Bookclubs and Brains

I was looking at my stats here on Substack recently and noticed that most of my readers (that’s you) are consuming these messages via email.

That is brilliant and I’m grateful. Many of you have been with me through multiple moves from different providers and to know that you are still reading thrills me.

So today I wanted to share three of my current favorite Substacks. Perhaps you’ll like them too.

If you end up subscribing to more Substacks then I’d recommend using the app to read them in, otherwise, your email inbox will end up cluttered.

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First up is Sluggish,

Jesse Meadows

writes about “the politics of mental illness, the narratives that shape our dis-order, and the culture that makes our brains.” She also loves, “to go off on tangents about nature, history, and sense-making through art.” Her brain feels similar to mine 😅

Next is Kindling,

Shaina Read

shares her own fiction and runs a horror book club. “The Barrens” is where she dissects with exacting enthusiasm what it is about horror stories that draw us in. We are currently reading Stephen King’s Night Shift.

Another book club here, and I’ll be honest, I joined on the strength of the latest book, The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Although I’m a fan of Shirley, I’d never read this one. The comments on each section add a fascinating dimension to the read-along. This is

A Public Space

with guest host, Shirley specialist,

Ruth Franklin

.

Let me know if you check any of these out.

Here’s a photo from this morning, the first day of the school break. We sheltered from the rain in a cafe. We could have spent all day there!