Dear Reader,

It’s a scary world out there. 

We’re not the first to say this, but it’s worth repeating: sometimes school fails us. Sometimes you get to twenty-five and realize that you have no idea how to file taxes, or how Canadian politics operate, or how to handle the immense pressure of adulthood. It’s terrifying, overwhelming, and it makes a scary world seem even more daunting. You can easily be fooled into thinking that you’re the only one that feels this way. We know that we were.

We’re the lucky ones; by working in publishing, we are exposed to new concepts and ideas every single day. Yes, we have our fantasies and fiction, but we are also exposed to the nonfiction world of illuminating scientific texts and heartbreaking memoirs. By reading such diverse books, our world became a lot less intimidating. 

At times, the knowledge is practical, such as when The Special Occasions Cookbook taught a newly-independent twenty-something how to cook a holiday meal. At other times, the knowledge is mind-blowing, such as when The Greatest Story Ever Told––So Far explained how the universe came to exist, and how humans exist within that space. 

It’s no secret that the world has recently become even more frightening. The very fact that “fake news” has become a well-known phrase is terrifying. In our office, we’ve found that the best way to fight fake news is to read more and to read diversely. We can learn more about Canadian politics by reading books such as Bob Rae’s What’s Happened to Politics? And we support diverse authors by publishing #ownvoices like S.K. Ali’s Saints and Misfits. We firmly believe that books are our first and best defense against fake news.

The works are varied, but the books we read have one thing in common: they teach us a little more about the world we live in. They teach us to be better cooks, better friends, better pet owners, better Canadians, better feminists, or just better human beings.

As a result, the term “readulting” was coined; a perfect blend to describe the moment when reading a book bettered us in some way, bringing us one step closer to “proper” adulthood.