Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
304 Pages, Published In 2020
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Drawing on more than a decade of research in pulmonology, human anatomy, and ancient breathing practices, Breath shows how something as simple—and often overlooked—as breathing can have a profound impact on our health. My key takeaways are to breathe deeply through the nose, which naturally filters and regulates airflow, and to chew tougher foods, which help develop healthier jaw structure and improve breathing mechanics. A thought-provoking book with practical lessons for everyday life.
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
312 Pages, Published In 2019
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The novel opens with a murdered prostitute dumped in a trash bin in Istanbul. Her heart has stopped, yet her brain remains active for the next 10m 38s, carrying her through fragments of memory—birth, childhood, family, friendships, and life in Istanbul. Beautifully written, as always by Shafak, the book feels both like a lament and a love letter to Istanbul—a deeply conflicted city suspended between East and West, religions and secularism, tradition and modernity. Dark, humane, and moving.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
645 Pages, Published In 2023
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An epic 645-page family saga set in post-2008-crash Dublin, constantly shifting between punctuated and unpunctuated prose, 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-person narration, even scenes written like a play. Chapters swing from 40-page immersions to 3-page fragments. It reads like a kaleidoscope. Everyone carries a dark secret as the tension quietly builds and the mystery slowly unravels. Dark, haunting, with a multi-metaphorical title and a mystifying ending. I hated every character yet loved the book.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
250 Pages, Published In 2022
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One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
208 Pages, Published In 2025
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A harsh, unsettling nonfiction by journalist Omar El Akkad, drawing on his personal and professional experiences, offering a devastating critique of Western ideals—freedom and justice—and the hypocrisy of supporting inhumane wars and mass violence. “An eighteen-month-old with a bullet wound to the forehead. Maybe the sniper was aiming elsewhere. Maybe there’s some explanation. Maybe it was necessary.” There is no explanation. It was not necessary. We cannot rationalize the unjustifiable.
The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
485 Pages, Published In 2012
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An epic tale of Italian immigrants journeying from the northern Italian Alps to Little Italy in NYC, and eventually to Minnesota. Spanning three generations, they carry their traditions with them—honing the crafts of shoemaking and seamstressing while building new lives in a foreign land. Set against the backdrop of two World Wars, the novel is a moving portrait of loss, family, love, loyalty, and endurance—of people bound by heritage and devotion, finding ways to hold on to one another.
