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

For all the books I choose, I love them; I’ve read most of them at least twice if not many times; and they’re widely admired.  Drumroll…

A book about happiness, good habits, or human nature:

Born Standing Up by Steven Martin

An outstanding children’s book:

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield

An eccentric pick:

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje

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.