
How to Be Fine
What We Learned From Living by the Rules of 50 Self-help Books
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · March 9, 2021
A humorous and insightful look into what advice works, what doesn’t, and what it means to transform yourself, by the co-hosts of the popular By the Book podcast.
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- Who it’s for
- A funny, candid reckoning with self-help advice—and what living by it can actually change.
- Themes
- Personal growth, Evaluating self-help advice, Emotional wellbeing
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A humorous and insightful look into what advice works, what doesn’t, and what it means to transform yourself, by the co-hosts of the popular By the Book podcast. In each episode of their podcast By the Book, Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer take a deep dive into a different self-help book, following its specific instructions, rules, and advice to the letter.
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From diet and productivity to decorating to social interactions, they try it all, record themselves along the way, then share what they’ve learned with their devoted and growing audience of fans who tune in. In How to Be Fine, Jolenta and Kristen synthesize the lessons and insights they’ve learned and share their experiences with everyone. How to Be Fine is a thoughtful look at the books and practices that have worked, real talk on those that didn’t, and a list of philosophies they want to see explored in-depth. The topics they cover include: Getting off your device Engaging in positive self-talk Downsizing Admitting you’re a liar Meditation Going outside Getting in touch with your emotions Seeing a therapist Before they began their podcast, Jolenta wanted to believe the promises of self-help books, while Kristen was very much the skeptic. They embraced their differences of opinion, hoping they’d be good for laughs and downloads. But in the years since launching the By the Book, they’ve come to realize their show is about much more than humor. In fact, reading and following each book’s advice has actually changed and improved their lives. Thanks to the show, Kristen penned the Amish romance novel she’d always joked about writing, traveled back to her past lives, and she broached some difficult conversations with her husband about their marriage. Jolenta finally memorized her husband’s phone number, began tracking her finances, and fell in love with cutting clutter. Part memoir, part prescriptive handbook, this honest, funny, and heartfelt guide is like a warm soul-baring conversation with your closest and smartest friends.
Advice, Tried Out
A funny, candid reckoning with self-help advice—and what living by it can actually change.
Come here for
- Frank takes on which self-help ideas helped and which fell flat
Expect
- Humor alongside honest reflection on changing habits and lives
Where it sits
| Personal Growth | 48% |
|---|---|
| Personal Memoirs | 35% |
| Mental Health | 24% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Women's Lives
- Personal Memoirs
- AI & Machine Learning
- Programming Basics
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- Software Development
- Podcasting & Webcasts
- Nature Writing
- Mental Health
- Authors
- Jolenta Greenberg, Kristen Meinzer
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- March 9, 2021
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Personal growth · Evaluating self-help advice · Emotional wellbeing
- Reading lane
- Women's Lives