Douglas Bell is a former magician, engineer, and debut author of the novel "Cakewalk," a novel about a cisgender man in Texas who falls in love with a transgender woman. Douglas and I talked about his unusual spiritual path, how one book changed his life outlook, and how meditation and reading are both paths to empathy. Douglas joined me to talk about Tessa Hadley's luminous novel "Free Love," a piercing domestic drama set in London, 1967. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram   Douglas Bell Website/Twitter/Instagram/Goodreads   Discussed in this episode: Free Love by Tessa Hadley The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by the Dalai Lama The Houston Zen Center Cakewalk by Douglas Bell The National Black Book Festival WriteFest Houston Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Bloomsday Literary The Enigma of Clarence Thomas by Corey Robin Writers and Lovers by Lily King Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Married Love and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks Headspace   Side note from Julie: Here are two books about meditation that I've really enjoyed. These are both very much beginner books for those of us who don't think we could possibly meditate because we have fidgety monkey brains: 10% Happier by Dan Harris The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness by Andy Puddicombe   (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

Ver todos los episodios