New Reviews: Personal Growth

Can we make lifestyle changes that will help our brains live to 100? Golden Voice narrator Robert Petkoff brings tremendous energy to this exploration of how brains age and lose function, and what can be done about it. Dr. Bredesen's research into neurodegeneration and its reversal ranges from the basics of common-sense behavior--get more sleep and eat more vegetables--to... Read More

Author, narrator, and neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli deftly introduces listeners to a revolutionary discovery--the human brain's default network. With the vocal delivery of a seasoned narrator, the author describes what the default network is, why it's been traditionally excluded from neuroscientific research, and how listeners can activate it. Surprisingly, this network of... Read More

Kristen Price narrates this guide in a tone that conveys genuine empathy for those immersed in the care of a loved one with dementia. With her deeper register and audible desire to help, she is an excellent messenger for this kind of resource. The well-informed authors describe strategies for handling issues that have to be addressed as a loved-one's faculties deteriorate,... Read More

Author Zelana Montminy narrates in a serene and reassuring voice as she coaches listeners on how to enhance focus, handle distractions, and increase clarity in their day-to-day lives. Sounding friendly and understanding, Montminy combines scientific research and easy strategies for overcoming absentmindedness and staying in the present. Breathing techniques, time management,... Read More

Rooted in author Kate Williams's own quest to stop her relentless striving and self-condemnation, this affecting audiobook explores the many ways we can internalize negative judgments about ourselves when we fall short of society's imperatives and standards. Her struggles with ADD, depression, and anxiety are part of the story, but the broader narrative is about how... Read More

An American journalist whose grandparents were Sicilian-born offers a delightful collection of observations and insights about the Italian way of life. Based on her family's traditions and her colorful travels throughout Italy, this audiobook provides a deeply satisfying picture of Italians: their lack of urgency, love of conversation and eating, and habit of living in balance... Read More

Full of delights and narrated with extraordinary charm, this audiobook invites listeners to take a break from their smartphones and open their senses to the serendipity and randomness of life. The man-about-town British author has been hosting recurring no-phones dinners in London, where guests from all walks of life are encouraged to be present and curious about the... Read More

Suzanne Toren's slower pacing, mature vocal timbre, and suffer-no-fools confidence make her performance a perfect fit for the late author's last audiobook, a collection of works written in the five years before her death at 96. Toren modulates her outsized dramatic talent to capture the full measure of class, wisdom, and charm of the New York City icon who was well known for... Read More

Jennifer Pastiloff narrates her latest audiobook with relaxed passion that makes all her stories and advice ring with truth. Her vocal style has a musical quality that makes her message fun to hear and uniquely hers. She conducts workshops around the world that are aimed at people who hold themselves back from living because of shame, doubt, low self-esteem, or fear. Sharing... Read More

Psychologist Tasha Eurich delivers her expertise on using scientifically supported methods to move through life's challenges when relying on resilience is no longer an option. After undergoing her own life-changing health crisis, Eurich discovered that her habitual methods of coping with stress were no longer effective and led to even more personal struggles. So she created a... Read More

A neuroscientist and former Google superstar describes how to reject rigid career paths and, through open-minded personal experimentation, discover work that truly satisfies us. Instead of being trapped in a fixed vision of our future lives, Anne-Laure Le Cunff offers practical guidance on how we can work each day on challenges more aligned with our deepest aspirations. She... Read More

Three acclaimed podcasters share a collection of wisdom from their own experiences and those of the 118 mostly female luminaries they interviewed. Their stories all involve adversity: self-doubt, oppression, and the challenges of family, workplace, and personal relationships. Drawn from people in diverse fields, the compact quotations fit nicely into 20 types of life... Read More