Books and Movies to Sustain an Attention Span
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
In 2022, my colleague Megan Garber reflected on the transactional side of attention. “Far too often, I find myself mindlessly twitch-clicking on an enticing headline, and then reading, and then regretting,” she wrote. “I pay my attention; I instantly wish for a refund.” Attention is too easy to give up, and it’s hard to get when you really want it—maybe you’re trying to get some work done but your kids are running around, or the habit of social-media scrolling makes it feel impossible to simply sit down with a book.
Immersion is a luxury: When a person feels truly engrossed in a project or a piece of art, they come out the other side feeling like they’ve lived a little more life. Today’s newsletter rounds up some books and movies to get lost in—or, if your attention span is hopelessly fleeting, to entertain you in short order.
On Attention
Seven Books That Will Make You Put Down Your Phone
By Bekah Waalkes
These titles self-consciously aim to grab their reader’s attention.
Six Acclaimed Movies With Short Runtimes
By Stephanie Bai
Bring back the 90-minute film.
The Great Fracturing of American Attention
By Megan Garber
Why resisting distraction is one of the foundational challenges of this moment
Still Curious?
- Twenty TV shows for short attention spans: For both quick laughs and thoughtful reflections, try one of these highly bingeable half-hour comedies, Shirley Li wrote in 2022.
- Seven true stories that read like thrillers: These immersive works of journalism follow ordinary Americans facing long odds.
Other Diversions
- Nickel Boys is an audacious experiment.
- Read these six books—just trust us.
- Hopeful images from 2024
P.S.
I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “After playing a round of golf” in Colorado, Kevin Fraser, 62, writes, “me and my golfing buddies were enjoying a beer when I noticed the entire room had taken on” an orange glow. “I turned around and saw this beautiful sunset.”
I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.
— Isabel