All posts tagged: readers

Five books that changed readers’ minds

Five books that changed readers’ minds

Published by skeptic

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily’s Sunday culture edition. When selecting a new book, it can be comforting to return to what’s familiar: the genres you know you love, the authors whose perspectives you share. But sometimes, the best books are the ones that challenge rather than confirm your expectations. For any reader looking to try something different, The Atlantic’s writers and editors answer the question: What is a book that changed your mind? Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse The most memorable reading moments of my life came from a period of deep change: high school. Although I loved moody English-class staples such as The Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, and The Great Gatsby, the book that really cracked my brain open was Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. I can still see myself dog-earing and underlining the royal-blue, 160-page paperback during …

The Books Briefing: The Books That Keep Readers Awake at Night

The Books Briefing: The Books That Keep Readers Awake at Night

Published by skeptic

This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. Every person alive likely knows how it feels to lie in the dark, willing sleep to come but failing, minute after minute, to drift off. Even if you’re in bed next to someone, once you close your eyes, you’re isolated, with nothing but your own racing thoughts to keep you company. This week, M. L. Rio, who has struggled with insomnia since graduate school, offered a list of books to comfort the restless in the lonely predawn hours—and included a few that might, hopefully, lull them into dreamland. Her list was inventive and instructive, but it made me think of an adjacent category of books: the ones that keep you awake far past your bedtime. But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic’s Books section: On the whole, I’m blessed with the ability to sleep peacefully once I lay my head down. However, I do not always possess the discipline to …

‘I rediscovered Pembrokeshire and fell back in love’: readers share their favourite memories of Welsh holidays | Holidays To Remember In Wales

‘I rediscovered Pembrokeshire and fell back in love’: readers share their favourite memories of Welsh holidays | Holidays To Remember In Wales

Published by skeptic

Annie, 32, LondonI love taking city breaks to Cardiff in the summertime. You can’t beat sitting in Cardiff Bay in the sunshine, having lunch while looking at the boats, and heading into town for a night out. Everything is within walking distance – you don’t have to trek across the city to get to another bar you like – it seems so much more manageable than the sprawl of London. One Saturday my girlfriend and I just followed the sun around Cardiff Bay from bar to bar, which seemed to coincide with all the happy hours – we got drinks and nibbles everywhere we went and always had a gorgeous view of the water. Also, being a huge Gavin and Stacey fan, I like going to Barry Island for the sandy beach, slot machines and chip shops – not just the Nessa tea towels I seem to buy every time I visit. Honor, 63, North YorkshireI was first introduced to sea kayaking in Pembrokeshire more than 40 years ago. Exploring by kayak is fabulous; you’ve …

‘I can’t seem to fight this off’: readers’ experiences of whooping cough | Whooping cough

‘I can’t seem to fight this off’: readers’ experiences of whooping cough | Whooping cough

Published by skeptic

Five babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, health officials have said, amid a sharp rise in cases. More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far in 2024 – more than three times the number recorded in the whole of last year. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show 2,793 cases were reported to the end of March, compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023. Scores of people shared their experiences with the Guardian, with many describing hacking coughs that left them feeling as if they couldn’t breathe. Some were prescribed antibiotics to help with the infection but many said that when they saw their GPs, it was too late for a course of medication to be effective. Others expressed their concern over the lack of testing and official diagnosis. With cases of whooping cough on the rise in adults and children, four people share their experience of the “100-day cough”. ‘It’s like drowning in phlegm’ For Rachi Weerasinghe, 56, who is still coughing …

Readers reply: which conspiracy theories have been proved true? | Life and style

Readers reply: which conspiracy theories have been proved true? | Life and style

Published by skeptic

Which conspiracy theories have been proved true? Anne Gibson, Leicester Send new questions to [email protected]. Readers reply True? That’s what they want you to think. sparklesthewonderhen The 1980s theory that there were moves afoot to institute a culture of mass surveillance in the UK, with a system of cameras watching everybody in public spaces. Of course, nobody would ever stand for that … ElCommentario It’s funny that some people claim that climate change is a conspiracy when there was an actual conspiracy by the organisations that wanted to cover it up. I mean, who is most likely to have the resources and motivation for something like this? University researchers or the richest companies on the planet? JohnI Well, the one about the establishment conspiring to stop Brexit is clearly nonsense. Deeply disappointing, really: the one time you really need a deep-state conspiracy to work, it turns out it wasn’t a thing. Brutha Easy to forget now, but for a long time – far too long, in fact – it was thought that accusations of police …

‘It was instrumental to my early education’: fans share their memories of Reader’s Digest | Reader’s Digest

‘It was instrumental to my early education’: fans share their memories of Reader’s Digest | Reader’s Digest

Published by skeptic

Olly Mann was at his grandmother’s funeral a few months ago when he had an unexpected conversation with the presiding rabbi. Mann is a podcaster and radio presenter, and his grandmother’s eulogy had mentioned the pride she felt when she heard him broadcasting on BBC Radio 4. After the ceremony, the rabbi explained apologetically that he hadn’t heard him, so Mann rattled through some recent work. “He looked at me blankly, and then he twigged: ‘Oh, you’re the guy who writes the Reader’s Digest column!’ and his eyes lit up,” says Mann. “He said: ‘I remember reading a column you wrote about choosing a mattress at Dreams.’ “That’s such a weird environment to have that conversation,” he says – not least because the column had been published four years earlier. Mann was a Reader’s Digest columnist for 12 years – but no longer. Earlier this week, he learned from social media that the magazine’s UK edition had been shuttered, effective immediately. The title was closing “after 86 wonderful years” editor-in-chief Eva Mackevic wrote on LinkedIn, …

Reader’s Digest UK closes due to ‘unforgiving’ magazine landscape

Reader’s Digest UK closes due to ‘unforgiving’ magazine landscape

Published by skeptic

Reader’s Digest UK May 2024 edition Reader’s Digest magazine has closed in the UK, according to its editor-in-chief of six years. Eva Mackevic announced on Linkedin on Monday evening that Reader’s Digest UK has “come to an end” after 86 years. She wrote: “Unfortunately, the company just couldn’t withstand the financial pressures of today’s unforgiving magazine publishing landscape and has ceased to trade.” The Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest similarly shut down at the end of last year blaming “declining ad sales revenues, increased production and delivery costs and changes in consumer reading habits”. The most recent articles on the Reader’s Digest UK online homepage appear to have been published on Wednesday 24 April – six days ago at the time of writing. Thanks for subscribing. Close Mackevic informed writers who are waiting to be paid that she has been “assured that the insolvency practitioners are working to communicate with everyone about the next steps”. Content from our partners Reader’s Digest UK, which is licensed out by the US parent company, has had a turbulent …

Readers reply: why do we wear underwear – and when did we start doing so? | Life and style

Readers reply: why do we wear underwear – and when did we start doing so? | Life and style

Published by skeptic

Why do we wear underwear – and when did we start doing so? Kathy Thomas, Isle of Wight Send new questions to [email protected]. Readers reply Because fig leaves begin to wilt after a few days. UKClimber Underwear is an ancient garment meant to protect our most sensitive and vulnerable parts. Can you imagine the Romans in battle without an undergarment to protect them from the abrasions of their armour, or from weaponry? For women, it’s slightly different. It’s to protect our bits, but it’s also a sanitary product. Today, underwear is practical for most people, but it has turned into a fashion statement. There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s just made all underwear more expensive. archaeologist4life It’s a question of hygiene, certainly. The added protection keeps us clean and wards off the unsavoury consequences of sweat and bodily functions. But there’s more to it than practicality. Underwear has always been about shaping the body, about subtle whispers of support and control. It speaks of modesty, too, of course, drawing a veil over the parts of …