Irish author Eoin Colfer imagined Artemis Fowl as a 12-year-old James Bond villain in a battle with the fairy underworld. The eight books starring the teen criminal mastermind have millions of fans, and there is now a film version directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film release was delayed by lockdown and was finally released directly … Continue reading “My Name is Artemis, Artemis Fowl”
Jon Stewart honed the art of satire on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Now he’s left the presenting to Trevor Noah, he has turned his satire on the U.S. political system and its finances in a new film, Irresistible. It stars Steve Carrell as a political strategist for the Democratic Party who persuades an ex-Marine … Continue reading “The “Irresistible” Election Machine”
The June 22 edition of The New Yorker has been released, and the illustrated cover is devoted to the history of violence inflicted on black people in the United States. Entitled ‘Say Their Names’, the powerful illustration features George Floyd, the US citizen recently killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. It shows his body … Continue reading “The latest New Yorker cover pays tribute to black lives lost”
A new BBC film tells the true story of one man’s experience of being told that after 50 years he no longer had the right to live in the UK. They are known as the Windrush Generation: people who were born in British colonies who were invited to come and help Britain rebuild after WWII. … Continue reading “The Human Face of the Windrush Scandal”
On the Come Up is the second novel written by Angie Thomas, after The Hate U Give. It is set in the same universe. Angie Thomas tells us a powerful coming-of-age story about hip-hop, freedom of speech and fighting for your dreams. The story features Bri, a 16-year-old African American girl trying to overcome obstacles … Continue reading “Book Notes: On the Come Up “
The Hate U Give (THUG for short) was published in 2017. The setting, events, and characters of this coming-of-age story are largely inspired by Thomas’s own life. It was a number-one New York Times Best Seller, made the 2017 National Book Award Longlist, and was adapted into a movie in 2018. The protagonist is Starr Carter, a … Continue reading “Book Notes: The Hate U Give”
May 2020 marks the return of the most popular young adult dystopian series. Suzanne Collins brings us back to Panem with a new book. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel which takes place 64 years before the events the first trilogy. 10 years since Suzanne Collins published the first book in the … Continue reading “Book Notes: Return to the Hunger Games!”
Joe Sacco has been creating works of comic non-fiction for more than two decades, illustrating conflict, war and human atrocity through the medium of graphic art. For his latest book — “Paying the Land”—Joe Sacco travels to the Arctic regions of Canada and tells us the history of the Dene Nation, an indigenous people living … Continue reading “Comic Notes: Joe Sacco “Paying the Land””
What more pleasant way to pass the time while practising listening to English? The Harry Potter website, Wizarding World, is having some famous faces and voices read the chapters of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The readings were kicked off by none other than Harry himself: actor Daniel … Continue reading “Harry Potter Reads Harry Potter”
Watch the video to find out what was happening in the world of popular music in 1967.