I'll join sva_ with another book recomendation: How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett. I am not an academic, but as far as I can tell she is a leading authority on the matter and the books is extremely accessible for the layperson.
Thanks for the recommendation. I've read it, not a huge fan, I think she makes good points but sets up false straw men ("everyone thinks that...") and overstates her case.
Ooh! In that case I would love to hear about anything you've encountered in this arena that you found more appealing.
Emotional The New Thinking About Feelings by Leonard Mlodinow
This looks great, I really appreciate your response!