On the last day of each month, I include a happiness suggested-reading list.
For the month of memento mori, I read a huge number of memoirs dealing with issues of divorce, illness, death, and other catastrophes. Here are a few that I found especially compelling.
Violet Weingarten, Intimations of Mortality
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
Robert Murphy, The Body Silent
Martha Beck, Expecting Adam
Penny Kaganoff and Susan Spano, Women on Divorce
Cornelius Ryan and Kathryn Morgan Ryan, A Private Battle (memoirs of husband and wife)
Marjorie Williams, The Woman at the Washington Zoo
Michael Korda, Man to Man
Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking (look at the cover–you’ll see that a few of the letters in the title are in a different color. The letters spell JOHN.)
Gilda Radner, It’s Always Something
Anne Lamott, Hard Laughter (a novel)
Gene O’Kelly, Chasing Daylight
All of these books are well worth reading, but I especially recommend Stan Mack’s account of Janet Bode’s struggle with breast cancer, Janet and Me: An Illustrated Story of Love and Loss.
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I’m pleased to have discovered the Happiness and Public Policy blog. I just started poking around–lots of interesting material and links there, with a strong point of view, which makes it fun to read.
