What non-fiction books are you enjoying in July 2018?

audiobook revisits ~

Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People
by Meik Wiking

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
by Héctor García

The Beginner's Guide to Buddhism (Beginners Ser.)
by Jack Kornfield

I am currently reading Liesl Olson's Chicago Renaissance: Literature and Art in the Midwest Metropolis, very interesting and well-written. Liesl is the Director of Chicago Studies at the Newberry Library and so knows whereof she writes.

I'm reading The Rules to Break by Richard Templar.

The Rules to Break by Richard Templar

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
Ruth Franklin
5/5 stars
Franklin does a wonderful job delving into writer Shirley Jackson’s world. Jackson did not live a storybook life. She was raised by extremely critical parents and even her marriage had its problems including infidelity. She also suffered from depression yet she was so smart and intuitive and her stories were so amazingly complex and intricate. If you only read one biography this year-this has to be the one.

Just started A Brief History of Japan, by Jonathan Clements.

How About Never—Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons
Bob Mankoff
4/5 stars
Bob Mankoff does a wonderful job on this autobiography/nonfiction book about his life as a cartoonist, his job as former cartoon editor for The New Yorker (now at Esquire) and founder of the online Cartoon Bank. This book is not just about him but a short history of the cartooning business and helping other cartoonists get ahead in the business. Enjoyable and informative.

I'm re-reading The Massey Murder: A Maid, Her Master and the Trial that Shocked a Country by Charlotte Gray for a book club discussion.

I'm reading Leaving Before the Rains Come by Alexandra Fuller.