I've started watching the NBC show Brilliant Minds since it is streaming on Peacock. I have a weakness for medical shows, especially dramas. This show focuses on neurology. The third episode involves a patient whose ability to create new memories is compromised. A couple quotes from this episode that are thus far sticking with me are: “When we experience something, neurons in our brains are activated; the memory is recorded, but if we don’t reactivate the memory the synapses gradually weaken. Over time, memories fade. Just as easily the brain remembers it also forgets.” and “Memories are powerful windows to the past. They can fill us with joy, or overwhelm us with grief. A moment in time we want to keep to ourselves, other times, they’re shared experiences. And when we struggle to remember them, it takes a village to fill in the gaps.”
This time of year I often think about memory keeping. I think about attempting to regularly journal, scrapbooking, sorting through my boxes of photos, sorting family recipes, and reorganize my comfort clutter. These thoughts seem to stem from the combination of holidays, family, moods moving from merry to maudlin, and the ever-present "new year, new you" types of advertisements, which can lead to the oft ill-fated resolutions; such as keeping a journal. The intent, however, is always about capturing and preserving memories.
- "From award-winning poet Vanessa Angélica Villarreal comes a brilliant, singular collection of essays that looks to music, fantasy, and pop culture to excavate and reimagine what has been disappeared by the forces of migration and colonialism. In Magical/Realism, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal offers us an intimate mosaic of migration, violence, and colonial erasure through the lens of her marriage and her experiences navigating American monoculture. As she attempts to recover the truth from the absences and silences within her life, her relationships, and those of her ancestors, Vanessa pieces together her story from the fragments of music, memory, and fantasy that have helped her make sense of it all. The trauma of remembering gives the collection its unique structure: Each chapter is an attempt to reimagine and re-world what has been lost. In one essay, Vanessa examines the gender performativity of Nirvana and Selena; in another, she offers a radical but crucial racial reading of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones; and throughout the collection, she explores how fantasy can provide healing when grief feels insurmountable. She reflects on the moments of her life that are too painful to remember-her difficult adolescence, her role as the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, her divorce-and finds a new way to archive her history and map her future(s), one infused with the hope and joy of fantasy and magical thinking. By engaging readers in her project of rebuilding narrative, Vanessa broadens our understanding of what memoir and cultural criticism can be. Magical/Realism is a wise, tender, and essential collection that carves a path toward a new way of remembering and telling our stories"--. Provided by publisher.
- "A deeply personal how-to book for aspiring writers, encouraging them to look inward and excavate their own memories in order to discover the authentic voices and compelling details that are waiting to be put on the page"--. Provided by publisher.
- "Creative Journaling includes easy-to-follow instructions with photos for any DIY fan to complete creative projects on their own"--. Provided by publisher.
- The Harvard-trained neuroscientist presents an exploration of the intricacies of human memory that distinguishes between normal and concerning memory loss while explaining the profound roles of sleep, stress, and other contributing influences.
- "Culinary Traditions Preserved, Stories Never to be Forgotten. This vital collection of survivor stories uplifts and inspires alongside recipes that nourish your soul. Read about daring partisans who fought in the woods, hidden children who sought comfort from strangers and those who endured unimaginable internment. For Holocaust survivors, food was a way to connect their lives before the war with the homes they created after. Their kitchens were filled with the aromas of familiar foods like chicken soup and brisket while unfamiliar delights they adopted, like arroz con pollo and gnocchi, became part of their repertoire. These are the recipes they share with you. Culinary icons such as Michael Solomonov, Jonathan Waxman, Ina Garten and more contribute their own recipes as tribute to the remarkable survivor community. Author June Hersh gives readers a taste of history and a life-affirming message that honors the legacy of Holocaust survivors. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will benefit organizations committed to Holocaust education."--. Amazon.com
- Karr breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, opening our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminating the cathartic power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or complicated history, whether writer or reader, will relate.
- "A luminous, wise, and joyful insight into what really matters at the end of a long life, from the beloved author of the award-winning Somewhere Towards the End. What will you remember if you live to be 100? Diana Athill charmed readers with her prize-winning memoir Somewhere Towards the End, which transformed her into an unexpected literary star. Now, on the eve of her ninety-eighth birthday, Athill has written a sequel every bit as unsentimental, candid, and beguiling as her most beloved work. Writing from her cozy room in Highgate, London, Diana begins to reflect on the things that matter after a lifetime of remarkable experiences, and the memories that have risen to the surface and sustain her in her very old age. 'My two valuable lessons are: avoid romanticism and abhor possessiveness, ' she writes. In warm, engaging prose she describes the bucolic pleasures of her grandmother's garden and the wonders of traveling as a young woman in Europe after the end of the Second World War. As her vivid, textured memories range across the decades, she relates with unflinching candor her harrowing experience as an expectant mother in her forties and crafts unforgettable portraits of friends, writers, and lovers. A pure joy to read, Alive, Alive Oh! sparkles with wise and often very funny reflections on the condition of being old. Athill reminds us of the joy and richness of every stage of life--and what it means to live life fully, without regrets"-- Provided by publisher.
- "It's time to move 'doing nothing' to the top of your to-do list. In 2015 Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC's popular podcast and radio show Note to Self, led tens of thousands of listeners through an experiment to help them unplug from their devices, get bored, jump-start their creativity, and change their lives. Bored and Brilliant builds on that experiment to show us how to rethink our gadget use to live better and smarter in this new digital ecosystem. Manoush explains the connection between boredom and original thinking, exploring how we can harness boredom's hidden benefits to become our most productive and creative selves without totally abandoning our gadgets in the process. Grounding the book in the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of 'mind wandering'--what our brains do when we're doing nothing at all--Manoush includes practical steps you can take to ease the nonstop busyness and enhance your ability to dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and life. The outcome is mind-blowing. Unplug and read on."--Dust jacket flap.
- Any wall is perfect for display, whatever its size, shape or style. In this inspirational guide, Geraldine James, veteran collector of all things beautiful, shows ways to organize and display your valuables to celebrate their uniqueness and your creativity. A collection of fans, teapots or clocks will illuminate a little corner, whereas a teenager's bedroom will transform instantly when hoarded football memorabilia makes the leap from the floor to the wall in a bold, clever arrangement. Look for unusual spaces and items: line up a series of themed prints above a picture rail, set heaps of floral china plates in grand style above the fireplace or simply add a mirror into a display to instantly create another in its image. Chapter by chapter, discover how to arrange virtually anything from scratch, rearrange the collections you treasure to best effect and begin a journey into colour, texture and themes to create elegant displays that give a home character and charm. From a memory wall of sepia family photographs to witty collections of kitsch art, this clever guide shows how to create a look that will bring any space to life.--publisher's website.
Shows how to record and preserve your immediate family's history. Someday your children, grandchildren, or other family members will appreciate the gift of the information that only you can give. This is also the perfect starting point for those people wishing to research their family's history. Using a combination of basic instruction and interesting personal examples it covers:FAMILY FACTS: Walking you through filling out the two genealogical forms that are used to record the basic facts and family relationships. Numerous blank forms are included at the end of the book.HOME SOURCES: Identifying the various documents that can help with filling out the forms and that should be saved and will be appreciated by future family members and researchers.PHOTOGRAPHS: Showing the correct method for identifying the people in family photographs.PRESERVATION: Describing the basic techniques and products to use to save your documents and photographs so that future generations can enjoy them.FAMILY STORIES: Encourages telling those stories that make your family "Your Family."FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH: Explaining where to find the answers for some of the missing information on your forms or how to start adding onto your family tree using the internet, Vital Records, Wills & Probate Records, Cemetery Records, Newspaper articles & obituaries, US Census Records and a variety of other sources.
*Book descriptions featured are provided by the publishers*
