Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes

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If I had to recommend just one audiobook this year, which one would it be? In What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies, Tim Urban tackles the perplexing question of why, despite technological advancements, society seems to lack wisdom. He introduces the concept of the 'Ladder of Thinking,' where high-rung thinking embraces truth and open-mindedness, contrasting with low-rung thinking's rigidity. The book challenges readers to examine their own thought processes and societal norms, offering insights into political extremism, social justice, and the power of individual and collective thinking in shaping our world.

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When was the last time you listened to an audiobook that combined history, memoir, and rock music?

This audiobook represents storytelling at its finest, combined with exceptional editing and production quality and woven with intimate reinterpretations of some of U2’s most iconic and poignant songs, produced by Bono and The Edge..

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Do you need practical advice on identifying dysfunctional family patterns? Or choosing the best path to breaking the cycle and living your life your way?

Nedra Glover Tawwab is a licensed therapist, writer, and speaker based in North Carolina. With over a decade of experience in mental health, she specializes in working with individuals and couples on relationships, boundaries, and healing from trauma.

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This episode is also available on the Access Ideas podcast.

What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? The authors of The Good Life promise the answer may be closer than you realize!

Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz are the director and associate director of The Grant Study, also known as the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies ever done, beginning in 1938 and continuing up to the present. The study initially followed the lives of two groups of men: one group of socially disadvantaged men (inner-city Boston boys from working-class families), and another group of privileged men (graduates of Harvard College). The study aimed to understand the factors that contribute to a successful and fulfilling life, and eventually expanded to include the spouses and children of these men.

My hope is that by amplifying the findings of this extraordinary study, we can reframe popular ideas about happiness, health, and success! And if you’re not quite ready to commit to listening to this 11 hour audiobook, consider listening to these two recent interviews:

Ten Percent Happier #549. Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness | Dr. Robert Waldinger

Making Sense with Sam Harris episode #308 The Long Game (with Robert Waldinger)

Goodreads review of The Good Life

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Subscribe to the Access Ideas podcast on all podcast streaming platforms. You can expect ad-free, entertaining and informative episodes on a variety of topics throughout 2022.

What drives our fascination with the fictional Roy family? HBO's Succession follows the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

Succession's ringtone-worthy musical theme, stellar writing, and acting make it an obvious winner. This episode of Access Ideas takes a closer look at some details that take it from good to great TV territory, including Shakespearean themes, observational cinematography, and oh-so-subtle costume design.

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Episode music: Kid Kodi by Skittle and These Times by The Pine Barrens from sessions.blue Reference to Thomas Flight: The Succession Character You Never See (YouTube)

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Are you an ideas enthusiast or collector? Our new podcast, Access Ideas, expands on a few familiar areas of interest and explores questions you didn’t know you had, such as can Jane Austen novels serve as escapist fantasy, why is sleep science so controversial, and what drives our obsession with HBO’s Succession? You can expect ad-free, entertaining and informative episodes on a variety of topics throughout 2022. Join me, your host Janna, for the first episodes of Access Ideas starting January 19, 2022 – you can access our episodes completely free on all major podcast streaming services.

Trailer music credit: Kid Kodi by Skittle from sessions.blue

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My favourite audiobook of 2021! Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking(2012) and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done(2011), a collection of columns for the Guardian newspaper.

Four Thousand Weeks is about making the most of our radically finite lives in a world of impossible demands, relentless distraction and political insanity (and 'productivity techniques' that mainly just make everyone feel busier).

“This is the most important book ever written about time management. Oliver Burkeman offers a searing indictment of productivity hacking and profound insights on how to make the best use of our scarcest, most precious resource. His writing will challenge you to rethink many of your beliefs about getting things done—and you’ll be wiser because of it” —ADAM GRANT, author of Think Again and host of WorkLife

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55717229-four-thousand-weeks

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

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This episode was previously published in August 2021

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Looking for a gripping TRUE story that's impossible to put down? In his 15-hour audiobook published in April 2021, Keefe captures a family saga that spans the twentieth century and leads up to 2020. Members of the Sackler family founded Purdue Pharma, the infamous maker of OxyContin, a prescription drug that has fuelled an opioid epidemic across North America for the last twenty years. Patrick Radden Keefe’s investigative journalism about the Sackler family has a history, too; he first published his findings in a 2017 New Yorker article, The Family That Built an Empire of Pain.

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

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This episode was first released in June 2021

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“This is one of the most important books that will be published in 2021. The Covid vaccine will soon free humanity from a biological pandemic, and this book, if widely read, could free humanity from an equally deadly scourge—high conflict.” — Jonathan Haidt, Social psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business, and author CThe Coddling of the American Mind

Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. She’s spent her career trying to make sense of complicated human mysteries, from what happens to our brains in a disaster to how some countries manage to educate virtually all their kids to think for themselves. Her first book, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why, was published in 15 countries and turned into a PBS documentary. Her next book, The Smartest Kids in the World—and How They Got That Way, was a New York Times bestseller. Amanda’s most recent book is High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, published by Simon & Schuster in April 2021.

In her books and magazine writing, Amanda combines storytelling with data to help illuminate hard problems—and solutions. To do this, she usually follows people who have been through some kind of a transformation—including the survivors of hurricanes and plane crashes, American teenagers who have gone to high school in other countries and people who were bewitched by toxic conflicts and managed to break free. (from https://www.amandaripley.com/about-amanda)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55713052-high-conflict

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This episode was first released in May 2021

High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out

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One of my top audiobook listens for 2021. Dr Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Brown University. As an addiction psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety (Eat Right Now, Unwinding Anxiety and Craving to Quit).

Based on the success of these programs in the lab, he co-founded MindSciences, Inc. to create app-based digital therapeutic versions of these programs for a wider audience, working with individuals, corporations, and hospital systems to put effective, evidence-based behavior change guidance in the hands of people struggling with unwanted behaviors and “everyday addictions.”

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55628986-unwinding-anxiety

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

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This episode was first released in April 2021

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One of my top audiobook listens for 2021. Gates identifies the Five Grand Challenges of climate change as manufacturing (31%), electricity (27%), agriculture (19%), transportation (16%), and buildings (7%). Since there’s no single solution for any of these sectors, Gates proposes we speed up the cycle of innovation and attract a mix of private and public investment that is more risk tolerant than we’re used to seeing in order to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

What you can do to fight climate change: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/What-you-can-do-to-fight-climate-change

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52275335-how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=09awNLoppj&rank=1

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This episode was first released in March 2021

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“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever…”

Ultimately, stories have emotional power over us, and great stories stay with us for a lifetime. Haig’s charming style made this listen impossible to put down. And, although it covers some heavy subject matter, The Midnight Library is an easy listen beautifully narrated by British actress Carey Mulligan, who brings Nora’s character to life in so many different contexts.

Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book, A Boy Called Christmas, was a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans and the number one bestseller The Midnight Library, which also won the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54744876-the-midnight-library

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This episode was first released in February 2021

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One of my top audiobook listens for 2021! One Goodreads reviewer gave this book three stars out of five, criticizing it as a “Love Letter to Listening” (but lacking tips of how to listen better). This same rationale is exactly why I’m giving this title five out of five stars. The fact is, most of us know perfectly well what listening skills are, but we’re not practicing good listening habits because we don’t value listening enough, author Kate Murphy is passionately determined to change that.

Picked by the Observer, Stylist, and Waterstones as a best non-fiction book for 2020 and nominated for a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for nonfiction.

Kate Murphy is a Houston, Texas–based journalist who has written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Agence France-Presse, and Texas Monthly. Her eclectic and widely shared pieces have explored an extraordinary range of topics including health, technology, science, design, art, aviation, business, finance, fashion, dining, travel, and real estate.

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

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This episode was first released in January 2021

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Fiona Hill is director of the Center on the United States and Europe, and senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. Growing up in England’s coal-mining country, Fiona Hill knew that she was in a forgotten place. The last of the local mines had closed, businesses were shuttering, and despair was etched in the faces around her. Her father told her to get out—to go to London, or Europe, or America. “There is nothing for you here, pet,” he said.

Hill managed to go further than her father ever could have dreamed. She studied in Moscow and at Harvard, became an American citizen, and served on the National Security Council. But in the heartlands of both Russia and the US, she saw grim reflections of her hometown and similar populist impulses. By the time she offered her brave testimony in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump, Hill knew that the desperation of forgotten people was driving American politics over the brink—and that we were running out of time to save ourselves from systemic collapse. In this powerful, deeply personal account, she shares what she has learned, and explains that only by expanding opportunity can we save our democracy.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59246374-there-is-nothing-for-you-here

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Dr. Jane Goodall DBE is an ethologist and environmentalist. From infancy she was fascinated by animal behavior, and in 1957 at 23 years old, she met the famous paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey while she was visiting a friend in Kenya. Impressed by her passion for animals, he

offered her the chance to be the first person to study chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, in the wild. And so three years later Jane traveled from England to what is now Tanzania and, equipped with only a notebook, binoculars, and determination to succeed, ventured into the then unknown world of wild chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall’s research at Gombe National Park has given us an in-depth understanding of chimpanzee behavior. The research continues, but in 1986, realizing the threat to chimpanzees throughout Africa, Jane traveled to six study sites. She learned first-hand not only about the problems facing chimpanzees, but also about those facing so many Africans living in poverty. She realized that only by helping local communities find ways of making a living without destroying the environment could chimpanzees be saved. Since then Jane has traveled the world raising awareness and learning about the threats we all face today, especially climate change and loss of biodiversity. The author of many books for adults and children and featured in countless documentaries and articles, Jane has reached millions around the world with her lectures, podcasts and writings. She was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace, is a Dame of the British Empire, and has received countless honors from around the world.

Douglas Abrams is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the first book in the Global Icons Series. Douglas is also the founder and president of Idea Architects, a literary agency and media development company helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Bios copied from The Book of Hope PDF supplement (Audible)

The Jane Goodall Hopecast: https://janegoodall.ca/the-hopecast-jane-goodalls-podcast/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58603636-the-book-of-hope

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One of my top audiobook listens for 2021! Think Again is a 21st Century reboot of Enlightenment ideas, celebrating skepticism and science. Adam Grant’s balance of storytelling and statistics is fascinating, but what makes this listen fun is how Grant challenges us to explore our own tendencies and guides us in how to practice rethinking our beliefs.

How often do you think again? Take the quiz: https://www.adamgrant.net/quizzes/think-again-quiz/

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and TED speaker who helps people find meaning and motivation at work. Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for 7 straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40.

He is the author of 4 New York Times bestselling books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal and praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Kahneman, and Malala Yousafzai. (bio taken from https://www.adamgrant.net/about/biography/)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56789923-think-again

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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This episode was first released in February 2021

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Can the audiobook format add something of value to classic literature? Leo Tolstoy's epic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature and famously begins with the line “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31188265-anna-karenina

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One of my top audiobook listens for 2021! All of us have experienced unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a job loss. These experiences can be deeply lonely and confusing. I’m reviewing this book because I’m thinking of all the people I know living through what may feel like one of the most difficult winters of our lifetimes.

Katherine May is a New York Times bestselling author; she previously published The Electricity of Every Living Thing, her memoir of being autistic. Her fiction includes The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club and Burning Out. She is also the editor of The Best, Most Awful Job, an anthology of essays about motherhood. Her journalism and essays have appeared in a range of publications including The New York Times, The Observer and Aeon. She lives in Whitstable, UK with her husband, son, three cats and a dog.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56171009-wintering

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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This episode was first released in January 2021

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Professor David Nutt is a neuropsychopharmacologist and researcher at Imperial College London. In 2009, he was infamously dismissed from his role as Chair of the United Kingdom’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The reason was his public stance that illicit drugs should be classified according to the actual evidence of the harm they cause. Most controversial of all was his claim that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than LSD, ecstasy or cannabis. So you might expect him to be a prohibitionist, but that’s not so. In fact, he owns a wine bar. But for the last 30 years, he’s also campaigned for better public health policy when it comes to alcohol.

Nutt is on a mission to explain the most significant alcohol-related research findings from the last 50 years. What I enjoyed most about his pragmatic approach is that he explains the impact of ANY amount of alcohol consumption. This is about making informed decisions, not moral judgements. He clarifies the differences that various levels of alcohol consumption have on our mental health, sleep, hormones, fertility, and propensity toward addiction.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53023321-drink

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Karl Deisseroth has spent his life researching the human mind, both as a renowned clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher creating and developing the revolutionary field of optogenetics, which uses light to help decipher the brain’s workings. Projections is promoted as a work that combines his knowledge of the brain’s inner circuitry with a deep empathy for his patients in order to examine what mental illness reveals about the human mind and the origin of human feelings.

Huberman Lab podcast: Dr. Karl Deisseroth: Understanding & Healing the Mind | Episode 26 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/huberman-lab/id1545953110?i=1000527090209

Mind & Matter podcast with Nick Jikomes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/karl-deisseroth-psychiatry-autism-depression-anxiety/id1546557228?i=1000534177882

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57958898-projections

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Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy Edward Slingerland makes a bold claim in his new book in that overall and over the course of history, alcohol has produced net positive benefits for both individuals and cultures, or our taste for it would have been eliminated by genetic or cultural evolution (given its heavy costs). We would not have civilization without intoxication, because alcohol provides the necessary lubrication to our complex social needs. In Slingerland’s words, “It is no accident that, in the brutal competition of cultural groups from which civilizations emerged, it is the drinkers, smokers and trippers who emerged triumphant”.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55643282-drunk

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Things I learned from Falling is promoted as a memoir by Claire Nelson, who shares how she fell over 25 feet after wandering off the trail in a deserted corner of Joshua Tree Park. The fall shattered her pelvis, rendering her immobile. She lay in a canyon for the next four days, exposed to the relentless California sun. Her rescuers had not expected to find her alive.

What the publisher promotion does not say, is that Nelson didn’t tell anyone she was going hiking in the desert, and although she had her cell phone, she didn’t have a source of backup coverage. For me, the burning question was not how she survived, but why did she put herself into that predicament to begin with?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56626489-things-i-learned-from-falling

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Anna Lembke is the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine, program director for the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is the recipient of numerous awards for outstanding research in mental illness, for excellence in teaching, and for clinical innovation in treatment. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries in prestigious outlets such as The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. She sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations, has testified before various committees in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, keeps an active speaking calendar, and maintains a thriving clinical practice.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55723020-dopamine-nation

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmaswas a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans, and the number one bestseller, The Midnight Library.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55825273-the-comfort-book

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking(2012) and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done(2011), a collection of columns for the Guardian newspaper.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55717229-four-thousand-weeks

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Michael Pollan is an American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is also the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism.

Pollan’s 2021 book, This is Your Mind on Plants, features three essays about opium, caffeine and mescaline, with a covid-era introduction, highlighting Pollan’s increasing appreciation for plants during pandemic life. If you’re a fan of Pollan’s writing like I am, you’ll notice that This is Your Mind on Plants feels familiar; it’s a bit like the approach Pollan took in his 2001 book, The Botany of Desire, which links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58026061-this-is-your-mind-on-plants

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Self-help references on social media seem to be more popular these days, especially as many of us seek to move forward from pandemic life to something new and not quite back to normal. Perhaps it’s that more of us are self-conscious as we venture out into public life, and maybe it’s also that the pandemic gave many of us time to think about our mental health. Today’s episode compares two very popular audiobooks published this year, linked through Goodreads, below:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, Sean Pratt (Narrator)

How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Nicole LePera, Courtney Patterson (narrator)

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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*Apologies for the mispronunciation of Dr. LePera's name in this episode!

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The Last Call Killer preyed upon gay men in New York in the ‘80s and ‘90s and had all the hallmarks of the most notorious serial killers. Yet because of the sexuality of his victims, New York City’s high murder rates, and the AIDS epidemic, his murders have been almost entirely forgotten. This is journalist Elon Green’s first book, and unlike some True Crime authors, Green doesn’t focus on salacious sensationalism and the killer’s notoriety. Instead, he focuses much more on the victims of crime, especially their personalities and lives. I’ve done the same in my review and left out the name of the killer, which is easily found on Google. While some people might find that annoying, I found it makes Green’s audiobook a more interesting, memorable listen and importantly, it puts the focus back on the victims instead of lending notoriety to a killer.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57603864-last-call

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Suzanne Simard is a professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and teaches at the University of British Columbia. She was born in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia in 1960. Her family were loggers, so it seemed like a natural fit for her to join a commercial logging company as she started her career. Her job was to check on seedlings planted by the company, but she noticed these were often yellowed and failed to thrive. Simard had a strong hunch that the clear-cutting practices that isolated plant species were to blame for this, but she needed proof. She learned how to design and conduct experiments, and this part of her story was especially well explained for those of us unfamiliar with how experiments are designed for academic review. Simard’s excitement about her work feels almost contagious in her reading, so I was quickly swept up in her story.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54976983-finding-the-mother-tree

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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The Anthropocene Reviewed started out as a podcast, where bestselling author John Green tried to make sense of some of the contradictions of human life – how we can be so compassionate, and yet so cruel. So persistent, yet so quick to despair. Green says that above all, he wanted to understand the contradiction of human power; how we are too powerful in our ability to shape the climate and biodiversity, for example, and yet not powerful enough to save those we love from suffering.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58089186-the-anthropocene-reviewed

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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In today’s extended episode, I chat with Elena Iacono. Elena is a professional colleague of mine who helps empower people to support their well-being and mental health, including flexible resources and compassionate workplace practices. Elena has inspired me with her passion for exploring food and gardening. When her grandmother died in April 2020 during the early days of the pandemic, Elena lovingly replicated her Nonna’s cherished recipes in a cookbook, which she used to raise more than $60,000 for Food Banks Canada, roughly the equivalent of 200,000 meals.

Elena and I share a love of non-fiction, especially evidence-based work about well-being and managing mental health. Our conversation includes highlights of our favourite recent books, our reflections on leaving the pandemic with new insights about what it means to care for ourselves, and the power of curiosity and our environment to lift our spirits.

Follow Elena on Instagram @ epiacono

Sign up for Elena’s newsletter: https://www.elenaiacono.com/

Elena recommends:

· Mental Health Commission of Canada (resource hub)

· Mental Health First Aid

· Canadian Mental Health Association

· Anxiety Canada

· Root in Nature programs

· Kids Help Phone

· The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature by Sue Stuart-Smith

· Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan

Books we mention during this podcast:

· The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

· Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer

· Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life by Francesca Gino

· The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Do you struggle with saying no, or simply telling people what you need? Or, are you someone who secretly or not so secretly embraces JOMO, (the joy of missing out)? Nedra Glover Tawwab shares plainly and clearly what many people feel, but many can’t or won’t bring themselves to say. She shares specific, practical advice for any type of relationship, including parenting, romance, friendships, and workplaces. Boundaries are not merely saying “no” to others or ourselves. Boundaries include a number of behaviours that Tawwab outlines very clearly, including communication, but also how we handle time, money, and even hygiene.

nedratawwab on Instagram

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55782639-set-boundaries-find-peace

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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As many of us adjust to life after a pandemic, Lori Gottlieb’s memoir is a powerful reminder of how we relate to ourselves and others based on the stories we tell ourselves, versus our real-life interactions. Whether you’re interested or experienced in therapy or not, this audiobook contains so many relatable life stories that remind us of what it means to be human.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44801538-maybe-you-should-talk-to-someone

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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In today’s extended episode, I’m sitting down with Lucas Cantor, a podcaster, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and speaker. He has worked in NBC's music department for eight Olympic Games for which he won two Emmys in 2008 and 2012. He co-produced Lorde's cover of Everybody Wants To Rule The World, found on the Hunger Games, Catching Fire Soundtrack. Lucas is also an avid reader. He hosts his own show, the Book Society podcast, which features weekly conversations with fascinating guests from diverse backgrounds.

Lucas and I are both passionate about great storytelling and history. Our conversation today includes friendly disagreements about Malcolm Gladwell’s Bomber Mafia, frequent references to Middlemarch by George Eliot, and the dynamics and design of audiobooks and podcasting. Lucas also mentions a few words about his June 11th podcast conversation with Water Rights lawyer and journalist, Zach Smith.

Subscribe to the Book Society podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-society/id1565589623

Contact Lucas Cantor: https://www.lucascantormusic.com/

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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In his 15-hour audiobook published in April 2021, Keefe captures a family saga that spans the twentieth century and leads up to 2020. Members of the Sackler family founded Purdue Pharma, the infamous maker of OxyContin, a prescription drug that has fuelled an opioid epidemic across North America for the last twenty years. Patrick Radden Keefe’s investigative journalism about the Sackler family has a history, too; he first published his findings in a 2017 New Yorker article, The Family That Built an Empire of Pain.

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· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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In The Quick Fix, author and podcaster Jesse Singal argues that the trendy, TED-Talk-friendly psychological interventions so in vogue right now will never be enough to truly address social injustice and inequality.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53317475-the-quick-fix?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=7XFqZDGRlj&rank=2

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· Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

· Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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What Happened To You is the latest popular psychology book examining the relationship between trauma and behavioural patterns that many of us struggle to understand in ourselves and others. The title suggests we can better understand ourselves and others if we shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

Note: An ACE score is a tally of different types of abuse, neglect, and other hallmarks of a rough childhood. According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the rougher your childhood, the higher your score is likely to be and the higher your risk for later health problems. Take the ACE test: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57638518-what-happened-to-you

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Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website: https://podcast.jannastam.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jannastam

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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The Bomber Mafia is a fascinating exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war. The production was initially conceived of, from the beginning, as an audiobook.

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers—The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and Broken Record, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Gladwell has been included in the TIME 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56668328-the-bomber-mafia

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Author Julia Galef is the co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality and host of Rationally Speaking, the official podcast of New York City Skeptics. She defines “scout mindset” as the motivation to see things as they are, not as you wish they were – and to be intellectually honest and curious about what's actually true.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42041926-the-scout-mindset?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=nTcE5FUFRh&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55713052-high-conflict

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Dr Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Brown University. As an addiction psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety (Eat Right Now, Unwinding Anxiety and Craving to Quit).

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55628986-unwinding-anxiety

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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“This economist has a plan to fix capitalism. It's time we all listened.” – Wired

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She received her BA from Tufts University and her MA and PhD in Economics from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research. Her previous posts include the RM Phillips Professorial Chair at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex University. She is a selected fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and of the Italian National Science Academy (Lincei).

She is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the ‘3 most important thinkers about innovation’ by The New Republic, one of the 50 most creative people in business in 2020 by Fast Company, and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by WIRED.

She is the author of three highly-acclaimed books: The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths (2013), The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy (2018) and the newly released, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism (2021). (bio taken from https://marianamazzucato.com/about)

Kara Swisher’s March 15, 2021 podcast conversation with Mariana Mazzucato on Sway: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-mariana-mazzucato.html

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52745048-mission-economy

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and a writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Merlin’s research ranges from fungal biology, to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, to the relationship between sound and form in resonant systems. A keen brewer and fermenter, he is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. He is a musician and performs on the piano and accordion. Entangled Life is his first book. (from merlinsheldrake.com)

Watch Oyster mushrooms consume Merlin Sheldrake’s book: https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/videos

** Sunday Times bestseller * *BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week ** British Book Awards Shortlist * *Rathbones Folio Prize Longlist ** Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist * *Richard Jeffries Society Literary Prize Shortlist ** André Simon Award Longlist * The Times *audiobook of the year in the category of 'authors voicing their own work' **

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53813848-entangled-life

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Tsedal Neeley (@tsedal) is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Her work focuses on how leaders can scale their organizations by developing and implementing global and digital strategies. She regularly advises top leaders who are embarking on virtual work and large-scale change that involves global expansion, digital transformation, and becoming more agile. Neeley’s award-winning book, The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations, chronicles the behind-the-scenes globalization process of a company over the course of five years. She has also published extensively in leading scholarly and practitioner-oriented outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Management Science, Journal of International Business, Strategic Management Journal and Harvard Business Review, and her work has been widely covered in media outlets such as BBC, CNN, Financial Times, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and the Economist. Her HBS case, Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, is one of the most used cases worldwide on the subject of virtual work. (from tsedal.com) Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56925006-remote-work-revolution Audio production by Graham Stephenson Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Anchor, Breaker, Google, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Spotify

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Have you ever explored your ancestry? What did you discover? In her 2021 audiobook, The Year of Return: A Black Woman’s African Homecoming, Rachel Décoste shares her epic odyssey to Africa. Like most descendants of enslaved Africans, Décoste could not pinpoint her origins until technology evolved. Guided by a DNA test, she visited 5 countries in as many months – each country held a piece of her ancestry. In her own voice, Décoste recounts her journey with vivid imagery and humour – her pan-African trek is peppered with unexpected twists and delightful discoveries.

Buy The Year of Return: A Black Woman’s African Homecoming audiobook: http://www.yearofreturnbook.com/

Rachel Décoste is a writer, educator and social policy expert from Ottawa, Canada. She has been a community activist since her youth, working with organizations including the Children's Aid Society, S.O.S. Montfort Hospital, the Famous 5 Foundation, and the Black Canadian Scholarship Fund. Her commitment includes international activities: she has traveled abroad to provide aid in South and Central Americas and West Africa.

In 2008, Décoste worked on then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign and again in 2012. Décoste lived and worked in Washington, DC, where she honed her socioeconomic policy credentials while managing a national bipartisan tech education initiative on behalf of the United States Congress. She was named to the Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian women in 2018. Décoste has lectured on diversity and inclusion at several top universities in the USA and Canada. She also offers anti-Black racism workshops for North American corporations and firms. (from racheldecoste.com)

Podcast audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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What are the funny or interesting stories from your life? You know, the ones that get retold at every family or friends get together? In this extended episode, I sit down with Paul Gewuerz, the founder of Made to Order Audio, to chat about the art and possibilities of custom audiobooks.

Commission a one of a kind personalized audiobook to commemorate your story: use promo code JANNA at Made to Order Audio for $30 off your custom audiobook orders until May 15, 2021

Made to Order Audiobooks: How it Works

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Gates identifies the Five Grand Challenges of climate change as manufacturing (31%), electricity (27%), agriculture (19%), transportation (16%), and buildings (7%). Since there’s no single solution for any of these sectors, Gates proposes we speed up the cycle of innovation and attract a mix of private and public investment that is more risk tolerant than we’re used to seeing in order to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

What you can do to fight climate change: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/What-you-can-do-to-fight-climate-change

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52275335-how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=09awNLoppj&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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In the Tyranny of Merit, political philosopher Michael Sandel attacks what he calls “the rhetoric of rising” and ideas about meritocracy on both the political left and right in the United States.

Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University. His writings—on justice, ethics, democracy, and markets--have been translated into 27 languages. His course “Justice” is the first Harvard course to be made freely available online and on television. It has been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world, including in China, where Sandel was named the “most influential foreign figure of the year.” (China Newsweek).

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50364458-the-tyranny-of-merit

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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The Glass Hotel is like a literary mosaic of tiny pieces taken from various times, locations, and perspectives. I found this initially disorienting, but when the bigger picture started to emerge, I was hooked.

Emily St. John Mandel was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. She studied contemporary dance at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and lived briefly in Montreal before relocating to New York.

She is the author of five novels, including The Glass Hotel (spring 2020) and Station Eleven (2014.) Station Eleven was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, won the Morning News Tournament of Books, and has been translated into 34 languages.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49119123-the-glass-hotel

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Think Again is a 21st Century reboot of Enlightenment ideas, celebrating skepticism and science. Adam Grant’s balance of storytelling and statistics is fascinating, but what makes this listen fun is how Grant challenges us to explore our own tendencies and guides us in how to practice rethinking our beliefs.

How often do you think again? Take the quiz: https://www.adamgrant.net/quizzes/think-again-quiz/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56789923-think-again

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt is a 2006 psychology book written for a non-academic audience, with insights that remain relevant today. Haidt takes 10 classic great ideas from Eastern and Western philosophy and applies these to modern life, while adding context from contemporary psychology.

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia.

Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures––including the cultures of American progressive, conservatives, and libertarians. Haidt is the author of three books: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion; and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure(co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). The last two books each became New York Times bestsellers.

At NYU-Stern, he is applying his research on moral psychology to business ethics, asking how companies can structure and run themselves in ways that will be resistant to ethical failures (see EthicalSystems.org). He is also the co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, a collaboration among nearly 2500 professors who are working to increase viewpoint diversity and freedom of inquiry in universities. From https://jonathanhaidt.com/bio/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24853310-the-happiness-hypothesis

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever…”

Ultimately, stories have emotional power over us, and great stories stay with us for a lifetime. Haig’s charming style made this listen impossible to put down. And, although it covers some heavy subject matter, The Midnight Library is an easy listen beautifully narrated by British actress Carey Mulligan, who brings Nora’s character to life in so many different contexts.

Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book, A Boy Called Christmas, was a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans and the number one bestseller The Midnight Library, which also won the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54744876-the-midnight-library

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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All of us have experienced unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a job loss. These experiences can be deeply lonely and confusing. I’m reviewing this book because I’m thinking of all the people I know living through what may feel like one of the most difficult winters of our lifetimes.

Katherine May is a New York Times bestselling author; she previously published The Electricity of Every Living Thing, her memoir of being autistic. Her fiction includes The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club and Burning Out. She is also the editor of The Best, Most Awful Job, an anthology of essays about motherhood. Her journalism and essays have appeared in a range of publications including The New York Times, The Observer and Aeon. She lives in Whitstable, UK with her husband, son, three cats and a dog.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56171009-wintering

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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In this extended episode, I sit down with author Tom James to chat about his hilarious and thought-provoking book, Your Children Are Boring: How Modern Parents Ruin Everything, which delves into society's obsession with children and parenting and the potential consequences of this.

Our conversation touches on how modern parenthood aligns to identity politics, the pitfalls of performing parenthood on social media, changing ideals of childhood development, and more.

Your Children Are Boring is a Sauce Materials publication available on Audible and Amazon in the UK, US, Canada and Europe.

Tom James grew up in Essex, his parents were working class Londoners and after leaving school at 16 he worked in London. In 1990, during the first Gulf War he found himself sat on a beach in Tel Aviv (having been asked to leave the kibbutz he was staying at for 'not working'). He read a tatty copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson and had an epiphany.

He decided he would change the course of his life, and attempt to be a writer. He trained as a journalist in the 90s and has spent the last 15 or so years working in a variety of roles in London. However, writing took a back seat.

More recently though, he had a series of creative forays including writing, producing and presenting a successful comedy podcast I Am Idiot, involved in a surprisingly successful comedy cookery book called Fifty Shades of Gravy: The Cookbook, and outings of prose on Medium and PublicHouse Magazine.

Tom lives in leafy Hertfordshire with two cats, and is somehow a godfather to two of his friends' children.

Read more from Tom James

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51962039-your-children-are-boring?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=tGuiVydqIG&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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One Goodreads reviewer gave this book three stars out of five, criticizing it as a “Love Letter to Listening” (but lacking tips of how to listen better). This same rationale is exactly why I’m giving this title five out of five stars. The fact is, most of us know perfectly well what listening skills are, but we’re not practicing good listening habits because we don’t value listening enough, author Kate Murphy is passionately determined to change that.

Picked by the Observer, Stylist, and Waterstones as a best non-fiction book for 2020 and nominated for a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for nonfiction.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45892276-you-re-not-listening?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Wkz3x9sMZR&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Have you ever felt conflicted about the phrase “follow your passion”, or hesitated to try something new because you were already invested in another endeavour? Range offers a fresh take on what success looks like.

David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master's degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He lives in Washington, DC.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44652633

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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This extended episode is also available as an article on medium.com and shares insights taken from some of the audiobooks about listening I've reviewed on my podcast.

Want to add lasting value at work and in personal relationships? In our attention economy, being a good listener helps you stand out for the right reasons. If we want to build rapport, trust, and collaborative productivity after months of virtual isolation, now seems an ideal time to elevate our listening skills with colleagues, friends, family, and even strangers.

We have everything to gain, including deeper connections, more supportive relationships, better career prospects… and we might even be surprised by what we learn about ourselves.

If you're interested in learning more about listening skills, check out these articles:

What Great Listeners Actually Do by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman (Harvard Business Review)
Talk Less. Listen More. Here's How. Lessons in the art of listening, from a C.I.A. agent, a focus group moderator and more By Kate Murphy (New York Times)

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Do you feel overwhelmed by data and news about climate change? A Life on Our Planet offers some powerful reasons for optimism.

Sir David Attenborough is an English broadcaster and natural historian. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life collection that together constitute a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth. He considers his 2020 documentary film and book, A Life On Our Planet, his personal witness statement of his life and the future.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55535828-a-life-on-our-planet

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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What does it mean to be American – and is it possible for Americans to unite in a common cause unrelated to war or terrorism?

Barack Obama's unwavering vision of American Exceptionalism is not new; it’s been a feature of his rhetoric since he entered politics, but it’s significant that he doesn’t overtly define what it is NOT. This open-ended approach undoubtedly helped win him votes, but the term American Exceptionalism also has a long and convoluted history: it’s been used by American leaders and thinkers as shorthand for radically divergent ideas, including Christian manifest destiny, rugged individualism, freedom, anti-globalist isolationism, egalitarianism, and undisputed military might.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55364115

YouTube podcast episode: https://youtu.be/S7VuVYjpoks

Visit https://podcast.jannastam.com/for more information about this podcast

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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The November 2018 fire that levelled the towns of Paradise and Concow was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history, and the most expensive natural disaster in the world that year. Named the Camp Fire, after its place of origin on Camp Creek Road, the fire was ignited by a faulty electric transmission line, and claimed 85 lives, and displaced more than 50,000 people, leading to a refugee crisis that continues to unfold today.

Alastair Gee is an award-winning editor and reporter at the Guardian who has also written for The New Yorker online, the New York Times, and the Economist. Gee lives in New York City.

Dani Anguiano writes for the Guardian and was formerly a reporter for the Chico Enterprise-Record, where she covered Butte County, including Chico and Paradise. Having lived in Butte County for a decade, Anguiano now lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Bonus material: AudioFile’s Behind the Mic podcast An Interview with T. Ryder Smith, Narrator of Fire in Paradise

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54228921-fire-in-paradise

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ka6TnTT2SA8

Visit https://podcast.jannastam.com/ for details about this podcast

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Audio & video production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Which habits are keeping you from being a great communicator? Julian Treasure is the chair of the Sound Agency, a firm that advises worldwide businesses – offices, retailers, airports – on how to design sound in their physical spaces and communication. How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening, based on his TED Talk, offers practical exercises to improve communication skills and an inspiring vision for a sonorous world of effective speaking, conscious listening and understanding.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34027310-how-to-be-heard?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Bx6tQrMksU&rank=1

YouTube: https://youtu.be/P8LvHffGXKM

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Modern marriage and politics have nothing over the royal court of King Henry VIII. The Wolf Hall Trilogy includes Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies (both read by Simon Vance) and The Mirror & the Light, read by Joseph Kloska. These titles represent more than 15 years of extensive research and superb writing by English writer Dame Hilary Mary Mantel. The trilogy covers the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII, featuring Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Jane Seymour, and other political and royal players from Tudor England.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52172741-wolf-hall-trilogy-3-books-collection-set-by-hilary-mantel?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=6cxXtLkLhR&rank=3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/NbL6sqHf3UQ

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Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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“The effort to try to feel happy is often precisely the thing that makes us miserable.” ― Oliver Burkeman,

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking is a witty, fascinating, and counterintuitive listen / read that turns decades of self-help advice on its head and forces us to rethink completely our attitudes toward failure, uncertainty, and death.

Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/oliverburkeman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13721709-the-antidote

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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What if you already have absolutely everything you need to feel satisfied (and even joyful!) about your life? Stoic philosophy is based on the idea that satisfaction in life, also described as tranquility, rests on our ability to accept and ultimately embrace life as it is, no matter who or where we are. As William B Irvine sums it up, "to be satisfied with little is not a failing, it is a blessing".

William B Irvine is professor of philosophy at Wright State University. The author of seven books, including A Guide to the Good Life, he has also written for the Huffington Post, Salon, Time, and the BBC. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25230222-a-guide-to-the-good-life

YouTube: https://youtu.be/h76A-ZZ3BdM

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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While forgery and deception are intrinsically linked to the human condition, the information age in which we live is increasingly moving toward what author and broadcaster Nina Schick describes as the infocalypse, a point in the not-too-distant-future when it will become impossible to tell what is real and what is fake in the media we consume.

Over the last decade, Nina has cultivated her expertise in geopolitics and emerging technology. She has worked on the frontline of major global events including Brexit; the EU’s migrant crisis; election interference; and on the evolution of disinformation and information warfare. Nina has advised a group of global leaders including Joe Biden, the former Vice President of the United States, and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of NATO, on deepfakes. (https://ninaschick.org/)

Fact-checking organizations

· APF Fact Check – factcheck.afp.com

· AP Fact – apnews.com/APFactCheck

· BBC Reality Check – bbc.co.uk/news/reality_check • FullFact – fullfact.org

· Politfact – politifact.com

· Snopes – snopes.com

Media provenance

· Content Authenticity Initiative (Adobe) – contentauthenticity.org

· Digimac – digimap.edina.ac.uk

· News Provenance Project – newsprovenanceproject.com

· Pressland – pressland.com

Disinformation detection and protection

· Amped – ampedsoftware.com

· AI Foundation – aifoundation.com

· Bellingcat – bellingcat.com

· DARPA – darpa.mil

· EUvsDisinfo – euvsdisinfo.eu

· The Citizen Lab at the University ofToronto – citizenlab.ca

· DeepTrace – deeptracelabs.com

· Jigsaw – jigsaw.google.com

· NewsGuard – newsguardtech.com

· Truepic – truepic.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54828853-deep-fakes-and-the-infocalypse?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=dZScFHhT1S&rank=1

YouTube https://youtu.be/msA_OC7VEZk

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Heroes is the second book in Stephen Fry’s Greek Mythology trilogy; the first book, Mythos, which I also reviewed, focuses on gods and other immortals in Greek mythology, while Heroes focuses on mortals with exceptional abilities, although most have direct connection to the gods, including Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason, Atalanta, Oedipus, and Theseus.

About the author: Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile (Goodreads)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51170326-heroes

YouTube: https://youtu.be/x-c5V8vL2jk

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Have you ever ordered something you enjoyed so much at a restaurant that you tried making it yourself at home? Well, I have, and although I never quite succeeded in replicating David Chang’s Ginger Scallion noodles from Momofuku Noodle Bar, I’m glad I can share highlights from his autobiography in this review.

David Chang is an American restaurateur, author, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, which includes Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Milk Bar, and Momofuku Ko in New York City; Momofuku Seiōbo in Sydney; Momofuku Noodle Bar and Kojin in Toronto; and Momofuku CCDC in Washington, DC.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48925820-eat-a-peach

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ok8YfBe1vak

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Don’t let the young adult (YA) fiction marketing fool you, this autobiographical story is unforgettable (and much appreciated!) by those with some life experience. Daniel, the author and narrator, flees from Iran as a small child, detours through a refugee camp in Italy, then winds up in middle school in Oklahoma, where he puts on his best impression of legendary storyteller Scheherazade in the tradition of One Thousand and One Nights, attempting to convince his classmates of his true identity, even as he is trying to make sense of his patchwork memories and redefine himself.

“When I was a kid in Isfahan, I would tell my mother that someday, I would build her a castle at the top of Mount Sofeh. I could see it from my window. A castle in the sky. I didn’t know that life would make a liar out of me. I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t forget. I just never managed it. I wrote you a book instead. I know it isn’t even close” – Daniel Nayeri, Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45916267-everything-sad-is-untrue

YouTube: https://youtu.be/lLWOndGwXDc

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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“Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question” – Yuval Noah Harari

What is the right thing to do when confronting a completely unprecedented situation? How should we act when we’re flooded by enormous amounts of information, and there is absolutely no way we can absorb and analyze it all?

21 Lessons is Harari’s attempt to make sense of humanity’s most pressing problems, including crises in national identity, identity politics, global leadership, destabilization from climate change, and the exponential risks and opportunities that technology and innovation present to us as a species.

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and Sapiens: A Graphic History. His books have sold 27.5 Million copies in 60 languages, and he is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today. Learn more at https://www.ynharari.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41584641-21-lessons-for-the-21st-century

YouTube: https://youtu.be/VFBufxw-6ig

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Would you like to have more productive conversations with people who think differently than you or strongly disagree with you? Hint: it’s unlikely to happen online. While many fear that conversations about politics, religion, and values are a futile endeavour these days, this audiobook may encourage you to persevere in your attempts to connect with others who hold what might seem to be intractable points of view.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51599430-how-to-have-impossible-conversations

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

YouTube: https://youtu.be/m_Eckd7Nqwo

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“You don’t have to choose between being scientific and being compassionate.” -- Robert M. Sapolsky

Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Stanford's School of Medicine. He is also a research associate at the Institute of Primate Research operated by the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi and a recipient of a MacArthur genius fellowship. His teaching awards include Stanford University's Bing Award for Teaching Excellence and an award for outstanding teaching from the Associated Students of Stanford University.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the neuroscience and biology behind behavioural and social psychology and put it into both contemporary and historic context. If you’re like me, you might want to consider having a hard copy to highlight and stick notes in, because Sapolsky covers so much ground.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35428942-behave

YouTube: https://youtu.be/A0HvUGCucic

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Has public conversation about racism stalled because we’re limited by the language we use? In Caste, Isabel Wilkerson sets out to reframe how we think about and discuss systemic and structural racism.

“Of all the books I’ve chosen for book club over the decades, there isn’t another that is more essential a read than this one." – Oprah Winfrey, Oprah's Book Club pick

Isabel Wilkerson is an American writer and the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer prize. She was also presented with the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama, and she is considered a leading figure in narrative nonfiction. She’s also the author of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, published in 2010

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54918685-caste

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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Healthcare professional, musician, and actor Michael Bafuma sought new creative outlets during the Covid-19 shutdown, so he decided to try his hand at audiobook recording through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange platform). In this extended interview episode, Mike reveals how he got started, his favourite performance aspects of narration, audiobook titles he recommends, and how recording an audiobook is akin to a marathon (not a sprint)!

Contact Michael Bafuma on Twitter @michaelbafuma

Michael Bafuma ACX profile (Audiobook Creation Exchange platform)

Audio sample from Audible.ca: Mad Wanderings of a Lost Mind: COVID-19 Quarantine and Its Effects on Sanityby Patrick Meservier, narrated by Michael Bafuma

Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes website

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions

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This episode goes out to all the listeners who asked me to review fiction on the Audiobook Reviews in 5 Podcast! Tana French is one of my favourite living fiction writers; her mastery of psychological suspense has me hooked (in this episode I reveal the only fiction audiobook title I’ve listened to THREE times, because it’s THAT good). The voice actors who narrate Tana French audiobook titles make the characters come alive – you may find yourself starting to speak in an Irish accent after listening to these (consider yourself warned, "old son").

If you're already a Tana French fan, you're probably counting down the days until her next novel, The Searcher, is published October 6, 2020.

Tana French Goodreads author page.

Audio samples from Audible.ca

The Likeness by Tana French: Narrated by Grainne Gillis

The Witch Elm: A Novel by Tana French: Narrated by Paul Nugent

Broken Harbour by Tana French: Narrated by Hugh Lee

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Have the events of 2020 made you redefine or question the concept of work-life balance? According to David Whyte, the concept of striving to find balance between our personal and work lives is a case of misapplying and misunderstanding how we relate to the world and to ourselves. David Whyte is an English poet known for his work and speaking engagements in the business world focused on exploring the conversational nature of reality.

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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In this bonus podcast episode, I answer listener questions about why I don’t include ratings with my reviews, how I identify great listens for future reviews, and the challenges of reviewing fiction.

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Peacetime by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Sir Max Hastings is an author, journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in every British national newspaper. He has published twenty-six books, and rumour has it that he rises at 5 a.m. and writes 2,000 words before breakfast – every day.

Catastrophe 1914 amounts to about 25 hours of listening, and bear in mind that it only covers the lead-up to the war, and the war’s first few months. Knowing that, you might expect this audiobook to plod along, but Hastings is a master storyteller (as is legendary audiobook narrator Simon Vance). Even if you only have a passing interest in military history and trivia, there’s a chance you’ll enjoy this immensely, and if you’re like me and read about the world wars as a hobby, you’re in for a real treat. As a special note, I’d like to thank John, an Audiobook fan from Reddit (DeadParrot78), for recommending this title!

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the epicenter of the COVID pandemic? Fang Fang is the pen name of a 64-year-old Wuhan novelist and poet who wrote 60 posts in 60 days between Jan. 23 and April 7 on WeChat, described as China's "app for everything" and Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Her posts attracted more than 380 million views while she was quarantined in Wuhan, along with the rest of the city. I recommend you listen to the afterward by translator Michael Berry before you listen to or read the rest of Fang’s book.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54271827-wuhan-diary

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Dr. Brittney Cooper is an associate professor of women's and gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University in the United States. She is a co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective and co-editor of the collection of essays of the same title, which explore intersectionality, African-American culture, and hip-hop feminism. This audiobook highlights the bigotry of American feminist movements that center on whiteness, as well as the anti-racism movements that perpetuate problematic systems of patriarchy and male aggression.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39988558-eloquent-rage

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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This title intrigued me because Dr. Willie Parker seems like an unlikely champion of reproductive justice, yet in many ways, his lived experience is what makes his perspective uniquely insightful – and his words all the more persuasive. What impressed me the most about this audiobook was how succinctly Parker captures distinct and seemingly unrelated experiences and aligns them for meaningful and poignant impact to listeners and readers. As Parker himself says, “The best advocacy is always storytelling: the truth of people’s lives is what moves hearts.”

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33506542-life-s-work

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Are you feeling flummoxed, bamboozled, and stupefied by communication and language online? And how exactly did LOLcats irreversibly change the course of the English language? Gretchen McCulloch is a Canadian linguist who studies the language of the internet, for the people of the internet. She is currently the Resident Linguist at WIRED.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51828723-because-internet

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Eternity Martis is an award-winning Toronto-based journalist and editor whose work has been featured in The Huffington Post, VICE, Chatelaine, Maclean’s, Flare, Salon, CBC, Hazlitt, The Walrus, Refinery29, The Fader, Complex and many more. This is a fantastic listen if you’re interested in learning more about racialized experiences in a Canadian University and how racism complicates the existing challenges faced by most students, especially women.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52701581-they-said-this-would-be-fun

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Laura Spinney is a British science journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer, and she’s been reporting on the Coronavirus pandemic for the last few months in the Guardian, but this audiobook was published in 2017, which makes her writing seem all the more prescient. Pale Rider covers relevant and fascinating content that includes Alaska, Brazil, India, Persia, Spain, South Africa and the port city of Odessa in Ukraine.

“Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story...Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past." – The Guardian

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36341712

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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When was the last time you listened to an audiobook that shattered all of your expectations – from the format and narrative performance, to the genre-defying content? Split Tooth is part memoir, part manifesto, and it’s infused with myth, poetry, and song. Tanya Tagaq is a multi-talented Inuk artist, author, and an internationally acclaimed Juno and Polaris prize-winning throat singer, and she segments her reading of Split Tooth with throat singing.

Scotiabank Giller Prize Nominee (2018)

Indigenous Voices Award for Published Prose in English (2019)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40044460-split-tooth

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Do you believe that racism isn’t a problem in Canada, or that it’s a relatively benign issue compared to racism in the United States, or other countries? If so, Desmond Cole may change your mind. Cole’s stories about his personal experience of anti-Black racism made me uncomfortable at times, but that's a good thing. I felt compelled to reflect much more critically on my previous assumptions about where I live, Toronto, and its supposed multi-cultural, post-racial ideals. I highly recommend you buy Cole’s book or audiobook, and support Cole’s ongoing activism, and his influence on the public conversation about racism in Canada.

Report: An Online Environmental Scan of Right-wing Extremism in Canada: https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/canada-online/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50640342-the-skin-we-re-in

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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“For Kendi, the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, there are no non-racists; there are only racists — people who allow racist ideas to proliferate without opposition — and antiracists, those who expose and eradicate such ideas wherever they encounter them… What emerges from these insights is the most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind, a confessional of self-examination that may, in fact, be our best chance to free ourselves from our national nightmare.” – Jeffrey C. Stewart, The New York Times

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45435835-how-to-be-an-antiracist

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Dr. Robin DiAngelo is an antiracist educator and University of Washington professor. She defines white fragility as the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially. White fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviours including argumentation and silence. These behaviours, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. The key insight DiAngelo illustrates magnificently throughout this book is that racism is a systemic problem, rather than individual acts of cruelty. Audiobook narrated by Amy Landon.

Watch DiAngelo’s powerful, illuminating and engaging presentation about her book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ey4jgoxeU

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40894695-white-fragility

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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This might be the most fascinating memoir ever published by someone under 40; you can’t beat the combination of storytelling, historic context, and current relevance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51801760-permanent-record

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Flashing Runner by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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If you’re a fan of audiobooks like I am, you’ve likely found yourself drawn to readers with a talent for capturing and keeping your attention! The very best readers have a talent for drawing you in and keeping you up well past your bedtime. The truly great ones are SO good, that you’ll listen to books you might never have read. This extended episode highlights a few of my favourites.

Audiobook samples include:

· The Bluest Eye: written and read by Toni Morrison

· Mythos: written and read by Stephen Fry

· How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, written by Jenny Odell and read by Rebecca Gibel

· Frank Muller: A Montage (available from Audible)

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Every now and then, I come across an audiobook that’s so entertaining and so deliciously enjoyable, that I limit myself to listening to just an hour or less each day – allowing me to savour it longer. Mythos is that kind of audiobook. Fry’s drollery and British brand of humour endlessly amuse me. The narration and witty commentary sprinkled throughout this audiobook will not disappoint fans, so even if you’re not particularly interested in mythology, you’ll probably still enjoy this listen!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36368065-mythos

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Even 10 years after publication, the systemic issues that Alexander expertly navigates throughout her book remain among the most problematic and unresolved challenges in unjust political and economic systems in the USA. This book has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; in the United States, it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times best seller list. Audiobook narrated by Karen Chilton.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7036065-the-new-jim-crow

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Have you ever wondered who YOU might become if you could just change or develop different habits? In Atomic Habits, James Clear defines success as a system or a process to improve and refine, and he advocates avoiding a daily focus on goals. Instead, he recommends focusing on deliberately initiating, refining, and optimizing habits. “Small habits don’t simply add up – they compound. It’s remarkable what we can build if we just don’t stop”

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42603095-atomic-habits

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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This book is for anyone who wants to improve their communication, relationships, and professional lives. Whether you’re job hunting, parenting, selling products and services, working with difficult people, or you simply want to better understand what motivates human decision-making, you will find some useful insights here. Chances are if you listen to or read this one, you’ll find advice you can use in nearly every single conversation, so don’t miss it!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=PqrLkap6t2&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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In this extended episode, Codi and I discuss his book, Everyday Legacy: Lessons for Living With Purpose, Right Now. Everyday Legacy shares vital lessons for living, informed by Codi’s experiences as a funeral director who developed a deep understanding of the reality of death. From tales of unexpected friendship as a young volunteer in palliative care, to what he learned through his estranged father's funeral, Everyday Legacy shows us what it means to be deeply human, undeniably mortal - and how to choose a life that matters.

For more information, visit everydaylegacy.com, or connect with Shewan on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Codi’s audiobook recording and release is planned for later this year.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49510355-everyday-legacy

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Do you enjoy dark sarcasm, witty anecdotes, folk history, pop culture references, and historic epidemiological surveys of disease? If so, this audiobook is for you! Voted Audible.com’s ‘History Book Of The Year’ for 2017.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30199426-get-well-soon?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=VTLGjxY2zV&rank=1

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Hari discusses some especially timely concerns: disconnection from meaningful work, from other people, from meaningful values, from childhood trauma, from status and respect, from the natural world, and finally, disconnection from a hopeful or secure future.. I enjoyed the personal stories throughout the book.

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38214632-lost-connections

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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This book was praised as “a wake-up call’ when it was published in 2017, yet cuts to pandemic preparedness budgets nevertheless continued, as is painfully clear today. The authors pose a hypothetical pandemic crisis description that is scarily prescient of our own situation. A compelling listen / read on understanding the impact and implications of infectious disease on a global scale. Osterholm was recently interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (March 10 episode).

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30842808-deadliest-enemy

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Originally trained as a visual artist, Jenny Odell has established herself over the last year as a writer and podcaster with her excellent podcast series, Hurry slowly. Published in April 2019, her book has been described by the New York Times reviewer Jonah Engel Bromwich as a A Manifesto for Opting Out of an Internet-Dominated World, which seems like an especially challenging proposal during a pandemic. If you’re struggling with a sense of futility or anxiety over your productiveness right now, this is a great book to read and reflect on. In Odell’s own words, “every action doesn’t need to have a deliverable. Activities that can’t be optimized — listening to another person, taking care of ourselves, contemplating a new idea — and why truly taking time to pay attention to the little things is an act of resistance.”

Correction: this episode credits Odell as the host of of the podcast Hurry Slowly, but in fact the host of that podcast is Jocelyn K. Glei. Odell appears on the podcast as a guest.

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45729738

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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The scale and numbers associated with the 1918 pandemic always stop me in my tracks. From January 1918 – December 1920, with the worst month in October of 1918, the virus infected abut 27% of the world’s population (500 million people) and killed approximately 50 to 100 million people. It killed more people in a year than the Black Death in the Middle Ages killed in 100 years; it killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS killed in 24 years.

Although this book was published in 2006, it seems to be one of the most comprehensive overviews of this topic, and I wanted to listen to this in the context of all the COVID-19 and Coronavirus news. I would have preferred more of a global survey approach to the pandemic, as Barry tends to focus almost exclusively on the American experience, but this was one of the most highly rated audiobooks on the topic, and it’s well researched.

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1714876.The_Great_Influenza

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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In my latest podcast, I review The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, written and read by Douglas Murray. Murray’s main point is that, “Minimizing difference is not the same as pretending difference does not exist. To assume that sex, sexuality and skin colour mean nothing would be ridiculous. But to assume that they mean everything will be fatal.”

This listen is a fascinating perspective on oppression hierarchy, hysteria, and a reminder that all things “natural” are not automatically good or healthy (here’s looking at you, COVID19)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50907567-the-madness-of-crowds

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Bonus episode music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Have you ever been asked by a stranger or acquaintance whether or not you have kids? If you’re childfree, and especially a #childfree woman, chances are, you don’t easily forget the looks of surprise, judgement, or pity you’ve received when you answer this question. If you’re a childfree person or someone who wants to support those in your life who’ve made the decision to be childfree, this audiobook is a great source of material and reflection.

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46015616-childfree-by-choice

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by hearing stories and books spoken aloud. This bonus episode highlights how I came to love audiobooks, and a few tips for those who are just getting started with the audiobook format.

If you have any feedback, comments, or questions, consider dropping me a line with a voice message via the Anchor App, or send me a comment on Instagram @bobanna28 or Twitter @janna_ca

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Bonus episode music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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I broke my five-minute rule for this one! When was the last time you changed your mind about one of your deepest held core beliefs? If you’ve heard about or read Yuval Noah Harari’s ideas, there’s a chance you’ve reframed at least one way you see the world. In my case, this book completely reframed my beliefs and assumptions about humanism. Note that Harari’s follow-up, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, poses a more structured framework on how to think about contemporary human challenges. See more details about Homo Deus at

Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30363104-homo-deus

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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As our culture increasingly aligns to technical adoption and proficiency, many of us have slipped into various forms of technical and jargon-filled language. There’s a reason that storytelling is a trending topic in communications and marketing, and Alan Alda knows the secret. If you’re a medical, technical, or highly qualified professional, chances are you have a lot of expertise to deliver to folks who aren’t experts in your field. Alda’s stories give you real examples of how to connect with people and share important information in a way that resonates with them.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36579026-if-i-understood-you-would-i-have-this-look-on-my-face

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Do you feel you’re a pretty solid judge of character? How about spotting liars? Malcolm Gladwell’s exploration of communication misalignment and misinterpretation is a fascinating take on what it means to understand others – and ourselves.

Audiobook details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48124250-talking-to-strangers

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Facing incredible odds and setbacks, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ronan Farrow diligently investigated and eventually exposed some of the most repugnant activities in showbiz. In his mesmerizing audiobook, Farrow reveals the sequence of events leading up to his breakthrough news story in 2017. Audiobook details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51191056-catch-and-kill

My first attempt at a full podcast episode, recorded in one take

Audio remastered on May 18, 2020. Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes: Recent Episodes

Janna