Prior explains in her introduction that though “spoilers abound,” the book is designed for those who have yet to read the books she writes about, as well as for those who have already read them. I found this to be true. In reading Prior’s book, I was given a fresh view on books I’d already read, and was encouraged even more to read those I hadn’t, despite the abounding spoilers.
In his excellent essay about why people ought to read old books, C.S. Lewis recommends that all readers should read them as much as they do contemporary ones.1 He writes, “It is a good rule, …
Writing things down is the best way I have found to sort and clear my mind. Three very different kinds of writing help me in this: morning pages, brain dumps, and bullet journaling.
For Lake, literature is not simply illustrative or instrumental to the task of diagnosing and combatting technocracy: it is the world within which we are cultivated. In the act of reading, we enter not only a set of illustrations which give us principles to live by, but also new parables which instruct, perplex, and guide us into new living. To learn how to be a new person, in other words, we must submit to the art of reading.
So whether you are a die-hard reader or an occasional reader looking for a welcome distraction during these lazy summer days, the following list of ideas will offer you the perfect escape!
Books can help us better understand the world around us, to confront our issues or find comfort in the stories of others. Here are five books that do just that.
