Hello, good brunch and welcome back to everyone except La Niña, which I want even when she waters my garden. This is Five Great Reads, a sweet and sweet summer interest, service and juice wrap chosen by me, Alyx Gorman, Lifestyle Editor-in-Chief of Guardian Australia.

You may notice that today’s readings arrive a little later in the morning. That’s because my esteemed Morning Mail colleagues are back on the tools and summarizing the news in the first place, just for you. And if you want to read the day’s events as they unfold, you can do so on our live blog.

Finally, a paragraph later than expected, comes a reminder that if you are reading this as an article, you can also receive it as an email by putting your address in the box below.

To people who already receive this via email, I’m sorry to keep saying this, and even more sorry that you can’t see the box. It is a very beautiful box.

Now we are done with the box chat, on the readings.

1. How does it feel to fight a predator in the wild?

Five people who survived terrifying wildlife attacks share their stories and how these incidents have shaped their lives.

What terrifying animals? A cougar, a shark, a bear, a hippo and an otter.

An otter ? An otter.

Otters are not terrifying. “The otter kept torpedoing underwater to bite my paws,” says Leah Hiller. “He would come in, follow where I was and attack again. I knew I couldn’t swim so I just had to prepare for the bites and try to protect my neck because, if it hit me there I would have drowned.

“These sharp, burning bites were coming from all angles,” she continues. “He bit me 25 times. Some of them were two inches deep and one of them pierced my ankle bone.

How long will it take me to read? Like many animals mentioned, it is a large animal. It will take about nine minutes to read. But if you can’t be tempted to read 4,000 words of personal experience on animal attacks (with a mildly ecological bent), then honestly, you just can’t be satisfied.

Bonus to read: Okay, one last attempt to please yourself with a really good boy instead: a dog who saved the life of a hiker in the Croatian mountains.

2. The slow and neglected art of recovery

As millions of people around the world grapple with the long Covid, “we must respect the healing process,” writes GP Gavin Francis.

Notable quote: “Recovery is anything but a passive process,” writes Francis. This realization came to him while he was working in a brain injury rehabilitation department as a junior doctor. “Although its rhythms and tempo are often slow and smooth, it is an act, and the actions need us to be present, to engage us, to give of ourselves.

How long will it take me to read? Eight minutes. But it is a must have for anyone who has ever fallen and took a long time to get up.

3. The year of underrated actors

The film critic Guy Loge on this season’s best performances has overlooked awards.

What’s in it for me? You’ll end up with a long list of movies to watch, from Norwegian dramas to road trip movies to a horror movie so scary I can’t watch the trailer.

How many films? 16

4. Is civil war brewing in the United States?

Stephen Marche certainly seems to think so. In an excerpt from his new book The Next Civil War, he makes his point.

Notable quote: “The right has recognized what the left has not: that the system is collapsing,” writes Marche. “The right has a project: it goes through violence and solidarity. They didn’t even recant the Oath Keepers. The left, meanwhile, has chosen infighting as a sport. “

How long will it take to read? About four minutes.

Bonus to read: After you complete the Walk piece, you might just forgive the Americans for trying to get rid of the phrase “no worries”. They seem to have concerns.

5. Easy gain: drink a little less

Finally, here’s Celina Ribeiro on how a few dry nights a week helped change her relationship with alcohol.