Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini in compelling black comedy “Dead To Me”. The series is, literally, car crash viewing. It is one of our editorial team’s tips of the month. (Photo: Netflix)

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini in compelling black comedy “Dead To Me”. The series is, literally, car crash viewing. It is one of our editorial team’s tips of the month. (Photo: Netflix)

Current reads

I’d been wanting to read Sarah Winman’s “When God Was A Rabbit” since it came out almost ten years ago. Winman’s eccentric characters, humorous and touching narrative and unexpected arc offered the ideal lockdown antidote and, in a way, a reference for us as we reflect on our own pasts during this introspective time. The book spans London, Cornwall and New York, so there’s a touch of much-needed vicarious travel. JB

I’ve continued to be captivated by intriguing covid-19 personal and personality stories. Esquire examines if Didier Raoult, the Marseille doctor promoting hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to treat covid-19 is a “courageous doctor” or a charlatan. GQ has harrowing accounts from passengers and crew members who were aboard the coronavirus-plagued “Diamond Princess” cruise ship that was quarantined in the port of Yokohama. The Miami Herald found that more than 100,000 cruise ship workers remained stranded on board for weeks, unable to disembark and return home, and many said they stopped getting paid. AG

Something about confinement has brought out a nostalgic yearning in many of us, and so it is that I am thoroughly enjoying reading “Broken Greek” by Pete Paphides. His memoir of a 1970s childhood in Britain and his teenage years in the 80s resonates not only because it examines how he found his own identity distinct from the influence of his Greek-Cypriot parents, but also because he filters so much of his life experience through the pop music of the time. It is a well-crafted, accessible read. As the strapline asks, “do you sometimes feel like the music you’re hearing is explaining your life to you?” DR

Essential viewing

There were several smug comedy lockdown videos this month which had me truly laughing out loud, at times when the lockdown was most wearing my nerves thin. Upon a friend’s suggestion, I watched UK comedian Anna Morris’ smug lockdown video—only to see her upstage herself in another smug video. Then there’s also the talented Madelaine Turner, who creatively shows us how to survive a global pandemic, in the style of Wes AndersonNG

I’m not an endurance cyclist but I don’t think you have to be to enjoy “Inspired to Ride, now showing on Amazon Prime. This 2015 documentary follows a handful of people participating in the first edition of the Trans Am Bike Race in 2014, a self-supported race that spans 4,233 miles from the west to the east coast of the USA. Insights into the psychology of these competitive riders, who barely sleep, was fascinating, particularly Juliana Buhring, who finished fourth overall and was the first woman to arrive at the finish. Buhring grew up in the “Children of God” cult, which she later escaped and cites as one of the reasons she got into endurance cycling. The kicker for me was one Australian rider who participated to mark the anniversary of the “I have a dream” speech, and was killed in a hit-and-run before completing the trail. JB

The second season of “Dead To Me” is a sublime guilty pleasure trip. The more ridiculous and implausible the cliffhanger plot becomes, the more the show relies on the wonderful black comedy performances Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as the two women who have bonded over the deaths of their respective husbands. Somehow, as pure escapism, it provides for compelling, literally car crash, viewing. DR

Listen to this

One of the many satisfying things about podcasts is good ones can be made anywhere, anytime, that includes lockdown. BBC Radio 4’s comedy corona-cast Now Wash Your Hands is proof of this. Jon Holmes, Jake Yapp, Salma Shah and Natt Tapley, plus home-bound guests, exchange light-hearted banter and comment on quirks of the new normal in this podcast recorded from their respective mattress cabins.  They hit the ground running at the beginning of April and are a real tonic for these testing times. I hate to say it, but it’s one reason I don’t want lockdown to end. JB

Badly Drawn Boy’s “Banana Skin Shoes” is likely to be the soundtrack of my summer. Damon Gough is back to his very best. Sheer joy permeates the record, even in its more personal and despairing songs. Stick on this album and you’ll be dancing around your kitchen with a big daft grin on your face. Highlights include a stomping paean to Manchester’s favourite son (and the city itself), “Tony Wilson Said” and the soaring, brass- and strings-infused “I Need Someone to Trust”, which is a fantastic heartfelt slice of self-empowerment. DR

Go local

My new favourite place for fresh, locally grown fruits and veg is Letz Grow. Prior to the pandemic, the bulk of their produce was supplied to restaurants, but during lockdown they switched gears and have been busy supplying more to individual consumers. Apart from the excellent quality—especially their herbs, mushrooms and wide range of spicy peppers—they occasionally also have plants available for sale. Their Facebook community is wonderful too, not just from buyers, but Letz Grow also follow up with frost warnings and other gardening tips. They recently announced plans for a pop-up shop, set to open in June, where they will also sell other local products that share their philosophy. NG

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