Teacher. Lifter. Lyricist.
‘Tis the season for thanks. What are you grateful for? Books I read two fantastic books that are totally related, but not directly. Maryanne Wolf’s Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World probes the problems and complexities of our ever advancing technology and posits several points of hope for the future. She worries about … More Get Lit – Best of November 2023
The world is still turning and I hope all is well in yours. Books I read a great book this month. What makes it great is the action-oriented approach. The Tools by psychotherapists Phil Stutz and Barry Michels (with a website to support!) prescribes several strategies for the flounderers among us – those who want to do better and be … More Get Lit – Best of October 2023
Hello again! The weather in New York is getting crisp. I love it. It’s invigorating. Books This month I reread The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. It’s one of those works that I read every few years to remind myself of truths I know in my heart, but forgot in the course of the routine of life. The … More Get Lit – Best of September 2023
The world is going crazy. I hope you’re ending the month with grace. Books Oliver Sacks was a brilliant neurologist who wrote several books about the curious conditions of his patients. In An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales he dives into blindness, perception, and other life changing cases. One man was, “in a sense, preternaturally sensitive—but … More Get Lit – Best of August 2023
Hi! Here’s a smattering of stuff… Books: Waiting for the Barbarians is a novel by JM Coetzee (recently adapted for the screen; it looks epic). The story tells of an outpost “threatened” by the greatly feared barbarians and measures the Empire takes to ensure the barbarians are subdued. It’s a tale of colonization and conscience, violence … More Get Lit – Best of July 2023
Jeepers creepers (and crawlies and slithers)! Books I went to the Reptile Expo this month. Snakes, geckos, scorpions, spiders, and a whole lot of other creatures. It was so cool to see the magnificent diversity that exists on the planet. At the same time, I wonder about mass breeding and keeping these animals in cages with price tags(!). It doesn’t … More Get Lit – Best of June 2023
Hello again! New York is enjoying a change in weather. Hopefully you’re getting out an’ about, smelling the roses and all that. Let’s mix it up… Beats: I can’t stop listening to Elvis Presley’s last performance of Unchained Melody. In this video there are some heartbreaking moments when he stumbles over his words while joking … More Get Lit – Best of May 2023
It’s been a long time! But I’m bringing the GOODIES! Books and Beats The library was throwing out books (?!) and I tried to salvage as many as I could. One of them was Sal Mineo: A Biography. I didn’t know who this man was until I started reading about the young, puppy-eyed misfit who starred … More Get Lit – Best of April 2023
Hello Everybody! Books (so many!) The Transfer Agreement:The dramatic Zionist rescue of the Jews from the Third Reich to Jewish Palestine by Edwin Black was a mind bending journey into the past. It chronicles the years of Hitler’s rise to power, the subsequent turmoil of German Jews, the global effort to intervene, and the pact Nazi … More Get Lit – Best of March 2023
Goodness me! What a wonderful month. Books I found a rhythm and have been finishing one book each week. There are some noteworthy gems to be found in literature from across the pond. Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel, Remains of the Day, forced me to reflect on ideas of integrity. As the narrator, Stephens, recalls his years … More Get Lit – Best of February 2023
Find the balance. 