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

As we are finding it difficult to travel at the moment, we need to get our vacation fix in other ways – especially when it comes to eating the local food. Street Food: Latin American on Netflix therefore sounds like just the ticket! Street Food is a culinary docuseries that allows viewers to go on an excursion around the world. The first series concentrated on Asia; the second series now journeys around Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, showcasing street food vendors and the national dishes that mean so much to them. This is one of the best food series on Netflix and is from the same team as the equally excellent Chef’s Table. You can definitely whet a virtual appetite and satisfy your travel bug, as episodes cover everything from tacos to choripán , showing that you don’t necessarily need to travel to appreciate good food. The series is available from 21 July.

GET THE POPCORN FOR THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

Marie Curie almost didn’t receive her Nobel Prize. The committee wanted to award it to her husband and scientific partner, Pierre, as they couldn’t believe a woman was able to make important scientific discoveries. And she then went on to win it again, the only person in history to do so. Marie’s life is now portrayed in Radioactive, the fascinating true story starring Rosamund Pike. The film follows Marie’s work as she fights to use laboratories and secure funding, discovering radium and polonium, and ultimately changing the face of science forever. It also shows her dealing with the tragic loss of Pierre and her affair with physicist Paul Langevin. Radioactive is released on Amazon Prime on 24 July. 


SETTLE IN WITH A CUP OF TEA AND READ THIS:

What to Watch, Read and Listen To

You wouldn’t immediately think that a book set against the backdrop of the Bubonic Plague in late 16th century England would be overly enjoyable – until you read Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, that is. The book is a fictionalised account of William Shakespeare and the death of his son Hamnet in 1596. Around 1600 Shakespeare writes his most famous play, Hamlet, a tragic hero based on his dead son’s name. O’Farrell’s book focuses on the boy’s mother, Agnes Hathaway, more commonly known as Anne, and of whom there are very few records. She was actually better known than Shakespeare at the time, as a renowned herbalist and healer, and is much older and pregnant with their first child when they marry. This is a wonderful book reimagining a familiar historical figure (Shakespeare is famous for leaving Anne his second best bed in his will) while never mentioning him by name – he is Agnes’ husband, the glove-maker’s son, the Latin tutor. The writing is beautiful and poignant, showing us each side of a parent’s loss and grief, and how they try to continue their lives afterwards in their own way.

CRANK UP THE VOLUME FOR THIS:What to Watch, Read and Listen ToEllie Goulding’s new album is her first since 2015 and is already a smash hit around the world since being released on 17 July, both on CD and via download. The double album Brightest Blue is her most complete work yet, and has won critical acclaim for showing an honest and heartfelt side to the pop singer. Side A is personal yet full of positive self-affirmations, while Side B, named EG.0, is more dramatic, featuring collaborations with Diplo and the late Juice Wrld. Goulding’s voice is more than capable of moving swiftly and easily from 80s synth-pop to church soul to piano-only ballads and much more. Brightest Blue is a sleek offering of infectious summer hits.


Author: Sarah Palmer

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