Book Club Choices for July 2015

Photo of an open book sitting on a closed book outside in the sunlight.

Before I get to the fun of recommending some good books for July, here’s a quick bit of self-promotion: I was very happy to be included in Mashable’s 25 Must-Read Books to Dive into This Summer. Better Than Before is in really terrific company, so it was exciting to be part of the list.

Most of us have habits that we want to make or break, and Better Than Before explains how to do that. Really!

Now enough about me and my book (!) — on to the fun part. Three terrific books.

Because nothing boosts happiness more than a great book, each month, I suggest:

· one outstanding book about happiness or habits

· one outstanding work of children’s or young-adult literature–I have a crazy passion for kidlit

· one eccentric pick–a widely admired and excellent book that I love, yes, but one that may not appeal to everyone

Shop at the wonderful Brooklyn indie WORD, BN.com, Amazon (I’m an affiliate of all three), or your favorite local bookstore. Or visit the library! Drumroll…

An outstanding book about happiness or habits:

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John Cacioppo and William Patrick.

An outstanding children’s book:

Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd.

An eccentric pick:

The Golden Bough: a Study in Magic and Religion by James Frazer.

Some readers have said that they wished that I’d describe and make the case for my book choices, instead of just providing links. I’ve noticed that many times, when someone describes a book to me, I want to read it less. And often, weirdly, the better a book is, the worse it sounds.

In any event, I assure you that, for all the books I choose, I love them; I’ve read them at least twice if not many times; and they’re widely admired.

If you read last month’s recommendations…what did you think?

Happy July, and happy reading!

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