A bit of advice I picked up recently

If you ever find yourself reading a book that, judging from its cover against common wisdom, is full of sardonic observations meant to produce mirth but regards a subject with which you are currently struggling so that instead of laughing out loud or even wryly smirking you are forlornly gazing out a window at an overcast sky or even quietly sobbing, then put that book aside until some distance is achieved. It'll be funny in a year.