{"id":4187,"date":"2026-08-01T06:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/?p=4187"},"modified":"2026-08-01T06:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:10:24","slug":"goodnews-august-2026-good-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/2026\/08\/01\/goodnews-august-2026-good-to-read\/","title":{"rendered":"goodnews august 2026 \u2013 good to read"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-4187\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-4187-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-4187-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><img width=\"199\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Castaneda-199x300.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-4188  attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Castaneda-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Castaneda.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-4187-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda<\/h3>\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>Ru Marshall<br \/>\nTwenty years in the making, this book follows the life and time of the secretive faux-anthropologist who pulled off one of the greatest literary hoaxes in modern history. Both an investigation of the techniques employed by the charismatic narcissists and a study of the cult dynamics that still shape American life, American Trickster defies conventional biography. It emerges as a chilling allegory for the Trump era, a trenchant critique of academia\u2019s complicity in distorting and erasing Indigenous culture, and a deep dive into the mechanics of New Age spiritual abuse.<br \/>\nIngram Publisher Services<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-4187-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-4187-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><img width=\"213\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Phenomenology-213x300.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-4189  attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Phenomenology-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Phenomenology.jpg 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-4187-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Phenomenology of Psychedelic Experiences (New Directions in Philosophy and Cognitive Science)<\/h3>\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>Danny Forde<br \/>\nThe psychedelic experience can open the subject to the essential nature of reality. This is one of the claims this book makes. The authors proposes that the mythopoetic archetypical phenomena encountered during the peak of the psychedelic experience are best comprehended in terms of essences. Finally, Forde argues that the psychedelic experience is a bona fide transformative experience and offers a distinct way of apprehending the Ground of Being.<br \/>\nPalgrave MacMillan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-4187-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-4187-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><img width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2608_Mendo.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-4190  attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-4187-2-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-2-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"5\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Mendo. How an Unlikely Group of Rebels Turned Cannabis into California&#8217;s Cash Crop<\/h3>\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>Charlie Harris<em><br \/>\n<\/em>California&#8217;s homegrown weed industry helped launch the solar power industry, and that&#8217;s not all. Mendocino county&#8211;or Mendo&#8211;sits within California&#8217;s Emerald Triangle, a sprawling, sparsely populated region that has produced billions of dollars&#8217; worth of weed, and since the 1970s, virtually every inhabitant has either been involved in the pot trade or been a beneficiary of it&#8211;including the government.<br \/>\nCounterpoint Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-4187-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-4187-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" ><img width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2508_Family_Acid-225x300.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-4191  attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2508_Family_Acid-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2508_Family_Acid.jpg 392w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-4187-3-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-3-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"7\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">California<\/h3>\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>The Family Acid<br \/>\nRoger Steffens is the world\u2019s leading reggae historian, former co-host of the award-winning radio program \u201cReggae Beat,\u201d and author of <em>So Much Things to Say: The Oral History<\/em>\u00a0of Bob Marley. He has been taking photographs since the early 1960s, documenting his unorthodox life and experiences. In 2013, his children Devon and Kate began scanning his slides and negatives and posting them to Instagram, accompanied with stories and historical information related to each photo.<br \/>\nGingko Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-4187-4\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-4187-4-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-4-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"8\" ><img width=\"232\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8605_Mushroom_Vrochet-232x300.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-4192  attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8605_Mushroom_Vrochet-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8605_Mushroom_Vrochet.jpg 404w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-4187-4-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-4187-4-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"9\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Whimsical Mushroom Crochet for Beginners.<\/h3>\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>Oliver Potter<br \/>\nWhimsical Mushroom Crochet for Beginners.<br \/>\nBring the magic of the forest to life with unique mushroom crochet designs and tutorials. Learn essential crochet techniques, understand pattern reading, master shaping and assembly, and create beautifully finished mushrooms inspired by forests, fairy tales, and fantasy worlds. With clear instructions, beginner-friendly explanations, and practical tips throughout, you&#8217;ll build your skills while crafting projects that make wonderful home d\u00e9cor, thoughtful handmade gifts, seasonal displays, keychains, ornaments, and collectible keepsakes.<br \/>\nIndependently published<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ru Marshall Twenty years in the making, this book follows the life and time of the secretive faux-anthropologist who pulled off one of the greatest literary hoaxes in modern history. Both an investigation of the techniques employed by the charismatic narcissists and a study of the cult dynamics that still shape American life, American Trickster<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/2026\/08\/01\/goodnews-august-2026-good-to-read\/\" class=\"read-more\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4187"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4196,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187\/revisions\/4196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}