In My TBR Stack:

The Healing Powers of Girlfriends: How to Create Your Best Life Through Female Connection
by Deborah A. Olson, RN, MA, LPC
Galleria Publishing
Trade Paperback  ISBN 9781733701006

From the publisher's website:

One of the common questions I gt from women is "How do I make new friends?" The desire to make new friends — while feeling it is next to impossible — is almost ubiquitous. The passion to write this book was born from a deep desire to help women forge ahead to seek and form new friendship connections. For many people that process can be challenging for a multitude of reasons...but in the end, the result is the same. We feel alone, disconnected, and isolated without a circle of friends to support us, encourage us, and share life with. 

That doesn't need to be the case. There are numerous ways to create a supportive circle of friends. But first  you might need to step outside of your comfort zone.  The Healing Power of Girlfriends will equip you with ideas and suggestions on how to make new friends at any age or stage!

On My Radar:

Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste
by Nolan Gasser
Flatiron Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Everyone loves music. But what is it that makes music so universally beloved and have such a powerful effect on us?

In this sweeping and authoritative book, Dr. Nolan Gasser—a composer, pianist, and musicologist, and the chief architect of the Music Genome Project, which powers Pandora Radio—breaks down what musical taste is, where it comes from, and what our favorite songs say about us. 

Dr. Gasser delves into the science, psychology, and sociology that explains why humans love music so much; how our brains process music; and why you may love Queen but your best friend loves Kiss. He sheds light on why babies can clap along to rhythmic patterns and reveals the reason behind why different cultures around the globe identify the same kinds of music as happy, sad, or scary. Using easy-to-follow notated musical scores, Dr. Gasser teaches music fans how to become engaged listeners and provides them with the tools to enhance their musical preferences. He takes readers under the hood of their favorite genres—pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, electronica, world music, and classical—and covers songs from Taylor Swift to Led Zeppelin to Kendrick Lamar to Bill Evans to Beethoven, and through their work, Dr. Gasser introduces the musical concepts behind why you hum along, tap your foot, and feel deeply. Why You Like It will teach you how to follow the musical discourse happening within a song and thereby empower your musical taste, so you will never hear music the same way again.

On My Radar:

The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation
by Matthew McGough
Henry Holt
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John’s, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold.

DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri’s arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John’s onetime girlfriend.

The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri’s murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?

In My TBR Stack:

Wild Wisdom: A Warthog's Tale
Life by Laurada Byers
Art by Natalie Hays Stewart
Warthog Productions
Hardcover

From the book publicity:

From an early age, Laurada Byers questioned her sense of self. A series of crises including the murder of her husband while she stood mere feet away, and bouts with cancer, Parkinson’s and PTSD, cast that doubt in a new, terrifying urgency. Suddenly, instead of feeling daunted by endless possibility, Laurada became paralyzed by a fear that she had no choice- she was always destined for tragedy.

Revisiting key turning points at various life stages, Laurada came to realize that her afflictions were not in fact the defining moments of her life. Where she ultimately finds freedom is in her reactions to these traumatic events. Laurada reveals how she found her footing through grief, and discovered her true identity in her resilience. Her story is captured through the movements of a scrappy warthog on the ruthless African savanna – who, full of warts and full of flaws, climbs out of its hole to face life head on-- with tail up!

Wild Wisdom—A Warthog’s Tale is a beautifully illustrated graphic memoir that describes an uncommon life and the universal epiphanies that emerged from its hardships. Filled with humorously digestible visions of personal transformation, inspiration for overcoming obstacles, and love after loss, its rare honesty and grit is motivation for anyone who’s ever wallowed in the mud (and sometimes even enjoyed it).

On My Radar:

Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales
by Oliver Sacks
A.A. Knopf
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

From the best-selling author of Gratitude and On the Move, a final volume of essays that showcase Sacks’s broad range of interests–from his passion for ferns, swimming, and horsetails, to his final case histories exploring schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.

Oliver Sacks, scientist and storyteller, is beloved by readers for his neurological case histories and his fascination and familiarity with human behavior at its most unexpected and unfamiliar. Everything in Its Place is a celebration of Sacks’s myriad interests, told with his characteristic compassion and erudition, and in his luminous prose.

On My Radar:

The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live
by Heather B. Armstrong
Gallery Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

For years, Heather B. Armstrong has alluded to her struggle with depression on her website, dooce. It’s scattered throughout her archive, where it weaves its way through posts about pop culture, music, and motherhood. But in 2016, Heather found herself in the depths of a depression she just couldn’t shake, an episode darker and longer than anything she had previously experienced. She had never felt so discouraged by the thought of waking up in the morning, and it threatened to destroy her life. So, for the sake of herself and her family, Heather decided to risk it all by participating in an experimental clinical trial involving a chemically induced coma approximating brain death.

Now, for the first time, Heather recalls the torturous eighteen months of suicidal depression she endured and the month-long experimental study in which doctors used propofol anesthesia to quiet all brain activity for a full fifteen minutes before bringing her back from a flatline. Ten times. The experience wasn’t easy. Not for Heather or her family. But a switch was flipped, and Heather hasn’t experienced a single moment of suicidal depression since.

Disarmingly honest, self-deprecating, and scientifically fascinating, The Valedictorian of Being Dead brings to light a groundbreaking new treatment for depression.

On My Radar:

Where You Goin' with That Gun in Your Hand: The True Crime Blotter of Rock 'n' Roll
by Keith Elliott Greenberg
Backbeat Books
Trade Paperback

From the book publicity:

To Alice Cooper, the outlaw quality of rock 'n' roll is little more than theater. “Just because I cut the heads off dolls, doesn't mean I hate babies ” he once said. But others have lived by the criminal philosophy espoused in their work. “The only negative thing about murder is that when you kill someone, they...no longer suffer ” said Norwegian black-metal rocker Varg Vikernes of Mayhem in 1993, the same year he stabbed musical rival Euronymous to death.

His tale is prominently featured in Where You Goin' with That Gun in Your Hand? The True Crime Blotter of Rock 'n' Roll. The book examines a total of 21 fatal crimes tied to the music industry, such as the murders of Marvin Gaye, Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur, and Selena. In the case of Vikernes – dubbed the most violent musician in the history of metal – the performer is the perpetrator. In other instances – the deaths of John Lennon or Run DMC's Jam Master Jay, for example – the star is the victim. Other chapters deal with conspiracy theories involving musicians whose lives ended prematurely (e.g., the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, the Doors' Jim Morrison, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain).

Each story is written as a compelling narrative, in a style the author perfected while writing several true-crime books, as well as December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died and Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: James Dean's Final Hours.

Currently Reading:

The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best — and Worst — Chief Executives
by Brian Lamb, Susan Swain, and C-Span
Special Contributions by Douglas Brinkley * Edna Greene Medford * Richard Norton Smith
Public Affairs Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

 

Over a period of decades, C-SPAN has surveyed leading historians on the best and worst of America’s presidents across a variety of categories — their ability to persuade the public, their leadership skills, the moral authority, and more. The crucible of the presidency has forged some of the very best and very worst leaders in our national history, along with much in between.

Based on interviews conducted over the years with a variety of presidential biographers, this book provides not just a complete ranking of our presidents, but stories and analyses that capture the character of the men who held the office. From Abraham Lincoln’s political savvy and rhetorical gifts to James Buchanan’s indecisiveness, this book teaches much about what makes a great leader–and what does not.

As America looks ahead to our next election, this book offers perspective and criteria that may help us choose our next leader wisely.

In My TBR Stack:

The Rodale Book of Composting: Simple Methods to Improve Your Soil, Recycle Waste, Grow Healthier Plants, and Create an Earth-Friendly Garden
Edited by Grace Gershuny and Deborah L. Martin
Rodale Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

This revised edition of The Rodale Book of Composting includes all the latest in new techniques, technology, and equipment. Gardeners know composting is the best way to feed the soil and turn food scraps into fresh produce, but even urbanites can get on board thanks to programs like compost pickup and citywide food waste initiatives—there’s no better way to reduce landfill waste (and subsequent emissions) and dependence on fossil fuels while nourishing the earth. 

The Rodale Book of Composting offers easy-to-follow instructions for making and using compost; helpful tips for apartment dwellers, suburbanites, farmers, and community leaders; and ecologically sound solutions to growing waste-disposal problems.

In My TBR Stack:

Ageless Brain: Think Faster, Remember More, and Stay Sharper by Lowering Your Brain Age
by the Editors of Prevention Magazine and Julia Vantine
Rodale Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

It’s normal for the brain to short-circuit every now and again—you put your keys in the fridge,or can’t find the pair of glasses on top of your head. But what if there was away to eat, exercise, and live that could eliminate these “senior moments?” Ageless Brain offers a plan to sharpen your memories and minds so that at 40, you have the quick, agile brain you had at 30. Based Off of groundbreaking scientific research, this plan is filled with brain-healthy foods, exercises, and little ways that you can positively impact your most vital organ every day by de-stressing, adjusting your attitude, and constantly interacting with the world through play.

Scientists have discovered that the human brain continually generates new neurons—forging new pathways and connections in our minds—well into old age as long as we pursue brain-healthy lifestyles from what we eat and how much we sleep, to how we exercise and how we handle stress. Exercising and nourishing our brains just like we do any other ailing organ encourages this growth—improving not only our mental fitness, but also our physical fitness as a side effect.

With Ageless Brain, you will:

· Discover the 10 Commandments of an ageless brain
· Reduce key risk-factors for Alzheimer’s
· Identify and avoid brain poisons lurking in their food, medicines, and home
· Learn to play and engage your brain more in everyday life
· Drop unsafe levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar—as well as belly fat

In My TBR Stack:

The Anxiety Journal: Exercises to Soothe Stress and Eliminate Anxiety Wherever You Are
by Corinne Sweet
Rodale Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

A fluttering in the chest, constant worrying, sleepless nights with your breath squeezed from you. One in four people suffer from anxiety, and the symptoms can feel overwhelming. But you can take control. Let psychologist Corinne Sweet help you on your way to eliminating anxiety with this journal full of: 

· Inspiring quotes and advice for when you need a quick, calming fix
· Prompts grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy to help identify the causes of your anxiety for long-term peace of mind 
· Soothing mindfulness exercises 
· Pages to record your thoughts and keep track ofprogress

Practical, supportive, and uplifting, this journal is an indispensable companion on your journey to a peaceful mind.

In My TBR Stack:

Dangerous Personalities: An FBI Profiler Shows You How to Identify and Protect Yourself From Harmful People
by Joe Navarro FBI Special Agent (Ret.) with Toni Sciarra Poynter
Rodale Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

“I should have known.”
“How could we have missed the warning signs?”
”I always thought there was something off about him.”

When we wake up to new tragedies in the news every day—shootings, rampages, acts of domestic terrorism—we often blame ourselves for missing the mania lurking inside unsuspecting individuals. But how could we have known that the charismatic leader had the characteristics of a tyrant? And how can ordinary people identify threats from those who are poised to devastate their lives on a daily basis—the crazy coworkers, out-of-control family members, or relentless neighbors?

In Dangerous Personalities, former FBI profiler Joe Navarro has the answers. He shows us how to identify the four most common “dangerous personalities”—the Narcissist, the Predator, the Paranoid, and the Unstable Personality— and how to analyze the potential threat level. Along the way, he provides essential tips and tricks to protect ourselves both immediately and in the long-term, as well as how to heal the trauma of being exposed to the destructive egos in our world.

On My Radar:

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II
by Robert Matzen
GoodKnight Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Twenty-five years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Charade. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has attempted to cover her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, where she spent the entirety of World War II.

According to her son, Luca Dotti, "The war made my mother who she was." Audrey Hepburn's war included the brutal execution of her uncle and cousin on August 15, 1942, participation in the Dutch Resistance, work as a doctor's aide during the "Bridge too Far" battles for Arnhem and Oosterbeek, and the ordeal of the Hunger Winter of 1944-45. She also had to contend with the fact that her father sided with the Nazis and her mother was pro-Nazi for the first two years of the occupation.

The war years also brought triumphs as Audrey became Arnhem's most celebrated young ballerina. New interviews with people who knew her in the war plus wartime diaries and research in classified Dutch archives shed light on the riveting, untold story of Audrey Hepburn in World War II.