Through the Window is a cycle of songs that, lyrically, is intended to explore some of the darkest realms of human emotion. Threaded throughout the songs are themes of depression and despair - yet all the while acknowledging that there is nonetheless hope to be found, however little there may seem to be at the time.

Written in the winter and spring of 2025, some of the songs - such as From Darkness We Rise - are rife with anger at the world and the current climate of oppression so many people are now facing. Others, like In Music I Reveled, are an ode to days of youth, wasted on misery and loneliness in a world that seemed to have turned its back.

Strong inspiration is drawn from rock and metal genres, with specific influences including later Anathema, with songs like To Dark Days Past paying homage to the rapid guitar patterns that is a hallmark of their style.

Through the Window is ultimately a tribute to prog-rock albums and the dark lyrics found so often in rock and metal, as well as a nod to song cycles of the classical tradition.

Through the Window

Drew Nieporent has been a staple of the New York dining scene for decades, establishing a host of iconic restaurants like Nobu, Tribeca Grill, and Montrachet. But his career started from much more humble beginnings—the grill at the local McDonald’s.

A middle class kid from New York’s East Side, Drew spends his childhood tagging along with his father to help restaurants get their liquor license, igniting a lifelong obsession with food. His passion takes him on a winding, continent-spanning journey, crossing paths with legendary chefs, iconic athletes, and movie stars as he grows into one of the most influential names in the culinary world. From waiting tables on a cruise ship to getting his first three-star review; from squabbling with Cornell professors to partnering with Robert DeNiro; this is more than a story of one man’s extraordinary life—it’s a story of an evolving industry. As culinary trends come and go, and relationships blossom and combust, Nieporent navigates it all with a simple yet powerful philosophy: give the customer what they want.

Told in Drew’s unforgettable voice, I’m Not Trying To Be Difficult is a rollicking memoir that feels like sitting across the dinner table from someone who has seen it all—one of the last great restaurateurs.

I'm Not Trying To Be Difficult By Drew Nieporent

From Giller Prize and O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don't even know her true name.

“I live in a world of Susans. I got name tags for everyone who works at this nail salon, and on every one is printed the name 'Susan.'"

Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer's day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.

As the day's work grinds on, the friction between Ning's two identities—as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances—will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.

Told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit, Pick a Color confirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms.

Pick a Color By Souvankham Thammavongsa, Read By Zoe Doyle

For fans of accessible and fun popular science comes an exploration of evolution’s quirkiest puzzles and most enduring mysteries. 

Why do cats live longer than dogs? Why do bees have yellow stripes? Why can we smell a skunk from a mile away? Such questions can be seen as puzzles about creatures' evolved traits. Besides triggering our curiosity, they focus our attention on beguiling designs that have been millions of years in the making. Indeed, looking at the living world through a Darwinian lens reveals its colossal depth in a way that's all too easy to miss in the age of endless distractions. You need only summon up your inner inquisitive 7-year-old to notice such puzzles, and to find yourself looking deeper while considering possible solutions.  

In this lively book, science writer David Stipp ponders Darwinian puzzles about nine familiar creatures and things—bumblebees, dogs, sparrows, caffeine, earthworms, and sleep, among others—to show how rewarding it can be to look at nature in a deeper way. By revealing hidden depths of the ordinary, Why Rats Laugh and Jellyfish Sleep shows not only that fascinating intricacies lie just beneath the natural world's familiar surfaces, but that noticing them lets us make connections we didn't realize existed. 

This is backyard biophilia at its most entertaining and enlightening. 

Why Rats Laugh and Jellyfish Sleep By David Stipp, Read By Rick Adamson

AN UNBELIEVABLE ANNOUNCEMENT!The day Sakuta dreamed about is finally here. His search for Touko Kirishima has led him to a music festival where Mai is performing. Filled with concern and anticipation, he attends to figure out who the mysterious singer is and how she’s connected to Mai. Instead, he starts seeing strange things, like multiple Mais. And naturally, the weirdness doesn’t stop there. Will Sakuta be able to unravel this latest mystery and finally keep Mai safe?

Rascal Does Not Dream of His Girlfriend By Hajime Kamoshida, Read By Andrew Grace

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH Cid pays a visit to the Sacred Land, where he finds himself getting roped into the Goddess’s Trial. It’s a ritual event that summons warriors from the past to engage with only the most worthy from the present. When Cid squares off against the witch who brought devastation to the world, the door to the Sanctuary creaks open, granting the Shadow Garden valuable insight into the possessed and the Cult of Diablos. That is until Cid, blissfully ignorant of the conspiracies playing out behind the scenes, runs amok!

The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 2 By Daisuke Aizawa, Read By Eddy Lee

Heartstopper meets Eat Pray Love in this swoony, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram about two former classmates unexpectedly reuniting in Italy.
 
Ramin Yazdani's marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.

Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he's become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who's aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.  

Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah's not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?

It Had to Be Him By Adib Khorram, Read By Corvin King & Vikas Adam

An enchanting romantasy debut about a girl who must strike a dangerous bargain with a fae prince in order to find her missing sister, perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Lexi Ryan
 
For Sabrina Parry, the world of her small, Welsh mining town is cruel and practical. Her main aims in life are to hold onto her job, hold her tongue, and marry off her pretty, but sickly sister Ceridwen to a man rich enough to look after her.
 
When Ceridwen vanishes into the woods leaving only an iron ring behind, it’s up to Sabrina to find her by venturing into Eu Gwald—fairyland.
 
Sabrina quickly realizes fairyland is far more dangerous than she ever expected. So when a fae prince who considers himself a scholar of all things human offers her a dangerous deal, Sabrina is forced to accept. The prince is charming, and more interested in Sabrina than she is willing to believe. But as always with fairy bargains, there is a cost.
 
And if this bargain doesn’t cost Sabrina her life, it will certainly cost her heart.

The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire By Anna Fiteni, Read By Beth Noonan-Roberts

A groundbreaking, science-based cookbook and nutrition program that reduces distressing symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, from a leading naturopathic doctor.  

Using research-based information about nutrition, Jenn Salib Huber guides millions of women to alleviate their perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Night sweats, brain fog, and more can be managed with foods found in your own kitchen. She lays out the key ingredients that can support women in midlife and follows it with recipes that include the five key ingredients to help them thrive: Powerful soy and phytoestrogens, protein, calcium, omega3 fats, and fiber. These ingredients are the featured players in such mouthwatering recipes as Ginger Squash Red Lentil Soup (good for protein and fiber), Slow-Cooked Tikka Masala (filled with vital soy and phytoestrogens), Spinach and Mozzarella Pita Pizza (a great source of calcium), and even No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Tofu Pie for dessert (for fiber and omega 3s).

Eat to Thrive During Menopause shows how nutrition for menopause health can be not only nourishing and satisfying, but healing and restorative too.  

Eat to Thrive During Menopause By Jenn Salib Huber

An internationally recognized longevity and aging expert uncovers the secret to an enduring, thriving life: meaningful social connections

Contrary to popular belief, the secret to living longer is not just about eating well, exercising, or getting regular checkups. Instead, successful aging depends on the nature of your relationships and your social connections. If you want to live a healthy and rewarding life, you need to start with social health.   

In Healthy to 100, longevity expert Ken Stern takes us on a journey to some of the longest-lived countries in the world—Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain—places that have achieved great advances in longevity by intentionally strengthening social connections. Science shows that physical and mental health outcomes are all improved by the intergenerational connectedness, sense of purpose, and respect enjoyed by older people in these countries.  

Their example offers us all a personal and societal guide for how we can better the second half of life. Weaving in surprising, colorful stories from around the world, Stern shows that the key to healthy longevity involves a mindset shift and purposeful building of social connections. Healthy to 100 offers a hopeful, attainable, research-backed model for anyone seeking a longer and healthier life. 

Healthy to 100 By Ken Stern

Listen to an excerpt from the audiobook edition of FEARFUL by Lauren Roberts, read by the author and Jared Zeus with an exclusive bonus chapter read by Chase Brown.

FEARFUL Audiobook Excerpt

Composer of contemporary classical music, with a strong influence from rock and metal genres.

Through the Window

CM North, Composer

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