The Invincible Brain by Majid Fotuhi

THE INVINCIBLE BRAIN by Majid Fotuhi offers “The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life.” Booklist describes this text as “informative, practical, and inspiring.” The conversational tone, clear outline, and customization certainly contribute to that perception. A widely published and interviewed researcher, Fotuhi is an adjunct professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins’s Mind/Brain Institute, an adjunct professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at George Washington University, and the medical director of NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center. He writes repeatedly and clearly about the five pillars of brain health (Fitness, Sleep, Diet, Mindset, and Training) and how to measure and increase them in a systematic way, encouraging his readers to focus on the area(s) where they want or need the most improvement. In order to get a benchmark assessment of brain function, Fotuhi provides direction on creating a brain portfolio and lists forty questions dealing with physical conditions, health habits, and socializing that “will bring to your attention things you may not have thought about, or help you realize there are things you have been tolerating that you could do something about.” He then suggests resources and weekly interventions which can change over the course of his twelve-week program. THE INVINCIBLE BRAIN has also been praised by fellow doctors/writers like  Sanjay Gupta, David Perlmutter, and John Ratey (Spark). Have a look.

100 Rules for Living to 100 by Dick Van Dyke

100 RULES FOR LIVING TO 100 by Dick Van Dyke is subtitled “An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life.” I particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook where narrator Tom Bergeron does an excellent job of channeling Van Dyke. The tone is reflective and friendly, and Van Dyke readily admits that there may not be exactly 100 rules, but he offers many funny stories and valuable insight. These tales span eight or nine decades and center on family members as well as acting and musical colleagues. I truly enjoyed and would definitely recommend. In fact, I plan to listen a second time!

The Happiness Files by Arthur C. Brooks

THE HAPPINESS FILES by Arthur C. Brooks offers “Insights on Work and Life” and is based on the popular essays he has written for a weekly column in The Atlantic. Amongst other full-length titles, Brooks wrote From Strength to Strength and he teaches classes on happiness from a scientific perspective (encompassing neuroscience, social psychology, and behavioral economics) at Harvard Business School. Brooks has divided his newest title into sections On Managing Yourself; On Jobs, Money, And Building Your Career; On Communicating and Connecting with Others; On Balancing Work Life and Relationships; and, finally, On How You Define Success. The thirty-three essays are generally five or six pages in length and deal with topics like exhibiting leadership, setting boundaries, promoting value, developing relationships, and establishing purpose and direction. THE HAPPINESS FILES is very well-written, action-oriented, and quite accessible. In completing book reviews, I have been exploring the ideas dealing with well-being and happiness from Brooks and others and writing about them for years. THE HAPPINESS FILES would be a great book to read and discuss as a group, perhaps choosing an essay a week as the focus.

Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones

ORDINARY TIME by Annie B. Jones is subtitled “Lessons Learned While Staying Put.” Reading this collection of story essays made me feel as though Annie Sue Butterworth Jones was a dear friend sharing her wise observations on life. Readers will learn that she is a talented writer and the owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. One of my book group members also says she “meets with her weekly” since Jones hosts From the Front Porch, a regular podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. In ORDINARY TIME, she writes about family, her dreams, marriage, best friends and so much else (the only section which seems to be oversharing is about religion and her crisis of faith). She offers numerous self-reflective insights: “playing was silencing the perfectionist inside me” or “I am a finisher. But life requires a lot of opening. And I am not so good with the opening, the starting of something new.” Jones herself describes ORDINARY TIME as “a collection of stories about a life rooted in place, the blooming of possibility that can happen there, but also the hardship, the loneliness, the longing for more.” I especially liked her comments on childhood, “our childhood obsessions like basketball or The Baby-Sitters Club can save us. They can remind us of who we were before anything mattered, … before everything felt heavy and hard. When life is overwhelming and challenging and our joy is stolen or hard to find, I think the things we once loved can bring us back, center us, make us whole.”

Her sections on books and reading are well worth re-reading and I wanted to note a couple of other quotes: “I wonder if this is why I love books. I can dip my toe into other lives without entirely changing my own.” and “I read books because, at their best, they make me better, more empathetic, more socially aware, more in tune to the stranger beside me. They help me imagine a better future, provide answers to my insatiable questions, take me to places I'll never get to go. I read books because they are an easy point of entry to relationship.” and “A love of books is the through line of my life, a hobby I can trace back to my earliest childhood memories and immediately weave through my middle school and high school selves ...” 

Reunion by Elise Juska

REUNION by Elise Juska (The Blessings) focuses on three friends who are returning to Maine for their 25th college reunion which has been postponed for a year due to the COVID pandemic. Hope is the most level-headed, but she has struggled (“you can only do what you can do”) to meet the needs of her college age daughter, special needs son, and increasingly distant husband who faced the COVID challenges posed to a higher education administrator. Adam, a carefree spirit while in college, has become interested in environmental sciences and has two young boys, but his wife is sadly obsessed and afraid for the state of the physical world. Finally, there’s Polly who, as a single Mom, raised Jonah, a now 18-year-old troubled youth interested in nature and photography. Out of practice in social skills due to the recent lockdowns and having lost the closeness of their college years, Hope, Adam, and Polly find their relationship strained – especially when some long-ago secrets come to light. REUNION is an introspective reflection on what friendship means and the role of family. As Polly muses, “the past year had narrowed that knowledge to a fine point. Your child's happiness: the only thing that mattered and yet how little control over it any parent had.” Booklist says, “a delightful case for reconnecting with the people who knew you when you barely knew yourself.” 

100 Ways to Change Your Life by Liz Moody

The new book 100 WAYS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Liz Moody really surprised me – in a good way. I liked its emphasis on really creative, doable tasks. There are many specifics; for example, Moody suggests creating a rule of three or mapping your day to your energy in order to be more productive. In another sections, she comments on how to be happier (e.g., do something for someone else) or how to feel calmer (e.g., use action as an antidote to anxiety). Her focus on science and research is very helpful, too. In the section on reduce your pain, Moody frequently quotes Dr. Rachel Zoffness (a psychologist and author of The Pain Management Workbook) and the importance of looking at biological, psychological, and social factors. Moody points out that “playing with the idea of a pain recipe and a pain dial starts to illuminate the many factors at play in the experience of pain, and while not all pain is within our control, it's illuminating and wildly empowering to begin to discover just how much is.” With so many great ideas and references to additional resources (roughly ten percent of the book is notes), 100 WAYS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE would be a great book to browse or to consider as a gift. Liz Moody is the host of the top-rated The Liz Moody Podcast where, like this book, she shares interviews with experts and explores “The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success.”

Flip Thinking by Berthold Gunster

FLIP THINKING by Berthold Gunster explores the improv strategy of turning *yes, but* into *yes, and* as described in his subtitle: “The Life-Changing Art of Turning Problems into Opportunities.” Gunster has worked as a theatre director and writer for years and has written numerous books on this subject. In this latest work he includes numerous chapters, each of which averages about 3000 words (or ten minutes of reading time), to encourage daily reflection on a variety of strategies. Some of those are waiting, rethinking, flaunting, and reversing. One of Gunster’s insights is that by default humans tend to try to solve problems, or even resist them, which can often make them worse. He encourages readers to reframe or let go of expectations. Similarly, he suggests asking yourself, “What could I learn from this problem? What could be the hidden opportunity?” A lengthy list of recommended reading, detailed notes, and an index comprise roughly thirty percent of FLIP THINKING. A summary of key points related to Gunster’s work is available on the Next Big Idea Club website. There, Gunster says, “Flip thinking is what children tend to do. What do grown-ups do when it rains? They avoid it. Stay indoors, carry an umbrella. What do children do? They dance in the rain.”

Happy for You by Claire Stanford

HAPPY FOR YOU by Claire Stanford is a novel that made me smile (I loved the repeated references to the third-most-popular-internet company), but also this debut text made me sigh as the pace was rather slow. True to form, the main character, a young woman named Evelyn Kominsky Kumamoto, is very introspective; even noting at one point: “How was it possible that I knew so much about how to think, but so little about what to do?” She struggles to understand and cope with Silicon Valley norms while working with colleagues on a research project to define and promote happiness. Also, Stanford deftly captures Evelyn’s inability to commit when grappling with unclear feelings in her personal life with boyfriend Jamie and with her widowed father who has found a new companion after almost twenty years. The many incidents where Evelyn reflects on what it means to be bi-racial were often more perceptive than her comments on happiness. HAPPY FOR YOU may be worth a look, particularly if you enjoyed recommended titles like Joan is Okay by Weike Wang, Sourdough by Robin Sloan, or Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong. 

Keep Your Wits about You; From Strength to Strength

KEEP YOUR WITS ABOUT YOU by Vonetta M. Dotson is a primer focused on “The Science of Brain Maintenance as You Age.” Dotson, an Associate Professor affiliated with the University of Florida, begins by describing a healthy brain and moves on to suggests for activities (physical, mental, and social) to maintain that health. She also stresses the importance of nutrition (especially Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets) and sleep and says, “people who practice those behaviors tend to have not only sharper minds but also better moods, and they are less likely to develop cognitive impairment.” Each chapter concludes with a summary of key points, resources and suggested readings, and selected references. While Dotson says that everyone can benefit from reading this book, she includes charts – like ones that describe numerous ideas for moderate and vigorous physical activity – that will be especially beneficial for those age 50 and older.  Throughout, she encourages readers to brainstorm options for future (e.g., new hobbies or resuming old ones) and to note potential barriers and resources. She suggests investigating AARP Learning Academy, FutureLearn, and Coursera. And, Dotson keeps it simple – advocating even ten minutes of exercise or investigating a novel activity to stimulate the brain. Listing six key pillars (Get Moving! Engage your Brain! Get Connected! Nourish your Brain! Sleep Well! And Be Well!), much of her information comes from The Global Council on Brain Health which parallels information available through AARP’s Staying Sharp portal. 

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH by Arthur C. Brooks should be of interest to anyone forty years of age and older. Brooks, a prolific writer and professor at Harvard, writes about “Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” He deftly employs a conversational tone, personal examples, and memorable phrases (e.g., the strivers’ curse) to share insights about how our brains and capabilities change as we age. Noting that aging achievers often fall into a “vicious cycle: … hooked on successes that are increasingly of the past and isolated from others,” Brooks explains the differences between fluid intelligence (ability to solve abstract problems) that is strongest early in adulthood and crystallized intelligence (application of accrued knowledge) that increases as we age and contrasts the life work and satisfaction of Darwin and Bach. He also references Robert Waldinger’s TedTalk, “What makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness:”

Brooks lists factors we can influence - not smoking or drinking, body weight, exercise, adaptive coping style and education, and especially the impact of loneliness and the importance of healthy relationships with family and friends. He offers a call to action even though “sometimes, we must fight our natural instincts if we want to be happy.” Highly recommended.

Happy Habits by Karen Salmansohn

HAPPY HABITS by Karen Salmansohn is a cute, little book (roughly six by seven inches) containing “50 Science-Backed Rituals to Adopt (or Stop) to Boost Health and Happiness.”  It is similar to other books (Life is Long, Think Happy, etc.) which Salmansohn has created.  Filled with colorful, “feel good” drawings, alternating pages offer her suggestions for forming habits to help the reader feel happier mentally, physically, in relationships, and at work, home or play. I especially liked that the suggestions were science based and readers can explore those findings online. There is a nice emphasis on meditation and gratitude and while some ideas (smile, stay hydrated, practice good posture) seem well-known, HAPPY HABITS offers a cheerful reminder. In fact, I think this is the kind of book that could work well in advisory over the course of a quarter (45 school days almost exactly matches the 50 suggestions), with a reminder each morning. Quite a bit has been written recently about forming positive habits – have a look at James Clear's Atomic Habits (referenced by Salmansohn and on several recent best-seller lists), and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, too.   

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

THE SWITCH is the title of the soon-to-be released novel from Beth O'Leary, an author labeled “the new Jojo Moyes” by Cosmopolitan UK. This light, uplifting story is sure to please the many fans they share. At the center is Leena and her grandmother, Eileen.  Leena is burned out and heads to the rural English countryside to gain some perspective.  Eileen, on the other hand, is seeking new challenges and the “switch” seems like an ideal plan. Leena takes over her grandmother’s responsibilities and learns about dog walking, village committees, and local customs while Eileen meets a new man and then discovers a hidden admirer. There’s romance, comedy, and self-reflection all wrapped up in this easy-to-read, summer offering. Escape and enjoy! THE SWITCH received a starred review from Booklist and was a LibraryReads selection for August.

Happiness... and more ...

WHATEVER YOU DO, BE HAPPY by Julia Dellitt suggests “400 Things to Think & Do for a Happy Life.” This could be a fun book to give as a graduation gift or even to give to anyone who is feeling a bit down due to being confined during the pandemic. Its bright, sunny cover reflects the upbeat tone within. Each of the simple, manageable activities is written in bold and followed by a few sentences to help motivate the reader. Many of the ideas are ones which we probably already know (go for a walk or reduce clutter), but it’s still nice to have them grouped together and 400 works out to trying at least one a day for a full year.  Looking for a few examples? How about playing some happy music, complimenting a stranger, or rolling your shoulders? Dellitt also mentions getting enough sleep and visiting the library.  She includes many quotes that deal with happiness and offers somewhat longer profiles for tasks like building confidence with body language or turning off your phone. Unfortunately, there are few images, but we could find some and may look to these ideas as inspiration for displays at school, too. Have fun with WHATEVER YOU DO, BE HAPPY and remember to smile (and laugh)!

WHY BE HAPPY? by Scott Haas is all about the Japanese Way of Acceptance and a different way of seeing things. Do you know those people who make us feel calm and less stressed? Who help us to roll with uncertainty and challenges? This book contains many of their values – listening more than talking, appreciating rituals, being a part of a community, and even finding time for taking naps.  Haas argues in the first chapter that “in Japan, happiness isn’t a private experience. And happiness isn’t really a goal. Acceptance is the goal. … The individualism we prize in the West is supplemented by an awareness that life’s greatest pleasures come from satisfying others.” Hass uses numerous examples from his own travels and business dealings in Japan to clarify his point that “it’s not about you. It’s about you in relationship to others and your surroundings.” Haas is a clinical psychologist and includes description of many Japanese terms (like ikigai) and concepts as well as footnotes, but his work is not overly scholarly or jargon-filled. In fact, WHY BE HAPPY? is under 300 pages and offers a relatively quick read at first - with much to contemplate.