Articles about fiction and non-fiction books and how they can help us live a better life.
“I selected the above title, quite obviously, for its shock value,” Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920–June 5, 2012) writes in his book “Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You,” a vibrant collection of essays celebrating manifold ways we can harness the power of our imagination. “Now, while I have you … Read more
In one of the episodes of “On Being” podcast, the climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe told a story that may resonate with many of us who feel helpless in the face of the environmental crisis facing our shared home. “I was talking with a pastor [in Texas] just recently,” Hayhoe said to the podcast host, “and … Read more
“Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains,” Marcus Aurelius wrote in his meditations. “But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.” Two millennia later, Fernando Pessoa (June 13, 1888–November 30, 1935) … Read more
“Get into bed in a comfortable position, make sure the light is inadequate enough to cause a slight eyestrain, choose a book that is either terribly difficult or terribly boring … and you will be asleep in a few minutes,” writes Mortimer Adler (December 28, 1902-June 28, 2001) in his famous manual How to Read … Read more