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Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise June 2023 |
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| Change Your Brain Every Day: Simple Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Memory... by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.What it's about: daily practices to improve brain function, memory, and overall well-being, based on knowledge gained from author Daniel G. Amen's 40 years of clinical practice in psychiatry and neuroscience.
Reviewers say: "A practical, empowering toolkit for enhancing brain health, this book will benefit anyone interested in strategies for deepening engagement with their health and those looking for a structured way to begin" (Library Journal). |
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| Stash: My Life in Hiding by Laura Cathcart RobbinsWhat it is: a reflective and engrossing memoir about addiction, withdrawal, recovery, and rebuilding.
Read it for: the frank and evocative descriptions of the highs and many, many lows of the author's relationship with her drug of choice, Ambien.
About the author: Stash is the first book by Laura Cathcart Robbins, a freelance writer and host of the podcast The Only One in the Room. |
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| Black People Breathe: A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing by Zee ClarkeWhat it's about: encouraging mindfulness in the Black community, with a special focus on processing the traumas of systemic racism.
Reviewers say: "This is an essential and timely addition to a library's self-help section" (Library Journal).
Want a taste? "Doctors and psychologists have discovered that the experience of racism can result in a wide range of health impacts that kill us slowly -- death by a thousand cuts." |
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| Good Girls: A Story and Study of Anorexia by Hadley FreemanWhat it is: a candid, incisive look at anorexia from a survivor; an examination of recent research into disordered eating, include potential ties to other factors like OCD or autism.
About the author: Hadley Freeman is a journalist and author of the bestselling memoir House of Glass.
Is it for you? Although Good Girls features credible research, Freeman (who isn't a scientist or clinician) makes some conjectures of her own about the disease, including questions about a possible relationship between anorexia and gender dysphoria. |
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| So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief, and Other Grave Concerns by Dina GachmanWhat it's about: what it means to grieve, the many different forms it takes, and how we can work towards healing.
Why you might like it: Author Dina Gachman includes relatable stories of her own experiences with bereavement and doesn't shy away from the complexities of grieving, exploring its devastation but also its occasional absurdities.
Try this next: Crossing the River by Carol Smith. |
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| The Wellness Trap: Break Free from Diet Culture, Disinformation, and Dubious... by Christy Harrison, M.P.H, R.D.What it is: an incisive and sobering look inside wellness culture, the industry that profits from it, and how it can do more harm than good.
Read it for: the great pains author Christy Harrison takes to differentiate between "wellness" and actual well-being.
Reviewers say: "A valuable addition to conversations about race, class, ableism, and diet culture" (Library Journal). |
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| Dear Prudence: Liberating Lessons from Slate.com's Beloved Advice Column by Daniel M. LaveryBased on: long-running Slate advice column during Daniel M. Lavery's tenure as Prudence, from 2015 to 2021.
Why you might like it: Lavery's unique writing style as Prudence was a well-balanced mix of wit, insight, and candor that broadened the appeal of the advice column's format to hook a whole new generation of readers. |
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| Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy RossWhat it is: an accessible, thought-provoking exploration of how engaging in artistic and cultural activities are fundamental to both our physical and mental health.
Topics include: postpartum depression recovery, chronic pain, and practical tips for engaging with art and creativity in your daily life.
About the authors: Susan Magsamen is the founder of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Ivy Ross is the vice president of hardware design at Google. |
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| Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen RubinWhat it's about: how consciously reconnecting with your senses can enrich your life and help you appreciate important moments.
About the author: Gretchen Rubin is a bestselling writer and speaker best known for her books The Happiness Project and Better Than Before.
Reviewers say: "For active seekers, Rubin again provides simple insights for becoming more aware of place, self, and others" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-LinzWhat it is: a well-researched and thought-provoking guide to defining what "the good life" means to you and how to create it for yourself.
Based on: the authors' titular and highly sought-after undergraduate course at Yale.
The first line: "Before he became the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama's life was going quite well by the usual standards." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Somerset County Library System of New Jersey1 Vogt Drive
P.O. Box 6700
Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807
(908) 526-4016www.sclsnj.org/ |
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