What Is The Best Calvin And Hobbes Book To Read First?

I got hooked on Hobbes while re-reading 'Leviathan' on a rainy afternoon, tea getting cold as the arguments pulled me back in. What stuck with me most is how he treats religion as part of the same human-made architecture as government. For Hobbes, humans are basically driven by appetite and fear; left to natural impulses we end up in a violent, insecure state of nature. To escape that, people create a social contract and install a sovereign with broad authority to guarantee peace. Religion, then, must not be an independent power competing with the state, because competing authorities are the exact thing that drags people back toward chaos. That’s why Hobbes argues the civil sovereign should determine the public function of religion: who interprets scripture, what doctrines are allowed in public worship, and which religious organizations can operate. He doesn’t deny God outright — his worldview is materialist and mechanistic, but he leaves room for a creator — yet he’s deeply suspicious of ecclesiastical claims that undermine civil peace. In the turmoil of 17th-century England, his point was practical: private religious conviction is one thing, but public religious authority must be subordinated to the sovereign to prevent factions and rebellion. It’s a cold logic in some ways. I find it both fascinating and a little unsettling: Hobbes wants security even if it means tightly controlling religious life. Reading him in the quiet of my living room, I kept thinking about modern debates — how much autonomy should religious institutions have, and what happens when conscience or prophecy clashes with civil law? Hobbes would likely say that order takes priority, and that uncomfortable thought stays with me as I close the book.

I still get a little giddy when 'Feels' comes on, and the version that plays on the radio does feel a bit different — but not because the core lyrics are rewritten. Mostly what happens is the song gets trimmed and cleaned up for broadcast. When I've compared the album/single version to what I hear driving around, the intro and instrumental breaks are shorter, some ad-libs are quieter or clipped, and any brief vocal bits that might trip up broadcast standards are muted or faded. The melody lines sung by Pharrell and Katy Perry are intact, and the hook is exactly the same, so singalongs still work fine. If you're nitpicky like me, the easiest way to spot differences is to cue up the track labeled 'Radio Edit' on Spotify or Apple and then play the full single or album version. Look at timestamps: radio edits usually shave 20–40 seconds. Also, different countries sometimes get slightly different clean edits, so a UK radio edit might sound different from a US one. Bottom line — the lyrics aren’t usually rewritten; the presentation and length are what change, which can make the song feel a little different on the airwaves.

The other morning I scrolled through my feed and suddenly every third clip was using the hook from 'Feels' — people dancing, lip-syncing, or slapping it under an edit. It felt like walking into a cafe where everyone hummed the same tune, and that’s when it clicked for me: social platforms are great at taking one catchy lyrical moment and turning it into a shared language. Part of why 'Feels' is resurfacing is its instantly recognizable melodic hook and playful lyric phrasing, which makes it perfect for short-form video audio. Creators love grabbing a two- to six-second slice that communicates a mood — summer fun, flirtation, or silly montage — and that slice travels like wildfire. Also, throw in a new remix, a high-profile influencer, or a trending dance challenge and algorithms amplify it exponentially. I’ve noticed fans pairing those lines with everything from anime edits to skate clips, which feeds niche communities and mainstream feeds at once. For me, it’s been fun seeing old club bangers recontextualized into meme culture — and now I catch myself humming it while I make coffee.

Hearing 'Feels' the first time felt like stepping into a sunlit diner scene for me — it's bright, slightly nostalgic, and stubbornly catchy. The lyrics themselves read like a love-at-first-summer-moment postcard: simple lines about a rush of attraction, a warm, electric feeling, and the kind of flirtatious confidence that doesn't overthink things. Musically, Calvin Harris leaned heavily into a retro-funk, disco-tinged production, and that sonic choice naturally nudged the words toward playful, repetitive hooks that stick in your head. What really shapes those lyrics, though, is the collaborative energy. With Pharrell bringing his effortless falsetto vibe, Katy giving the pop-sweet hooks, and Big Sean adding a conversational rap bit, the words feel like a group of friends riffing on the same idea from different angles — lust, joy, swagger. To me, the inspiration reads less like a detailed story and more like a mood board: warm nights, neon lights, and being giddy enough to say it all plainly. I still blast it on road trips when I want a quick, feel-good lift.

I still hum the chorus when sunlight hits my window, and that’s the easiest way to explain how critics reacted to the lyrics of 'Feels'. Most reviews leaned into the song’s mood rather than its poetry — critics loved how the words sit perfectly on top of that sun-soaked groove from 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1'. They praised the playful, flirtatious lines for being earwormy and immediate, the kind of lyrics that make you sing along without thinking. Several noted that Pharrell and Katy Perry’s vocal charm elevates otherwise simple phrasing, turning throwaway couplets into memorable moments. On the flip side, a fair number of reviewers called the lyrics lightweight or purposely disposable. The common thread in criticism was that Harris wasn’t trying to write deep poetry; he wanted a summer jam, and the lyrics do that job well. Some people wanted more substance from such a stacked lineup, and Big Sean’s verse got mixed reactions. Personally, I don’t mind the simplicity — it’s a vibe-first track, and the lyrics help you slide into that groove.

When I first dug into 'Leviathan' during a rainy weekend and a stack of philosophy texts, what hit me was how practical and desperate Hobbes sounded. He had just watched England tear itself apart during the Civil War, and he wasn’t writing dreamy ideals — he was trying to stop people getting slaughtered. For Hobbes, the state of nature wasn't a poetic garden; it was a brutal scramble where everyone has roughly the same ability to kill or be killed, which produces constant fear. That fear, plus the basic drive for self-preservation, makes life in the state of nature intolerable, even if everyone is otherwise reasonably capable and intelligent. So the social contract is a kind of pragmatic trapdoor: give up some freedoms to a common authority so you stop living in perpetual danger. He trusted the social contract because it replaces fear with predictability. If individuals agree, even tacitly, to transfer certain rights to a sovereign who can enforce rules, then everyone gains protected time to pursue projects, commerce, and safety. Hobbes thought people were basically rational calculators when it came to survival: when the expected cost of violence outweighs any gain, consenting to authority is just common sense. Importantly, the sovereign must be able to impose sanctions; otherwise promises are meaningless. That’s why Hobbes leans toward a strong central power — fragile enforcement means the contract collapses back into conflict. I also find his view painfully human in its limits. He assumes fear and self-interest dominate, underplays solidarity and institutional habits, and doesn’t give democratic deliberation much credit. Still, as a diagnosis born out of warfare and chaos, the social contract makes a lot of grim, convincing sense to me — it’s less an ideal and more a peace treaty we reluctantly accept so life can go on.

I’ve been spinning this track on and off for years, and what always sticks with me is where it first lived — on Calvin Harris’s 2017 album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1'. 'Feels' was released as one of the singles from that record and features vocals from Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean. If you’re hunting for the original home of the lyrics and official studio version, that’s the place to look. That album marked a stylistic shift for him into sun-drenched, funk-infused production, and 'Feels' sits cozy among those laid-back, groove-forward tracks. Fun fact from my own playlist habits: I’ll toss the whole album on for summer cookouts because it keeps the mood mellow but pop-forward — and anytime someone asks where 'Feels' comes from, I just point them to 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1'.

I recently stumbled upon some exciting news about 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus. The book, which has been a massive hit among readers for its witty and heartfelt portrayal of a female scientist in the 1960s, is indeed being adapted into a TV series. Apple TV+ picked it up, and I couldn't be more thrilled. The protagonist, Elizabeth Zott, is such a refreshing character—brilliant, unapologetic, and fiercely determined. The series has the potential to bring her story to life in a way that resonates with both book lovers and new audiences. Brie Larson is set to star and produce, which adds even more anticipation. The blend of humor, science, and feminism in the book makes it perfect for a screen adaptation. I’m already counting down the days until it premieres.