In her latest work, Amanda Montell, the author of Cultish and Wordslut, turns her focus to our cognitive biases. She dives into the reasons we see ourselves and others the way we do, how we fall prey to misinformation, and why we turn to magical thinking. For me, magical thinking brings to mind global hits like The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle; books on manifestation that have influenced more than 35 million readers. Cover design by Laywan Kwan Montell describes this phenomena as “the belief that one’s internal thoughts can affect external events.” T ..read more

I'm not the type of person to revisit the same book, at least not often. With so many new books coming to market, my TBR list has been growing at a rapid pace, and I can never seem to find the time for a re-read.  On a recent bookstore crawl, I was reminded of a few favourites. Below is a list of books that have made a lasting impression. These are the ones I wish I could read (again) for the very first time. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed A Ma ..read more

Another Kind of Love Story Leslie Jamison, the critically acclaimed author of The Empathy Exams and The Recovering returns with a courageous and poignant memoir about motherhood, friendship and grief.  Written in her signature raw prose, readers follow Jamison in the aftermath of a divorce as she cares for her daughter and navigates life as a single mother. She lays bare the realities of juggling a newborn with the demands of her work as a writer and teacher. In Splinters, Jamison often returns to the past, as she describes the “encompassing, consuming, life-expanding” relationship ..read more

In her first memoir, multi-New York Times bestseller Sloane Crosley reflects on the grief she feels following the death of her closest friend. On June 27, 2019, Crosley's apartment is broken into and all her jewellery is stolen. Exactly one month later, Russell Perreault, VP Executive Director of Publicity and Social Media at Vintage Anchor, with whom Crosley worked for more than nine years, dies by suicide. This is a book about Russell and Sloane, their shared past and how she is processing the present without him, yet her jewellery also plays an important role. It was taken from a Dutch ..read more

In Holly Gramazio’s witty and thought-provoking debut, we follow a woman named Lauren who returns from a night out to find a random man in her London flat. She thinks he’s an intruder. However, it turns out he’s actually her husband. The problem is that Lauren has never seen Michael before, but according to her friends and family, and photos of them on her phone, they’ve been together for years. While piecing together how this could have happened, including questioning the neighbours and catching up on their text exchanges, Michael climbs into the attic to change a lightbulb and he vanishes ..read more

From Emily Austin, the bestselling author of Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead comes a soul-searching novel about the complexities of family, friends, and relationships.  We follow Enid, a twenty-six year old woman obsessed with space and true crime podcasts. When she’s not working at the Space Agency, she spends her time cycling through a rotation of women she meets on dating apps, calming her mind with stories of serial killers, and avoiding the thing she fears the most – bald men. All while coping with the death of her absent father, forging a relationship with her estranged ..read more

Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune Founded by Dr Jane Pearce and her husband Saul Newton in 1957, the Sullivan Institute for Research in Psychoanalysis began as an experimental therapy inspired by the work of renowned psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan.  In operation for over thirty years, the Institute was based on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and drew members in droves with the idea of an alternative non-monogamous lifestyle, creative expression, and freedom from the expectations of society. Well-known clients included Jackson Pollock, Judy Collins, and Ri ..read more

When I reflect on the past year, it feels like some of the greatest transitions of my life have taken place. The leap from my twenties into my thirties, a cross country move, a new job, and improved health.  Although we are constantly changing as beings; each minute, hour, and day, the new year is when we finally look back and see the distance traveled. We think of where we have come from, how we have developed, and where we have ended up. We take time to appreciate our accomplishments and carve out a path for the year to come.  For almost three years and some four hundred posts, I ..read more

As this year draws to a close, My Friends by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hisham Matar is a book I’m urging all readers to all to their lists. It’s among my top reads of 2023, and one of the best books I’ve come across in recent memory. Matar’s narrative is luminous, eloquent, and truly unforgettable. In March 1980, a young Benghazi-born boy named Khaled hears a bizarre short story on the radio that changes the course of his life. The story is read in place of the news by a legendary broadcaster and journalist who is soon after assassinated. Khaled is captivated by the story, and its author ..read more

Tell me an author who writes about love like Dolly Alderton and I promise you, I’ll devour their books as I did this one. Alderton’s latest, Good Material, is about relationships, heartbreak, and sentimental yearning. Even more, it’s about friendship, family, careers, taking chances, and growing older. Summer of 2019, Jen has broken up with Andy after more than four years together. Thirty-five year old Andy is heartbroken. Despite a long list of reasons it’s good he isn’t with Jen anymore, including the fact she can’t dance, she comes from a weird family, and is a snob, he can’t stop thinking ..read more