The Book Basement Bulletin #8
On this edition: The book that will make you laugh and cry, eye candy, the biology of gay, and a source for horrific entertainment
Introduction
I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your week. I’ve been subscribing to a lot of newsletters lately, I love getting to read what other, independent writers have to share. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear about them, reply to this email with your favorite newsletter!
Three Things I Wanted To Share
This week I read A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, translated into English by Henning Koch. If you’re looking for a happy, yet sad, and funny, yet tragic story, then look no further than the life of Ove. Ove is a grumpy 59-year-old man that loves cars and houses. He likes living a simple life. He has his routine. But Ove doesn’t know what to do with his time since he was let go from his job. That was until he watched in horror as a family drove their trailer into his garden. From then on, Ove’s life regains its substance. How did he lose it you may ask? That’s for you to find out. You’ll come to love all the characters in this novel as they all have their quirks and funny moments. Overall, I loved this book. I think the review on the cover best described it. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life” - People Magazine.
Do you like looking at nice things? If you said yes to this oversimplified question then you should check out Austin Kleon’s collages. He’s talked about them before on podcasts, mostly about how he always gets requests to show how they’re made. He’s never done so and has said it’s some combination of magazine clippings and clear tape. These are incredibly impressive and really beautiful works of art. I recommend you look at them (there are a lot of them).
I saw this TEDxTallaght talk on the biology behind homosexuality. It was incredibly interesting, even if it’s still an evolving field with numerous studies coming out as we speak. What made this talk even better, however, was the person giving it. Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist, tells us the story of when his son came out to him and his wife. How he thought he’d failed his son as if this was all because of his wrongdoing. Of course, these opinions have now been changed as he’s looked at the research behind it. He compares humans to ants and talks about the genetic markers that the queen ant places on her eggs. These epigenetic markers determine how the ant will develop. O’Keefe concludes his analogy by showing us that our process isn’t much different from that of ants. Our only difference is that our markers don’t decide whether we’ll be a warrior or a farmer, but influence our sexuality.
Bonus: If you find yourselves in a spooky mood one of these days, then I highly recommend the Wendigoon YouTube channel. He’s a guy that does really thorough examinations of unsolved cases, weird phenomena, and much more. I watched his video on the Chris McCandless case, and his breakdown of McKamey Manor, the horror attraction that went off the rails.
Quote of the Week
“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.”
Fredrick Backman, A Man Called Ove
There’s not much to say about this one. Ask yourself who the people that give your life color are. Try to add more color to their lives, as well as the lives of others.
The Book Basement Highlights
My Favorite Episode
Other episodes
Stealing To Create (“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon Book Summary)
This Is What Happens to Your Suppressed Emotions According to Sigmund Freud
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, if you did then please consider sharing it with someone you think will also like it! Have a lovely, learning-filled week.