Listen: “The Discography of Asha Bhosle.” If you’re looking for new music after Bieberchella, may I introduce you to the legendary Indian singer, Asha Bhosle, whose voice helped redefine modern Indian music. Born pre-independence in 1933, Asha tai (aunt) began performing as a child alongside her sister, Lata Mangeshkar, another one of the greats. Asha tai carved out her own lane: bold, playful, jazzy, and unmistakably versatile. Over a career spanning decades, she recorded thousands of songs, earned some of India’s highest honors, including the Padma Vibhushan, and received two Grammy nominations. She died this week at 92. Her catalog is vast, but “Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar” is a perfect place to begin. – Suhani
Read: “East West Street.” This incredible piece of nonfiction by human rights lawyer Philippe Sands manages to intertwine so many things at once: the Nuremberg trials, the origins of the word “genocide,” a silent rivalry between leading lawyers, and family drama. The core of the book is about the battle between two Jewish, Eastern European lawyers – Raphael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht – over whether to prosecute the Nazis’ actions during the Holocaust as a crime against individuals, or one against groups. At a time when the public debates whether Israel committed a genocide in Gaza, and courts hear a case over whether Myanmar did so against Rohingya Muslims, this 2016 book feels all too current. There’s personal drama, too: Sands explores his family’s own Holocaust past, and how some of them made it to safety. However, he quickly discovers that not all is as it seems with his grandparents. – Zac
Read: “Infinite Baseball.” Is baseball philosophical? Maybe. To find out, you have to read this book of essays by Alva Noë, a Berkley professor who specializes in the philosophy of consciousness who also happens to be a crazed baseball fan. Noë’s essays cover a lot of ground: the relationship between baseball and American culture, the sport’s unique niche as a “forensic” exercise, how baseball isn’t something we “watch” it’s something we “do,” and there’s even an unexpected defense of instant replay. Ultimately, Noë writes, “if baseball is boring, it’s boring the way philosophy is boring: not because there isn’t a lot going on, but because the challenge baseball poses is: making sense of it all.” Hear hear. – Alex
