12+ People Reveal the Books They Believe Everyone Should Read

Sometimes it seems like no one reads anymore. With television at peak popularity and social media keeping us glued to our phones, it’s becomming rarer and rarer to see someone with their nose buried in a good book. If you’re interested but don’t know what to pick up next, why not try one of these 15 “must reads”, according to these avid readers?

#15. The Hungry Caterpillar

“The Hungry Caterpillar – it’s a timeless classic and a truly superb view into the hardships faced by those who suffer from eating disorders.”

#14. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Charming story about a live human boy raised in a graveyard by ghosts and a vampire.”

#13. The Gift of Fear, and…

“The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker – can literally save your life

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman – game changer when it comes to understanding your relationships (of all kinds) and you.”

#12. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

“For everybody- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

You’ve read Interview with the Vampire? Well, this is Interview with the Gorilla. The gorilla has a lot more to say.

Not for everybody, but those who like it will really like it-

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Two people meant to die untimely deaths live on and ponder mortality and the lack thereof. The Greek god Pan comes into it. And Jazz music. And Beets.”

#11. Hyperion Saga by Dan Simmons

“Hyperion saga by Dan Simmons.

Made a lasting impression on me.”

#10. The Long Walk by Stephen King

“The Long Walk by Stephen King

Dark story but a VERY interesting read. Basically, a bunch of people gather and have to walk at a steady pace without stopping or slowing down. Stopping/slowing down results in warnings, and eventually you’re terminated from the race>! and living!<“

#9. The Little Prince

“The Little Prince is a 100 page illustrated children’s book that conveys deeper philosophy. It also teaches you how to recognize the difference between a picture of a hat and a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Seriously it’s fabulous, so pick up a copy and spend an evening reading this book.”

#8. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

“I’ve read and enjoyed a decent number of the books recommended here so far, but the best book I’ve ever read is:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. – Historical Fiction set in 12th Century England. The story unfolds over the course of a generation, during the period of English Civil War known as The Anarchy, following the death of Henry I. The story focuses on characters from all walks of life, the nobility, the clergy, and the peasants. It has good guys, it has bad guys, it has intrigue and infighting, it has politics on both the large scale and the small, it has love, and hate, and fear, and anger, and backstabbing, and betrayal, and vengeance, and justice, and redemption, and the building of the greatest Cathedral that England has ever seen.

For audio-book fans, the narration by John Lee is fantastic.”

#7. Animal Farm

“Animal Farm.

Only 100 pages long, so not something you have to really commit too. Excellent book that shows what happens when you give power to people (or animals in this case) and so much more.”

#6. Margaret Atwood

“the oryx and crake series by Margaret Atwood.”

#5. East of Eden

“East of Eden. Such an inspiring book, so
well-written and with a smooth pace, yet filled
with engaging reflexion on great themes of humankind.”

#4. The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

“The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Really good, dark, gritty fantasy, without as much of the crazy complex politics you get from GRRM. A bunch of great characters who are all terrible people.

The Book Thief. Because come on. Just read it. A book about Germany in WWII, told from the perspective of death. Unique storytelling and hella good.”

#3. The Mistborn Series

“The Mistborn series. Actually anything by Brandon Sanderson.”

#2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys

“Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. It’s such a fun, but sad book.”

#1. Worm by Wildbow

“Worm by Wildbow

It’s a freaking awesome web serial about superpowers and stuff. The main character is a teenage girl named Taylor. Her power is to control bugs.”

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You Will LOL at this Wine and Eggs Diet from the 1970s

There are too many weird diets out there in the world…that’s a fact. They didn’t start in the ’70s and they certainly won’t be ending anytime in the near future. I mean, anyone can write a diet and start telling people to follow it. Health often doesn’t have much to do with why people start recommending one thing or another, either. Doctors and nutritionists haven’t changed too much over the past several decades when advising on what sorts of foods humans need and in what quantities, but there’s always some new fad running around that makes people wonder if we’ve all been doing it wrong.

If you love steak, eggs, and wine, then this diet – recommended by Vogue – is going to seem like everything right.

Let’s take a look.

Photo Credit: Twitter,chaeronaea

For breakfast, you get 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 glass of dry white wine, and coffee. So, getting coffee is nice. It could help sober you up from drinking the wine on a mostly empty stomach.

For lunch, you get 2 more hard-boiled eggs, 2 glasses of white wine, and more black coffee. You’re definitely tipsy now, and if you don’t live alone, the smell of the eggs digesting has probably run your partner out of the house.

For dinner, you can include a 5 oz steak and finish off your bottle of wine, plus indulge in more coffee if you want/need it. No way you’re sober, and without any fiber in sight, you’re probably not willing to venture too far from your toilet, anyway.

Which is exactly what most people who replied on Twitter latched onto, with varying degrees of hilarity.

Photo Credit: Twitter,chaeronaea

Photo Credit: Twitter,fartpowder

Photo Credit: Twitter,JasonCross00

Photo Credit: Twitter,red_mercer

Photo Credit:Twitter,JasonCross00

Diane McMartin, a writer at The Kitchn tried the diet (no word on for how long), and was surprised at the (presumably unintended) results:

“Maybe it was the wine, or maybe the lack of food, but I legit felt sad by the end of the day. Weepy, even. Like, as I was sitting in bed reading, waiting until it was acceptable to go to sleep because I was so exhausted, and I could have burst into tears at any moment.”

So, that’s not great. I’m sad enough without having an upset stomach and a fuzzy head by bedtime.

As far as the experts, they have weighed in on this, and I’m sure you’re not surprised they find the whole thing ludicrous. Julie Stefanski, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, went off for the The Daily Meal:

“If an intermittent fasting regiment went on a drinking binge in a henhouse, you’d pretty much have this diet. This random menu (I don’t even want to call it a diet) provides 1103 calories with43% of those calories coming from the alcohol calories in the wine!”

Photo Credit: CBS Television

There are some days when drinking your calories seems like a good idea (and some days when it actually is) but trying to keep up with this for more than twenty-four hours is obviously a disaster in the making. The next time I raise a glass of dry Chablis, I’ll remember the poor women back in the day who gave it a shot because Vogue said so.

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5 Scientific Facts About Spite That Are Sure to Surprise You

Did you know that the phrase “you’d cut off your nose to spite your face’ actually comes from a real incident? Back in medieval times, a nun cut off her nose (and lips) to try and make herself too horrific for Viking invaders to rape. The other nuns followed suit, and the painful plan worked – sort of. While they weren’t raped, they were eventually burned alive.

Okay, so that’s an extreme scenario, but what else do we know about spite? It’s defined as action deliberately designed to hurt someone, even when there’s nothing to gain and even though those actions might cause you to suffer as well. Sounds like a pretty terrible way to be, right?

Here are five more facts about spite and why it’s an aspect of human behavior.

#5. Science notes two specific types of spite.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Hamiltonian spite — named for biologist W.D. Hamilton — are actions directed against unrelated or loosely related individuals. Meanwhile, Wilsonian spite — named for biologist E.O. Wilson — is when your act of spite indirectly benefits someone you’re closely related to.

The latter might seem like the lesser of two evils, but really, they’re both based in bad behavior.

#4. Men tend to be more spiteful than women.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The same study found that men showed higher levels of spite than women, but the results weren’t clear as to why. However, the press release speculates that men tend to score higher across the board when it comes to traits that predict psychopathy in general, so there’s that to consider.

#3. It could be a sign of psychopathy.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

One of the traits of a psychopath is Machiavellianism, which is the willingness to be duplicitous and disregard morality to achieve one’s own goals. In 2014, researchers at Washington State University subjected more than 1200 people to a personality test, and the results showed that high scores in spitefulness correlated with the presence of psychopathic behavior.

#2. It’s not that different from altruism.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Some researchers call spite the “neglected ugly sister of altruism,” since both practices come at the cost of a person’s own happiness. The spite-r doesn’t necessarily care what happens to them because they’re not acting for personal gain and they’re not deterred by the prospect of personal loss.

This 2006 paper notes, “any social trait that is spiteful simultaneously qualifies as altruistic. In other words, any trait that reduces the fitness of less-related individuals necessarily increases that of related ones.”

#1. Children and the elderly are generally less spiteful.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Kids resent unfairness from an early age, researchers pointed out. “So, if they divide up candy and they get more candy than the kids they’re playing against, they’re like ‘nope, neither of us is going to get anything.’”

A malicious or spiteful reaction isn’t natural to children — everyone wins or no one does — and the elderly tend to revert to the same code of ethics.

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Italian Construction Workers Uncovered an Ancient Treasure Potentially Worth Millions

When you live in a country like Italy, with as long and rich a history as it has, you’re bound to stumble across something super old and probably pretty cool. Still, these construction workers probably never thought they’d accidentally dig up a jar of coins worth millions.

Photo Credit: Facebook

CNN reported that the workers were excavating the basement of the Cressoni Theater, which opened in 1807, when they unearthed the unassuming soapstone jar. In the 20th century, the building became a cinema before shuttering completely in 1997. Now, the land was being converted for use as a luxury apartment complex, though that project will now likely be put on hold while teams of archaeologists make sure no other priceless treasures lurk beneath the earth.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The jar contained a stash of Roman coins that dates back to the 5th century CE, and they are well-preserved enough to fetch millions. They were handed over to a restoration lab, where the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities will study them further.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Photo Credit: Facebook

Since the theater is near the ancient site of Novum Comum, an ancient Roman town that dates back to the 1st century B.C.E., it seems likely there are more treasures to uncover. The coins themselves can be traced back to the end of the Western Roman Empire.

h/t: Mental_Floss

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You’ve Probably Never Heard About These 10 Cultural Practices from Around the World

Our world is full of different belief systems and cultural norms that might seem strange at first to an outsider looking in. But once you take the time to learn about how these practices came about and how they’re influenced by a unique culture, it’s easier to understand how truly cool our differences can be.

These 10 practices might sound strange at first glance, but trust me – they’re more fascinating and beautiful than anything.

#10. If you live in China, a metro might go right through your apartment building.

Photo Credit: East News

And you thought living near the train tracks was a bad thing – this metro station in Chongqing is located inside a residential building and trains pass through the sixth floor. The solution has also been used in crowded spots in Japan, and residents are typically not too thrilled about the feat of architecture.

#9. Driving is a whole different experience in Egypt.

Photo Credit: East News

Even though they have the same traffic laws as the rest of the world, the fact that they’re not enforced leads to people doing pretty much whatever they want on the roads. It’s definitely somewhere you’re going to want to keep your eyes peeled if you pull out onto the road.

#8. Filipino fast food restaurants sell giant portions.

Photo Credit: Instagram,mugtown10

Not because they like to stuff themselves with fries, Americans – it’s because many Filipinos share lunch with friends, a tradition called barkada, so the large portions essentially amount to “family style.”

#7. Indonesian people eat off banana leaves instead of plates.

Photo Credit: Instagram,bandungevents

They gather together in a botram, a term that means “eating together,” a tradition that unites people regardless of their origins They share banana leaf plates and everyone eats with their hands.

#6. Whole families in Pakistan ride on a single motorcycle.

This definitely seems different for people in America, who deal with complicated and extended laws for securing children on the roadways, but in Pakistan, it’s not uncommon to see an entire family riding on one motorcycle. It’s not because they believe it’s safe or comfortable, but simply a necessity.

#5. The cult of Kumari in Nepal is made up of little girls.

Photo Credit: East News

Move over, Dalai Lama – and Cinderella, for that matter – little girls in Nepal dream of representing the Hindu goddess Taleju on earth. It’s said that she possesses the bodies of little girls, and her cult searches living children for the embodiment of Kumari.

There are more than one, but the Royal Kumari lives in Kathmandu and is selected after passing several strict rituals. She then settles into the palace and receives gifts, visitors, and blessings.

#4. Indian women born under a strong Mars influence might have wedded a tree.

Photo Credit: Instagram,amitbittoodey

In Vedic astrology, it is believed that people born under a strong influence of Mars will not have happy marriages. They are called “manglik,” and are encouraged to meet and date each other, in order to neutralize the strong negative influences.

The situation is made harder for women because Indian people believe they can worsen the health of their husband. So, in order to try to make herself more attractive for marriage, tradition encourages manglik women to first “marry” a tree so that the curse can be left with it and not carried into a marriage with a man.

After the ceremony, the tree is cut and burned.

#3. Jewish people build temporary tent dwellings and live in them during Sukkot celebrations.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

The tents are called sukkah’s, and the most important aspect is that they be open to the sky so that Jews can contemplate the wanderings of their ancestors in the Sinai desert. Building and using the tent – in a backyard or on a balcony – is considered a sacred duty and the faithful spend as much time there as possible during the week of Sukkot celebrations.

#2. People in Great Britain need a license for each television set they have at home.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

BBC is public television and therefore funded by licensing fees. Every citizen who owns a television or other device they use to watch live broadcasts are subject to a separate fee. If you claim to not need or want a license, you have to explain your reasons for not watching television or be slapped with a hefty fine.

#1. Newborn babies in South Korea are considered to be 1 year old.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

There is no year zero, essentially. Things can get even more complicated if a family uses the Lunar New Year to mark age as well – a child born toward the end of a lunar year could turn two before they see month outside their mother’s womb.

Rest easy – they do use contemporary Gregorian calendars when filling out legal documents and deciding when a child is eligible to start school or enter into contracts on their own.

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This Online Museum Is Preserving Sounds for Future Generations

Conserve the Sound is not your average museum. It describes itself as “an online museum for vanishing and endangered sound” and it’s exactly what the world could use right now. Daniel Chun and Jan Derksen are the brains behind the operation, and they’re committed to preserving sounds that are vanishing from our everyday lives.

Some examples include a rotary phone, typewriter keys, and the buzzing sound of a vintage intercom.

Remember the vintage viewfinders you used to play with as kids? That sound is cataloged by Conserve the Sound as well.

Be sure to browse through the online museum’s website. I guarantee there’s something on there to make everyone feel like an old timer. What a great idea!

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You’ll Love These 15 Outdated Celebrity Headshots

It’s always nice to see celebrities embrace a meme and remind us that they’re just people too. Recently, actors and actresses have started sharing their first (or old, at any rate) headshots…and it’s pure gold. It reminds us that everyone went through an awkward phase, that we all took photographs we thought were a good idea at the time, and also that the eighties and most of the nineties were truly terrible decades for fashion.

So please, enjoy these 15 favorite old celebrity headshots, and check out more on #oldheadshotday on Instagram.

 

#15. Jennifer Garner’s serious face definitely got her the part on Felicity.

Image Credit: Instagram

#14. I love how awesome Viola Davis looks in this snap.

Image Credit: Twitter

#13. The hair envy is real with Reba.

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#12. The reason Reese Witherspoon was cast in every early 90s movie you loved as a kid is right here.

Image Credit: Twitter

#11. 5th grade me wants to be Kristen Bell’s BFF as much as 39-year-old me wants the same thing.

Image Credit: Instagram

#10. Mark Hamill definitely practiced that smolder in the mirror.

Image Credit: Instagram

#9. I’m not quite sure what to say, Julian Feifel.

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#8. I think Ben Stiller should still use this one, tbh.

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#7. Whoa, Matt Damon. Lol.

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#6. Here’s proof that Amy Adams has always been adorable. Even in mom jeans.

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#5. Sofia Vergara was even prettier as a teen. No fair.

Image Credit: Instagram

#4. You own that haircut, Leah Remini.

Image Credit: Instagram

#3. Thank you, Ellen and Portia for your equally fantastic eyebrows.

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#2. Oh my goodness, Andy Dwyer. No.

Image Credit: Twitter

#1. And finally, Joseph Gordon-Levitt throwing down the cutest kid gauntlet next to Ben Stiller.

Image Credit: Twitter

 

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Can You Believe A Typo Helped End World War II?

As World War II tore its way through Europe, the British had to get the best and brightest minds involved in the war effort if they and their Allies were to be victorious. Enter Geoffrey Tandy…a man who was a bit taken aback when he was summoned by the Ministry of Defence in 1939.

Tandy was a volunteer in the Royal Navy Reserves, but his regular job was as a cryptogamist for the National History Museum. Cryptomgamists study algae and Tandy wasn’t sure where he fit in with the war effort. Tandy then guessed that the Ministry had made a mistake and confused his job with a cryptogramist—a codebreaker. Tandy was pretty much useless to the Ministry and didn’t do much for two years until something miraculous happened in 1941.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

That year, the Allies torpedoed and sank German U-boats. Among the wreckage was detailed instructions about how to unscramble messages for the German Enigma Machine.

Photo Credit: iStock

There was one problem: the papers with the instructions were waterlogged and needed to be restored in able to be deciphered and put to use. The Ministry needed a person who was proficient at drying out damaged materials that were waterlogged. Tandy had been trained in preserving algae in that manner and his two years of relative quiet were about to come to an end.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Tandy used absorbent materials to dry out the papers until they were able to be read. The information was used to crack German codes and Allied forces got inside information about their opponent’s war strategies. It’s estimated that the cracked codes caused the war to end earlier than it might have otherwise, and likely saved millions of lives. It’s uncertain how exactly Tandy ended up at his post, if it was a typo or someone misread the spelling of his position. Either way, the misunderstanding turned out to be a godsend for the Allied forces.

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7 Historical Figures Who Were Notoriously Poor Spellers

Being good or bad at spelling isn’t necessarily a sign of intelligence. In fact, some of the most famous historical figures were pretty terrible spellers. Some even made a living as writers, despite definitely flunking out of a spelling bee or two in their day.

Here’s a look at 7 infamously bad spellers who might surprise you.

 

#7. Agatha Christie

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

She’s inarguably a fantastic author, but that doesn’t mean she knew how to spell. Christie herself admitted that she had issues, saying, “[I was an] extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this day.”

#6. Winston Churchill

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

He might be remembered as one of the best speechwriters and orators in history, but as a child, teachers commented that his “writing was good but so terribly slow — and spelling about as bad as it well can be.”

#5. Andrew Jackson

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Jackson’s ineptitude when it came to spelling was something of a political punchline. In fact, John Quincy Adams denounced him as a “barbarian who could not write a sentence of grammar and hardly could spell his own name.”

#4. George Washington

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Multiple missives exist in which Washington misspells common words, but historians at the National Archives warn against assuming Washington was to blame. It was widely known that the letters he wrote between 1787 and 1790 were copied by his nephew so it’s possible the young man could have been the one responsible for the errors.

#3. Ernest Hemingway

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Hemingway struggled with certain words, so he added unnecessary letters here and there. What’s worse, he had no time for editors’ complaints on the matter, and reportedly snapped at them, often saying, “that’s what you’re hired to correct!”

#2. Jane Austen

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

She might be one of the most famous authors of all time, but Austen employed editors to fix her many spelling mistakes. It’s a good thing she finally started getting a second pair of eyes on her work, considering one of the books she wrote as a young teenager was titled Love and Freindship.

#1. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Yet another person remembered for their ability with a pen, but not so much for the spelling of the words themselves. The original draft of The Great Gatsby contained hundreds of spelling mistakes, some of which can hardly be puzzled out by modern editors.

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Check out These 7 Interesting Facts About Roald Dahl

Were you a fan of James and the Giant Peach when you were a kid? How about The Witches or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

One man was responsible for those tales and many more that we devoured during our childhoods (and after): Roald Dahl.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Although he passed away nearly 30 years ago, Dahl remains a literary giant that kids and adult still read on a regular basis. Here are 10 facts about the great author.

1. Writing was not his best subject

A teacher once said about Dahl, “I have never met anybody who so persistently writes words meaning the exact opposite of what is intended.”

2. He served in World War II

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Dahl was a fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force. He crashed his plane in Libya during the war, which inspired him to start writing.

3. He got into some spy games

Dahl supplied intelligence to an MI6 agency called the British Security Coordination along with fellow officers Ian Fleming and David Ogilvy.

4. Quentin Tarantino adapted his work

Dahl’s short story “Man from the South” has been adapted for the screen three times: twice for Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in 1960 and 1985) and by Tarantino for the segment he directed for the film Four Rooms in 1995.

5. Dahl’s first children’s book was inspired by his time in the military

Photo Credit: Amazon

Dahl’s book The Gremlins was published in 1942 and was about a bunch of mischevious creatures who mess with the Royal Air Force’s planes. The rights for the story were purchased by Disney, but it was never made into a film.

6. His first published piece was a bit of an accident

Dahl was assigned to Washington, D.C. to work as an assistant air attaché. Author C.S. Forester interviewed Dahl about his experiences in the war. Dahl wrote some notes about his time during the war, and Forester was so impressed he didn’t change a word. The Saturday Evening Post published the article on August 1, 1942. Dahl was paid $1,000 for the story.

7. He wrote a lot of stories for adults

Dahl is best known for his children’s books, but he also wrote for Harper’s, The New Yorker, and even Playboy. He also wrote about dark subjects including wife-swapping, promiscuity, suicide, and adultery. Who knew?

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