THISMONTH …
THISMONTH
We’ re watching …
OZARK
A darkly comic drama that’ s inescapably binge-watchable, Ozark stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to the Ozarks – a summer resort community in rural Missouri. On the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, the family’ s safety hangs in the balance and the dire circumstances that continue to surround them force the fractured unit to come together. Violent, but not gratuitously so; sexy, but not seedy; and often very funny, Ozark is really well written and brilliantly acted. www. netflix. com
We’ re reading …
SHANTARAM BY GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS
Based on the extraordinary true story of eight years spent by the book’ s author, Gregory David Roberts, in the Bombay underworld, Shantaram is a beautifully crafted adventure novel. Set in the early 80s, when Roberts himself was an armed robber and heroin addict escaped from an Australian prison to India where he lived in a Bombay slum, the novel documents his incredible journey across an epic 936 pages full of seemingly impossible twists and turns. Now 14 years old, the book has lost neither its allure nor its storytelling power and has become a pilgrimage for many, which, upon reading, you will soon understand why.
From £ 7.49, www. amazon. co. uk
We’ re overexcited about …
HALLOWEEN
Thought to have begun as a mix of two separate traditions – the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Catholic celebration of All Saints ' Day – there’ s just something about Halloween. Perhaps it’ s because it really cements the end of summer and the start of glorious autumn. Perhaps because it provides a darker and more mysterious alternative to the equally brilliant but saccharine sweet charms of Christmas. Or maybe we’ re just big kids and we love the idea of getting dressed up and roaming the streets soaking up the ghoulish atmosphere. Whatever it is, we’ re sold – the history is cool, the social aspect is fun, the music and films associated with it are amazing … and there’ s sweets; what’ s not to love?
We’ re listening to …
LORDE – MELODRAMA
Singled out by the late, great David Bowie as“ the future of music”, Lorde first piqued the attention of music lovers with her debut album, Pure Heroine, back in 2013. A New Zealander, she lacked the ruthlessness and over-polished‘ in your face’ attitude of America’ s pop princesses, which, ironically, only served to heighten the interest surrounding her. Ironically again, she now resides in New York, the growling belly of the overinflated world of superstardom she so beautifully eye-rolled in her debut hit,‘ Royals’… that said, this second album, though clearly more influenced by the industry at large, is still as husky, observant and, well, pleasingly weird, as one would expect from Lorde and it doesn’ t disappoint. https:// lorde. co. nz
We’ re eating …
RAW HALO CHOCOLATE
Raw Halo is a start-up brand with big ambitions to become the world’ s best-loved luxury raw chocolate brand and they’ re well on their way with 12 divine varieties of raw, organic, refined-sugarfree chocolate to their name and an ever-evolving range soon to be released. Inspired by the search for a good quality raw chocolate product that wasn’ t loaded with additives or nasty sugar alternatives, instead, Raw Halo combines superfoods with rich Peruvian cacao to create six‘ Mylk’ and six‘ Dark’ healthy twists on your favourite chocolate combinations- think decadent Dark + Lemon and Pink Himalayan Salt, and moreish Mylk + Goji Berries and Vanilla. Delicious. www. rawhalo. com
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