10 books that will help you understand how the world works

You get to know the world around you as a child. But it is so multifaceted that you can spend your whole life discovering it. Recognize yourself sometimes is not easy, requires a lot of great psycho-emotional strength. Collected a selection of books about knowing yourself and your depths and what surrounds a person. All of them were bestsellers at the X book festival “Red Square”.

Gaston Bachelard, “Water and Dreams. An Experience on the Imagination of Matter.”

French philosopher and researcher of the psychology of artistic creation Gaston Bashlyar combines science and poetry in his work. He turns to the natural elements, which have long helped creators to visualize the splendor of the universe and have remained the originals for the Artist in the broad sense of the word.

In this book he explores the impact of water on the imagination, draws on a wide range of literary, historical, philosophical and scientific material, and discusses how the water element influences our unconscious.

Alexandra Barkova, “Introduction to Mythology”

The famous series of lectures by Russian researcher of world epic, folklorist Alexandra Barkova, dedicated to the mythology of different peoples. Simple, clear and extremely fascinating language author familiarizes with the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Scandinavian, Slavic and Indian mythology, which formed the basis of world culture.

In what gods believed the ancient Greeks and who of them moved to the Roman divine pantheon, who are the Valkyries, Odin, Thor and Loki, why in Russian myths mermaid was without a tail and what is interesting domovoy, why there is so little information about the Slavic gods – the answers to these and many other questions can be found in this book.

Anna Matveeva, “Picture Girls. Muses and artists: from Velasquez to Anatoly Zverev”

The second book of the novelist, a finalist of the awards “Big Book” and “Yasnaya Polyana”, the author of popular novels Anna Matveeva about the sitters of famous artists. In 10 essays, she continues the conversation about the women who look back at us from famous canvases.

Despite the fact that these are documentary stories, they read like fascinating fiction. There is room not only for the fates of specific artists and women, but also for global events of the eras in which they lived. The author looks at Diego Velasquez, Jacques-Louis David, Ivan Aivazovsky and Ivan Kramsky, John Singer Sargent, Edvard Munch, Boris Kustodiev, Fernand Léger, Arkady Plastov and Anatoly Zverev.

Oksana Darovskaya, “Moscow. Apartment Symphony.”

Oksana Darovskaya’s poignant novel about Moscow and its apartments. Through touching stories, the author, who worked in the real estate business for more than 10 years, looks into Moscow streets, in the capital’s houses to tell about the fate of their tenants.

The writer managed to convey the atmosphere of Moscow apartments. Their inhabitants, who became the heroes of the book, can be found anywhere, they are quite recognizable and understandable. Behind each plot is its own drama and life collisions.

Alison Macleod, “Tenderness.”

This is a novel full of lyricism, subtle humor and accurate life observations. Rather a novel within a novel, because it intertwines the story of the creation of the scandalous famous work “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” by David Lawrence with the subsequent post-publication trial of the book involving Jackie Kennedy.

Alison Macleod turns to documents: letters, transcripts, testimonies and artistically reconstructs the events of the early and mid-twentieth century. She invites readers to talk about censorship and freedom, love and literature.

Reid Mitenbuhler, “Lust to Live. The Nine Lives of Peter Freuchen.”

This is a biography of Danish adventurer Peter Freuchen. His picture, where he is depicted in a bear coat next to his frail wife, is known to everyone. A true king of the North, a descendant of the Vikings, who cheated death itself more than once.

Reid Mitenbuhler wrote more of an adventure novel, because Peter’s thirst for life was incredible. He lived among Eskimos and predators, survived a Nazi camp, and dug himself out of an ice trap. The edition is enhanced with rare photographs of the traveler’s polar expeditions.

Hwang Porim, “Welcome to the Bookstore in Hyunamdong.”

South Korean bestseller, a cozy story about the most intimate things, written in the new popular genre “hiling”, which can be called a kind of Korean “hugge”.

An avid reader decides to give up her career for her escapist dream. After her divorce, she opens a bookstore where a young barista, a coffee company owner, a high school student, and a middle-aged writer come for easy conversation and peace of mind. This novel is able to give light, peace and harmony.

Nüta Federmesser, “The Locker Room”

Nyuta Federmesser is the founder of the Faith Hospice Charitable Foundation and co-founder of the Lighthouse House Charitable Foundation. This book contains short stories written by the author at different times. They reflect her reflections on life, love, mercy, sensitivity, kindness, stories and fates of people Nyuta encountered, memories, dreams and dreams.

The collection of “notes in the margins” will allow you to learn more about the one who symbolizes charity in Russia, to look into the innermost corners of the soul and to penetrate the joyful and sad events of her amazing life.

Marina Soita, “Captive to Trauma. How to make friends with their difficult past and find a happy life”

Practicing psychologist Marina Soita has written an amazing book in which she combined the scientific knowledge of modern psychology about PTSD and CPRS with her personal story. She herself lived for many years with psychological trauma received in childhood and managed to heal.

The author talks about strategies for working with trauma and its consequences, describes the causes and forms of manifestation of complex PTSD and at the same time shares intimate things about herself. This allows us to look at psychological trauma from the side of the doctor and the patient, to understand its mechanisms both from the outside and from the inside.

Ludmila Weber, “The Girl and the Prison. How I drew my own freedom…”

Ludmila Weber is a hereditary artist and a graduate of VGIKA. Eight years ago she was arrested on false charges for organizing a murder. She spent about three years in prison, and then was acquitted by a jury.

This book is her true story, written in the first person, an attempt to describe the inner kitchen of this place that is not commonly talked about in society. As well as the need to tell about a case that mixed multi-million dollar budgets, Hollywood stars, loyalty and betrayal of Shakespearean proportions.