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

An outstanding book about happiness or habits:

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

An outstanding children’s book:

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

An eccentric pick:

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

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. So I won’t describe these books, but I love all the books I recommend; I’ve read them at least twice if not many times; and they’re widely loved. 

If you read last month’s recommendations…what did you think? Daily Rituals; Jane-Emily; and The Design of Everyday Things. All so good.