To stave off possible boredom while at home, every week Marhaba delves in to the wonderful world of popular culture to find the best new TV series, movies, books and music.

BINGE WATCH THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

One of the surprise hits of the summer so far is Warrior Nun, available now on Netflix. The show centres around Ava Silva, a 19-year-old paraplegic woman who wakes up in a morgue with superpowers and a religious artefact fixed to her back, as you do. It turns out she is now a Halo Bearer and part of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, an ancient sect of warrior nuns fighting demons on Earth. Not only that, but both heaven and hell want to find her for their own nefarious purposes. Netflix has a ‘habit’ of taking ridiculous concepts and turning it into must-watch TV – Warrior Nun is another one to add to the list.

GET THE POPCORN FOR THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

The enduring, lovable Addams Family is back on the big screen, this time in animated form. The Addams Family is a 2019-movie, now available on OSN as part of their summer family line-up. This black comedy stars the voices of Oscar Isaac (Gomez), Charlize Theron (Morticia), Chloe Grace Moretz (Wednesday), Finn Wolfhard (Pugsley), Nick Kroll (Uncle Fester), Snoop Dogg (Cousin Itt) and Bette Middler (Grandmama), with a number of guest appearances such as Allison Janney and Martin Short. The loving family are forced to relocate to a very unremarkable neighbourhood, where they must try and conceal their eccentricities so as to not bring attention to themselves. However, 13 years later they need to assemble the family for the traditional Addams coming-of-age ceremony. And here is where the trouble begins, in the form of TV personality Margaux Needler (Allison Janney), but of course the Addams deal with it in their own unique, funny way. Old and new fans will thoroughly enjoy this new interpretation of an iconic classic.

SETTLE IN WITH A CUP OF TEA AND READ THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

Keeping with the supernatural theme, this week sees the release of Peace Talks by Jim Butcher, the 16th book in the Dresden Files series. Highly awaited by fans, who have had to wait six years for the next instalment, the book finds the services of Chicago’s first (and only) professional wizard Harry Dresden are once again required. He joins the White Council’s security team overseeing the negotiation talks between the supernatural nations of the world. However, where there is good, there must be evil. Political intrigue, drama, action, magic, vampires, and demons – it’s all there. You don’t need to have read the preceding 15 books to enjoy Peace Talks, but you are urged to do so, as this is one of the best contemporary fantasy/mystery series written. The release date of 14 July coincides with the 20th anniversary of the first book, Storm Front.

CRANK UP THE VOLUME FOR THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

It’s fair to say that K-pop is massive at the moment. One of the biggest bands is BTS, who has dominated the music scene recently with a sellout world tour, a performance at The 62nd Grammy Awards in January – the first Korean act in the show’s history – and the Dear Class of 2020, Barack and Michelle Obama’s virtual graduation event. Now they are releasing their first Japanese album in two years on 14 July, Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey ~, a look back at the pop phenomenon’s seven year journey, from their debut in 2013 to the present day via success and hardship. This is the band’s eighth album and their fourth in Japanese, and which will have Japanese version of tracks from previous albums, as well as four new, original songs. The album will be released digitally first, followed by an astonishing eight limited editions on 7 August (hurrah!), available now for pre-order. Get yours and join the BTS ARMY!


Author: Sarah Palmer

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