Kia ora Friends,
Renee here, back again with another uplifting check-in from BDS. In case you missed the message in your inbox, we've updated the important information for book groups here on our website. Rest assured (even though we know where you live) we will not be sending in the heavies to collect overdue books during this time, so you can all relax! To help you with that, this newsletter is full of things to read, watch, listen to, eat, drink, smile at, and win — because you all deserve some healthy distraction. Enjoy!
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Read
I promised you distraction, so I will give you distraction. Have you ever read a book and then taken a deep dive into all the other related content you could possibly find? You watched the movie, listened to the podcasts, discovered there was a Netflix special, trawled the internet for articles about the author, or read up on the book's time period or subject matter. I love a good deep dive, so I thought I'd share a few of my BDS reads that have left me wanting more!
Bad Blood (NF) — The story of Elizabeth Holme's bio-tech start-up, Theranos, almost defies reality as one of the biggest corporate frauds in recent U.S. history. But perhaps the craziest part in Holme's saga of lies is yet to come, as she prepares to go to trial at the end of this month for her crimes. Drama!
- Listen to the podcast: The Drop Out (includes a new series that will cover the trial)
- John Carreyrou, investigative journalist and author of Bad Blood, is also starting his own podcast to cover the trial: Bad Blood: The Final Chapter.
- Read this interesting New York Times article about the (not-so-great) legacy Theranos has left for other female-led bio-tech start-ups.
- Watch the documentary: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (available on Neon and Amazon Prime.)
Becoming (NF) — Full disclosure: I'm a big fan of The Obamas (you can read my review of Becoming in the Staff Picks section of the BDS website), but I believe this is an important read for anyone: The story of the first black FLOTUS (and POTUS) in a nation with a dark history of slavery and racism that continues to permeate the present day deserves all the bandwidth it can get in my opinion.
- Whether you've read the book already or not, the audiobook is worth a listen. Michelle narrates her own story, making it feel super personal and authentic.
- Watch the Netflix documentary of the same name. It's a nice companion piece for those who've read the book.
- Listen to Michelle's own podcast: Higher Ground, which is less about politics and more about relationships.
- Or, like I did, get lost in googling some of Michelle's greatest outfits of all time — it's style paradise.
American Dirt (F) — I read this during the first lockdown (when we actually had time to grab a stack of books before leaving the office) #perksofthejob. While a work of fiction, it follows a real geographical route used by migrants seeking a better life in the US. I Google-mapped each location to check the characters' progress toward safety and then took a deep dive into some of the controversy around this book:
Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings (F, NZ) — Sometimes a work of fiction can open a door to a subject you might not have otherwise encountered or found appealing. Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings gave me insight into Aotearoa's colonial history, raised questions of my own cultural identity and piqued my interest in the peaceful Moriori people of The Chatham Islands.
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Eat
Last week I shared gumbo, a dish with a lot of flavour, but also a lot of ingredients. While I can hand-on-heart say that dish is worth the effort of sourcing the andouille sausage, this week I thought I'd share a simple classic: Tarte tatin. Braeburn or Granny Smith apples work well in this dish, and all the other ingredients you probably already have in your fridge or pantry. Enjoy!
PRO TIP
While you can just use store-bought pastry, it really is better if you make your own. Do it a day ahead and make the most of this time at home.
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Drink
In keeping with the apple-ish vibes of our dessert, I'm recommending we all try a glass of this Hot Spiced Gin & Apple Punch — the second on the list of these eight hot gin cocktail recipes.
While the sun is currently shining here in Christchurch and we're all making the most of our daily neighbourhood walks, we New Zealanders know that one day's good weather is no indication of what tomorrow will bring. So, if you've previously thought of gin as more of a summer drink, now you know you can enjoy it year-round!
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Cryptic Challenge
Each week, our manager, Barbara Brown (who is also the author of the cryptics in the Your Weekend section of The Press, Dominion and Waikato Times newspapers) is providing you with a cryptic clue, the answer to which is a title from the BDS catalogue. Email Renee (that's me) your answer and go in the draw to win a mystery parcel of five pre-read books!
Last week's answer explained:
Party I slander without hesitation because it’s a BDS book of fiction (5,6)
Answer: Green Island
A charade clue: Green = party [the green party], I = I, sland = slander without ‘er’ [hesitation]
Congratulations to Jill Judson, winner of our first Mystery Parcel!
Your cryptic clue for Wed 25 Aug is:
Rugby forwards followed the artist briefly to get the porridge thief and a BDS book (10)
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(comic relief from the 1:00pm updates)
Renee and the BDS Team
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