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Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love

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Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

In August 2012, Abby and TC Maslin lived in the Capitol Hill area of Washington D.C. with their young son, Jack. TC worked as an energy analyst and Abby was a school teacher. TC was attacked while walking home from a Nationals game late at night.  TC was beaten nearly to death by three young men who took his cell phone and debit card.  They left him bleeding and hurt on a sidewalk a few blocks from his home.  When Abby woke up in the night to find out that her husband wasn’t home, panic set in.  Hours later Abby found out that her husband had been taken to the hospital but she didn’t know if he was alive or dead.

After many days and months of physical rehabilitation, TC did survive, but was unable to walk and talk.  Abby had to take over his complete care, teaching him to read and talk again.  There were no guarantees of his future life after the tragedy.  The two of them had to learn to trust and love each other again.  During their agonizing months both of them had changed.

This is a true story and has connections to St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Abby is a good writer and I was especially touched by her prologue that describes when she and TC met for the first time. This account is a raw and inspiring story with an amazing outcome. TC Maslin has an inner strength that helped him to beat the odds of not only surviving but conquering his disabilities. While still re-learning to walk and communicate, TC realized how much Abby did to take care of him, he said, “But you’ve done everything for me. Do you know that? I love you, honey. I love you so hard.”

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The Lion in the Living Room

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The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over The World by Abigail Tucker
Who it’s for: Adults
Format: Book

What have cats ever done for humans? They don’t provide food, they aren’t pack animals, they don’t protect our homes. So why are there nearly 100 million house cats in the US alone (and almost a billion worldwide)? In this well-researched and fascinating book, Abigail Tucker explores the history of the house cat, an animal that adapted to humans and essentially domesticated itself.

Unlike dogs and other domesticated animals, house cats haven’t physically evolved over the centuries. They are built to survive outdoors on their own, but they can also survive in a small apartment if necessary. They have, however, evolved their behaviors to influence us. Cats share some facial characteristics with human babies (round heads, front-facing eyes, small nose), and they’ve learned to use familiar sounds to get our attention. Many house cats have purrs and meows that sound suspiciously like a baby’s cry.

Tucker also addresses the impact cats have on environments around the world. Cats are hypercarnivorous and they do quite a bit of damage to ecosystems. Over the centuries, cats have been transported to new environments regularly, and they often destroy them by preying on native species. Yet we continue to live side by side with them, watch videos of them online, and follow them on Instagram.

Find The Lion in the Living Room in our catalog.

The Bride Test

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The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Release Date: May 07, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The Bride Test is the much anticipated follow-up to Hoang’s debut novel The Kiss Quotient. The Bride Test features Khai Diep, a 26-year-old living with autism, and Esme Tran, the woman his mother has selected from Vietnam to be his future wife. As Khai struggles to understand his emotions and Esme battles her insecurities, the pair embark on a journey of companionship. What makes this novel unique is that Hoang, the author, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2016, and Hoang’s father also has autism. Additionally, the character Esme was inspired by Hoang’s mother who immigrated to the United States. Hoang’s writing reflects those experiences, and she creates characters that are realistic and believable. She delves into sensory processing issues, as well as the stigma associated with being an immigrant. The result is an affectionate romance novel that will leave readers wanting more. Find it in the catalog.

The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction

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The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The Enchanted Hour celebrates the simple yet profound practice of reading books out loud to others: to children, of course, but to adults as well, especially those who are ill or elderly. “Story time” soothes premature babies and accelerates children’s language acquisition. It can strengthen family bonds at all ages and alleviate loneliness for adults. This book takes you on a tour through all these benefits and more.

In the author’s own description, her book’s main ingredients are “memoir and advocacy [mixed] with science, history, art, and literature”. This medley of approaches turns out to be a recipe for a delightful hybrid of persuasive essay and how-to manual, leavened with anecdotes both poignant and comical. Some of Gurdon’s own passages were so eloquently composed that I felt compelled to read them aloud to others!

The title of the last chapter captures the book’s central message: “There is No Present Like the Time”. Taking the time to read aloud to someone—a child, a sibling, a parent—may be one of the most rewarding gifts you ever give to them, and to yourself.

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Hildegard of Bingen: Scientist, Composer, Healer, and Saint

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Hildegard of Bingen: Scientist, Composer, Healer, and Saint by Demi
Publication Date: April 7, 2019
Who it’s for: Kids

Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098, and she was one of the most remarkable and influential women of her time. Blessed with an astonishing array of talents, Hildegard was a mystic, theologian, scientist, doctor, nutritionist, composer, writer, linguist, and artist. Popes and kings, as well as humble peasants, sought her wise counsel. Today, Hildegard of Bingen is recognized as a saint and doctor by the Catholic Church and is  revered by many Lutherans and other Protestants. Find out more about her life in this beautifully illustrated book by award-winning author, Demi.

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Find more  illustrated biographies by Demi

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy

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(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health Edited by Kelly Jensen
Format: Book
Who it’s For: Teens and Adults

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a collection of essays, poems and drawings that discusses different aspects and experiences of mental health. The 33 collaborators come from various backgrounds, including authors like Libba Bray and Victoria Schwab, actress Kristen Bell, and former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

The book is broken down into five chapters of essays that deal with similar topics. The first seeks to define the word “crazy” in terms of each individual’s personal experience and their relationship to the word. The second discusses our culture’s stigmas surrounding mental illness. The third discusses addictions and eating disorders, while the fourth addresses anxiety and depression. The book finishes with a discussion of recovery and healing.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is an important work for teenagers and adults alike. No matter if one has personal experience with mental illness, knows someone living with one or has no experience with mental illness, everyone can gain something from the book. Whether to make a personal connection or inspire a better understanding, the perspectives brought forth by the collection show the multitude of different aspects of mental health and show that every person’s experience is different. No one’s experience with mental illness is exactly like another’s, but the book may provide comfort to those struggling with their own.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy inspires an important discussion about a topic that many in our society find too uncomfortable to talk about. It is, however, becoming vital that we engage in open conversation about mental health. Collections like (Don’t) Call Me Crazy aid in that conversation, especially for teens.

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