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If you have not yet read Lori Gottlieb’s 2019 memoir, you are missing out on an eye-opening book.

Many of us have sat opposite a therapist at least once, trying to make sense of our lives and how we got here. We answer questions as honestly as we can, try to leave behind our worst habits, and hope to find the peace we seek.

And often, as we ramble about our struggles, we wonder: “Does this person really care? Do they not have problems of their own? Am I just a paycheck? Do therapists need therapy?”

In “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone,” Gottlieb gives us insight into that and much more.

Imagine you are about to marry the love of your life, only for them to wake up one morning and say: “I do not think this is going to work out.” A lifetime can be ripped apart in seconds.

This is how Gottlieb sets the scene, as we enter her mind as she works with a client who is challenged by her unresolved superiority complex.

From starting in the entertainment industry to moving into psychotherapy, from falling in and out of love to navigating motherhood and seeking therapy herself, Gottlieb takes us through a therapist’s tumultuous journey toward healing and finding her footing.

Whether you have just had your heart broken, are struggling with mental illness, facing a career crossroads, need advice or simply want a fascinating, inspirational story about the human condition, we highly recommend you pick up a copy of this memoir.

In “Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language,” author Adam Aleksic explores how algorithms are reshaping the words we use and the ways in which we communicate.

Known online as “Etymology Nerd,” the Harvard-educated content creator, who co-founded and led the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society, has been digging into word origins since 2016. He has built a wide audience with his bite-sized educational TikTok videos which explain where trending words come from and how they spread.

The term “algospeak” blends “algorithm” with a concept popularized by tech journalist and fellow book author Taylor Lorenz, describing how creators adapt language to avoid platform restrictions.

“Social media platforms want to promote the most compelling content possible so it makes sense that the words will reach us through maximally compelling mediums, like memes rather than something more serious. ‘Unalive’ is far more likely to spread today than boring traditional alternatives, such as ‘passed away’,” Aleksic writes.

The word “unalive” illustrates how online language quickly filters into offline spaces, from middle school classrooms to playgrounds, often boosted by memes. Aleksic notes: “Language and memes and metadata are one and the same, all of it shaping our vocabulary and identities.”

Fleeting words used by teens may may sound like gibberish to adult ears, but they are still worthy of note even if they are merely trendy for a short amount of time, he argues. It helps us figure out who we are, what we are talking about and how we see ourselves — even if by the time you read this review, new words have come and gone.

Aleksic examines substitutions and coded phrases used online to bypass censorship, from PG-rated or silly alternatives to fruit emojis and dollar signs replacing letters.

This isn’t new. Teenagers have long softened words and code-switched in front of authority figures in everyday speech, but now these shifts are documented, amplified and collectively adopted online.

This chronically online generation uses the language to playfully and strategically avoid shadow banning or content removal — including in high-stakes contexts such as posts about the conflict in Gaza. It works.

This is not the death of language, Aleksic insists, but its evolution. Memes, emojis and subtle code words show how communities collectively and creatively innovate, creating words and phrases in real time while navigating the constraints of platforms. “Algospeak” reveals language as a living, evolving system, shaped by algorithms, culture and the people who use it.