Latest news with #youngAdult
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My brother was an early Diddy 'victim'... the warning signs were there from the start
Dirk Swain was on his first night out after escaping what should have been certain death. The 20-year-old had just recovered from being shot in the head after a college football game - and finally felt ready to embrace his second chance at life.
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Books we're reading and loving in June: The Unfinished is a gripping teen mystery, but adults will love it
Each week, Globe and Mail staffers and readers share what they're reading now, whether it's a hot new release or an old book they're discovering for the first time. Tell me about a book you loved and we might publish your recommendation. Fill out this form, or send your book recommendation to Lara Pingue at lpingue@ Globe staffers share their favourite Canadian books Spring books 2025 preview: 37 must-reads The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs is marketed for teens and young adults, although this senior loved it and has recommended it to her similarly mature book-club members. It's a gripping mystery about what happens when a friend goes missing and a curious bookstore employee who, with the help of her Mohawk elders, uncovers long-forgotten disappearances in the town. Although not Mohawk myself, perhaps the reference to elders is part of the novel's appeal to me. Those who indulge in 'forest bathing ' or simply enjoy hiking in forested areas may especially appreciate the vivid sensory aspects as the story unfolds. -Globe reader S. J. Meyer, Greensville, Ont. Direct Descendant is a dark fantasy about a modern mining town with a mysterious past, where the residents are acting strangely and the private investigator looking into a suicide doesn't quite understand what's happening around her. Readers will marvel at the original and weird community author Tanya Huff has created, and laugh at the snarky remarks she sprinkles throughout. There are mysteries to solve and a romance unfolding. The characters are fascinating and believable, even the extraordinary ones. This book is delightful, dramatic, enchanting and will hold your attention right to the end. I would love to read more about this fascinating town. - Globe reader Jane Garthson, Toronto A Communist for the RCMP by Dennis Gruending is a fascinating true-life story about how Canadian police spied on their own citizens. After a tipoff from a friend, Gruending came upon a banker's box of documents collected by Communist infiltrator and spy Frank Hadesbeck. Gruending put in countless hours and legwork to provide context to that find, and produced a book that reveals the thinking and emotion behind Cold War-era RCMP, which was suspicious of anything outside the status quo. While we may suspect surveillance in this modern age, Gruending reveals its chilling depth in Canada more than a half century ago. Hadesbeck the spy was a bit player, but Gruending's story reveals how many bits were just below the surface of those times and how they fit together. -Globe reader Vern Greenshields, Ottawa It's Mere Folly by Alfie Anfield follows the uproarious shenanigans of four retired businessmen – 'The Boys' – who discover corruption in their small-town community. With wry wit and tongue-in-cheek humour, the Boys find themselves up against a nefarious mayor, whose schemes are deflected by the retirees. This quick and quirky read covers fraud, blackmail and small-town gossip, and is full of snappy repartee and humour. (The follow-up book,Must Be Mere Folly, is a great read too.) -Globe reader Terry Jones, St. Albert, Alta. The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul by William Sieghart When tragedy struck at the Filipino festival in Vancouver last month, I turned to William Sieghart's The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul. In the role of 'pharmacist,' Sieghart offers reflections on a wide range of conditions from anxiety to displacement to the loss of elderly relatives, and matches a poem to each need. 'When we're grieving,' he explains, '... we long for the connection poetry can provide.' That led me to Elizabeth Jennings's poem Into the Hour, and her consoling words: 'Now, I speak its name. Grief finds its good way home.' This carefully curated collection has never failed me at times when I think there are no words. There are words. -Globe reader Victoria Miles, North Vancouver Ducks, Newburyport, Lucy Ellmann Clocking in at 1,000 pages and written almost entirely in a single sentence, Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport demands the reader's attention – and it rewards it, too. This is a mesmerizing, modern epic, delivered in a stream-of-consciousness that reveals the hopes and fears of an American mother. She frets about Donald Trump, men with guns, environmental degradation and the mountain lion running wild in her neighbourhood. The lion, tracking her cubs, plays into the theme of motherhood under siege by a cruel and indifferent society. Sounds grim, but it's a vibrant, analytical and witty read with a satisfying climax. Be warned: This book is heavy (literally and metaphorically), but it's worth the weight. -Globe reader Frank McGinn, Dartmouth As Canadians head into a federal election dominated by tariffs, housing and energy infrastructure, it's interesting to consider a core tenet of former prime minister Mackenzie King: He embraced speaking to the dead. King, the country's longest-serving prime minister, was no doubt the quirkiest. In King, biographer Allan Levine covers the former PM's life from birth to death, including his propensity for seances. The book highlights King's political dominance of the early to mid-20th century, and covers key political events, such as the King-Byng Affair and the Conscription Crisis of 1944. Through it all, King manoeuvred to keep Canada united. Spirits aside, here's a prognostication: This biography will be read by anyone who enjoys compelling Canadian politics. -Globe reader Mel Simoneau, Gatineau This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a funny, provocative and timely story of a family with four boys. When the parents try for a girl, they instead get Claude – another boy, but one who wants to be a girl. This is a great read for book clubs as it pulls out all the stops, and that's the author's point. We need to be able to talk in an open way, even if not a friendly one. A great starter book for readers wanting to know about transitioning and family love. -Globe reader Joanne McLachlan, Stayner, Ont. One of my favourite books is Francesca Duranti's The House on Moon Lake, a novel of less than 200 pages that's meatier than weightier tomes. It's one of the few novels that our book club spent more than an hour discussing. The prose is crystalline, making for a very easy read. On the face of it, it's a pretty simple story: A translator, Fabrizio Garrone, discovers a novel by a famous Austrian author which hasn't been translated. He figures this is his big chance for fame and fortune. The novel is about his journey to discovery, in more ways than one. But it's more than that. It's about relationships. It's about obsession. It's about love. It's about art becoming life. It's even a ghost story ... I think. -Globe reader Tim Schobert, Ottawa I've recently discovered the novels of the late Elizabeth Jane Howard, a brilliant writer who loved to experiment with form. Most recently, I read her 1999 book Falling, the story of a sociopathic man, Henry, and his seduction of a twice-divorced author, Daisy. Falling is semi-autobiographical, which probably explains its powerful psychological nuance and page-turning intrigue. Interestingly, Henry's point of view is told in first person, while Daisy's, in third, includes her letters and diary entries. This is a story as deep and tangled as a neglected garden in the Cotswolds. -Globe reader Sylvia Pollard, Victoria Genevieve Kingston's powerful memoir Did I Ever Tell You? tells the story of a mother's final gifts to her two young children while she prepares to succumb to late-stage breast cancer. During her final years, Kingston's mother compiled presents and letters for her kids to open on their future milestones – from birthdays to graduations to engagements and weddings – all to be opened when she would no longer be around. With each gift she opens, the author discovers an accompanying letter filled with her mother's wisdom and guidance. Kingston clings to these words as a source of connection to her mother, at the same time discovering more about her mother and what she was like as a woman. This is a gripping memoir about the legacy of enduring love. -Globe reader Kristi Kasper, Calgary As an immigrant, I have faced numerous challenges with effective communication within the Canadian workforce. So, when my friend Jen Mulan published her book, How to Speak to Anyone, it resonated profoundly with me. This book is an invaluable resource for introverts aspiring to communicate with confidence in both professional and social settings. Through engaging narratives and real-life examples, Jen illustrates that even those of us with naturally reserved dispositions, like myself, can evolve into effective communicators, regardless of cultural background. -Globe reader Nipun Kudi, Toronto Bonnie McGhie's memoir, Hard Landings, recounts her compelling experiences in the Canadian Arctic in the 1960s, where she and her husband launched a bush-flying service called Arctic Wings. She writes of the creativity and tenacity needed to overcome the dangers of flying in unthinkably harsh conditions; of caring for young children in makeshift surroundings and struggling to meet the demands of their growing businesses. McGhie also describes their world of great extremes and unusual beauty, and of becoming a trusted outsider among her Inuit neighbours, whose way of life was being eroded by damaging government policies. -Globe reader Lin Perceval, Surrey, B.C. My book club is called Reading for Well-Being because we focus on evidence-based reads that help to combat misinformation and disinformation about wellness and self-improvement. We're currently reading The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity by Catherine A. Sanderson, PhD. In her book, Sanderson demonstrates how our level of happiness, our physical health and even our longevity is connected to how we 'think' about ourselves, in other words, our mindset. I like this book because it is full of fairly straightforward strategies and the science behind them to positively shift your mindset for improved well-being. - Globe reader Joanna Pozzulo, Ottawa A novel that takes the messy, most uncomfortable facts of life – betrayal, honour, trust and of course the biggest one of them all, death – and toys with them in ways both nerve-wracking and heartbreaking, Spin Cycle will hang your soul out to dry. Following a high-school math teacher who is thrust into a caregiver role after his mother can no longer manage her own dementia, Alfredo Botello's sophomore novel is a darkly funny, intimate yet epic journey that will have you racing to pick up the phone and dial up every family member who you've been avoiding for one reason or another. There is a brutal truth coursing through Spin Cycle – we can all save ourselves and each other, if we only put in the effort – that will flatten you. -Globe and Mail film editor Barry Hertz 'People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball,' Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby once famously said. 'I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.' It's a great quote, but an awful waste of time. I tell you what I do when there's no baseball: I read books such as The Baseball Vault, a collection of baseball writing from the pages of Sports Illustrated. The late Hornsby was a curmudgeon, by the way, and he might complain that only six of the 46 terrific stories here date before 1990. He has a point. -Globe arts reporter Brad Wheeler Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer, one of Hitler's most influential ministers, was first published in 1969. I read it when I was 18 and again recently at 68. I wanted to fathom why political associates and constituents went along with a megalomaniacal leader. Written while Speer was in Spandau Prison for 20 years, he accepts responsibility for his own role in enabling a madman and offers a frightening glimpse of how people can be trained to concur with actions they know are wrong. The tome reveals the methods of a dangerous leader who was consumed with delusions of grandeur in an unscrupulous and deadly game of power. Fifty years after my first reading, this book is still as chilling – and timely – as it was when I was a teenager. -Globe reader Thelma Fayle, Victoria Sandra Birdsell's novel, Waiting for Joe, is a modern tale of human frailties, and all set in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; the descriptions of the Prairie cities are so vivid and refreshing to read. The novel tells the story of a couple trying to find their way through youth, marriage, employment failure and how they survive and move forward. Birdsell touches the soul with her deep understanding of human life. Not since Alice Munro have I read such strong depictions of daily life. -Globe reader Joyce Mylymok, North Saanich, B.C. In her debut novel The Berry Pickers, Canadian author Amanda Peters tells the gripping stories of Ruthie, a four-year-old Indigenous girl who disappears from the blueberry fields in Maine, and her brother, who's left to wrestle with the loss years later. The story takes readers across North America to places that may be familiar, from Ontario and Nova Scotia to Massachusetts. Some parts might feel a bit predictable, but Peters makes up for it with her deeply moving and nuanced writing. At its core, this book is about family, identity and the difficult but healing path to forgiveness. -Globe reporter Meera Raman Can the meaning of words change? In her new book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, journalist Carol Off examines how the meanings of six simple words – freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice and taxes – have shifted. The author contextualizes her work in the worldwide rise of the right, focusing on Canada. There has never been a more important time to learn about the scope of the influence of the wealthy far right, and to pay attention to language. This eye-opening book should be required reading for all Canadians. -Globe reader Lindsay Bryan, Welland, Ont. Tim Alberta's 2023 book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism is both a fascinating and sobering look at the extremist element of the U.S. religious right. The author, a political journalist, grew up in an Evangelist household himself and he puts that experience to good use here. With access to leading figures and thoughtful analysis, Alberta paints a clear picture of the energy and fear that fuels the religious right. This book offers vibrant insight into the despair, anger and division in the U.S. today. -Globe reader Margery Cartwright, Haliburton, Ont. Life and Fate is often called the War and Peace of the 20th century. The novel was written by Soviet-era writer and journalist Vasily Grossman, who witnessed the battle of Stalingrad in 1942-43. The story centres on the Shaposhnikov family and explores their lives during the period when violence, ideology, suffering and sacrifice were all at extremes. It's a realistic novel, and Grossman is able to capture the smell and sound of war through dozens of vignettes involving more than 150 fictional and historical characters. It's an emotional read – and at 850 pages, it's a book you should take your time with. - Globe reader Michael Minnes, Ancaster, Ont. The Magnolia Palace takes place against the backdrop of New York City's Frick mansion, the opulent house that contains the art collection of Henry Frick. Author Fiona Davis tells a story of two time periods: the 1920s, when the mansion is a family home, and the 1960s, when it's a museum. In each period, we meet strong women who struggle to survive and overcome the restrictions of their time. Romances and betrayals abound. This is a story of family, its conflicts and how wealth doesn't always bring happiness. The mansion itself becomes a character in the story – and like any interesting character, it has its secrets. -Globe reader Maureen Murray, Burlington, Ont.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Mara Brock Akil
Mara Brock Akil has a love story with Los Angeles that runs deep. She was born in Compton, raised in such neighborhoods as Baldwin Hills, Windsor Hills and Ladera Heights, and now resides in Hancock Park. So when she set out on her latest creative project, a TV adaptation of Judy Blume's 1975 novel "Forever...," she knew she had to set it the City of Angels. shar'We kept saying we're telling a love story within a love letter to Los Angeles,' said the screenwriter and executive producer best known for the series 'Girlfriends' and "Being Mary Jane." Akil's new series, which premiered on Netflix on Thursday, centers on the love story between Justin Edwards and Keisha Clark, Black high school seniors in 2018 Los Angeles. 'We're a very diverse city, but we are still separated within our neighborhoods,' she said. 'I want people to get used to seeing Justins and Keishas in L.A. and make room for them as they try to discover each other.' The showrunner said her 'muse' was her eldest son, Yasin Akil, 21, and her relationship with him. Read more: They are 'Forever': Meet Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr., your new favorite YA couple 'My impetus to write this, [which] I think [was] the same as Judy," Akil said, "is I want to make space for my children to have a normal rite of passage to understand who they are, how they make that leap from familial love to their first decision around romantic love and friendship love, and before they move into the next realm of their lives." When Akil isn't on set, her ideal Sunday takes her from her home in Hancock Park to art studios downtown and local bookshops in Ladera Heights. As her work on 'Forever' has taught her, 'You can stay in your bubble or you can sort of venture out. And if you venture out, I think you'll be a better Angeleno.' This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 7 a.m.: Hot girl walk On my dream Sunday, I'm waking up at 7 a.m. when the city is quiet. There are going to be dog walkers, but there's something so luscious about the stillness of L.A. that early on a Sunday. I do have a walking and writing creative practice, and so sometimes I like to write in New York as a result of it, because I can just go out the door and walk. But Hancock Park allows me to walk to one of my favorite streets in L.A., which is Larchmont. There's something to do where you don't have to overspend, but you can feel a part of something. You can just enjoy walking up and down. You can stop by the magazine stand. You can look in all the stores. You might buy a croissant — there's 1,000 bakeries. You can just go look at the adopted pets. Matcha is my thing. Groundwork has a matcha, Le Pain Quotidien has a matcha and Cookbook has a matcha. And then one of my favorite places, too, is Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese. The line is out the door for their sandwiches; I typically get the turkey or the tuna. I get my Sunday fixings [at the Larchmont Farmers Market], so I make a Sunday chicken. I don't cook a lot of things, but what I do well, I do very well. I have a family recipe, and it's a Sunday chicken, and so I get the herbs or the potatoes and the carrots and the things like that. It feels great to walk out of your door after driving in your car all week, to talk to people, bump into friends. Read more: I completed my years-long quest to play at every L.A. tennis court. These 10 stand out 9 a.m.: Neighborly tennis lesson Hancock Park is a really lovely neighborhood. I know my neighbors, and thankfully one of them has a tennis court. I have this amazing trainer named Wkwesi Williams. Wkwesi will meet me over at my neighbor's house, and he'll give us a lesson, and then if we're feeling strong enough, we'll hit afterwards. 11 a.m.: Hit the batting cages Then I'm home, and I can be mom. My 16-year-old son, Nasir, is an aspiring baseball player. Typically, if he's not in a game, which would wipe out my whole Sunday, I just have to get him to the batting cages. My son doesn't drive yet, so he still needs his mom, thank God. He bats at BaseballGenerations with Ron Miller, another amazing coach. It's so funny. It's the flyest — all the young ballers are in there. Sometimes they'll have professional guys hitting in the batting cage. It's like the secret to the secret. 12:30 p.m.: See the art Then, since we're downtown, I would go visit Jessica Taylor Bellamy's studio. Thelma Golden, the director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, who's a good friend of mine, always gave me this great advice: Art should be a daily practice. If you just have 30 minutes and you can pop into a gallery or a museum, just go see the art, see what it does. What I love about Bellamy's work is that she really understands Los Angeles. When I saw her paintings — and she had a palm tree and a pine tree, sometimes she has bright skies, sometimes she has cloudy skies — I was like, "Who is this? She gets it. She's from here. She knows L.A." She was also a muse for 'Forever.' When I saw her paintings, I called Michael 'Cambio' Fernandez, who is our cinematographer. We talked about her palette, her understanding of the sunny side and the rainy side and the cloudy side of L.A. That tableau was really important. 2 p.m.: Visit childhood home Because I love driving, [my son and I] take the long way home. I would go by Reparations Club to pick up a book for me. Then we would go to this new comic book store called the Comic Den on Slauson for my son. Then we would go to Simply Wholesome for us. Simply Wholesome is one of our big heartbeat centers of love, joy, wellness and community. We typically get the Sunshine Shake with the egg, and we get some Jamaican patties for my mom, which we will take literally around the corner. My mother lives in my childhood home, and we would go see grandma, so grandma can see how tall Nasir has grown. It always anchors me to walk into a place that you remember yourself. Being in that neighborhood reminds me of how safe and loved and enough I am. I love being in the place where I was a child and also making sure my child stays connected to his grandmother. My own grandmother recently passed in that home, so just honoring that. We always play a little Jhené Aiko or Nipsey Hussle to honor being back over there. 5 p.m.: Sunday fixings I'll get back home around 5 o'clock, so I can cook the Sunday chicken. I have a big life, but I'm always a writer and I'm always in practice. And one of my favorite things is music. Our house is always filled with music, so I cook. I slow down. I engage with that family history as well as my own creativity, and in that active meditation, oftentimes I will catch a lot of great ideas. So I always have my journal nearby, maybe a little Champagne because it's Sunday, and I'm using all of those little fixings I got from the farmers market. And the cool thing is that it takes a minute for the chicken to cook, so I can have a little swim or a little sauna and shower before family dinner. Read more: 'Forever' is a sweet ode to first love (and L.A.) based on Judy Blume's novel 7 p.m.: Family dinner Right now, it's just the three of us. Sometimes we FaceTime the older one [who is away at college] and be like, "You're missing Sunday chicken!" But we sit down, and we just talk about the day, talk about whatever. Sometimes it gets very philosophical. To be in our homes and enjoy them is also a treat, and I don't ever want to forget that as I'm out and about around the city. We linger at least an hour before we set a new week ahead of us. 9 p.m.: Have a laugh over drinks But then, I'm also a Gemini, so I like to stay out in them streets. So it might just be calling my girlfriend Alice and being like, "Let's go have a drink at Damn, I Miss Paris." Friends of mine, Jason and Adair, just opened that spot up here on West Adams. How long I stay depends on who's there. Maybe just stay for an hour, have a drink, have a laugh. 11 p.m.: Poetry before bed I'm a shower girl, but sometimes I also just like to take a bath. So I would just sort of wind down with a bath, and the other thing is reading poetry. Right now I'm reading Nikki Giovanni, Mary Oliver and my mother. My mother just wrote a book of poetry, which blew my mind because my mom has been my mom. And she's allowed the writer in her to come out. I've been reading those three women in conversation with me as I try to write my life poetically. And by the way, poetry is not a whole chapter. Let me get real deep real quick before I go into this REM sleep. Sign up for The Wild newsletter to get weekly insider tips on the best of our beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests and mountains. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
