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.
souk picks