop my pile of unhappy and revel in glorkappiness.....just read the book, you'll get it. Way too much fun, and, enlightening.

Happiness is…irrelevant?

Sounds flippant, but makes sense here. Not general, but specific.

Inman challenges the idea that it's bad to be unhappy. Challenges the idea that saying you aren't happy means you're unhappy. There are other options.

We get the wonderful style we've come to expect from The Oatmeal and the thoughtful treatment that he gives in his longer works.

Being a book, I was expecting something deeper than what I get online. I didn't get that here, so was a little disappointed. But it's about expectations. If you want something similar to what The Oatmeal puts out for free, but in a more stand-alone form, if you want to support his work, this is the way to go.

Once again The Oatmeal manages to distill a complex idea into a clear and humorous message that can be shared with the masses. There are some really great images in this book, and the overall idea that our definition of happy is flawed is a powerful one.

I presumed this was going to be more of a comic strip style. It's more of a gift book. Visual to be sure. Not as funny as some of Inman's other stuff but certainly insightful.

I love The Oatmeal comics. So when I saw a new graphic novel created by the wonderful Matthew Inman OF COURSE I requested it.

And I was not disappointed in the slightest.

"...journeys require endpoints otherwise you're not Frodo, you're just a homeless guy wandering around with stolen jewelry"

Being happy is overrated and quite often unrealistic. This is Inman's discussion point, complete with rabid, eleven eyed bunnies, cats carrying anatomically sound hearts as balloons, and much expulsion of substances from both ends of the human form.

The blurb describes "another helping of thoughtful hilarity" which just about sums it up.

The book is thoughtful and personally I think his entire point is spot on. And you just can't help but be amused at the presentation of Inman's discussion.

This wasn't quite as great as I thought it might be, but it was still decent and had some good points. I decided to make the rating higher, as it had one really excellent and introspective note. And here's an example of it:
I read a 700-page book. I may be excited to start it at first, but it is uneven. I grow frustrated with it. Then it gets better. And worse again. But I am constantly aware of how many more pages do I yet have to go. It's not my average 300-350 page novel, it is considerably longer. "300 more pages" I think; it's as though I've already finished one entire novel, and I am only on the half of one. It intimidates me. I get upset and struggle to finish it. The example I'm talking about got 2 stars in the end on Goodreads, meaning "it was ok", and it really wasn't much of anything. It was partially a pleasure, partially an accomplishment, but I did make it all the way to the end. And upon finishing it, even after I gave it only 2 stars, I feel happy. I did not feel happy when reading it. This being an expanded example of what the author said, I gave it three NetGalley and two Goodreads stars; it was ok, but I would hesitate recommending it.

ARC from NetGalley, thank you kindly.

I'm a big fan of The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman's comics, and "How to be Perfectly Unhappy" is perhaps my favorite of all his works. It's all about our inadequate definition of the word "happy" - we're so obsessed with our very narrow idea of being "happy" that we forget the richness and nuances of human emotion. Inman illustrates this in a manner that is both beautiful and hilarious. Highly recommend to anyone currently questioning whether or not they're truly "happy."

The Oatmeal is beloved for its special brand of insane humor. Quirky and silly and over the top. But sometimes, they get things so right, and in their serious moments, they touch on a topic and it fits so perfectly into a space you didn't know was empty.

That's what this book is. It's a book for people who are happy by their own definition, but not by everyone else's. It's for people who aren't HAPPY!, and that's okay. And it's okay to ignore people who try to make you feel like you're not happy because you're not their definition of happy.

We're okay. Because the crazily drawn cartoon book says so.

How to be perfectly unhappy is a great short read art book which brings the funny style of the Oatmeal comics into this feature length comic.
I enjoyed the easy to read nature of it and the matching art is funny as always to his work.
It is hard to write much more due to the size and nature of the book but it really is a good story.

Inman has a way with both his words and his art that accurately conveys the absurdity and utter depth of his thought while making me literally laugh out loud-which books rarely make me do.

I really like this a lot for not only because it is by Inman but this particular book is relatable because I am not a happy person, but I am challenged and interested and look to do meaningful things.

What does Pluto, Frodo and happiness have in common? You'll find out if you read "How to be Perfectly Unhappy."

"How to be Perfectly Unhappy." is a dynamic graphic novel. The novel is supportive and informative about mental health. The mix of color and black and white images teach that it is okay not to be okay.

" I'm not "happy" because our definition of happy isn't very good."

This is another fantastic release by the creator of The Oatmeal, it's the perfect gift for anyone who has ever struggled with the concept of happiness. There are illustrations throughout, and I for one love his style.
I agree with a lot of what he has written and love the way that he had expressed himself.

If you read this because it's the Oatmeal and expect a laugh, then you will be disappointed by this short work. It left me feeling sad and I can't put my finger on exactly why that is, but I don't see myself recommending this to anyone.

The illustrations and interesting storytelling where the highlights of this book. However, I think Inman needs to dive deeper into positive psychology about values and what contentment is instead of just dismissing the notion of being happy.

Inman is an artist I love to seek out (not that I'm not already obsessively watching for any new content he provides, anyway) particularly when I'm feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by life. This isn't necessarily because he magically makes me feel better (though that is frequently the byproduct however unintentional) but because he understands and validates the complicated and nuanced emotions I experience.

How to Be Perfectly Unhappy is the best example of this I've seen thus far. He articulates something I've only recently only begun to consider; something that should be more readily apparent and accepted in our lives: happiness or unhappiness isn't really a thing. There's this belief out there in the world that if you're not one, then you're the other. That there can't be any gray area or even just a rejection of either concept.

See? I'm butchering it. I can't come close to Inman's elegance and depth.

Inman shares the things that make his life better and helps him experience a state that is neither happy nor unhappy but simply richer and deeper.

The Oatmeal has two new books out, actually, this one (provided to me by Andrews McMeel) which comes out on Halloween, and If My Dogs Were a Pair of Middle-Aged Men, which I hadn't the need to request from the publisher because I've read it over and over on his website, but which I'll probably buy anyway for the sheer beauty of it (and just in case there's more in the book!)

It wasn't bad, but I think The Oatmeal works best as a social media share, as the material is a bit short and fluffy for a standalone book.