A list of good reads
Two culinary reads: Krish Ashok in Mint has a very useful science-driven guide to cooking various types of dals. Raul Dias in The Hindu offers a fascinating—if slightly gory—guide to the use of animal blood as an ingredient in cuisines around the world (including India).
Two sports reads: Indians excel in chess championships at the global level. Ajith Kumar in The Hindu asks: So why haven’t we produced another Viswaanathan Anand yet?
Sports Illustrated profiles Siphiwe Baleka—a Yale-educated 50-year old truck driver who is aiming to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, and just might make it.
Movie reads:
- Film critic Michael Musto in LongReads offers a wry look at the perils of befriending celebrities.
- What makes a movie so bad it’s good? The Guardian looks for answers to this puzzle.
- Is ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’ must-watch trash or substandard garbage? Hindustan Times offers two articulate, concise and opposing views (which will save time otherwise spent on meandering reviews).
On words and writing:
- Mukul Kesavan in The Telegraph penned a delightful column on reading James Joyce’s unreadable ‘Ulysses’—with the help of technology.
- 1843 Magazine looks at workplace buzzwords in 2020—from zumping to toxic productivity.
- Michael Maar In New Left Review writes on why adjectives matters—contrary to what Hemingway devotees may claim.
- Mashable reports on how Gen Z is reclaiming the word ‘bimbo’.
Life stories:
- Buzzfeed News has a must-read profile (plus photos) of photographer Hannah Kozak. Her mother left her father for a man who would one day beat her so badly that she now suffers from damage. This is a moving story about violence, reconciliation and, above all, love (between a parent and a child).
- Kea Krause in The Believer offers a brief but funny review of a pregnancy tracking app.
- Forbes has a must-read on the last days Tony Hsieh—the greatly respected founder of Zappos. It is not the usual story about great wealth or achievement, but of loneliness, mental health and addiction.
