How Luck Happens by Janice Kaplan and Barnaby Marsh

 Janice Kaplan is a popular podcaster and author of the book The Gratitude Diaries.  In this book she teams with socialogist Barnaby Marsh to try to quantify what people do to get "good luck"  They break luck down into five components; talent, hard work, positive attitude, a willingness to make connections with other people, and a willingness to take risks when appropriate..  They use examples of many famous people to show how "lucky people" don't succeed by chance alone, but instead put themselves in a position to take advantage of a lucky break when it happens.  

I had just read a couple of intermediate fantasies and I knew I had a couple of more kids' book in my cue, so I decided to take a break and read an adult nonfiction. I wanted something inspriational and not super depressing.  I just happened on this title, and almost didn't check it out because I am not someone that believes in luck.  But when I read the description of the book, I decided to give it a try.  I am glad I did.  It had just the right message for me at this point in my life.  As I read I realized I had become a doubter and a whiner, especially concerning my job.  This book reminded me that people are not very likely to want to help those who are negative and defeatist. The book is well written and engaging.  The principles Kaplan and Marsh present may be pretty obvious, but I think all of us need a reminder every once in a while. One last note.  The book was published in 2018 and there are several pages in the section about remaining "lucky" in natural disasters that address what might happen if there were ever a global epidemic.  Little did the authors know how timely there message was. (2018, 352 p)