As we head into the Easter long weekend, I thought it apt to pull together some reading recommendations. I love being a part of Substack, whilst the shysters and ‘growth gurus’ have crept in, thereare some genuinely marvellous writers out there producing consistently terrific writing.

I’ve pulled together five substacks I think anyone with an interest in the same things as me will find rewarding - loneliness, connection and being a good human.

Conversations on Love — Natasha Lunn conversationsonlove.substack.com

Natasha interviews people about love - romantic love, long marriages, childhood friendships, love lost and found. The format is different to what I do here: less personal essay, more carefully curated conversation. But the territory is the same. She published a book based on it, which speaks to the depth she brings. If you want to understand love by watching someone ask the right questions, start here.

Cheaper Than Divorce — John Williams, PhD cheaperthandivorce.substack.com

John writes about masculinity, emotional labour, and what actually happens inside relationships - trying to step outside the culture war long enough to look at the patterns clearly. He’s good on the double bind many men live inside: stoicism rewarded by the world, vulnerability required by love. If the masculinity thread here resonates with you, this will too.

Friendship Explained — Anna Goldfarb annagoldfarb.substack.com

Anna writes about the loneliness, effort, and desire at the heart of contemporary friendship - and about what we’ve lost now that the institutional scaffolding (school, church, proximity) that once held friendships together has largely disappeared. The burden of maintaining connection now rests entirely on us. She writes about it practically and warmly, without pretending it’s simple.

Attached: The Science of Relationships — Dr Marisa G. Franco drmarisagfranco.substack.com

Marisa is a psychologist who has spent years researching human connection and systemic loneliness. Her book Platonic is one of the better practical guides to friendship I’ve come across. Her Substack brings that research lens to everyday relationship questions. It’s a useful counterweight to personal narrative - hers is the science to go alongside the story.

Oneliness — Monika Jiang oneliness.substack.com

Monika makes a philosophical case that loneliness isn’t something to fix, but something to understand - a shared signal that can reconnect us to ourselves and each other. Her writing explores how this reshapes the relationship between “I” and “we.” More globally minded than the others, and occasionally dense, but genuinely thought-provoking. Worth it if you like to be challenged.

Each of these writers, in their own way, is working on the same problem that Alone Rangers is: what it means to be a human being trying to stay connected in a world that quietly makes that harder.

Five Substacks You Should Read this Easter