Current reads
Elif Shafak's elegant, powerful manifesto "How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division" only takes about an hour to read, but it's packed with poignant anecdotes and wisdom on escaping our looping, divisive echo chambers. She encourages us not to fear our negative emotions linked to the times we're living in but calls on all of us to foster more generosity and understanding. NG
Daisy Johnson’s “Sisters” is an atmospheric psychological thriller, which--at under 200 pages--can be devoured in a single sitting. Teenage sisters July and September, born just ten months apart, are moved by their mother to a desolate cottage on the Yorkshire coast after a mysterious incident at their old school. The family’s unsettled past is revealed only in fragments and the reader must piece together the present secrets in similar--disturbing--fashion. CS
Digital highlights
Scottish actor David Tennant last year launched a podcast--under the creative title David Tennant Does a Podcast With...--which he resumed during the pandemic. The second season is already wrapped up but you can catch up on all the chats with artists like Judi Dench, George Takei, Elizabeth Moss, Dan Levy and others. Filled with anecdotes, charm and insight into acting and art, it’s a good listen to dip in and out of. CS
Not normally a fan of true crime podcasts, I was blindsided by “Wrong Skin”, an immersive investigation into the disappearance of an aboriginal couple in Western Australia, from The Age newspaper. Journalist Richard Baker guides you into the complexities of the tribal community in which the cold case is set in a way that feels fluid and always surprising. Even if there seems to be little justice in the end, it’s a sensitive piece of journalism which helps an isolated and neglected community to find its voice. JB
Listen to this
The National frontman Matt Berninger's "Serpetine Prison" is the perfect laid-back, forget-about-2020 album. Berninger’s baritone voice feels no frills, and tracks like "Take Me Out of Town" or the simple duet with Gail Ann Dorsey, "Silver Springs", are both sultry and escapist. The Future Islands remix of "One More Second" (original below) is also worth a listen. NG
Sammy Rae & The Friends released their debut EP “The Good Life” back in 2018 but I discovered their music only this month through the magic of Instagram. A skilful blend of jazz, rock and folk, Rae pairs clever lyrics with an upbeat sound that is just the right tonic against the drab winter that awaits. CS
West Yorkshire band Working Men’s Club (on the wonderful Heavenly Recordings label) have made a joyous and often nostalgic debut album that delves into electronic dance without forgetting the quartet’s guitar pop roots. For a band fronted by an 18-year old, Sydney Minsky-Sargeant, Working Men’s Club have a great knowledge of the best music from the 80s, with hints of New Order and Pulp and Human League smoothly blended with elements of that decade’s Detroit and Chicago house scenes. Watch the video for album opener ‘Valleys’. DR
Essential viewing
Financial drama gets good reviews: I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m planning to catch “Industry”, a BBC/HBO drama that follows the first-year intake at a fictional American investment bank in London. “Bank workers I have spoken to recognise parts of their existence,” read the Financial Times review. GQ explained how much of the dialogue and plotlines were “authentic”. AG
I wrote my bachelor thesis on hashtag activism, social change and the Larry Nassar scandal, and I wish Athlete A had already been on Netflix back then, as the documentary offers an informative general overview on how the USA Gymnastics scandal unfolded under the #MeToo movement after decades of abuse went unchallenged. Certainly not an easy watch, but a really important one, in my opinion. LF
For foodies
With restaurants closed once again under the partial lockdown, I urge you to try Yves Radelet’s (pictured above) gourmet takeaway service. With a different (very affordable) 3-course menu every week, there’s always a new dish to explore and the presentation is always a 10, even in the little takeaway containers. Big bonus: Yves and his team are super lovely when you pick up your food at one of the designated meeting points. So what’s stopping you? Bon appétit! LF