Book Review: Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness

TET holding Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness.

One day I'm going to write my own remarkable
guide to happiness and this will be the cover image
(but don't hold me to that).

I'm a big fan of Bill Bailey's comedy stand up, as well as his acting (mainly in the TV series Black Books that I mostly know him from). Generally he is laugh out loud funny.

As such I was probably expecting similar, laugh out loud humor from his book, Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness, but what I got, while still humorous, was more of an introspection on Bill's life and moments he feels represent happiness for him.

Which is fine, I guess, but to call the book a guide (and a remarkable one at that) is something of a stretch. Not that I was expecting an actual guide book on happiness, but the book is more of a collection of thoughts, retelling of moments, and Bailey's own drawings (additional images by Joe Magee), centered around the theme of happiness.

It's more of a things that make Bill happy kind of a read. Bill says as much in his forward in the book so it's not like I wasn't given some kind of heads up.

What struck me most is, if this counts as a book, then I, for sure could write a book. I just don't have the years of building up a name and audience to drive sales.

Written during the pandemic of 2020 it could well be a collection of blog posts, not unlike the one you're reading now. Other than happiness there's no real through line that ties each story together. I mean, sure they're all Bill's experiences and thoughts but there's no narrative arc to any of it. You could read each, three to four page chapter, in any order and still get the same experience by the end.

It's a good book for taking on holiday, as I did, where you may only want a short chapter or two that you don't need to commit your full attention for what happens next, to fill in some down time.

It's a pleasant read. It may make you smile, but it's not particularly remarkable, or any kind of guide to happiness. It's really just Bill sharing a few light hearted stories to pass the time during a strange time in world history.

Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness is available as a hardcover and audible book on Amazon.

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