Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating look into the cultivation of language used by the leaders of extreme groups to lure and detain members. Amanda Montell describes how these leaders, whether they're Jim Jones or the latest Instagram influencer, use similar language techniques to bait followers into believing their message. The "cultish" language pervades our society and after reading this book, you'll begin to see evidence of these techniques throughout our culture. It's a must read for anyone interested in how someone might join not just extreme groups but any social group that has it's own language and charismatic leader.

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Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sea of Tranquility was one of my favorite books released in 2022. It's my kind of science fiction that focuses more on human relationships rather than an entire new world. It follows Edwin St. Andrew as he travels across the Atlantic in 1912, Olive Llewellyn on her book tour two centuries later, and Gaspery Jacque-Roberts, an investigator, who lives on one of the distant Moon colonies. All of the characters' stories mysteriously intertwine to attempt to answer timeless, existential questions like: what would we change if we traveled back in time? Would we help others or just ourselves? Would our attempts to change events create an even worse situation?

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