Mind Food

Your mind needs to be fed just as much as your body, and I’m here with some recommendations from my own mental diet of late. I’d also love to hear in the comments what books, music, TV, food, or human cultural activities have been stimulating you.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

The stories in this book of short stories are like Black Mirror episodes, but even more internal and rooted in character. The world building is always in service of the personal consequences for the humans in these alternate realities, which are very relatable. There’s perpetual intrigue in figuring out how each world operates, how Fu elaborates on the logical consequences of the scenarios she envisions—what would happen if all food suddenly became tasteless?—but amidst this delight and intrigue, there’s a haunted feeling of recognizing yourself. My favorite stories are “Do You Remember Candy,” the premise of which I just mentioned, “Twenty Hours,” which is about how a husband and wife routin…