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Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
5 books to read when you are sick, sad, and stuck in bed
(Written by Manpreet Walia) The rain is wreaking havoc and you are coughing as though there is no tomorrow. Warily you apply for sick leave, and unenthusiastically, your manager approves. But now what? You are rotting in bed, regretting that this sick day could not be used for something a little more…glamorous. You want to do something, achieve something, make this leave count. So you brave this storm, and crawl (like the brave little soldier you are) to your bookshelf and ask your work-from-home partner to make you a hot cup of cocoa. You bury yourself under the weight of the sheets, tissues scattered like tragic confetti and prop yourself up just enough to read. You open the book, breathe it in, turn to the foreword and nope, not the vibe. Because of course, reading A Little Life when it feels like you have very little life left after coughing up your lungs is not the best idea. This is why I (from one serial cougher to another) have put together a list of the top five comfort reads for when you are sick, sore, and in desperate need of a story that hugs like vapourub. These books are warm, healing, and oh-so-soothing, just what the doctor ordered. A whimsical, tender-hearted fantasy novel about a rule-following caseworker Linus Baker who is sent on a highly classified mission by the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. His task is to assess whether a remote orphanage housing six 'dangerous' magical children poses a threat to the world or not. But when Linus arrives at the seaside house, everything he knows begins to change and so does he. This book feels like a warm hug. The writing is gentle and funny, the characters become your old friends, and the ending feels like watching the sun break through after a rainstorm. This story follows August Pullman (Auggie), a boy born with a facial difference, as he navigates starting school for the first time in fifth grade. Told through multiple perspectives, the book shows how Auggie's life ripples into many other lives. In all honesty, this book gently holds your hand but it also does not shy away from sadness or awkwardness, but it leads with warmth. It is the literary version of a hand-knitted scarf that wraps around you and makes you feel just a little bit better. Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of distraction and a few pages of Agatha Christie. You want something clever but not too intense, it is then when you reach out to this classic. As the legendary detective Hercule Poirot finds a passenger dead on The Orient Express trapped in snow, everyone becomes his suspect. The mystery is smart but not stressful, and the pace is just right for those suffering from a heavy head. When your body is aching and your mood is a little grey, A Man Called Ove becomes that mug of warm lemon-honey water only your grandma could perfectly make for you. In the book we follow Ove, a grumpy old man with strict routines, a short fuse, and zero patience for, well, pretty much anything. But as the story unfolds, so does Ove. Frederick Backman's words are laugh-out-loud funny at times and devastating at others, but are always infused with a lot of heart. Believe me if you must, by the time you turn the last page, you'll feel a little less sick and a lot more whole (some). This Korean coming-of-age novel follows Yunjae, a boy born with a condition called alexithymia, which makes it hard for him to identify and express emotions. His world is carefully put into place by his mother and grandmother until a tragic event that displaces everything. As Yunjae slowly opens himself up to friendship, pain, and love – so do you. Almond doesn't demand much, sometimes just a cough gremlin like you that it can spend some time with and heal by the end of it. (The writer is social media strategist with
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
3 Under-the-Radar Brands That Are Making Stylish Clothing With Soul
It's no wonder that 'gatekeeping' has emerged as one of the year's biggest flexes. The pleasure of enjoying a place or a product, unspoiled, has become an increasingly elusive luxury. In an era when your favorite local watering hole is just one Instagram post away from being overrun by influencers and most designer items are indistinguishable without their logos, how else could we respond than by going in search of goods with soul? Fortunately, a new crop of designers is poised to deliver such rarefied clothes and accessories. And because they run small, bootstrap operations, you needn't fear a regime change and dramatic aesthetic shifts every few seasons. Some of them are trained designers, others are not, but what they all have in common is a deep appreciation for their roots, a respect for craft, and a customer base distinguished by confidence in their own personal style. More from Robb Report Meet the Speed Brokers That Will Help You Drive 200 MPH-Legally Meet the Bush Pilots That Navigate Alaska's Most Perilous Terrain The Orient Express's First Hotel Just Opened in the Heart of Rome Best of Robb Report The 25 Greatest Independent Watchmakers in the World The 10 Most Expensive Watches Sold at Auction in the 21st Century (So Far) 11 Stunning Jewelry Moments From the 2020 Oscars Click here to read the full article. It would be difficult not to be taken by the stunning photos of Justina Socas and Clément Le Coz's stylish wedding in Argentina five years ago. 'We wanted everything to be perfect and true to our DNA,' Le Coz says. La Promesa, the Paris-based couple's two-year-old collection of his-and-her tailoring inspired by the traditional gaucho suit the groom wore for the occasion, is as timeless, distinctive, and full of romance as their nuptials. Thanks to a former Balenciaga patternmaker and a few tweaks to the original suit (longer jackets, flat-front trousers that take their cues from vintage designs), the first samples—rendered in butter-yellow corduroy—signaled that the duo were aiming to do something different. Jackets start at about $1,190, but the clothes aren't all you get. 'Fifty percent of the product is the experience,' adds Le Coz, noting that in the showroom, customers are greeted with tea served in Imolarte ceramics accompanied by 'Christofle silverware, Argentine alpaca trays, and traditional French pastries.' Le Coz and Socas aren't simply selling things to wear, they're selling a dream—and garments as cinematic and special as the experiences they curate through their bespoke travel agency, Le Coup de Foudre. At a passing glance, it might seem that the creative director of this Rome-based atelier looked to India or China for inspiration for her line of band-collar jackets and dresses featuring frog closures. But their genesis is, in fact, much closer to home. The look is actually 'quite old-school Roman,' says Camilla Voci, explaining that the sheer reach of the empire resulted in a melting pot of aesthetic influences. Style names and the color palette also take their cues from the Eternal City: Take the Tyrolean-influenced Costantino cashmere jacket (about $920) or the Aureliano, a single-breasted, peak-lapel jacket (about $2,700). In addition to the local tailors who produce the designs using mainly Italian deadstock fabrics, Voci has also collaborated with Calabrian ceramicists and a bespoke-lampshade maker on a range of home items that further channel the artisanal vibe. Don't be deterred by the private Instagram account. For founder Olivia Schuler-Voith-Albers-Schönberg, a trained costume designer, privacy is one of the most underrated luxuries. This ethos extends to the 'models' she works with, many of them close friends, who are often photographed in colorful crochet ski masks and sunglasses to direct your focus toward the clothes themselves. Their whimsical aesthetic is deeply rooted in Swiss craft and tradition, offering an alternative to trend chasing in an era when 'everyone looks the same, smells the same, dresses the same, and lives in similar interiors, because everyone has the same references,' she says. The psychedelic-painted shutters found in her native Switzerland inspired the brand's sunray-like logo, which also crops up as a lining in Austrian-style jackets (from about $1,780) and 'evening pajamas' (from about $1,410). Though select items are available online, knowledge of the brand has spread mostly by word of mouth in and around St. Moritz; Schuler-Voith-Albers-Schönberg recently opened a showroom there offering bespoke and custom options. This fall, she'll launch her first home collection.
