Hello, folks! This is my first post here (and in the great, wide, still-confusing world of Lemmy). So stoked to find a new book community!
To answer the question, mine is “The Future of Nostalgia” by Svetlana Boym. I stumbled upon this book when I read a quote from it in a different book and I immediately went to track down a copy. A truly happy accident.
The most fascinating thing about this book was how universal it felt. Here was someone writing about post-Soviet Russia in the nineties, yet it felt strangely familiar. The commercialization of nostalgia, the unchecked rewriting of history, and the rose-tinted delusion of “The Golden Age”; it felt like she was talking about my own country. I’m a Lebanese expat, so nostalgia is a big part of my life and my relationship with my country (which is very much a love/hate relationshit), and this book completely redefined my understanding of nostalgia, nationality and collective identity, heritage, and even food. It helped me understand the survivor’s guilt, the PTSD, the resentment, and the stubborn fondness. It’s been so long since a book scooped out my soul and shook off the dust like this.
So, yeah. What’s the last book that made you go, “Holy shit, I think that just rewired my brain”?
(An older one for sure…)
“Salt: A World History” because by page 33 I’d learned more about history than I’d learned in high school. Not to mention salt!
The book is amazingly well-written in a very engaging style. The pages just flew by! I highly recommend it to anyone that’s curious about humanity’s relation to this essential-for-life mineral.
That sounds absolutely fascinating! I love hyper-specific nonfiction like that. I once read a book about the history of coffee and I learned so much more than I expected.
Then you’ll enjoy that book! What was the coffee one called? I love coffee…
Definitely adding it to my vacation stack. The coffee one was “Coffee A Global History” by Jonathan Harris (or Morris? I can’t recall which). But it was really interesting and not very long. Short and sweet.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The book felt like a constant epiphany. I wanted to rekindle my relationship with nature and it helped me understand land stewardship in a way that I wasn’t able to grasp. The author connects nature and science so well that nature’s magic doesnt get lost in the scientific rigour. It also doesn’t shame the reader for their past or background, and was thoughtful and optimistic. The audio book is also read by the author which is great.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E Taylor. I’d never before thought that an immortal digital consciousness who can’t stop quoting/referencing 20th century nerd culture and spends decades out in space could be such an entertaining character, or have real, human, compelling stories and worries. The rest of the Bobiverse series isn’t half bad either. The audiobook is particularly well performed.
I loved this book! Such a fun read. Plus living in the South with kudzu EVERYWHERE, I was delighted it finally found a purpose besides choking all other plant life to death.
Oh neat! Being from the UK, I’d never heard of it before. Is it true what Riker said, about the unfortunate gastrointestinal consequences to consuming kudzu?
Well the only edible form I’ve heard of is kudzu jelly. There’s some at a small local shop in my town, though it’s dusty and I don’t know and never heard of anyone actually trying it. It’s draped over all the trees and bushes for miles and miles and miles in summer. In the 1800s Victorian era, people thought it looked fancy and planted it in their gardens. But alas. It’s a botanical terrorist and soon took over the world.
Contact by Carl Sagan. I bought it on a whim after a visit to Areciebo Observatory, having never seen the movie, and was completely blown away. One of those books that I definitely I wish I could reread it for the first time again.
Have you seen the movie? I am in the opposite situation having seen and loved the movie and am debating reading the book. I’d be interested to hear if it’s a significantly improved experience either way.
I love the concept and the story/characters regardless, I’m mostly just curious.
The Giver by Lois Lowry, but it only came after finishing it and reminiscing/discussing it with others, it really hit me that the ending is in reality an open one. Just like in Inception it’s basically up to you if you get a happy or sad ending.
