Books, newsletters and subscriber survey
What I've been reading lately, new books I'm looking forward to in 2023 and a poll to learn more about my readers.
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Through this blog, I regularly stress the importance of voluntarily removing ourselves from the fast-paced ecosystem and craziness of social media or 24h cable news.
To any curious individual who loves to consume tons of information, litterature, non-fiction, news, and the like, sitting down reading a good book or a long format newsletter (Substack is filled with great writers just waiting to be discovered by the way) must be a vital element added to your daily “sanity” routine.
If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably already convinced by such an advice. But in the current culture, it is always important to reassert such things, even if it seems obvious.
In short, we need to slow things down. And I mean, really slow things down. Something I constantly have to remind myself to pursue.
In any case, here are a few books I have read recently that I think are worth mentioning:
Wanting by
/ A fascinating starting point to discover René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire, its manifestation in today's world and pragmatic tips to avoid the pitfalls. If you think most of your desires are self-generated, you are in for quite a ride. For more, I recommend as well Luke’s Substack .The Psychology of Totalitarianism by
/ For anyone still bewildered by the reaction of the masses we witnessed during the covid ordeal, Desmet - professor in clinical psychology - offers an eye opening interpretation of the phenomenon and describes the societal pre-conditions leading to a convincing theory coined “mass formation”. He also writes on Substack at .La Prière de l’Épinette Noire by Serge Bouchard / A posthumous book by the Québec anthropologist, writer and radio figure. Like many of his previous books, this latest release is a collection of small reflections on life, childhood, getting old, our relation with nature and some absurdities of contemporary culture.
His 2015 book on forgotten historical figures of the New France era titled Ils ont Couru l’Amérique is also a must read for every amateur historian of North America out there, comfortable enough to read in French of course.
A Distinct Alien Race by David Vermette / A unique and rare book on the story of the Franco-Americans; descendants of the French-Canadians who massively emigrated to New England mill towns from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Well researched, this book is currently being translated in French.
To be released in 2023
The Fourth Turning is Here by Neil Howe / Follow-up book to the 1997 bestseller The Fourth Turning on the cyclical nature of Anglo-American history and the influence of generational archetypes in setting the moods of each phases, this next release will offer some possible outcomes we could expect on the other side of the current crisis phase.
The Lincoln Miracle by Edward Achorn / Journalist and author who focused most of his writing on 19th century baseball and Abraham Lincoln, Achorn has a great talent for storytelling. He brings history to life like few writers I have read over the years.
I first discovered Achorn with Fifty-Nine in ‘84 many years ago. An account of 1880’s baseball and the story of Old Hoss Radbourn, pitcher for the Providence Grays.
Heavy-duty reading list, Patrick!