There's a lot to be learned from living with the Never-Ending Man. That's Hayao Miyazaki, the renowned director of animated films such as "Spirited Away" and co-founder of the celebrated animation house Studio Ghibli. The nickname was coined by an NHK documentary about his penchant for retiring and unretiring again and again.

Miyazaki's former housemate and the author of "Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man" is Connecticut-native Steve Alpert who, for 15 years, was a senior executive at Studio Ghibli and headed up its international division. The book chronicles Alpert's job as Ghibli's bridge to the wider world, which involved everything from negotiating distribution deals to serving as Ghibli's representative at the 2003 Academy Awards where "Spirited Away" won the award for best animated feature.

Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man, by Steve Alpert.296 pagesSTONE BRIDGE PRESS