By Cydneii Lung’aho
As we start a new month, there’s no better time to introduce our new series: What’s New in the Newsroom. Each week we’ll be focusing on what our staff are loving in literature, music, movies, fashion, sports, and more. And as the city begins blooming with the promise of spring, I thought there’s no better place to start than books.
After another cold and cosy winter, my bookshelf has gotten more full and I couldn’t help but notice the bags of my colleagues filled with books too!
Lately our Fashion Editor, Aliyah Rahma, has been into The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro.
She said: “The story’s backdrop is the Isabella Gardner Museum Heist, and it’s about a painter who’s known for forging high quality paintings and has to forge one of the stolen art pieces. I picked this book up at a thrift store and thought it had a really good premise and I do like art history to an extent. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but I think that this is an easy-read for those who want an easy book to go through.”
Photo by Aliyah Rahma
For a quick break between books, our Film Editor Maria Pedrosa has been flipping through February Vogue.
She said: “I enjoy the feature interviews, especially last month’s between Hugh Grant and Renee Zelleweger, the editor’s recommendations, and staying on top of fashion trends. There’s just no better place to get all that.”
Photo by Cydneii Lung’aho
Kim Tran, our resident Culture Queen, recently started The Handmaid’s Tale, which focuses on a dystopian society where birth rates are extremely low and women are forced into producing children for high status families.
“I find it interesting to read so far! Offred’s perspective really draws you in and her experience is described so vividly you feel as if you’re there too,” she said.
“It does have sensitive content so I would warn people if you can’t handle it to be aware, but it’s more of the book’s purpose to be a social commentary which I like.”
If you’re looking for something closer to reality, Margaret Atwood’s most notable work may be the perfect pick.
Tran said: “You can find lots of parallels between the book and today’s world. I would definitely recommend if you’re into dystopian fantasy that’s thought provoking and makes you tether to life.”
Ed’s Note: Watch out for Season 6, coming soon.
Photos by Cydneii Lung’aho
Keeping on the trend of books based on the real-world, our Features Editor Mhia Vignoulle is reading La Veritable Histoire D’Harrison Travis.
A new favourite of hers, she said: “Based on a true story, it explains the adventure of Harrison Travis, a man who decided to run away and choose freedom for himself at 16 years old. Raised in a trailer with an alcoholic mother, Travis had to find his own way to provide food when he was only a child. This led him to steal for survival, subsequent complications with the police, and managing to steal and pilot a plane, against all odds, by himself.”
A true page-turner, Vignoulle said: “I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who can read French, enjoys immersive adventure and suspense.”
Photo by Cydneii Lung’aho
I caught up with Molly Madden, one of our sub-editors, who’s been reading Normal People by Sally Rooney.
The popular TV show inspired by the novel, got Madden reading and has had her hooked ever since.
“I watch the TV show at least twice a year and sort of block out the extreme sadness. I’m a big TV watcher, but not a big reader but this is a great book for cosy nights in or sunny days out!
“Normal People talks love, growing up, and adulting with plenty of drama and feelings to keep you just as interested. And, I love Paul Mescal!”
Photo by Molly Madden
Unlike my peers, I recently finished Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm, the third book in her series Fourth Wing. I’ll admit that this book took me much longer than the previous two and that was because I didn’t want the series to end. Rest assured, Yarros has me all but begging on bended knee for the next book now.
If you haven’t yet heard of the series, it is one I’d highly recommend! A bit more fantastical, the book still boasts action-packed romance filled with lovable characters, beautifully written world building, ridiculous decisions (by, said characters), and enough drama to keep you coming back for more.
Photo by Cydneii Lung’aho
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