My favorite books

I was asked by a friend to recommend some books, so here are some of the books that have made lasting impressions on me.  My favorite books of all time are highlighted.

My essential health/wellness/happiness reading list
(Note:  for what it's worth, I've read authors like Jen Sincero, and supposed self-help books that talk about how to get rich and get everything you want like the Law of Attraction or the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and they seem to emphasize finding happiness through material wealth and career advancement.  Those books didn't resonate with me at all.  The following books are the exact opposite, as they emphasize finding happiness through kindness, health and wellness, empathy, meditation, purpose, and positive connections with people.)

The Art of Happiness - The Dalai Lama
The Book of Joy - The Dalai Lama and The Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
The Power of Kindness - Piero Ferrucci
Your Inner Will - Piero Ferrucci
The Blue Zones Solution - Dan Buettner
The Blue Zones - Dan Buettner

Flow -  Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
Ikigai - Hector Garcia  
Captivate - Vanessa Van Edwards 
Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
Fulfilled - Anna Yusim, MD 
Supersurvivors - David B. Feldman


My favorite fiction

1984 - George Orwell
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Never Let Me Go -Kazuo Ishiguro
Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Hunger Games series - Suzanne Collins
The History of Love - Nicole Strauss


Great biographies

A Higher Loyalty - James Comey
Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama
The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Wild - Cheryl Strayed
The Rainbow Comes and Goes - Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper 
Without You There Is No Us - Suki Kim

History and science books

Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin

Philosophical books

What I Believe - Bertrand Russell
Socrates in 90 Minutes
Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu 
Why Buddhism Is True - Robert Wright

Books about World War II

Unbroken - Laura Hillebrand
To Hell and Back - Charles Pelligrino
Midnight In Broad Daylight - Pamela Rotner Sakamoto

Beautifully written poetry books

Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur
The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur
Love Her Wild - Atticus

Books about Japan 

Rice Noodle Fish - Matt Goulding
Ghosts of the Tsunami - Richard Lloyd Parry
Understanding Japan - Mark J. Ravina