With the heat index rising, it’s prime time to dig into a new summer read. And, while the New York Times might be touting the latest Random House release, we’d like to recommend a slightly different sort of reading material. One that may even make you a better, happier, smarter, or more beautiful.

Self-help guides seem to have lost a certain bit of cachet in the 21st century – currently attaining the same air of respectability as, say, a Cathy comic. But, times are changing. Or, more specifically, people (and by people, we mean celebrities) seem to be getting dumber (i.e., getting arrested, a là Paris, Nicole and Lindsay). So, why not start with yourself? Here, six texts that will make an inevitably embarrassing trip down the self-help aisle worthwhile:

Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success ($25), by Russell Simmons
Although he couldn’t seem to make things work with Kimora Lee, we all could learn a thing or two from the man rightfully known as the “CEO of hip-hop,” founder of Def Jam Records and clothing label Phat Farm, Russell Simmons. With 12 laws of success, Simmons’ laws range from “Get Your Mind Right,” about his spiritual development through yoga, to “Stop Fronting and Start Today,” where he explains the importance of staying grounded and true to your inner vision. Co-written with Chris Morrow, with a foreword by Donald Trump, Do You! reveals how a former trouble-making boy from Queens grew up to marry a supermodel and own one of the largest homes on the East Coast, while doing exactly what the book proposes– being yourself.

Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul($14.95), by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Tom Lagana
We chose this one especially for all of the Hollywood ‘It’ Girls finding themselves behind bars these days. Paris Hilton may have chosen to parade around for the press, arms full with Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment and the Bible, preceding her prison stay. But, rumor has it she was far from finding personal freedom within the confines of her cell. Perhaps a copy of Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul would have served her better. Hopefully a pregnant Nicole will take note and subsequently avoid the prison-induced panic attacks her Simple Life co-star suffered in the slammer.

The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever ($22.95), by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson
Don’t be dismayed by the cutesy cover (and the somewhat unappetizing sub-title), this tome is by no means your average diet book. Co-written by Melissa Clark, a longtime food critic and contributor to the New York Times, and friend Robin Aronson, the text takes a practical approach to how to keep up a cosmopolitan social schedule, without wreaking havoc on your waistline. Clark, who is continuously presented with cuisines she has to try for her career’s sake, crafts an honest account of the best ways to indulge, without packing on too many pounds.

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists ($17.97), by Neil Strauss
Although witnessing any drunken college party hookup between a leggy blonde and a less-than-mediocre guy would say otherwise, in romantic comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Hitch, men appear to need more than a bit of help in the date department– enough to warrant some professional guidance on how to get their mack on. Author Neil Strauss, who attests he’s not the most attractive guy on the block, has traveled around the world and observed celebrities and porn stars alike to create the essential bible for coitally-challenged, Casanova wannabes. Apparently worthwhile enough to have 2 out of 3 straight male hopefuls cracking open a copy, The Game unlocks the secret strategies to seducing women that may even help you get ahead and in the workplace. With one of The Game’s guides, Mystery, even getting his own VH1 reality show The Pick Up Artist, reading this is sure to have you bagging enough babes that you can finally retire those lame one-liners.

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite ($13.95), by Paul Arden
“Great people have great egos; maybe that’s what makes them great,” Paul Arden, a former Creative Director at advertising powerhouse Saatchi and Saatchi, famously once said. The latest from the author of It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, this tome, like his last, divulges tips on how to get ahead. Case in point: on the cover of each of his books Arden includes a credit beneath his name stating, “author of the world’s best selling book.” And, voila, he’s gone on to sell millions of copies. So, perhaps we should all follow his unconventional advice (which includes out-of-the-box thinking, skipping college, being outrageous and failing dramatically)… you’ll have to read this pointed, provocative text to find out.

How It Feels to be Attacked by a Shark: And Other Amazing Life-or-Death Situations! ($10.36), by Michelle Hamer
Nothing takes the sting of life’s petty devastations (like accidentally leaving your iPod on-the-L train) quite like reading about someone left limbless at the bottom of the Great Blue Sea after a lunch date with a Great White Shark. To see just how rock-bottom life can go, Michelle Hamer has given us How it Feels to Be Attacked by a Shark: And Other Amazing Life-or-Death Situations! - a compilation of 40 horrifying true-life stories of people whose lives suck way more than yours. This self-help guide will make you feel better about yourself after reading such outrageous experiences as surviving a gunshot to the head, being crushed by an avalanche, and, last but not least, being brainwashed by a cult. Oh, the humanity…