Texas Flooding, Black Holes, and Comfort Reads: The Excerpt July 5, 2025

Texas Flooding Devastation

• ⚠️ At least 24 bodies have been recovered following catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, after severe rains overwhelmed the Guadalupe River.
• 💔 Over two dozen children remain missing from Camp Mystic at Christian Girls Camp after the river rose as much as 26 feet in less than two hours.
• 🚁 The Texas National Guard rescued hundreds of people, many by helicopter, as search and rescue efforts continue.

Black Hole Research Advancements

• 🌌 Scientists are gaining new insights into black holes thanks to advanced telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.
• 🌠 The discovery of supermassive black holes, millions of times larger than previously known ones, has led to new theories about their formation, potentially skipping the star phase.
• 🔭 Researchers are investigating mysterious "little red dots", believed to be early-universe black holes accreting gas, and are working on new space-based arrays to observe them further.
• 🧑‍🚀 The concept of "spaghettification" describes the extreme stretching of an object due to a black hole's intense gravity.

Comfort Reads for Summer

• 📚 USA Today Books Reporter Clare Mulroy highlights "comfort reads", defining them as books that evoke nostalgia or are by beloved authors.
• 📖 Frederick Bachmann is recommended for his ability to leave readers feeling hopeful, even when discussing difficult topics like mental health.
• 🐈 Books featuring animals, such as "Will Prescribe You a Cat" and "Remarkably Bright Creatures," are noted as popular within the "healing fiction" genre.
• 🤝 The novel "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" is praised for its "found family" trope and the hopeful depiction of unlikely friendships forming.
• 🎬 "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones is suggested as a comfort read, being the source material for the popular Studio Ghibli film.
• 💖 Non-fiction title "Everything I Know About Love" by Dolly Alderton is recommended for young adults navigating early adulthood, friendships, and careers.