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Vanessa Taylorâs âSeven Riversâ tells the story of the Nile, Danube, Niger, Mississippi, Ganges, Yangtze and the Thames.
At its heart are the empire-builders of the Chinese dynasties, Romans and Hindus and their river gods, the Habsburgs and Ottomans, Mughal emperors, the people of the Niger from Maliâs golden age to today, struggles of life and death on the Mississippi, and the dethroning of the British on the rivers of their unruly imperial subjects.
Seeking to find a song of the self that can survive or even thrive amid the mundane routines of work, Ariel Yelenâs lyrics include wry reflections on the absurdities and abjection of being a poet who is also an office worker and commuter in New York.
In the poemsâ dialogues between labor and autonomy, the beeping of a microwave in the staff lounge becomes an opportunity for song.
Martha Beckâs âBeyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding Your Lifeâs Purposeâ examines why modern life leaves so many people on edge and proposes a clear, practical route out of chronic worry.
Rather than treating anxiety as a defect to eliminate, Beck reframes it as a misdirected guidance system. She contrasts the âanxiety spiral,â a loop that keeps the body in threat mode, with a âcreativity spiralâ that restores flexibility, connection and purposeful action.
The bookâs strength lies in its accessibility. The author distills neuroscience into plain language and focuses on short practices that fit into daily routines.
It invites readers to interrupt worry loops through curiosity, sensory grounding and playful problem-solving. These micro-exercises shift attention from scanning for danger to exploring options, gradually teaching the nervous system how to settle.
A social perspective complements the individual guidance. Drawing on ideas akin to Max Weberâs âiron cage,â Beck argues that systems built on speed, metrics, and profit amplify vigilance and crowd out meaning.
The book suggests that personal regulation and social well-being are intertwined: Cultivating creativity and connection at the individual level contributes to healthier communities and more humane institutions.
I appreciate how practical it is â offering prompts for five-minute experiments, reflections that encourage noticing small changes and gentle checkpoints that prevent perfectionism from derailing progress.
Newcomers will find plain language and doable routines; experienced readers may recognize familiar ideas but will appreciate the renewed emphasis on creativity as a regulatory tool.
Those well versed in mindfulness, somatic work or habit change may still welcome the way Beck links curiosity to nervous-system flexibility, giving an immediate lever to pull when worry spikes.
The message is ultimately hopeful. âBeyond Anxietyâ does not promise a life without fear; instead it shows how to transform anxious energy into fuel for discovery, relationships and purpose.
Readers who want steps they can try today â without jargon or heavy time commitments â will find the approach inviting. As a field guide for overwhelmed beginners, it is clear, humane and designed for real life.
Author: SCOTT WESLEY SHUMWAY
The lowland rainforest of Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet.
This lavishly illustrated book provides a fascinating, up-to-date, and accessible introduction to the natural history of this forest and its flowering plants, ferns, fungi, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fishes, and insects.
The book focuses on La Selva Research Station, one of the best-studied tropical forests in the world, but it applies to all of Costa Ricaâs lowland rainforests and the species it covers are common throughout much of Central America and the Neotropics.
In 1907, eight years before she published her first novel, a 25-year-old Virginia Woolf drafted three interconnected comic stories chronicling the adventures of a giantess named Violet â a teasing tribute to Woolfâs friend Mary Violet Dickinson.
But it was only in 2022 that Woolf scholar Urmila Seshagiri discovered a final, revised typescript of the stories.
The typescript revealed that Woolf had finished this mock-biography, making it her first fully realized literary experiment and a work that anticipates her later masterpieces.
