Pardon this moment of book self-promotion: I was very happy that the Washington Post included Better Than Before in its terrific list, A summer reading list that will help you professionally. Many great ideas for reading. 

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 IndieBound, BN.com, or Amazon, or your favorite local bookstore. Or visit the library! Drumroll…

An outstanding book about happiness or habits:

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

An outstanding children’s book:

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

An eccentric pick:

Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett

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 August, and happy reading!