Another day, another line-up of posts for book who like to read.
Most damning, though, is that basing enjoyment of a book on its visuals deprioritizes the strengths of the written word as a medium. Books can do things a movie never could. They are an escape hatch from the prison of our own consciousness: they allow us to be inside the experience of being someone else in a way nothing else can. They let us in on what it feels like inside their mind, to feel the way they do, in an immediacy that’s impossible to replicate in visuals alone.
Some of these books were pulled or destroyed. This is for informational purposes only: while I’m not recommending or linking places to buy or read them, I do recommend reading more about the hoaxes themselves and criticisms of them. Although most people probably know they’re fake, some of these works could still spread dangerous, racist misconceptions, or disinformation about drugs or history, even today.
There are so many great mysteries coming out this fall that I had to do another roundup for book clubs. There’s a series ender for Attica Locke’s amazing Texas Ranger story, messy art students and murder, a dark academia thriller, and more.
With a mix of fiction and nonfiction, these 8 book recommendations ahead explore the value of community in its many forms. Some are hilarious and sweet, others heartfelt and more serious, and all of them thoughtful in their approach. Read multiple (or all!) of them to gain depth in your understanding of community and how to build ones that lift people up and provide fulfillment.
When it comes to nonfiction, I’m partial to personal essays about culture and identity, and here in the South, we have some INCREDIBLE essayists who write about everything from Southern cuisine to nature. These authors share their experiences living in such a diverse place with fraught history. Today we’ll be looking at the two of those collections.
So, it’s safe to say that as horrifying as the history of asylums and the treatment of mental illness was in the past, it’s also equally fascinating. Maybe that’s because it does read like real-life horror, and there’s something in us that craves to understand the deepest depravities of humanity. As someone who lives with anxiety and depression, these stories hit particularly close to home for me. That’s probably why I’m drawn to books about the subject. In addition to Bly’s exposé, we’ll explore five other books that feature mesmerism, mental illness, psychology, and life inside asylums from a historical perspective.