Black Hole – Charles Burns | Graphic Novel
A graphic novel set in 1970’s suburban Seattle about a plague that causes strange mutations in teenagers. They call it “the Bug.” This installment is the first of 12. It blends different themes and genres such as coming-of-age, mystery, horror, and sci-fi.
This addition to the collection was made from a patron donation.
The Age of Magical Overthinking – Amanda Montell | Nonfiction
Amanda Montell, a podcast co-host, linguist, and author, defines “magical thinking” as the belief that someone can manifest a way out of something difficult, such as poverty or cancer. In this memoir, she delves into the cognitive biases that run unchecked in our minds, in an attempt to instill hope and make sense of senselessness.
Waiting – Ha Jin | Historical Fiction
Lin Kong, a dedicated doctor, loves two women – one who belongs to the New China of the cultural revolution and the other adheres to the ancient traditions of his family’s village. This novel explores the intricate convergence of the human heart and constantly shifting politics.
This addition to the collection was made from a patron donation.
The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain – Alice W. Flaherty | Nonfiction
For those struggling with writer’s block, Alice W. Flaherty explores the mysteries of literary creativity: what inspires the desire to write and what extinguishes that passion? She draws on medical case studies and the lives of writers such as Franz Kafka, Anne Lamott, Stephen King, and Sylvia Plath.
This addition to the collection was made from a patron donation.
Daddy Boy – Emerson Whitney | Memoir
After a long relationship ends, Emerson Whitney embarks on a wild adventure chasing tornadoes. Emerson had always had a fascination with weather growing up. Though shy and quiet, he meshes with a rambunctious group; observes them and also turns inward – recounting childhood memories of his step-father and ruminating on his most recent and longest romantic relationship.
Emerson Whitney also wrote the memoir Heaven, and teaches at Goddard College in Vermont.
This addition to the collection was made from a patron donation.
We Do What We Do in the Dark – Michelle Hart | Fiction
Mallory is a freshman in college. She meets an older, married woman who teaches at her school and immediately becomes infatuated with her. They become romantic in a secret affair. Years later, long after their relationship has ended, Mallory confronts the ways the relationship with the older woman shaped her and caused her immense loneliness throughout her life.
This addition to the collection was made from a patron donation.
The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet – Leah Thomas | Nonfiction
Leah Thomas coined the term “Intersectional Environmentalist,” which is a person who examines and recognizes the links between environmentalism, racism, and privilege. Intersectional Environmentalists seek to save the planet by uplifting voices – especially the voices of those who often go unheard. Her book is part self-help and a call to action; a how-to initiate change through the empowerment of all people.
Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety – Britt Wray | Nonfiction
With scientific knowledge and emotional insight, Britt Wray normalizes feelings of hopelessness around climate change and offer solutions to become engaged in the collaborative process of protecting the future of earth.
Life on the Line: Young Doctors Come of Age in a Pandemic – Emma Goldberg | Nonfiction
From New York Times contributing writer, Emma Goldberg is the story of 6 medical students about to graduate, thrown into various hospitals in New York at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Woven together in this biography are in-depth interviews with the new doctors, their notes, and Goldberg’s reporting.
Thank you to donors who have helped the Casual Reading Collection grow.
Health Sciences related paperbacks and monetary donations are greatly appreciated.
