Ok, the chanukiah has burned out, the middle school band smashed Hot Cross Buns in the winter solstice concert, and you’ve listened to Fairytale of New York. With the end properly near, let me add to Favorites, 2025.
Podcast
When a lawyer wins a massive personal injury verdict, they owe the outmost thanks to the psychopath defendant that refused to settle for a lesser amount. Something similar could be said for Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri who collaborate on If Books Could Kill. They throw (lots of) shade at bad books, mostly self help “airport” books, but also bibliographical numbers. The more ludicrously pathetic or illogical the book, the easier their job, so there is some irony in casting accolades on their “best” work. There have been many, many good episodes, but the one that had my side splitting was March 28th’s on Steve Harvey’s “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.” If you’re not familiar with the show, you do not, and should not, read the books before listening.
Book
Read pass if you aren’t a parent. But for those that are, you know it’s harder then it use to be. Worried my kids worry too much, and tired of always being tired, I looked for advice to help me help my kid facing some particular challenges. “Big Reactors: Practical Strategies for Parenting Highly Sensitive Children” is the latest book by Claire Lerner, LCSW. She addresses what she calls HSCs or big reactors – kids who have intense emotional or sensory reactions. They tend to be self-critical, have higher anxiety, are poor losers, and have specific demands. All children will exhibit these characteristics to some degree, but she has years of experience as a consultant in early childhood and as a clinician helping many families with challenging children, and she estimates about 30% of all kids are HSCs. Big Reactor will guide parents with HSCs on what to do to avoid power struggles, explain why permissive parenting is often misunderstand and applied by parents, and how to set limits for children to succeed.
Song
Holly Roller by The Format. The algorithms know us better than we know ourselves. Like that I would love content from a garden consultant specializing in northeast native plants, or endless shots of wood joinery. So, when this indie-pop, alternative rock song came out in October from an early 2000’s band, it sent it my way. Nothing special, just catchy rock music.
