Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Written by Alfred Lansing
The epic adventure presented within the pages of ‘Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage’ contrasts sharply with my current state, one in which I’ve become almost a permanent homebody because of the pandemic. But that isn’t the only reason this book intrigued me so. Ernest Shackleton’s story is one of legend, even in short wiki form, so this rigorously researched historical account of exploration, human endurance and survival is one for the ages as he and his crew get stranded in Antarctica for over two years in 1914 with only their wits to save them. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Highly recommended.
Favourite line: “In some ways they had come to know themselves better. In this lonely world of ice and emptiness, they had achieved at least a limited kind of contentment. They had been tested and found not wanting.”
Gastro Obscura
Written by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras
The culinary counterpart to one of my favourite books, Atlas Obscura, the Gastro version explores cooking curiosities around the world. I always enjoy reading the engaging content they produce, but there were a few entries here that I have personal history with that seemed a wee bit exaggerated … which made me wonder how many of the entries are truly reflective of everyday cuisine and lifestyle versus fictionalized versions of themselves.
Favourite line: Very curious to try the vanilla ice cream-flavoured South American bean inga edulis.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Written by Amanda Montell
I bought this book after watching a LulaRoe documentary during the pandemic and needing to know how seemingly intelligent people get so invested in things that are clearly scams. From multi-level marketing (MLMs) to new age gurus on Instagram to the infamous cults we’ve read about in history books, Cultish explores how language is used to entice, seduce and eventually ruin individuals searching for belonging (whether it be in the form of religion or a community of people who love tacky “buttery soft” leggings).
Favourite line: “But her roommates and old coworkers didn’t want to think about those things, because doing so would make them anxious, suddenly hyperaware of the fact that life fundamentally bends towards entropy, which would conflict with their goal of appearing sympathetic. So they fed her a line—”Everything happens for a reason”—to simplify the situation and put everyone’s cognitive dissonance to bed.