In My TBR Stack:

Brave the Wave: Discover and Fully Realize Your Authentic Self
by Johnny Cavazos, M.D.
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

Anxious? Stressed? Frustrated? Looking for Solutions?

As a practicing physician for twenty years, that's exactly the situation Johnny Cavazos was in. What stunned and shocked him the most was one inescapable fact. He didn't know what he didn't know.

As he describes it, "The best analogy I can offer is that it's like taking your car to a mechanic to replace a faulty fuel pump and he hands you the keys to a brand new Mercedes Benz and says, 'take it, it's yours.' (That's how Elvis used to give away cars.) there is more value here than a new Mercedes."

In this poignant and riveting account of his decade-long journey of discover, you will be entertained while gaining valuable insight to help understand and actually appreciate the waves, trials, and storms that we all encounter in our lives.

This inspiring narrative of personal experiences will reveal useful and practical approaches to help increase joy, clarity, love, and personal peace in your life. This book makes for a fascinating, powerful, and uplifting read that can inspire each of us to reach for heights we never thought attainable.

With brutal honesty and humor, Johnny uses short vignettes from the medical world and from the captivating world of near-death experiences to take us on a journey that is spell binding, powerful and life changing.

Writing in a comfortable and warm style, Johnny takes us on this trip into spirituality, faith and the near death experience as he unpacks ideas that will open up an experience of clarity and vision you didn’t even realize existed.

“Brave the Wave” will share the valuable insights that will have a personal and powerful impact on every relationship you have, bringing benefits to you and everyone around you.

In My TBR Stack:

Ending Back Pain: 5 Powerful Steps to Diagnose, Understand, and Treat Your Ailing Back
by Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D.
Avery Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

Virtually every American will suffer from back pain at some point. Dr. Jack Stern, a neurosurgeon and professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, brings relief to these millions of sufferers (including himself) who literally ache for help. Based on the latest scientific data, Dr. Stern developed a five-step solution with a multidisciplinary, holistic perspective that’s been missing from conventional back pain wisdom: 

• Step One: Unlock your back’s unique pain code
• Step Two: Prepare to work with health care professionals
• Step Three: Ensure proper diagnosis
• Step Four: Embrace various pathways to healing
• Step Five: Live a life that supports a strong, healthy back

Engagingly written and chock-full of enlightening case studies, Ending Back Pain finally shares the program that’s already helped more than 10,000 grateful patients.

On My Radar:

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt For the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers
by Andy Greenberg
Doubleday Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

In 2014, the world witnessed the start of a mysterious series of cyberattacks. Targeting American utility companies, NATO, and electric grids in Eastern Europe, the strikes grew ever more brazen. They culminated in the summer of 2017, when the malware known as NotPetya was unleashed, penetrating, disrupting, and paralyzing some of the world’s largest businesses—from drug manufacturers to software developers to shipping companies. At the attack’s epicenter in Ukraine, ATMs froze. The railway and postal systems shut down. Hospitals went dark. NotPetya spread around the world, inflicting an unprecedented ten billion dollars in damage—the largest, most destructive cyberattack the world had ever seen.

The hackers behind these attacks are quickly gaining a reputation as the most dangerous team of cyberwarriors in history: a group known as Sandworm. Working in the service of Russia’s military intelligence agency, they represent a persistent, highly skilled force, one whose talents are matched by their willingness to launch broad, unrestrained attacks on the most critical infrastructure of their adversaries. They target government and private sector, military and civilians alike.

A chilling, globe-spanning detective story, Sandworm considers the danger this force poses to our national security and stability. As the Kremlin’s role in foreign government manipulation comes into greater focus, Sandworm exposes the realities not just of Russia’s global digital offensive, but of an era where warfare ceases to be waged on the battlefield. It reveals how the lines between digital and physical conflict, between wartime and peacetime, have begun to blur—with world-shaking implications.

In My TBR Stack:

If You Did What I Asked in the First Place
by Lori B. Duff
Trade Paperback

From the book publicity:

She’s not a superhero per se, but between running a law firm, raising a family, and battling the patriarchal expectations of women, award-winning humorist and bestselling author Lori B. Duff could give any Marvel character a run for their money in “If You Did What I Asked in the First Place,” (Oct. 15, 2019, Deeds Publishing).

Named Atlanta’s Funniest Lawyer in 2018, almost no topic is off limits in Lori’s newest book. Whether it be planning her own funeral, bringing up “Shrek” during her daughter’s bat mitzvah, or the criminal lack of pockets in women’s clothing, Lori’s knack for storytelling is in full force in this fantastically funny memoir.

And while she might not be an official superhero, Lori’s takes on the wonders of women are insightful and relatable observations of some of the biggest heroes life has to offer: mothers, career women, and all-around funny ladies.

In My TBR Stack:

Hooked: Lessons of the Heart From a Little Horse in Cabo
by Christie Bonham
Millagro Publishing
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

He pulled at Christie’s heartstrings the first time she laid eyes on him. Milagro, a broken-down horse tied to a fence in the sweltering heat of the Baja sun. Left to fend for himself along with his herd, something in his soulful eyes resonated in her. She felt as though she knew him. She felt his spirit; she recognized his resilience and his character.

Living abroad had not been easy for Christie. A sudden move south had been necessary as the Great Recession pushed her husband Keith to move his job, and their lives, to Mexico. There, Christie begins to struggle with her health, and finding her footing in this new place.

As fate would have it, she and Milagro meet in a way that only destiny could explain, and they form an eternal bond that will carry them through life’s ups and downs. And as Christie and her husband decide to make their way back to the mountains, they face a daunting task: how to bring Milagro with them.

Life is chock-full of surprises as the journey unfolds to get this family back to Utah. Along the way Milagro shows Christie the value of living life in the moment and the importance of letting go.

In My TBR Stack:

The Art of Healthcare Innovation: Interviews and Industry Insights from 35 Game-Changing Pioneers
by Christina D. Warner
Sheridan & Madison Press
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

What if you had a crystal ball that revealed the future of the healthcare landscape?
 

Wouldn’t you want that ball? Think of how that information could boost your success and impact your future. You could be on the cutting-edge of change and reap the rewards.

Accept that change is inescapable and educate yourself on how those changes will impact you, your family and your career.

​

The Art of Healthcare Innovation is an instant #1 Amazon Bestseller in business insurance, medicine and psychology. The book is available in Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and 45 bookstores nation-wide and has sold copies in the US, Europe, Canada and Asia.

Now Available:

Our Magnificent Afterlife: Beyond Our Fondest Dreams
by C. David Lundberg
Heaven Light
Trade Paperback

From the book website:

There is no need to wait until death before learning about the afterlife. Now you can enjoy the benefits of a comforting sense of peace and security after learning about what comes after this life on Earth. You can also enjoy the anticipation of entering a new life with perfect health, and experiencing a greater flow of love and loving light between all souls and life forms.

Most books about the afterlife are about an individual's relatively brief near-death experience. As enlightening as these are, Our Magnificent Afterlife also includes numerous telepathic reports from souls who actually live in the afterlife. The book contains over 170 quotations mostly from souls who live there or have visited there.

In My TBR Stack:

The Chosen One
by Walt Gragg
Berkley Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

Two months ago, a new leader arose in the Islamic world, the Mahdi—or the Chosen One. He has rallied fundamentalist Muslim forces across the Middle East who have driven deep into Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Standing against them is an allied force made up primarily of the American military. 

It’s a desperate fight. From armored battles in the desert to American carriers desperately dodging waves of cruise missiles, the Mahdi proves to have many tricks up his sleeve. 

Marine Lieutenant Sam Erickson is in the thick of the fighting. He and his company have fought their way from a landing on the Mediterranean shore to the outskirts of Cairo. Now he finds himself at a critical juncture, but can he make the sacrifices necessary for the greater good?

On My Radar:

My Name is Prince
by Randee St. Nicholas
Amistad Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The ultimate collection of stunning photographs documenting the career of one of the world’s greatest superstars

There has never been or will there ever be an artist like Prince. “A 5′ 3″ Mastermind . . . satiated with virtuosity, controversy, stubbornness, and poise . . . His influence on Music transcended any and every category given titles by industry wizards and musicologists. Pop, Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Classical, Funk, Jazz, Soul, and Rap . . . He did it all and he did it well . . . and in his time . . . He did it first,” writes Randee St. Nicholas. 

For twenty-five years, this legendary photographer, with a storied career of her own, worked closely with Prince, capturing some of his most intimate and revealing moments both on and off stage. 

Now, the fruits of their numerous collaborations are on full display in My Name Is Prince, the largest collection of the most iconic photographs that will ever exist of one of the world’s greatest superstars.

In this dazzling collector’s edition, readers are treated to a front-row seat to their innovative and awe-inspiring projects, from his music videos Gett Off and My Name Is Prince; to their impromptu photo shoots…just because; their adventures around the world from London to Tokyo to Prague, and his breathtaking, showstopping live concert appearances from great stages at Coachella and the 02 Arena to intimate nightclubs.

Many of the trips, we will discover, are either unplanned or hastily arranged. And yet you will marvel at the results—as Prince expected nothing less than the best.

When they met, Prince was ready for a change. The quixotic performer was known for seizing a moment and then on to the next.

After their initial 1991 photo shoot in her Los Angeles studio, Prince assured St. Nicholas, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

Over the next twenty-five years he would return again and again, challenging himself and St. Nicholas to reach higher and to go further with every original pursuit.

My Name Is Prince is the story of that unique working relationship and artistic evolution that produced many stunning images and lasted from their first meeting until the end:

He had incredible timing, not just musically but spiritually, emotionally, and creatively . . . that Prince rhythm fueled a spontaneity that was contagious, enabling you to be more fearless and flexible than you thought you ever could be. When he would call . . . you had to be ready for anything . . . to jump on a plane with an hour or two notice, to put together a crew in a city you had never worked in before without any preparation time . . . or to simply just go outside your house at four in the morning where he was parked in his car, waiting for you to get in and listen to new music he had just recorded. One never knew what to expect . . . but it was always an inspired adventure.

Told through 384 pages of striking visuals and poignant, intimate stories, the insights revealed in My Name Is Prince show a side of the enigmatic megastar that few have ever seen.

We go beyond the genius and meet the man—playful, moody, disciplined, sensual, serious, and soulful. 

            And in hundreds of photographs, we see that incandescent light behind his hypnotic eyes; that sly smile, strong hands, and transformative and transcendent presence that connected people from every part of the globe through his music.  

            As his sound lives on, My Name Is Prince is a visual testimony to his greatness and a space that can never be filled.

In My TBR Stack:

Waking in Havana: A Memoir of AIDS and Healing in Cuba
by Elena Schwolsky
She Writes Press
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

In 1972, when she was a young, divorced, single mother, restless and idealistic, Elena Schwolsky made a decision that changed her life: leaving her eighteen-month-old son with his father, she joined hundreds of other young Americans on a work brigade in Cuba. They spent their days building cinderblock houses for workers and their nights partying and debating politics. The Cuban revolution was young, and so were they. At a moment of transition in Schwolsky’s’s life, Cuba represented hope and the power to change.

Twenty years later, she is drawn back to this forbidden island, yearning to move out of grief following the death of her husband from AIDS and feeling burned out after spending ten years as a nurse on the frontlines of the epidemic. Back in Cuba, she experiences the chaotic bustle of a Havana most Americans never see―a city frozen in time yet constantly changing. She takes readers along with her through her humorous attempts to communicate in a new language and navigate this very different culture―through the leafy tranquility of the controversial AIDS Sanitorium and into the lives of the resilient, opinionated, and passionate Cubans who become her family and help her to heal.

In My TBR Stack:

Firewall: An Emma Streat Mystery
by Eugenia Lovett West
SparkPress
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

Former opera singer Emma Streat has survived the murder of her husband and the destruction of her beautiful old house. Now a full-time single mother, she struggles to move forward and make a home for her two sons. Because of her detection skills, she has become a go-to person for help―so, when her rich, feisty, socialite godmother is blackmailed, she turns immediately to Emma.

Soon, Emma founds herself thrust into the dark world of cybercrime. Mounting challenges take her to exclusive European settings where she mixes with top people in the financial and art collecting worlds and has intriguing and emotion-packed experiences with men―including her dynamic ex-lover, Lord Andrew Rodale. When she is targeted by a cybercrime network using cutting-edge technology, it takes all of Emma’s resilience and wits to survive and bring the wily, ruthless criminal she’s hunting to justice.

Action-packed and full of twists and turns, this third book of the Emma Streat Mystery series does not disappoint!

In My TBR Stack:

The Grey Dance of Love: Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Love That Lasts
by George Araman
Hasmark Publishing
Trade Paperback

From the book publicity:

"This is a helpful, uplifting book, full of good ideas for you to start and build loving relationships with other people in your life."~ Brian Tracy, author of Stay in Love Forever 

An enchanting love story, 1 MAGICAL FORMULA, 8 characters (you are one of them), 8 TAILORED LOVE POTIONS to solve all relationship problems and a STEP BY STEP GUIDE to take you from where you are to where you want to be. You will discover solutions such as:+ How to create, ignite and re-ignite sparks+ Why we are ATTRACTED to bad boys/girls and how to CREATE attraction with anyone+ Why we LOVE nice boys/girls and how to develop as well as MAINTAIN deep love & intimacy+ Why we are friend-zoned and how to turn it into the most beautiful love story+ Why couples that have been in love for years suddenly fall out of love; how to avoid it+ Why we cheat and why men/women are cheated on and how to avoid it + The missing link that makes all relationships magical+ How you can trigger different hormones to attract, fall, be, and stay in love for a lifetime AND MUCH MORE.

 The Grey Dance of Love, based on 200+ books and 1200+ articles, an in-depth experiment and the author's personal experience, is the ultimate reference book for relationships.

On My Radar:

The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate

by Tom Brokaw
Random House
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

In August 1974, after his involvement in the Watergate scandal could no longer be denied, Richard Nixon became the first and only president to resign from office in anticipation of certain impeachment. The year preceding that moment was filled with shocking revelations and bizarre events, full of power politics, legal jujitsu, and high-stakes showdowns, and with head-shaking surprises every day. As the country’s top reporters worked to discover the truth, the public was overwhelmed by the confusing and almost unbelievable stories about activities in the Oval Office. 

Tom Brokaw, who was then the young NBC News White House correspondent, gives us a nuanced and thoughtful chronicle, recalling the players, the strategies, and the scandal that brought down a president. He takes readers from crowds of shouting protesters to shocking press conferences, from meetings with Attorney General Elliot Richardson and White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig, to overseas missions alongside Henry Kissinger. He recounts Nixon’s claims of executive privilege to withhold White House tape recordings of Oval Office conversations; the bribery scandal that led to the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew and his replacement by Gerald Ford; the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox; how in the midst of Watergate Nixon organized emergency military relief for Israel during the Yom Kippur War; the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court that required Nixon to turn over the tapes; and other insider moments from this important and dramatic period.

The Fall of Richard Nixon allows readers to experience this American epic from the perspective of a journalist on the ground and at the center of it all.

On My Radar:

It's Garry Shandling's Book
Edited and with an introduction by Judd Apatow
Random House
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Garry Shandling was a singular trailblazer in the comedy world. His two hit shows, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show, broke new ground and influenced future sitcoms like 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm,and his stand-up laid the foundation for a whole new generation of comics. There’s no one better to tell Shandling’s story than Judd Apatow—Shandling gave Apatow one of his first jobs and remained his mentor for the rest of his life—and the book expands on Apatow’s Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.

Here, Apatow has gathered journal entries, photographs, and essays for a close-up look at the artist who turned his gaze back onto the world of show business. Beyond his success, though, Shandling struggled with fame, the industry of art, and the childhood loss of his brother, which forever affected his personal and professional lives. His diaries show Shandling to be self-aware and insightful, revealing a deep philosophical and spiritual side. Contributions by comedians and other leading lights of the industry, as well as people who grew up with Shandling, along with never-before-seen pieces of scripts and brilliant jokes that he never performed, shed new light on every facet of his life and work. This book is the final word on the lasting impact of the great Garry Shandling.

On My Radar:

Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge
by Sheila Weller
Sarah Crichton Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

In her 2008 bestseller, Girls Like Us, Sheila Weller—with heart and a profound feeling for the times—gave us a surprisingly intimate portrait of three icons: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. Now she turns her focus to one of the most loved, brilliant, and iconoclastic women of our time: the actress, writer, daughter, and mother Carrie Fisher.

Weller traces Fisher’s life from her Hollywood royalty roots to her untimely and shattering death after Christmas 2016. Her mother was the spunky and adorable Debbie Reynolds; her father, the heartthrob crooner Eddie Fisher. When Eddie ran off with Elizabeth Taylor, the scandal thrust little Carrie Frances into a bizarre spotlight, gifting her with an irony and an aplomb that would resonate throughout her life. 

We follow Fisher’s acting career, from her debut in Shampoo, the hit movie that defined mid-1970s Hollywood, to her seizing of the plum female role in Star Wars, which catapulted her to instant fame. We explore her long, complex relationship with Paul Simon and her relatively peaceful years with the talent agent Bryan Lourd. We witness her startling leap—on the heels of a near-fatal overdose—from actress to highly praised, bestselling author, the Dorothy Parker of her place and time.

Weller sympathetically reveals the conditions that Fisher lived with: serious bipolar disorder and an inherited drug addiction. Still, despite crises and overdoses, her life’s work—as an actor, a novelist and memoirist, a script doctor, a hostess, and a friend—was prodigious and unique. As one of her best friends said, “I almost wish the expression ‘one of a kind’ didn’t exist, because it applies to Carrie in a deeper way than it applies to others.”

Sourced by friends, colleagues, and witnesses to all stages of Fisher’s life, Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge is an empathic and even-handed portrayal of a woman who—as Princess Leia, but mostly as herself—was a feminist heroine, one who died at a time when we need her blazing, healing honesty more than ever.

On My Radar:

The Right Kind of Crazy: My Life as a Navy SEAL, Covert Operative, and Boy Scout from Hell
by Clint Emerson
Atria Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Clint Emerson is the only SEAL ever inducted into the International Spy Museum. Operating from the shadows, with an instinct for running towards trouble, his unique skill set made him the perfect hybrid operator.

Emerson spent his career on the bleeding edge of intelligence and operations, often specializing in missions that took advantage of subterfuge, improvisation, the best in recon and surveillance tech to combat the changing global battlefield. MacGyvering everyday objects into working spyware was routine, and fellow SEALs referred to his activities simply as “special shit.” His parameters were: find, fix, and finish—and of course, leave no trace.

He operated by only two codes: “if you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying” and “it’s only illegal if you get caught.” The Right Kind of Crazy is unlike any military memoir you’ve ever read because Emerson is upfront about the fact that what makes you a great soldier and sometimes hero doesn’t always make you the best guy—but it does make for damn good stories.

On My Radar:

  One of my Twitter friends is offering special deals for preorders on her new Graphic Novel!

  Information on the preorders is in the photo below, or you can visit http://unbound.com/books/the-plague-and-doctor-caim

G.E. Gallas

On My Radar:

Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving
by Mo Rocca and Jonathan Greenberg
Simon and Schuster
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries—reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his #1 hit podcast. Now with Mobituaries, the book, he has gone much further, with all new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter...until now.

Take Herbert Hoover: before he was president, he was the “Great Humanitarian,” the man who saved tens of millions from starvation. But after less than a year in the White House, the stock market crashed, and all the good he had done seemed to be forgotten. Then there’s Marlene Dietrich, well remembered as a screen goddess, less remembered as a great patriot. Alongside American servicemen on the front lines during World War II, she risked her life to help defeat the Nazis of her native Germany. And what about Billy Carter and history’s unruly presidential brothers? Were they ne’er-do-well liabilities…or secret weapons? Plus, Mobits for dead sports teams, dead countries, the dearly departed station wagon, and dragons. Yes, dragons.

Rocca is an expert researcher and storyteller. He draws on these skills here. With his dogged reporting and trademark wit, Rocca brings these men and women back to life like no one else can. Mobituaries is an insightful and unconventional account of the people who made life worth living for the rest of us, one that asks us to think about who gets remembered, and why.

In My TBR Stack:

Acid for the Children: A Memoir
by Flea
Grand Central Publishing
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

In Acid for the Children, Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years, spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to, finally, Los Angeles. Through hilarious anecdotes, poetical meditations, and occasional flights of fantasy, Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist, a musician, and a young man. His dreamy, jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty, glorious life, including the potential for fun, danger, mayhem, or inspiration that lurked around every corner. It is here that young Flea, looking to escape a turbulent home, found family in a community of musicians, artists, and junkies who also lived on the fringe. He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes. But it was in music where he found a higher meaning, a place to channel his frustration, loneliness, and love. This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends, soul brothers, and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band, which became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

Acid for the Children is the debut of a stunning new literary voice, whose prose is as witty, entertaining, and wildly unpredictable as the author himself. It’s a tenderly evocative coming-of-age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity from one of the most renowned musicians of our time.

On My Radar:

They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy
by Lawrence Lessig
Dey Street Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

America’s democracy is in crisis. Along many dimensions, a single flaw―unrepresentativeness―has detached our government from the people. And as a people, our fractured partisanship and ignorance on critical issues drive our leaders to stake out ever more extreme positions. 

In They Don’t Represent Us, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig charts the way in which the fundamental institutions of our democracy, including our media, respond to narrow interests rather than to the needs and wishes of the nation’s citizenry. But the blame does not only lie with “them”―Washington’s politicians and power brokers, Lessig argues. The problem is also “us.” “We the people” are increasingly uninformed about the issues, while ubiquitous political polling exacerbates the problem, reflecting and normalizing our ignorance and feeding it back into the system as representative of our will.

What we need, Lessig contends, is a series of reforms, from governmental institutions to the public itself, including:

• A move immediately to public campaign funding, leading to more representative candidates
• A reformed Electoral College, that gives the President a reason to represent America as a whole
• A federal standard to end partisan gerrymandering in the states 
• A radically reformed Senate
• A federal penalty on states that don’t secure to their people an equal freedom to vote
• Institutions that empower the people to speak in an informed and deliberative way

A soul-searching and incisive examination of our failing political culture, this nonpartisan call to arms speaks to every citizen, offering a far-reaching platform for reform that could save our democracy and make it work for all of us.

In My TBR Stack:

Nash: The Official Biography
by Nash Grier as told to Rebecca Paley
Gallery Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

When he was still in high school, Nash Grier had no idea his life was about to change—forever. With the launch of the popular Vine app came the beginning of Nash’s career as a viral social media sensation. Now, in his official biography, the twenty-one-year-old digital media phenomenon shares never-before-told stories about life behind the camera. From growing up as a regular kid in North Carolina, to finding his calling as a top social media tastemaker, to landing leading roles in major feature films, to being a millennial ambassador for top brands, to using his platform to promote change, to leaning on the love and support from his fan base when the going gets tough, this is the story of a how Nash found his voice—and how readers can find their own.

In My TBR Stack:

The Clean Body: A Modern History
by Peter Ward
McGill-Queen's University Press
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

How often did our ancestors bathe? How often did they wash their clothes and change them? What did they understand cleanliness to be? Why have our hygienic habits changed so dramatically over time? In short, how have we come to be so clean?

The Clean Body explores one of the most fundamental and pervasive cultural changes in Western history since the seventeenth century: the personal hygiene revolution. In the age of Louis XIV bathing was rare and hygiene was mainly a matter of wearing clean underclothes. By the late twentieth century frequent - often daily - bathing had become the norm and wearing freshly laundered clothing the general practice. Cleanliness, once simply a requirement for good health, became an essential element of beauty. Beneath this transformation lay a sea change in understandings, motives, ideologies, technologies, and practices, all of which shaped popular habits over time. Peter Ward explains that what began as an urban bourgeois phenomenon in the later eighteenth century became a universal condition by the end of the twentieth, touching young and old, rich and poor, city dwellers and country residents alike.

Based on a wealth of sources in English, French, German, and Italian, The Clean Body surveys the great hygienic transformation that took place across Europe and North America over the course of four centuries.

In My TBR Stack:

Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War
by S. C. Gwynne
Scribner Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The fourth and final year of the Civil War offers one of that era’s most compelling narratives, defining the nation and one of history’s great turning points. Now, S.C. Gwynne’s Hymns of the Republic addresses the time Ulysses S. Grant arrives to take command of all Union armies in March 1864 to the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox a year later. Gwynne breathes new life into the epic battle between Lee and Grant; the advent of 180,000 black soldiers in the Union army; William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea; the rise of Clara Barton; the election of 1864 (which Lincoln nearly lost); the wild and violent guerrilla war in Missouri; and the dramatic final events of the war, including the surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln.

Hymns of the Republic offers angles and insights on the war that will surprise many readers. Robert E. Lee, known as a great general and southern hero, is presented here as a man dealing with frustration, failure, and loss. Ulysses S. Grant is known for his prowess as a field commander, but in the final year of the war he largely fails at that. His most amazing accomplishments actually began the moment he stopped fighting. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gwynne argues, was a lousy general, but probably the single most brilliant man in the war. We also meet a different Clara Barton, one of the greatest and most compelling characters, who redefined the idea of medical care in wartime. And proper attention is paid to the role played by large numbers of black union soldiers—most of them former slaves. They changed the war and forced the South to come up with a plan to use its own black soldiers.

Popular history at its best, from Pulitzer Prize finalist S.C. Gwynne, Hymns of the Republic reveals the creation that arose from destruction in this thrilling read.