Name: Pete's Opinions. Pizza Pinions Podcast Episode of 2 by Shane Gnome
Duration: 21 min 6 s
Description: The 2nd episode of PPP. Little Caesar Phoenix. Other Stuff. Pete.

“A comprehensive exploration of postpartum traditions that emphasize the importance of nurturing mothers during their most vulnerable times. From traditional recipes to rituals, this book highlights sisterhood and the need for comprehensive care that honors both the mother and the newborn.”
―from the foreword by Erykah Badu, five-time GRAMMY Award Winner, singer/songwriter, and holistic healer

As a mother, grandmother, and traditional midwife, Shafia M. Monroe intimately knows about childbirth and the fourth trimester. For over forty years, she’s helped thousands give birth, and has taught thousands more how to support birthing parents, all integrating the deep wisdom of African American healing traditions. Long suppressed by the white medical establishment, these practices—such as belly binding, heat, herbs, the lying‑in period, and the “taking‑out‑of‑bed ritual”—are powerful healing tools. Using them, we mother the mother through a healthy postpartum period.

While this framework will be powerful healing for all mothers, the information in this book can save Black mothers’ lives; with African American women disproportionately suffering from maternal mortality and morbidity, there is an urgent need for an embrace of African American postpartum care that surrounds the new mother and her baby with community, love, and protection. Mothering the Mother is a resource for Black women and communities to reclaim their cultural traditions for a healthy postpartum recuperation.

Mothering the Mother by Shafia Monroe read by Janina Edwards

A woman haunted by a dark inheritance returns to the woods where her mother vanished, in this queer Gothic novel.

Sam, finally sober and stable with a cat and a long-term boyfriend in Brooklyn, returns alone to Hemlock, her family’s deteriorating cabin deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods. But a quick, practical trip takes a turn for the worse when the rot and creak of the forest starts to creep in around the edges of Sam’s mind. It starts, as it always does, with a beer.

As Sam dips back into the murky waters of dependency, the inexplicable begins to arrive at her door and her body takes on a strange new shape. As the borders of reality begin to blur, she senses she is battling something sinister—whether nested in the woods or within herself. 

Hemlock is a carnal coming-of-addiction, a dark sparkler about rapture, desire, transformation, and transcendence in many forms. What lives at the heart of fear—animal, monster, or man? How can we reject our own inheritance, the psychic storm that’s been coming for generations, and rebuild a new home for ourselves? In the tradition of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, Hemlock is a butch Black Swan and a novel of singular style, with all the edginess of a survival story and a simmering menace that glints from the very periphery of the page.

Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno read by Kira Fixx

A remarkably open-hearted, clear-eyed memoir of the ’90s Alternative era by the bassist of Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Even the Good Girls Will Cry begins with Melissa Auf der Maur’s bohemian upbringing in Montreal, where her early, deep connection to art and music gave her entry to the colorful and thriving local creative scene. Working as a cassette DJ and ticket girl, she would see (and sometimes meet) the luminaries who’d pass through town—Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, Pavement, Sonic Youth. Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a long-shot fan letter to a PO Box, her band Tinker scored a life-changing opening slot for The Smashing Pumpkins and, sensing her natural talent on bass, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love, just one of the many uncanny threads that weaves destiny throughout this riveting memoir. Whisked from her local scene and thrust into the eye of a hurricane of grief on a global stage, Melissa joined Hole for the band’s 1994 Live Through This world tour just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Hole’s prior bassist, Kristen Pfaff, with Courtney Love at the center of it all. It was a tour of passionate intensity, as a chaotic yet stunningly powerful band constantly threatened to spin out of control. Melissa brings the reader with raging intimacy into the action, offering a heroic portrait of the unforgettable Courtney Love as she howled into the darkness as if to keep grief at bay. That was only the beginning of Melissa’s journey through alternative rock. Part rock memoir, part travel diary, part psychedelic scrapbook, Even the Good Girls Will Cry is a behind-the-scenes rock ’n’ roll memoir with a soulful intimacy and mystic undertone that sets it apart from memoirs by her peers. It is a vivid dispatch from the last analog decade, artistically capturing that bygone era in all its messy, angsty glory. 

Even the Good Girls Will Cry by Melissa Auf der Maur read by Melissa Auf der Maur

USA TODAY BESTSELLER | INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Experience a year of introspection, transformation, and personal growth as you connect to the desires of your heart and live in alignment with them each and every day. These 365 profound, heartfelt reflections from Michelle Maros (founder of Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life and cohost of the widely loved podcast, Life Happens with Barb & Michelle) offer the inspiration you seek as you navigate the ebbs and flows of life.

In Dear Friend, Michelle writes to you with the warmth and wisdom of a trusted friend, offering daily, bite-sized, loving notes that encourage connection, resilience, and true self-care. In just a few minutes each day, this book will offer you a daily reprieve when you feel burned out, beaten down, or overwhelmed by the strains and stresses of modern life. Here, you'll find encouragement to reconnect with your foundation and rebuild your strength from within. Because when you cultivate a deep connection from within yourself, you are equipped to manage all that comes your way.

Inside Dear Friend you will find:

365 reflections to fuel your personal growth day by day
Daily reminders to motivate and encourage you to live in alignment with your desires
A convenient ribbon marker to mark your progress throughout the year
With an exquisitely foiled cover and luxe packaging, this book is an ideal gift for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, or even as a gift for yourself to begin a new yearly practice.

Whether you're seeking motivation, confidence, or a deeper sense of peace, Michelle's heartfelt words of encouragement will guide you to align with your truest self, one day at a time. You deserve this journey, because as Michelle says, you are always worthy.

Amazon

DEAR FRIEND by Michelle Maros | Introduction

What if the key to better health isn’t just in what you eat or how much you exercise—but in how you interact with the world around you?

Optimize reveals the cutting-edge science of quantum biology, showing how light, water, sound, and even human energy directly influence your body at the cellular level.

We are biologically wired to exchange energy with our environment—yet modern life has severed this essential connection. Sunlight directs hormone signaling and immune function. Electrical fields guide cellular repair. Sound waves can alter the structure of water inside our bodies. Even walking barefoot on the earth reduces inflammation.

In this groundbreaking book by quantum biology expert and naturopathic physician Dr. Catherine Clinton, you’ll discover:

How to harness natural energy sources for optimal health
The surprising role of light and sound in cellular function
Quantum biology’s impact on longevity, immunity, and vitality
Simple, science-backed practices to reconnect with your body’s natural intelligence

Rooted in the latest research, Optimize presents a revolutionary new paradigm for wellness—one that empowers you to align with nature’s forces for deep healing, increased energy, and a longer, healthier life.

Optimize by Catherine Clinton read by Jeannie Sheneman with an Introduction read by Catherine Clinton

A bold and authentic reimagining of The Winter’s Tale full of tragedy, triumph, and forbidden romance—perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Kathleen Glasgow, and Sarah Dessen.

Pia and her brother, Max, live on an isolated farm in rural Maine, and it’s the only life they remember. Their father says the only way for them to stay protected is to stay on the farm. Pia doesn’t question it. Pia’s entire world turns upside down when her father breaks his leg, and she must be the one to venture into town to make farm deliveries. And then she sees him. Felix, a boy who is both a stranger and somehow familiar, makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and her family. But no matter how she feels about Felix, she must always obey her father, above all else.

But Pia’s feelings are too big to ignore, and the more she engages with Felix, the more she begins to see that there’s promise for her beyond the isolated world to which she’s grown accustomed. And the more she dreams about a better life, the more she wonders if her father is telling the truth about their family’s past. Pia knows her father and his friend Anthony are hiding something, and soon Pia must reckon with the damage her father is doing to their community and the damage he has done to their own lives.

Winter White is an astonishingly told and searingly authentic reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Kathleen Glasgow, and Sarah Dessen.

Winter White by Annie Cardi Read by Khristine Hvam

Two leading behavioral scientists argue we should reject “nudge” policies and stop blaming personal failure for society’s failures 

“Excellent. A master class on how to blend individual psychology with institutions, so that people are encouraged to get involved and develop solutions to our urgent problems via the democratic process.” —​Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Laureate and author of Power and Progress 
 
Two decades ago, behavioral economics burst from academia to the halls of power, on both sides of the Atlantic, with the promise that correcting individual biases could help transform society. The hope was that governments could deploy a new approach to addressing society’s deepest challenges, from inadequate retirement planning to climate change—gently, but cleverly, nudging people to make choices for their own good and the good of the planet.
 
It was all very convenient, and false. As behavioral scientists Nick Chater and George Loewenstein show in It’s on You, nudges rarely work, and divert us from policies that do. For example, being nudged to switch to green energy doesn’t cut carbon, and it distracts from the real challenge of building a low-carbon economy.

It’s on You shows how the rich and powerful have repeatedly used a clever sleight of hand: blaming individuals for social problems, with behavioral economics an unwitting accomplice, while lobbying against the systemic changes that could actually help. Rather than trying to “fix” the victims of bad policies, real progress requires rewriting the social and economic rulebook for the common good.

It's on You by Nick Chater and George Loewenstein Read by Mike Lenz

Mitsuhiro Matsunaga is an investor relations manager at a large development firm that’s currently in the process of constructing a new high-rise building. After claims surface online of fires breaking out, illness spreading, and human bones unearthed at the site, he ventures there himself to find out whether there’s any truth to the rumors. During his search, he detects an eerie dryness, and the distinct smell of a person burned completely to ash, bones and all. Eventually, Mitsuhiro stumbles across a mysterious ritual space with a huge hole not on any blueprints—and inside it, a man in chains. Mitsuhiro flees above ground in a panic, only to quickly learn that this is but a taste of the terror that has begun to plague him and his family!

Bone Ash by Tow Ubukata  Read by Alan Peterson

THE SMALLEST SPARK CAN GROW INTO A FIRE.
When Prince Joseph broke off his engagement to Brigitte, her life was shattered—but meeting Yuri helped her start putting it together again. The two may have started off as rivals, yet the more she learns about him, the more she’s come to appreciate him…Unfortunately, Joseph is ready to turn everything upside down again, suddenly attempting to reinstate their engagement. Brigitte is far from eager to go back, but her relationship with Yuri is getting complicated. Not only that, but it seems her weak, no-name spirit might be something else entirely…!

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love, Vol. 2 by Harunadon, Read by Katharine Chin

Lira, a Polish girl who lost her parents during the Great War, now lives in a mansion with an immortal being known only as the Count. After witnessing the tragedies occurring across Europe along with Joerg, a German soldier who serves as her guard, she resolves to use the Count's powers in a desperate bid to protect her homeland. Meanwhile, Joerg must make a choice of his own, with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance. Conflict after conflict, humanity's history and deeds are filled with an endearing foolishness.

Lila and the Winds of War by Sayuri Ueda Read by Ray Greenley

The 2nd episode of PPP. Little Caesar Phoenix. Other Stuff. Pete.

Pete's Opinions. Pizza Pinions Podcast Episode of 2

Shane Gnome

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