My favorite thing to do, by a long shot, is to read books — and then to try to persuade other people to read the books I love. So I get great joy from my monthly book club, where I recommend three books: one book about happiness, habits, or human nature; one outstanding work of children’s literature; and one eccentric pick.
People often ask me for various lists, so here’s a list of some of my favorite books about happiness, habits, and human nature.
As you’ll see, there’s a big range here. Non-fiction, fiction, essays, journals, serious, light…but in one way or another, these books shed light on some big questions:
- How do we build a happy life?
- What do we owe other people?
- How can we change?
- What habits will tend to make us happier?
- How do we learn about ourselves?
Oh, how I love all these books.
15 Books About Happiness, Habits, and Human Nature
1. The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon
2. Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You’re So Tired by Till Roenneberg
Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon
3. Here Is New York by E. B. White
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4. The Journal of Jules Renard
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5. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
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6. Pack of Two: the Intricate Bonds Between People and Dogs by Caroline Knapp
Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon
7. The Diary of Anne Frank
Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon
8. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon