Category: Read-a-likes

Music Selector’s Choice: Snarky Puppy

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I love the band name Snarky Puppy. Like all good band names it’s a great hook to get you to check out the music, and see if it measures up.

Snarky Puppy is an instrumental group (no vocals here) founded in Texas which has now won five Grammy awards for its blend of jazz, world, rock, and funk music styles. Around forty musicians have played in the group over the course of its existence but on any given album the number of musicians is between ten and twenty, drawn from a rotating roster that still includes founder Michael League.

If you want to trace this group’s development through its albums, you can find these through our Rivershare consortium:

Culcha Vulcha (2016)

We Like It Here (2018)

Immigrance (2019)

Empire Central (2022)

Other albums including their first, 2006’s The Only Constant, are available through Spotify and YouTube. What’s your favorite cool band name?

Music Buzz: Bad Bunny

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As a big music person, I’ve heard more and more about artist Bad Bunny in recent years, and I finally decided to do some digging to find out what the story is and why he’s so popular.

If you’re like me, you first heard the name Bad Bunny as a contributor on the song I Like It, from Cardi B’s album Invasion of privacy in 2018. When the song exploded Bad Bunny’s star began to rise, and debut album X 100pre was released in 2019. Later that same year, however, a collaborative album Oasis was released with J Balvin. Most recently Bad Bunny came out with another solo album, Un verano sin ti in 2022, which has done very well on the charts.

But why should he have been so successful, and be so beloved? Well, as it turns out Bad Bunny’s public image is positive and nuanced; as the first non-English language act to be Spotify‘s most streamed artist of the year in 2020 and 2021 he has made a massive contribution to Spanish-language music becoming popular in the US and worldwide markets. In terms of his visual look, Vanessa Rosales of CNN has opined that “in pink, florals and short shorts, Bad Bunny champions a new masculinity”. Moreover, in a 2020 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bad Bunny stated he sees sexuality as fluid. He said, “At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life. But at the moment I am heterosexual and I like women.”

He has been an LGBTQ advocate in other ways as well. During a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February 2020, he called attention to the murder of transgender woman Alexa Negrón Luciano in Puerto Rico by wearing a shirt with the words “They Killed Alexa. Not a Man in a Skirt.”, referencing news reports that had misgendered the victim. Ricky Martin has stated that Bad Bunny “has become an icon for the Latin queer community” due to his outspoken support of gay and transgender Latinos as well as his embrace of drag culture. And he’s also been a general activist for his native Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny was openly critical towards the lack of humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island of Puerto Rico. He established the Good Bunny Foundation, which distributes toys to children living in poverty in Puerto Rico.

Studies have shown that Gen Z and younger listeners care not just about musical style and content but also ethics and accountability, which means the answer to my question is that Bad Bunny is so popular because his lifestyle and activism back up his catchy and infectious musical work. Whether you’re a longtime fan, or newly curious about this international icon, you should give his albums a try, available today from your Rivershare library.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

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You’ve probably heard of positive thinking, affirmations, and other ways to use the right messaging to create better thoughts, and thereby affect how you live your life. You may not have considered it in detail, however, including the studies that show how powerful your thought patterns really are. Recently we added Mind Your Mindset by Michael S. Hyatt to the collection; this book delves into those studies and how you can apply those ideas to improve your performance in business and in everyday life.

However, this is not the first time these ideas have been explored in print. You might also try these other titles for other perspectives on an important concept.

Mindset by Carol Dweck (2006) is the original text on the power of your thoughts – Dweck powerfully demonstrates that if you believe your identity and skills are not fixed, but can always grow and develop, then failure is not a threat to you and your identity, but rather a necessary step in the learning process. She calls this the “growth mindset” and the key to success and change.

In Feeling Good Together by David Burns (2008) (which I have recommended before, and probably will again) he shares the five secrets of effective communication, all of which hinge on a vital mindset change – let go of your need to be right and acknowledge the truth in others’ views, and your relationships will improve. A difficult thing to learn to do, but so powerful.

For a twist on this idea, revisit another of my old recommendations: Presence by Amy Cuddy. This book explores how our posture can affect our emotions, mindset, and performance, including studies that showed results and examples of effective poses. Pairing one of the books above with this one will give you a one-two punch to improve your general approach to life. Be warned, this book could also lead you down a rabbit hole of exploring the fascinating field of mind-body connection with other titles like The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. Van der Kolk.

Finally, for a more comprehensive overview, try Success: The Psychology of Achievement  by Deborah A. Olson (2017). There are many, many facts and tips shared here including on managing emotions, expectations, AND your thought patterns for more effective interactions with yourself, with stress, and with others.

The Rich Diversity of Country Music

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Oftentimes music genres can get painted as monoliths, when in fact there’s more going on if you know where to look for it. Country music, for example, often seems like it’s mostly “bro country” like Florida Georgia Line (“Cruise”) or “boyfriend country” like Dan + Shay (famous recently for “10,000 Hours” feat. Justin Bieber) or love letters to small-town life and the USA (Brad Paisley covers all three on album Time Well Wasted). But country music has a long history of activism and messages about social equality and the need for change, in addition to all of the above. Here are some artists you can check out from our music CD collection today, and the issues they care about.

Johnny Cash was known for many things, among which were his “politics of empathy“, manifesting in advocacy for Native Americans and for prison reform. For a sample, try Johnny Cash at San Quentin.

Kacey Musgraves’ songs are all for inclusion and deviating from the norm, including songs about gay love, weed, and casual hookups. Listen to Same Trailer Different Park for her hit “Follow Your Arrow”.

Tim McGraw’s Machine Hits 2013-2019 are a good overview of his democrat country vibe, though it may not capture his work for an anti-gun violence initiative supporting Sandy Hook.

Loretta Lynn was not just an icon of country music, she also shocked audiences with a song about the pill. Her album Still Woman Enough may not openly advocate for birth control but it is pro-women all the way.

Willie Nelson, of course, is a beloved and complicated character who hasn’t been shy about advocating for marijuana legalization. Try his latest, A Beautiful Time, or Band of Brothers.

LeAnn Rimes has long been an advocate for equality and LGBTQ rights, speaking out for the It Gets Better video movement. From our collection, try 2017’s Remnants.

And finally, we can’t forget Garth Brooks’ longstanding message of understanding and compassion, best seen in country anthem “We Shall Be Free,” featured on The Chase.

Of course there’s still more fascinating music lurking under the country umbrella, not least of all is the “Southern Gothic” subgenre, inspired by authors like Flannery O’Connor and V.C. Andrews, and full of death, ghosts, betrayal, religion, violence, and much more… but that’s a story for another post.

What’s YOUR favorite lesser-known music subgenre?

I Need Therapy: Part 2

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Welcome back to exploring different therapeutic approaches to figure out the best way to support YOUR mental health. (See our first post on this topic here.) Short version: taking care of your mind is vital, but there are so many ways to do it, it’s hard to know where to start. This time our titles delve into lesser-known styles including my favorite: nature therapy. Try any combination of the titles below to support your mental health and improve your thinking patterns.

Behavior Modification Therapy (read an overview here)

—Just a Thought by Amy Johnson

“Our minds are hardwired to expect the worst, and these negative thinking habits can keep us feeling trapped and unable to experience true joy. In this friendly guide, life coach Amy Johnson outlines a no-willpower approach informed by ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience to help readers break the cycle of negative thinking, make peace with their inner critic, and experience more self-confidence and freedom.”

Problem-solving Therapy (described here)

—F*ck Feelings by Michael Bennett

“The only self-help book you’ll ever need, from a psychiatrist who will help you put aside your unrealistic wishes, stop trying to change things you can’t change, and do the best with what you can control–the first steps to solving all of life’s impossible problems.”

Movement / Nature therapy (movement therapy description here, nature therapy description here)

—The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith

“The garden has always been a place of peace and perseverance, of nurture and reward. Using contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis, and compelling real-life stories, The Well–Gardened Mind investigates the remarkable effects of nature on our health and well-being.”

—The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

“An investigation into the restorative benefits of nature draws on cutting-edge research and the author’s explorations with international nature therapy programs to examine the relationship between nature and human cognition, mood, and creativity.”

—Forest Bathing by Qing Li

“As a society, we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees–what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing–can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book–featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan–Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. ”

See also our Mental Health Guide for more information and local resources – and never hesitate to ask for help!

No Romo – Books Featuring Aromantic Characters

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So in the last year I finally read The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (see my love letter to Mackenzi Lee here). Aside from being an exciting adventure and a story of feminism and determination, it’s also a remarkable book because of the main character’s complete lack of interest in romantic relationships. She’s focused instead on her ambitions, her family, and her desire for true friends.

What that captures (that most other books don’t) is something called ‘aromanticism’, which is the lack of romantic attraction to anyone. It’s not extremely common, but it does exist, and is often lumped in with asexuality, the lack of sexual attraction to anyone. For a nonfiction treatment of this broader topic, try the excellent book Ace by Angela Chen.

There are some really great books featuring asexuality, including Let’s Talk About Love, Tash Hearts Tolstoy, and Beyond the Black Door, but in all these cases the main character still experiences romantic attraction. For similar characters who don’t have romantic attractions and/or don’t pursue romance, you’ll want to try these titles:

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Also check out our Libguide of similar books: No Romo: Great Books Without Romance.

Porcelain Travels by Matthew Felix

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I love a good travel story – and I’ve made the LibGuide Armchair Traveler to prove it! Most recently I read Porcelain Travels by Matthew Felix, and I highly recommend it for an entertaining journey and an education on the bathroom traditions in different parts of the world. It’s kind of hard to describe, but here’s the publisher’s version:

Matthew Félix is not a luxury traveler. But traveling on a budget fails to explain why so many of his most unforgettable experiences take place on the toilet, in the tub, or under the shower. From Matthew’s nightmare while relieving himself in Morocco to his unorthodox bathing practices in Paris and Istanbul to the Dead Sea shower incident that led to an arrest, Porcelain Travels is sometimes hilarious, occasionally shocking, and always entertaining.

What I liked was that there were so many levels on which to enjoy it. The toilet and bathing experiences are, for the most part, relatable and humorous (and fascinatingly informative where they’re not relatable); the various locations are a great source of escapism and global knowledge, and the short vignette chapters are engaging and easily readable. Less enjoyable was the author’s somewhat pretentious attitude on some things, but his humility in relating these episodes was a good balance for any sanctimoniousness.

If you’re a devoted travel reader, love cultural comparisons (Europeans’ horror at the existence of the garbage disposal, e.g.), or cannot travel without knowing the bathroom situation, this is a good book for you. Similar vibes include Bill Bryson of A Walk in the Woods fame and David Sedaris, known for Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Nonfiction for the Reluctant, Stressed, and Skeptical

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I was recently reminded that there’s a lot of fascinating reading in non-fiction if you only know how to find it. Non-fiction offers a different reading experience than fiction does. Where fiction affects your emotions and takes you on a journey (often tense, angsty, or deeply emotionally wrenching), non-fiction engages your mind with more intellectual fascination. Here are some non-fiction books I’ve read that offer various entry points into the genre.

My top category is always science – I love Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, and What If (1 & 2) by Randall Munroe. I’ve also started on the works of Mary Roach, renowned for her approachable and entertaining forays into topics like death, sex, space, and most recently animal offenders in Fuzz. I’d say my love for scientific non-fiction (and fiction; my favorite author is Andy Weir after all) is because of my natural curiosity, since these books explore different realms of knowledge and the limits of what’s possible.

My second-favorite nonfiction category is books by humorists like David Sedaris; I’ve read most of his work (for the title alone I particularly love Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls) as well as other hilarious and relatable personalities. I remember loving Wow No Thank You by Samantha Irby.

Another very common entry point into nonfiction is true crime books – I’m still working my way into this area but I have read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (a classic and definitely fascinating) as well as The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary and the convicted murderer who was an invaluable part of it.

Many people also love memoirs like Crying in H Mart (I’ll read it when I need to cry and not before, thank you) or poetry by breathtaking wordsmiths like Rupi Kaur (I tried Milk and Honey, and it made me feel raw, vulnerable and exposed so I decided to try again later), or powerful, expose-type social science reads. The power of the latter is in making you feel seen, or as if your eyes have been opened. For that reason I loved Ace by Angela Chen and highly recommend it.

The key in my experience is identifying what it is you value in a reading experience and seeking them out. For me, this includes infectious enthusiasm, a dry sense of humor, a sense of hope, and engrossing storytelling. Do you have something that immediately hooks you, or a favorite nonfiction read? Let us know below!

 

Wallace the Brave by Will Henry

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If you love comics and graphic novels about friendship, discovery, and the joy of being weird, you won’t want to miss out on Wallace the Brave by Will Henry.

This comic series, now in its fourth collected volume, centers on the bold and imaginative Wallace in his picturesque hometown of Snug Harbor, where he lives with fisherman father, plant-loving mother, and feral little brother Sterling. Wallace is outdoorsy and adventurous, making his own fun with the help of best friend Spud, brainy Rose, and aggressive Amelia. This is a utopic read filled with hope, light, and appreciation for the small comforts of life — alongside quirky humor and pride in being different.

A wholesome heir to Calvin & Hobbes and as healing to read as the Tea Dragon Society, Wallace the Brave is recommended for all ages who need a gentle, humorous read.

Fuzz by Mary Roach

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At long last I read a work by eminent non-fiction author Mary Roach! She’s been on my to-read list for a long time because of her reputation for entertaining and accessible explanations of various topics, and I finally took the plunge with her most recent, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

In this wide-ranging volume Roach explores the field of “wildlife-human conflict” – the zone in which the natural world infringes on human activity and the various methods used to control, combat, or understand that invasion. This includes the predators you’d expect: bears, elephants, leopards, and the like, but also invasive non-native species, dangerous trees, destructive birds, and the cute creatures with unexpected impacts on the ecosystem. Also covered are a wide variety of anti-wildlife strategies including frightening devices (most notably a screaming tube dude), lasers, monkey birth control, poisoned beans, and many more. The book ultimately coalesces around a meditation on humanity and its various approaches to nature – those who coexist, those who condemn, and those who struggle to know determine the right decision.

I enjoyed Roach’s humor, and that the book challenges the idea of human supremacy while still sympathizing with those whose livelihoods (or just their lives) are endangered by wildlife behaviors. I also appreciated the global scope of Roach’s survey and how vividly she renders the people she works with along the way.

If you’re a non-fiction reader, science lover, animal lover, or looking for an entertaining learning experience, give this book a try.