cover image How to Be Hap-Hap-Happy Like Me!

How to Be Hap-Hap-Happy Like Me!

Merrill Markoe. Viking Books, $18.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-670-85332-8

In a wonderfully funny ``how-to'' satire on achieving happiness, humorist Markoe (What the Dogs Have Taught Me) skewers everything from cliche-ridden self-improvement classes to beauty salons that promise to transform their clients into ``genetically perfect young models.'' In Markoe's view, Disney's fake historical replicas vie with cassette-guided tours of movie stars' homes in a ``sleazy recreational activity sweepstakes.'' Readers will no doubt fall avidly upon their own favorite ``how to be happy'' suggestions, from Markoe's acerbic takeoffs on TV home-shopping programs to her send-ups of Girl Scout cookie drives. Don't miss her remarks on TV dating or her tale of having dinner with the popular romance writer and sexy book-jacket model Fabio. (Oct.)