One of my favorite short books is about Japanese esthetics -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shadows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shad

One of my favorite short books is about Japanese esthetics -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shadows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shadows. it covers an eclectic set of topics (why black is the best color for toilets?) but it's a delightful read.