First, a moment of self-book promotion — feel free to skip.
I’m excited because the Better Than Before Day-by-Day Journal just hit the shelves. Part resource, part tool, part keepsake — it will help you change your habits. To watch a short video where I show the book and describe its design, go here.
Now, for the recommendations! 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 IndieBound, BN.com, or Amazon (I’m an affiliate), or your favorite local bookstore. Or my favorite, visit the library! Drumroll…
A book about happiness, good habits, or human nature
Plant Dreaming Deep by May Sarton (a journal)
An outstanding children’s book:
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (I was astonished to realize that I haven’t yet recommended this book, one of my all-time favorites. Also the inspiration for some of the best writing I’ve ever done in my life, on the last page of Happier at Home.)
An eccentric pick:
Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind : The Life and Letters of an Irish Zen Saint by Maura O’Halloran
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?
And please, send me your recommendations! Recently a reader told me about a Noel Streatfield book that I’d somehow missed, and another reader gave me many science-fiction entries for my library list. I love getting suggestions.
