- Summer Reading Guide
- Little Free Library: An attainable DIY project for booklovers of all skill sets
- How Hollywood and the Media Fueled the Political Rise of J.D. Vance
- Ian McEwan Teaches Some 'Lessons'
- How to talk about your mental illness
- On Metaphors and Snow Boots
- This 70-year-old woman drives cross-country in a bookstore on wheels
- How To Find Free E-Books for Kindle, Browser, Phone, and More
Summer Reading Guide
While most newspapers and magazines have been reducing their books coverage for some time now, The Atlantic has recently decided to increase its coverage. Here’s its recent list of summer reading suggestions:
For the summer, The Atlantic’s writers and editors have picked sets of books to match your mood. Do you want to be transported to another place, or are you looking to feel a sense of wonder about the universe? Perhaps you’re just seeking a comforting new spin on a familiar story. We’re also here with suggestions for taking a deep dive into a single subject, or for anyone with a hunger to better understand our world. And if you want a preview of what your friends might be reading, we’ve got you covered too. Below are 21 books to accompany you through the coming months.
Category: Book Recommendations
Little Free Library: An attainable DIY project for booklovers of all skill sets
The idea behind the Little Free Library is that it encourages hyper-local sharing and connection — “take a book, share a book” is the mantra — while allowing library owners to express themselves with respect to the structure’s exterior and curation of the initial book collection.
Journalist Jane Hodges explains the history and philosophy of the Little Free Library movement and discusses some of the available options for participating.
Categories: Author News, Libraries
How Hollywood and the Media Fueled the Political Rise of J.D. Vance
The controversy swirling around Hillbilly Elegy and its author continues:
“The reason ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ was such a high-octane book was academics, professors, cultural arbitrators — liberals — embraced it as explaining a forgotten part of America,” said Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University who once introduced Mr. Vance at an event. “They wouldn’t have touched Vance with a 10-foot pole if they thought he was part of this Trump, xenophobic, bigot-fueled zeitgeist.”
Category: Author News
Ian McEwan Teaches Some ‘Lessons’
Louisa Ermelino talks with Ian McEwan—“whose work has stirred controversy, received critical acclaim, made bestseller lists, been adapted for film, and received many awards, including the 1998 Booker”—about the autobiographical aspects of his latest novel, Lessons.
Categories: Author News, Writing, Publishing
How to talk about your mental illness
As we near the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, here’s a reminder that mental health is a timeless topic. Patrick W.Corrigan, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology, and colleague Carla Kundert, clinical research associate, offer some advice.
Mental health conditions come with a double burden: on top of the sadness, the anxiety or other symptoms, there is the harm wrought by stigma. Although these conditions are very common – more than 970 million people worldwide are estimated to have one – the sense that there is something shameful about experiencing mental illness can make it daunting to open up about it. Sharing details about your mental health with family members, friends or people at work or in the community can bring a measure of relief and help you receive valuable support. But it can also expose you to the risk of discouraging, unsupportive reactions from others.
Categories: Literature & Psychology
On Metaphors and Snow Boots
In another article appropriate for Mental Health Awareness Month, Annie Sand writes:
Metaphor provides a scaffold to build into the spaces beyond our comprehension. When we struggle to describe a physical sensation, we use a comparison; when some scientists seek to explain the interactions between neurons, they liken the brain to a computer. By doing this, we put the unknown in terms of the known, in an act that both illuminates and obscures: after all, a brain is both like a computer and not. Metaphor rushes in to fill gaps, to make meaning, and to conceal.
She discusses how various writers have used metaphor to verbalize their physical and mental experiences.
Categories: Literature & Psychology
This 70-year-old woman drives cross-country in a bookstore on wheels
From May to October, you can find Rita Collins, 70, in the front seat of a white Sprinter van, driving across America. In this era of RVs and #vanlife Instagram photos, Collins’ ride is set apart. Rattling around, in the back of her van, is a fully functional used bookstore.
Categories: Bookstores, Reading
How To Find Free E-Books for Kindle, Browser, Phone, and More
David Nield writes, “No matter what model of e-reader (or e-reader app) you’re using, here’s where to find free e-books for it.”
Free is good, right?
Categories: Ebooks, Reading
© 2022 by Mary Daniels Brown
