This month we got spooked about听animals听on drugs, then found solace with M.F.K. Fisher, British bakers, and LeBron James. (And you thought all we did was read about hiking.)
What We Read
I recently read ,听a new book by Texas-based writer Mimi Swartz about the history of attempts to invent an artificial human heart. It鈥檚 very good, and a great way to learn about the history of heart-transplant surgery and artificial-heart development. The book is set in Houston, Texas,听which for decades was one of the most important hubs in the world for research in these areas. Among other fun facts you鈥檒l learn if you read it: if the current most promising model for an artificial heart is ever used, patients who receive one will have full, life-sustaining blood flow,听but they won鈥檛 have a pulse.听(Cue the听sci-fi music.)
鈥擜lex Heard, editorial director
I鈥檝e been reading Kate Harris鈥檚 first book, , her story of cycling the Silk Road. The book jacket describes it as a cross between Wild, Lab Girl, and Rory Stewart鈥檚 Between a Rock and a Hard Place. And that鈥檚听not far off. It really is a great exploration of longing, joy, and, well, exploration.听
Oh, and one more thing. I can鈥檛 鈥渞ecommend鈥澨齮hese stories, but I鈥檓 all up on my soapbox about听, , and听.听I am not anti-drug. But are we just so self-centered that it鈥檚 not enough to hoover up every last acre of animals鈥 habitat? Now we are dosing them鈥攖o learn more about ourselves.听This whole thing reminds me of those guys in college who would blow pot smoke into their poor pet ferrets鈥 faces.听At one point on its X journey, the octopus reached out for a hug. You can damn well bet no human was there to give him one.听
鈥擡lizabeth Hightower, features editor
This month, I read听, an incredible, somewhat unhinged book by MFK Fisher published in 1969. If you haven鈥檛 read her, you must. For Fisher, food is the most interesting subject in the world, and, though I never thought I鈥檇 happily read an entire chapter on, say, salad, she had me cackling and dog-earing pages about croutons and her grandmother鈥檚 salad dressing. It鈥檚 not a cookbook, though there are recipes, and it鈥檚 not a memoir, though she recounts, many times, the way certain dishes cement themselves in memory and become the focal point of entire cities, relationships, or periods of life. This book made me want to write wildly, eat joyfully, and drink buckets of champagne.听
鈥擜bbie Barronian, assistant editor
I recently moved to New York, and all the bad things everyone tells you about the subway are true, but it has given me a lot more time to read. Earlier this month, I tore through by Elif Batuman. I won鈥檛 bother explaining the plot, because that鈥檚 not why you should read it. Batuman鈥檚 writing is among the funniest I鈥檝e ever come across, and it鈥檚 uncanny how well she captures the awkwardness of interacting with other people. Since finishing the book, I found myself constantly (annoyingly) referencing scenes from it in real-life conversations. If you still need convincing after this vague description, listen to Batuman鈥檚 and you鈥檒l hear how terrifyingly smart she is.
鈥擬olly Mirhashem, associate editor
I recently picked up Jared Diamond鈥檚 . The book has been on my list since sophomore year of high school (now a decade ago!), but its heft and dense language always stymied me. Recently, after a few years鈥櫶齢iatus, I decided to give it another whirl. Now I鈥檓 hooked. The book is essentially a very long answer to the question: Why did humans on the Eurasian continent wind up in power, while those on other continents didn鈥檛? The answer, which ultimately explains the reasons for colonizations throughout history, takes 19 chapters and roughly 400 pages. I鈥檓 only midway through chapter two, and have gotten as far as 40,000 years ago, when Cro-Magnons built boats and made their way to Australia and New Guinea.听
鈥擜riella Gintzler, assistant editor
I can鈥檛 put down听听by Jaimal Yogis. In a bookstore, you might find it at the intersection of memoir and religion, but Yogis takes on his own special genre in his third book. He gleans wisdom from his travels with Buddhist monks in India, priests in New York, and surfers in Mexico. His writing glows when he talks about our connection to the ocean. And for a person like myself who constantly dreams of waves, this book only reinforced my craving to paddle out.听
鈥擩eremy Rellosa, Buyer鈥檚 Guide assistant managing editor
What We Listened To
I just finished listening to the audiobook version of听听by听John Carreyrou. Through interviews with ex-employees, Carreyrou depicts the rise and fall of blood-work startup Theranos and its eccentric leader, Elizabeth Holmes. Utilizing family connections and plenty of charisma, Holmes, who was a Stanford dropout in her early 20s at the time, managed to drum up enough money to launch the unicorn biotech startup. But her obsessions with success, Steve Jobs, and the (still unrealized) ability to run detailed tests using an extremely small amount of blood听ultimately led to Theranos鈥檚 downfall. The story itself is so crazy, as Carreyrou dives into strange details surrounding Holmes鈥櫶齪ersonal life and work habits, that I couldn鈥檛 stop listening.听
鈥擜bigail Wise, online managing editor
If you find yourself dreaming of a better workplace, dare I say a better world, please listen closely to Julia Turner鈥檚 podcast,听.听The first episode was like a warm hug for my frazzled worker-mom-boss psyche. I just hope I can hang in there until the next one.
鈥擧annah McCaughey, design and photography director
What We Watched and Otherwise Experienced
In light of听, it鈥檚 hard not to get down on the current state of male culture in America. But this month, I came across Lebron James鈥櫶齨ew HBO series,听, where he takes to different barbershops around the country and invites artists, athletes, and activists to speak honestly and open about what is affecting them today. Although the show is mostly听male, it鈥檚 still refreshing to see a room full of men (and Candace Parker) approach racism, family, and what it means to be an athlete who uses their platform for social change.
鈥擡mily Reed, assistant reviews editor
Now is the time to tune in to the brown bears in Alaska鈥檚 Katmai National Park. features a handful of live bear cams, and its Brooks Falls location is especially good鈥攊t鈥檚 a fish fest there at the moment, and all the bears appear to get along amiably while having a relaxing spa experience before their winter hole-up.听
鈥擳asha Zemke, copy editor
is a form of therapy for me, which is probably why I binged all ten episodes of season eight in听approximately one week.听For fellow fans, this season was controversial due to two new hosts and one new听judge, but I鈥檓 happy to say鈥擨 liked them! Their awkward British humor and the contestants鈥櫶齪olite civility听are the perfect balms for a stressful day.
鈥擪elsey Lindsey, assistant editor
I was just in Marrakech in Morocco to attend the . One of our lunchtime outings was a tour of the new and his stunning Majorelle garden next door. The garden also contains a really cool showcasing the culture and creativity of one of the oldest cultures in North Africa. Saint Laurent lived in Marrakech for years, and you can see how he absorbed the culture, beauty, and colors of the country into his designs. Then outside the city one day, we hiked in the Atlas Mountains with some of the students in the program, which brings girls from remote villages to secondary schools and provides boarding for them. Eighty percent of them go on to college. I was super inspired by them and the gorgeous terrain.
鈥擬ary Turner, deputy editor
I can't believe I鈥檓 writing this, but I love the听. The pure silliness of this brand right now reminds me of simpler times.听
鈥擲vati Narula, associate social media editor
Everyone needs to watch听听on Netflix, a surreal new TV show about a pharmaceutical trial听starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. That is all.
鈥擩enny Earnest, social media manager