Because books

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Reflecting on the importance of reading in light of the Lahore International Book Fair

I never feel worse about the lapses in my reading habit than I do when I start a new book. That might seem counterintuitive – surely the guilt should be way higher when I’m not reading as opposed to when I finally am? But it isn’t until I return to the world of books that I fully realize what I’ve been missing out on. Because as soon as that first spark of knowledge hits my brain, it becomes blindingly obvious that no amount of binge streaming or doomsurfing (and/or joyscrolling) can come close to the magic of delving into a good book. 

This realization is perhaps at its peak whenever the Lahore International Book Fair (LIBF) rolls around. Towards the end of every winter, the fine folks at the LIBF Trust join hands with the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association to organize a festival of books, much to the delight of my grey matter and the chagrin of my wallet.

The first thing you feel, as you enter the halls of the Expo Centre, is the absolute joy of being around people who share your interest and realize just how important books are, and who understand your enthusiasm at finding that obscure volume that you’ve been looking for, followed immediately by the anxiety that the said tome will now join that ever-growing TBR pile that is threatening to touch the ceiling. (#SoLittleTimeSoMuchToRead etc.)

Next on the agenda is the absolute dread that instantly destroys your soul as soon as you see the price labels. Ain’t no way you can afford that very long list of titles you had in mind when you merrily strolled into the building, blissfully unaware of your crushing poverty. The afternoon then becomes a test of your impulse control, as you decide what to take with you and what to leave behind, while frantically sending friends a virtual SOS to walk you off the ledge of overspending. (This year, a friend managed to get me to remove two books from my basket, and I felt very prudent about just purchasing … 13 books instead of 15. Because 15 is obviously too many while 13 is just fine! Also, the irony of buying a book on decluttering while basically adding a whole heap of things to a room that is already beginning to look like a hoarder’s nest was not lost on me.)

But that’s the LIBF in a nutshell: a joyous gathering of book enthusiasts that unites you with the books of your dreams, that aims to inspire reading but is mired by an economic reality that doesn’t exactly encourage the habit. Your best bet, of course, is to find that one stall – and there always seems to be one! – that is offering proper, significant discounts and hope they have the books you are looking for. Then begin reading, be reminded of what you’ve been missing out on, and this time try not to let go.

*****

This is why I’m broke
(i.e. the book haul)

So, I ended up buying way too many books at this year’s book fair. As usual.

The first book I picked is about … cats. Because obviously. I have yet to master the art of walking away from anything that has a picture of a cat on it. How does one do it? Such a mystery. It’s a gorgeous little hardcover with a velvety spine, although probably full of information that I already know, but … velvety spine, you guys!

I was next drawn to Stephen Fry’s Heroes, even though I haven’t read Mythos and have no idea if the book will make any sense to someone who can’t tell Artemis from Achilles. 

Then there is a beautiful inspirational colouring book (so recommended) and a kind of meh creativity drawing book (so not recommended), and there are way too many self-help books because I’m totally not having a midlife crisis at all. 

The Will Smith autobiography just ended up in the pile because discount. 

My selection is, as always, fairly light on fiction. I chose a couple of random Grisham novels; I haven’t read one of his books in ages and thought I might give these a go. And I got Silo (irritatingly with an Apple TV+ series cover), just to reread the terrific ‘Wool’ short story. 

I purchased a Doctor Who paper doll book for a friend who loves the series, and a book about coffee art for a friend who loves coffee (but I have since decided he sucks so I might just end up keeping it).

I also went back for a couple more books and some stationary. (Have I ever actually used a highlighter? Unsure. But it sure is nice to own 8726439 of them.) I got two dictionaries for free, which I’m irrationally thrilled about. Oh and I bought way too many planners. I have suddenly gone from owning zero Filofaxes to having more Filofaxes than a normal human person can use in a lifetime. But hey, at least now I can maybe find a use for all those highlighters?

So, yeah … that’s the book haul. Now what exactly is the procedure for filing for bankruptcy?

*****

Notes from LIBF 2025

The 38th edition of the Lahore International Book Fair was held at the Expo Centre from 5 to 9 February this year. The annual event brought together sellers from across the country, giving book enthusiasts access to countless volumes from a variety of genres, all under one roof. But just how important is reading, and what can be done to inspire people to adopt this habit? We asked the participants for their take on the significance of reading and how to encourage this activity.

Mansoor Muhammad Siddiq
Generation Book Collection, Owner
We are from Karachi and for 35 years we had a shop at Khori Garden, an historical area that old readers must be familiar with. I entered the field of books at the age of 11. Around 25 years ago, it used to be like we would got two books and there would be 100 customers for them, and they would fight over the books. With the craze of IT since then, we were getting the impression that the craze of books will decrease, but after about 15 years, we feel like people are once again gravitating towards books.
The economic conditions of the country are such that everyone cannot afford books. Books seem even more expensive than gold. Out concept is to sell books at the cheapest price possible. Our price is even less than pirated editions; we are selling books worth PKR 6000 for only PKR 300. So customers are picking 20 books instead of one.
When we attend such exhibitions, all the publishers are under one roof which makes it easier for the customers, and it also encourages us that there are still people who read. We have noticed that girls are a lot more interested in reading than boys. It is up to the parents to inspire their children. There are many who collect pocket money all year round for the Karachi Expo event. So it seems like we are turning back towards books, and it is very heartening.
There are people who have entire libraries at home and are passionate about their collection, although this craze is ending because there often isn’t enough space to make libraries in houses anymore. We have a lot of stock that we can’t display here. The stalls are very expensive. The government should give us free of cost space, and we can pass that benefit on to the customers.

Francis Dsouza
Liberty Books, Senior Manager
We are trying to promote book reading in Pakistan – in Lahore and Karachi, everywhere – and we try our best to have book signings for people so that they get updated knowledge of books – the authors come and sign the book and give them a lecture about the book. We have activities running always, one or two activities every month. And we also try to promote in school exhibitions so that children get to buy some books, and we offer a good discount to them so that they are affordable for them. In our store, we also have a discounted section for customers who like to buy cheaper books, and we have a variety of books for everybody. We try our best to promote education and reading.
We should always keep in mind that children need to learn, and guide them to go towards reading. In the future it is good for them. It is [vital] to understand the importance of reading so that a person gets more educated and knows how to [improve their] life. So that’s why I think reading is always a good thing to promote.

Haroon Siddiqui
Siddiqui Rare and Antique Books, Owner
If we talk about books … like, this Lahore International Book Fair is taking place, it has its own importance – people can get all kinds of books on all kinds of topics in one place. The routine trend of books is declining these days. Mobiles and the Internet have made a huge impact. But the importance of books can never decline, because books don’t teach us wrong things – if mobiles are in our hands, then many wrong things appear in front of us and our children who should stay away from such things. You should bring youngsters towards books instead of mobiles. This will be better for you and your coming generations.
To inspire them, you should have events like this book fair, and you should take children to bookshops. I have seen that when parents buy books for their children, the kids insist that they want to hold their own books. If we hand them a mobile, then how will they be drawn towards books? So it is an appeal to everyone that they should inspire kids and bring them towards books.

Muhammad Hamza Gaziani
The Book Kingdom, Proprietor
Reading has always been a very important thing in everyone’s life – it gives you knowledge, it gives you experience. If, for instance, you are reading an autobiography, you’re going to get to know what the struggles of that person were and how he gained all that success, that knowledge. So reading helps you gain knowledge and [learn from] the experiences of people, which eventually helps you get successful in your life.
We can encourage people to read by doing more events like book fairs and by giving them the best prices we can so that every person can afford a book, and every person can buy a book so that they get encouraged in reading.

Muhammad Sajid Iqbal
Readings, Imports Manager
A lot of things have been added to our society that do give us some benefit but in the long run we can’t symbolize them in our lives. The biggest issue we are facing right now is that of social media. Our new generation is attracted to these new things, and book reading is taking a backseat. Book was always a very important element in the evolutionary process, and I think it still is and will remain. These things won’t end. In our childhood we saw that there was a wonderful trend of Eid cards, which was a lovely gesture in which people would interact with each other one way or another. Now that interaction has ended. Society has dispersed at that level. So it’s better that we should tell the new generation that social [media] interaction is important but it is not important enough that because of it we forget these traditions and things.

Asim Malik
Oxford University Press, Assistant Manager
Reading is the most valuable asset in this world. We at Oxford have been serving this [field] from the late 1800s, and we are well known in the publishing industry. I believe reading and knowledge is much more important than any other activity in this world because it’s healthy, [and it helps people grow].
[To inspire people to read] we must publish as much as we can. It is a digital world today, but I think the importance of physical books is still there and one should appreciate it. Rather than using digital tablets and gadgets, one should be promoting reading [books] as much as they can.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 14th February, 2025 *

MMXXIV: rinse, repeat

cover story

Brought to you by humankind’s determination to never learn from our mistakes

2024 took us on a rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs.

We fell in love with a pygmy hippo, marvelled at the physical prowess of our more athletic fellow humans (and the glorious ineptitude of a break-dancing Aussie), rejoiced when a certain “potato” and his brother reunited, and became way too invested in the beef between two rappers. 

And we also said goodbye to Bennifer 2.0 because love is clearly dead, thirsted over the lethal face card of a suspected killer because apparently that’s who we are now, and cursed the person who invented clackers while putting a hex on whoever made them popular again.

More than anything though, we, as a species, insisted on repeating our mistakes, much to the dismay of anyone with at least a single functioning braincell. Sure some long-term rulers were dethroned, but several familiar faces also mindbogglingly managed to return to power. 

2024 inherited the geopolitical conflicts of its predecessors and then proceeded to make them worse. The only thing higher than the cost of living was our tolerance for genocide.

The globe got warmer, armed conflicts got conflictier, our interests got selfisher. Basically, a lot of things just got, well, badder. 

As we bid adieu to 2024, here’s what went down in the last 12 months…

January
- Japan earthquake: The year got off to a rocky start when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake shook Japan on New Year’s Day, killing at least 462 people and injuring 1,344 others.
Later in the year, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, killing 18 and injuring 1,100 in April. And a 7.3 magnitude quake in Vanuatu caused 14 deaths and 210 injuries as well as extensive damage in Port Vila in December.
- Iran-Pakistan tensions: In mid-January, Iran carried out a series of missile and drone strikes in Balochistan. Two days, later Pakistan conducted retaliatory airstrikes on Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.

February
- Pakistani general election: Dynasties continued to rule Pakistan’s political musical chairs. The brother of that former PM gentleman became the Prime Minister; the former PM’s daughter became the chief minister of a province. That late PM lady’s widower assumed the Presidency; her son was appointed foreign minister, her daughter elected to the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, towards the end of the year, that cricketer PM gent’s latest wife tried to rally support after leaving prison while he remained incarcerated on multiple charges.
After no party secured a clear majority, Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan People's Party ended up forming a coalition government following the general election, with PML-N's Shahbaz Sharif serving as prime minister and PPP's Asif Ali Zardari as president.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan continued to be embroiled in legal issues and remained incarcerated on multiple charges. 

March
- European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act: Our artificial intelligence overlords allowed us the illusion of creating a regulatory framework governing AI with guardrails to protect humans, so that we wouldn’t figure out that reality is actually a simulation thought up by a bored machine that wanted to see what would happen if it built a world with sentient beings who were under the impression that they’re in control.
- Kate Middleton’s absence: Kate Middleton was either recovering from cosmetic surgery and/or domestic violence, having a secret ginger baby, growing out her bangs, playing a game of hide and seek that had gone out of hand, in a coma, dead, or all of the above, depending on who you asked on the interweb, earlier this year. In response to the Internet’s collective imagination going haywire, the British princess was forced to reveal that she was, in fact, undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, which she completed by September.

April
- Floods: Heavy rainfall in the Middle East severely impacted states in the Persian Gulf, causing flash flooding and at least 32 deaths.
Later in the month, floods in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul caused dozens of deaths and left thousands homeless. And floods in Kenya and Tanzania caused 488 deaths and displaced thousands.
2024 also saw devastating flooding in Central Europe (September) and Spain (October).
But it’s lucky that climate change is just a left-wing conspiracy, right?

May
- Solar storm: Nature put on a show, painting the sky with ethereal lights as a series of solar storms – among the most powerful to affect Earth in decades – produced auroras in more equatorial regions than usual.
Months later (in December), in a bid to help us better understand our star, the Parker Solar Probe flew too close to the Sun but emerged safe and sound from the scorching fly-by. Somewhere, Icarus tried to conceal his jealousy.

June
- Brat summer: The ladies of pop ruled the world in 2024. The summer belonged to one Charli XCX who turned the world lime green with her sixth album, the hyperpop sensation Brat, a cultural phenomenon propelled by a very memorable marketing campaign and not quite as memorable bops.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter dominated the airwaves while mumbling her way through super cringe lyrics because why not. Chappel Roan was equal parts riveting and grating. Gracie Abram was the nepo baby of the year. Billie Eilish continued Billie Eilishing. Reigning global empress Beyonce ventured into country music. And Taylor Swift made a zillion dollars with her Eras tour.
- Inside Out 2 release: Pixar continued its recent tradition of retreading old ground with sequels that aren’t quite as good as the originals in Inside Out 2, an on-the-nose dissection of anxiety wreaking havoc as puberty kicks in. Earning nearly US$1.7 billion at the global box office, the film ended up becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time for some reason.
The other billion-dollar earner of 2024 was July’s Deadpool & Wolverine, a string of cameos and Easter eggs held together by the barest of plots. The only Marvel release of the year amidst the MCU losing its cinematic stronghold, the movie made $1.3 billion … which is probably how much was spent on the incessant marketing campaign for Wicked that somehow seemed to go on for about a decade this year.
- Julian Assange release: After years of incarceration in the U.K. for the crime of exposing other people’s crimes, polarizing cyber outlaw and info leaker Julian Assange was released after negotiating a deal, pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. defence documents before returning to his native Australia.
- Hajj tragedy: 1,301 people – including at least 58 Pakistanis – died due to extreme heat during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, with temperatures soaring to over 50 degrees, hitting 51.8 °C at Masjid al-Haram at one point.
- T20 World Cup: The Indian cricket team was in stellar form at the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup, winning the tournament while also becoming the first team in history to win the title undefeated. South Africa were the runners-up. Meanwhile, in keeping with tradition, the Pakistani cricket team delivered yet another “why do we even bother” performance. Because of course.

July
- The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: The country collectively learned that javelin is apparently an Olympic sport when Arshad Nadeem won Pakistan our first gold medal in over three decades in what we are hoping is something that actually happened and not just a collective dream we all had because if so please don’t wake us up, this is all too glorious! Arshad Nadeem, you absolute legend, you!
The games, however, very emphatically belonged to the U.S. and China – as usual – with the two countries winning 126 (40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze) and 91 (40 gold, 27 silver, 24 bronze) medals respectively.
Other memorable moments from Paris 2024 included Dominica, Saint Lucia, Cape Verde, Albania, and the Refugee Olympic Team winning their first-ever Olympic medals; France's podium sweep at the Men's BMX race; and whatever the hell it was that Raygun was trying to do. #Yikes
- Monsoon Revolution: The anti-quota, anti-fascist Students–People's uprising ultimately led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of the country as the chief adviser of the interim government.

August
- Mpox epidemic: In the continuing saga of microorganisms hating humans, the mpox outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization following the spread of the virus in African countries, begging the question: what did we ever do to upset germs, and can’t we all just get along?

September
- Diddy assault charges: The world was shocked by what Diddy did as Sean Combs joined the growing list of fallen entertainment moguls. The rapper faced numerous lawsuits regarding sexual misconduct, eventually leading to his arrest on the charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The whole situation served yet another reminder – if one were still needed – to not equate art with the artist and not worship celebrities; talent and morals can – as we have seen all too often by now – be mutually exclusive.

October
- Gaza genocide: The deadliest war for Palestinians in the history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict entered its second year, as history’s most documented genocide and domicide was basically live-streamed to the world. The war has claimed over 45,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza and displaced nearly all of the strip’s 2.3 million Palestinian population.
The world pretended to care while doing a whole lot of nothing about it.

November
- U.S. presidential election: The latest season of the world’s favourite reality show – American politics – brought the lolz with an electoral cycle so bizarre it had to have been scripted by the producers for ratings.
Just as acclaimed soothsayer Moo Deng predicted, Republican Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris – who replaced the aging Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee – to once again become the president of the U.S.
Childless cat ladies were not pleased by this development.
Trump was also convicted earlier in the year on 34 felony counts in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, survived two assassination attempts, and appointed the world’s richest and least favourite human, destroyer of Twitter Elon Musk, as the co-lead of the planned Department of Government Efficiency … because why wouldn’t a department for efficiency need TWO people in charge?

December
- Syrian civil war: Rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government, as well as his various statues, in the ongoing series of dictator statue destruction, serving yet another reminder that if you are a brutal despot, maybe not leave behind giant symbols of your oppression that people will one day ride through the streets like some sort of a bizarre parade float.
- United Healthcare CEO killing: The reaction to the murder of an insurance company head showed us that if you must kill someone, let it be the multimillionaire CEO of a health insurance company, because people clearly hate them and their passive murders more than they hate literal point-blank murder.
Oh and be super hot. That helps too.

And on that cheery note, we bid farewell to a ho-hum year. Here’s hoping the next one is kinder to everyone – from the Ukrainians and the Sudanese to cat ladies and One Direction fans – and humankind finally learns that love is a lot more rewarding than hate. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 3rd January, 2025 *

Blue

cover story

Exactly one year ago, down to the day – 20 September 2023 – my mother passed away. 

Except there is no way it has been a whole year because it can’t possibly have been that long. 12 weeks? Maybe. But 12 whole months? Come off it, Mr. Dent!

I have no idea why the calendars have suddenly decided to lie, but someone definitely needs to alert the local galactic time council ASAP because time has clearly gone all wibbly wobbly. 

If it had actually been 365 days, surely some of this would have started to make sense by now. But it still makes no sense. None whatsoever. Life itself no longer makes sense. Neither does the universe and everything. What even is the point of all this? Why are we here? Why must we go? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why a duck? And what do you get when you multiply six by nine?

All valid questions to which I still have no answers. Except the last one, of course, the answer to which is obviously 42. 

But my point is, it still doesn’t feel real, yet it still hurts. Boy does it hurt!

Everything that happened a year ago – allegedly a year ago – keeps going round and round and round in my head. Every detail remains etched in my mind, every recollection stings. A memory can randomly float into my brain and instantly wreck my head. A sight, a sound, a smell, a phrase … anything can trigger an eye-water tsunami. I can go through the five stages of grief, sometimes all in one day, often several simultaneously, and then end up back at square one.

The person who loved me the mostest is gone and there is nothing I can do about it. There is a vacuum where she once was. I want to tell her things; I want to ask her what to do; I want her to hug me and tell me everything will be ok, that I’ll be ok. But she isn’t there. No matter how many times I replay those last few days in my mind and think of how differently things could have gone, I can’t change what happened. Her heart stopped; mine’s still beating. She’s gone; I’m still here. And everything still keeps making my eyes leak. A lot. 

Before my grandmother passed away, she told my mother that “akalmand loag sabar kartay hain, bewakoof loag rotay hain,” [intelligent people have patience, idiots cry] in response to which my mother promptly informed her that Mom fell in the second category. By grandma’s metric though, I am clearly bewakoofoon ki sardar [emperor of idiots]. Like, if crying was an Olympic sport, Pakistan would have had not one but two gold medallists this year. Imagine the glory I could have brought to the country and go petition the IOC to hold crying competitions henceforth. At this point, I can confidently assure you I will deliver.

As cool as being a champion crier may sound though, I realize this is, in fact, a very uncool admission. For our #HumbleAndBlessed generation, the show of any kind of weakness – emotional or otherwise – is frowned upon. But our manicured appearances and curated profiles are only leaving us feeling isolated and disconnected to the point that we end up collectively trauma dumping on a Muppet who just happened to ask how everybody is doing. 

Because it’s so hard to tell someone around you how you are doing. 

It’s hard to find people. The right people. The ones who actually care. The ones who will answer your blubbering phone calls in the middle of the night, who will hear you whine about the same things over and over and over, and who will not judge you when you are a complete and utter mess. 

But bless their hearts, they exist. They are there. And through all my crying, I have been fortunate enough to – more often than not – have a shoulder to cry on. From the lovely cousin whose literal shoulder became the receptacle for my tears minutes after my mother’s passing (and who very patiently pretended like my incoherent babbling was making perfect sense), to the bestest of buds who have offered virtual and real company at the worst of times, I’ve been getting by with more than a little help from my friends. 

Has it still sucked? Very much so. But just being able to tell someone how much it sucks has taken away some of the inherent loneliness that comes with an experience like this. 

Losing a loved one is the hardest thing you will ever go through. And it will be awful. Super hella awful. If you have never experienced it, I wish I had something more profound to say that could reassure you, but I have nothing. Mostly because there really is nothing profound to say. The only advice I have for you is: just be lucky. Be lucky enough to find the right people who will help you get through this awful time. The people you might feel you don’t deserve but who are still there for you anyway for some reason. The kind who never leave a message unanswered and never tell you you’re a burden; the ones who will send you food to make sure you eat, and bake you a water lily birthday cake in reference to your mom’s name, honouring her memory. Better still, be that person for someone else. Help them through the crap life throws at them, and do it without judgement. Don’t deride others for being a mess. And feel free to be one yourself. Be ok with not being ok. It’s fine. How you feel is valid.

Different people grieve differently. A dear friend’s partner went to work the day after his father died. Another friend teared up telling me about his mother’s death, 30 years after she passed away. There is no “one size fits all” approach to coping with grief. And there is no timeline; don’t let anyone pressure you into thinking there is. Just do you.

And do yourself a favour and accept the fact that it will probably always suck. Time’s healing powers have been greatly exaggerated. You will adapt to the loss, sure, but it will randomly punch you in the gut whenever the hell it feels like it. It will suck when you lose someone close to you. It will suck a year later. It will suck 30 years later. As it should. Because the foundation of grief is love. And even though your person is no longer there, your love for them will live on in this realm till the moment you take your last breath. 

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 20th September, 2024 *

Lights, camera, action!

cinema scope

A celebration of stunt work and those who perform it, The Fall Guy thoroughly entertains with its action and wit

The Fall Guy

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke

Directed by: David Leitch

Hollywood loves making movies about itself, but such films often have the tendency to come off as self-important or pretentious or indulgent (or all of the above). The Fall Guy is quite the opposite. The latest offering by David Leitch is a love letter to filmmaking that is just a whole lot of fun with no pretentiousness in sight.

Inspired by the ‘80s television series of the same name, the film pays homage to action flicks and tips its proverbial hat to the stunt performers who make these movies possible.

The plot revolves around Colt Seavers (an incredibly charming Ryan Gosling), a down-on-his-luck stuntman who withdraws from the industry after a stunt goes wrong, abandoning both his career and his ladylove, camerawoman Jody Moreno (the lovely Emily Blunt), along the way.

A year and a half later, Colt is approached by producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to once again work as the stunt double for famous actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who is now starring in a sci-fi epic that is being directed by Jody.

Under the impression that his ex-girlfriend wants him to join the production, Colt arrives on set in Sydney, only to realize that Jody never asked for him and is still fuming over their breakup. It soon becomes obvious that our hero has been lured to the set under false pretences. Embroiled in a conspiracy, Colt must figure out what’s actually going on and save Jody’s directorial debut.

The absurdly entertaining ridiculousness that ensues is simply a lot of action-packed fun. 

The film references and meta humour are bound to amuse movie buffs. The action is thoroughly entertaining, and you can tell that the set pieces have been shaped by someone who clearly revels in and appreciates the intricacies of the craft; Leitch’s work as a stunt performer makes him the ideal choice to helm the vehicle. The cast is terrific; everyone is so committed to the zaniness of the premise, it's glorious.

Ultimately, its story might not be exceptionally clever and your mind might need to skirt a few plot holes along the way, but The Fall Guy is still a very enjoyable popcorn flick with an excellent cast and crew. Filled to the brim with entertaining action, built around a gentle romance, and wrapped in complete and utter silliness, the film is likely to leave you with a grin on your face (and a Phil Collins song stuck in your head!)

Rating: 4 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 14 June, 2024 *

May flowers

cover story 

April showers famously bring May flowers, and what a blessing that is! The bright, cheerful blossoms are such a joy to behold, and spending some time in their company is a great way to lift the mood. From the colours they sprinkle on nature’s canvas to the fragrance they spread and the pretty birds and butterflies they attract, flowers give us so much to be grateful for and also gently remind us that all will be well.

As spring gives way to summer, we take a look at some of the lovely blossoms that are currently dotting the gardens of Lahore…

Marigold

Marigold is such a popular blossom and can bring a bright pop of colour to any flowerbed. Available in a range of yellows and oranges, these annuals come in many varieties, including two-toned French marigolds with brilliant shades and striking petals.

Some types of marigolds are used as a source of essential oil, perfumes, and flavourants, and the flowers also make an ornamental appearance in functions in South Asia.

Gazania

Native to Southern Africa, the gorgeous Gazania is a stunning annual that is perfect for adding colours to sunny borders or containers. The blooms come in shades of yellow, orange, red, and white, often with two or more colours in each flower. Oh and they love sunshine! When the sun goes down, the flowers tend to close up.

Gazania is a gorgeous presence in the spring/summer garden, and to places like South Australia and New Zealand that have declared it a weed, all we can say is: how rude!

Gerbera

A lovely member of the daisy family, the gerbera finds beauty in simplicity. One of the most popular cut flowers in the world, gerberas are cherished for their decorative value. Each bloom is usually one solid colour – white, yellow, orange, and pink are common – but some plants can have flowers with petals of several different colours. And since it’s a perennial, you don’t need to grow a new plant every year. Expect to see blooms throughout the year, especially during warmer months.

Verbena

With its beautiful clusters of bright purple flowers, verbena – also known as vervain – blossoms really stand out against a background of green foliage and grass. Another perennial, verbena can attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and is used in perfumery and herbalism.

Lantana

The Lantana shrub yields clusters of small aromatic flowers, making gorgeous, often multi-coloured umbels, and is useful as a honey plant and in butterfly gardening. The plants are, however, somewhat toxic and are even considered noxious weeds in some regions, but they have been put to good use in South Asia, with Indian craftsmen creating sun, rain, and termite-resistant furniture using their hard but bendable stems.

Coral tree

The dramatic blossoms of the coral tree are so stunning that they practically demand you stop whatever you’re doing and spend at least a moment taking in their beauty. The distinctly-shaped bright red nectar-rich flowers are borne in elongated clusters at the tips of the branches and are a magnet for certain birds, like drongos and mynas.

Chaste tree

Chaste trees produce butterfly-attracting midsummer purple flowers that grow on elongated spikes. The flowers are pretty, while the plant has been used in traditional medicine. The leaves and fruits also yield essential oils.

Daylily

Daylily is also known as ditch-lily, but it is neither a lily, nor does it specifically grow in ditches. Each of its flowers does, however, only last a day, which is so unfair given how pretty the blooms are. A daylily flower has three petals and three sepals (collectively called tepals), and the ones you can commonly see around Lahore these days are mostly orange and/or yellow. (The genus is toxic to cats so is best kept out of reach of your feline children.)

Rangoon creeper

You can see the Rangoon creeper vine cascading down walls as you walk down the streets of Lahore, and it’s always a joy to see the gorgeous pink bunches that adorn this perennial evergreen. The fragrant flowers become brighter – from white to pink – as they age. And bees and birds are drawn to these lovely blossoms. 

Plumeria

Beautiful flowers with a beautiful fragrance, plumeria – or frangipani – blossoms are cherished around the world. They come in many colours – pink, red, white, yellow, orange – and sometimes have two colours in the same flower. They grow in clusters, have a lovely scent (popular in incense), and are widely used for ornamental and decorative purposes. 

Oleander

An evergreen shrub, oleander produces vibrant blooms in clusters. The five-lobed flowers are usually white or pink and peak during summer but grow year-round. All parts of the plant – leaves, flowers, stems, roots – are toxic though, so it must be used with utmost care.

Pansy

Our pansies are still blooming and they are such a delight! The plant takes its name from the French word pensée, which means "thought", as the flower was considered a symbol of remembrance.

With five polychromatic petals, the pansy comes in all sorts of vibrant shades and colours, and is ideal for spring and summer pot arrangements.

Petunia

If only we knew what went through the mind of a certain bowl of petunias, the universe might make a lot more sense. Still, existential quandaries aside, we can continue to enjoy the beauty of the mighty petunia, even if we aren’t privy to its many secrets.

And of course we also have rose, hibiscus, jasmine, sunflower, periwinkle, and all kinds of other gorgeous flowers around us. So take a moment to revel in their beauty. No matter where you are, just spend some time acknowledging the blessings of nature and embrace the joy they bring.

May all your April showers yield the loveliest May flowers.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 24th May, 2024 *

Strong female character in distress

cinema scope

Damsel

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright

Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Tagline: This is not a fairytale.

Subverting fairytale cliches and turning the princess from a damsel in distress to the hero of the story is such an intriguing, empowering idea. But it’s an idea that no longer seems novel. There is no shortage of strong female characters in everything from ‘80s sci-fi to the latest Disney adventures. Which is why just this idea alone cannot sustain an entire movie, especially in the absence of an interesting, intricate plot and a strong script. This is the predicament that befalls Damsel, the new Netflix fantasy that clearly means well but doesn’t seem to have much to offer beyond this narrow premise.

The titular damsel here is Elodie (portrayed by an enthusiastic but one-note Millie Bobby Brown), the princess of a struggling kingdom that is in dire straits. When a proposal arrives for Elodie to marry the prince (Nick Robinson) of a prosperous realm, she reluctantly accepts, hoping the union will help the impoverished people of her land. Little does she know that her fairytale wedding is about to turn into a nightmare. 

Turns out that Elodie is nothing more than a sacrifice, the latest in a series of offerings to a dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) meant to repay a centuries-old debt. But our protagonist has no intention of being devoured by a fire-breathing giant lizard. Instead she must MacGyver her way out of her predicament and get revenge on the people who put her there.

Damsel’s heart is in the right place and its premise does have potential, but its half-baked plot and dull script keep the adventure from giving us anything exciting or inventive. A whole chunk of the movie is just Millie Bobby Brown making her way through a cave survival movie with a conveniently useful dress and perfect makeup, and while there is no shortage of acting talent in the film’s cast – the terrific Angela Bassett plays Elodie’s stepmother and Robin Wright appears as the evil queen responsible for condemning Elodie to a dire fate – most of the actors aren’t given much to do here.

All in all, Damsel is too corny to really connect with viewers who have seen other movies explore similar ideas but with more nuance or at least woven into more exciting tales. 

Rating: 2 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 29th March, 2024 *

The tale of a tuatara

cinema scope

Leo

Starring (voices): Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Rob Schneider, Jo Koy, Allison Strong, Jackie Sandler, Heidi Gardner, Robert Smigel, and Nick Swardson
Directed by: Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, and David Wachtenheim

Too many cooks may spoil the broth but it turns out that three directors can, in fact, make a fun movie, at least if Leo is anything to go by. The film sees comedy stalwart Robert Smigel teaming up with W/M Animation’s Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim (the latter two in their feature directorial debut) for some heart-warming drama peppered with silly humour and warm musical moments.

The animated adventure is the latest offering from the partnership between Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison and streaming giant Netflix, and finds the actor voicing a grumpy old lizard who stumbles into an existential crisis.

A 74-year-old tuatara, the titular Leo (Sandler) lives in an elementary school terrarium which he shares with his turtle friend, Squirtle (Bill Burr). The two animals have spent many years in the same fifth-grade classroom, learning and growing alongside the pupils but unable to live their free, natural lives.

But when Leo overhears someone say that tuataras have a lifespan of 75 years, the lizard is aghast that he only has one year to live and hasn’t fulfilled any of his goals and dreams. 

When grumpy substitute teacher Ms. Malkin (Cecily Strong) orders that each child must take the class pet home for a weekend, Leo hopes to take the opportunity to escape and accomplish everything he hoped to do in his life. But he instead finds himself bonding with each student and becoming an impromptu therapist to the kids, as each of them learn his secret: that he can actually talk.

A funny, emotional family flick, Leo offers some valuable life lessons for kids. Its musical numbers may be a little slight, but they are often presented in visually creative ways and serve their purpose in the tale. There is a whole lot of warmth on offer here, plus there is plenty of humour – some a tad juvenile, some perhaps a little out of place in a kids’ movie – that will manage to elicit at least a few chuckles. 

All in all, it won’t exactly redefine cinema (nor is it trying to), but Leo successfully delivers some wholesome, feel-good fun. It’s well-animated, the voice cast is solid – I’m not entirely sure if it's a complement that Sandler's voice is well-suited for an aging reptile! – and it leaves you with lessons that will hopefully help kids – and grownups – embrace their quirks and learn to love themselves.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 22nd March, 2024 *

Mind, heart, soul

cover story

Reading may famously be a dying habit but the crowd at the Lahore International Book Fair seemed to be on a collective mission to prove otherwise. Sure the digital age may have drastically changed how we consume everything from news to literature, but based on the turnout at the 2024 LIBF, there is clearly no shortage of people who still love books.

The 37th edition of the yearly exhibition took place at the Expo Centre in Lahore in the first week of February, and while the weather may have been cold and the day overcast, there was still plenty of hustle and bustle at the arena on the cloudy Sunday afternoon when I visited the event. 

Not only was the book fair a chance for bookworms to find just the volume they were looking for and booksellers to reach their customers, but the five-day event gave bibliophiles the opportunity to cherish seeing like-minded people turn up in droves and show their support for printed works.

Books galore

The massive hall was filled with stalls of the various booksellers, offering everything from English content to Urdu literature. Whether you enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, romance, memoirs, real-life adventures, religious books, or anything in between or beyond, you were very likely to find something of interest among the thousands and thousands of volumes on display. 

Much of the exhibit featured new books, some imported, many expensive enough to make you wish you’d win the lottery already and remind you that life is indeed unfair.

A handful of stalls focused on the resale of old book. Among them was Old Books Collection from Karachi. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, from the aforementioned retailer, seemed pleased with the outcome of the event. “We have a stall at the book fair every year,” he said. “This is our fifth book fair, and the result is good, MashaAllah.” The event, he explained, helped his business reach new readers and customers, and gave him the chance to meet people.

Pre-loved books may not catch everyone’s fancy, but they can be a blessing for those on a budget. Muhammad Abid Siddiqui from Siddiqui Book Centre, another old books business, pointed out their value. “We find and keep second-hand books,” he said. “The price of new books has increased because of the hike in the price of paper, and even slim volumes can cost as much as two to three thousand, so we promote second-hand books.”

Bookworms aplenty

Among the sellers of the pricy new volumes was Liberty Books from Karachi, represented at the LIBF by Rizwan Ahmad, who was more than pleased with the number of people who had turned up at the event. “It’s going really well; the response has been even better than we expected,” Rizwan enthused. He explained that Liberty Books had chosen to step away from the book fair for half a decade because of rampant piracy, and had only just made their return to the event. “We have returned after six years,” he said, “and we re-entered the book fair with limited stock. We left this because of piracy. Now Insha’Allah next years we’ll also come achay taraikay se because MashaAllah the response is very good. It’s going well.”

And while the abovementioned Siddiqui Book Centre’s Abid Siddiqui was, likewise, satisfied with the overall turnout and sees this yearly gathering as a way to help the young generation develop an interest in reading, he did have a few suggestions on how it could be even better. “Our experience here is good, but it is still not at the level that it should be,” he explained. “The reason for this is that a lot of people don’t even know about this [event], and if it was covered by the media and news of the book fair had been spread in Lahore, then even more people would have found out about it.”

Paper power

There is something so heartening about gatherings like the LIBF and how they highlight the value of books. Muhammad Hamza Gaziani, the proprietor of The Book Kingdom, emphasised just how vital this medium is. “I feel like books are very important for everyone as they increase your imagination, your knowledge, your speaking skills – [they have an impact on] each and every thing. 

“Book fairs,” he continued, “are very important so that the people who don’t really know about books can get introduced to them and [can have access to] especially those books which aren’t available online or in physical stores. Some are like mangas – Naruto, comics; these are very rare, and we are the ones who are specially keeping them.”

Azhar, a longtime employee of Readings, also expressed just how important books are for society. “Books are essential for human transformation,” he said. “If I talk about myself, I have been working for Readings for about 16 to 17 years and I feel like I have changed from the person I was back then. I have learned a lot from books. Like everything has an aura, books have their own aura. When a book is in our hands, we don’t get that much time to read but even reading the summaries, even knowing about books briefly, even that brings about a lot of changes in us. If I have changed so much in the company of books, then I feel if everyone stays attached to books, it will not only change them individually, but since individuals come together to develop society, the whole society will change and there will be a positive impact. The nation will develop and perform better.”

Happy with his experience at the LIBF, Azhar was excited to see people showing their love for books. “You can see people are participating in a good way,” he noted. “The impression we were getting that reading habits are declining and people are not drawn towards reading, that impression is being revoked here. There are people here in significant numbers, and from a business perspective, people buy books, that’s how we do business. We import books, and import a lot of books. And this is just the Lahore edition. If this is the situation in one city, then overall the situation is not bad, I feel.

“This is one event,” he continued. “There should be more events like this in a year so that more people are attached and there is even more awareness. I am not mayoos with respect to books.”

It’s such a good thing that the LIBF has given us optimism when it comes to reading, for what better way is there to nourish the mind, heart, and soul than a good book?

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 16th February, 2024 *

Understanding cancer

cover story

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in many countries, cancer will affect one in two men and one in three women during their lifetime. The World Health Organization estimates that the disease is responsible for nearly one in six deaths worldwide.

Those are daunting statistics. Yet most of us known little about this malady that can suddenly affect any of our lives.

To mark World Cancer Day, we spoke to renowned consultant oncologist and haematologist Dr. Muhammad Arif – the owner of the Razia Sultana Memorial Cancer and Blood Associates clinic in Lahore – and asked him about the disease, what triggers it, and how to prevent it.

Us: What is cancer?

Dr. Muhammad Arif: Cancer is a disease which involves the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells. It eventually becomes visible with testing or even to the naked eye. Cancer can start anywhere in the body and spread to other organs. It can be fatal if not caught and treated early.

Us: What causes cancer?

Dr. Arif: There are a number of theories regarding what causes cancer to develop.

The most widely accepted one nowadays is that the number one reason for cancer is likely to be lifestyle, which includes factors like diet, nutrition, exercise, weight, and stress. It is believed that about 60 to 70 percent of the cancer cases in the world are because of unhealthy lifestyle.

There are also some cancers that are triggered by a gene you get from your parents, but only about three to five percent of cancers in general are inherited. The rest of the cancers are incidental and sporadic.

Cancer starts when a cell changes its behaviour. Usually it starts with a mutation. But first mutation never causes cancer; the mutations accumulate over time.

These mutations are either acquired or inherited.

For instance, in our Pakistani context, we see a lot of hepatitis in the general population, which leads to a very high risk of liver cancer in those patients. In Western countries, it happens because of lifestyle; a condition known as fatty liver leads to a high risk of liver cancer.

Us: What are the most common types of cancer?

Dr. Arif: In women, breast cancer is considered the most common type of cancer. In men, it’s generally lung cancer.

Overall, the most common cancer is skin cancer – like squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell cancer – but most of the time, these are not deadly cancers; they are very easily treatable, so that’s why we don’t hear too much about them. The other skin cancer, melanoma … that’s rare, especially in Pakistan, but that’s actually a very deadly cancer.

In Pakistan, the most common cancers after breast and lung cancer are lymphomas. Then we have a lot of people with blood cancers, like myeloma. In some areas, we have a lot of cancers of the head and neck area – like tongue or mouth – especially in people who chew tobacco or smoke.

Other cancers aren’t uncommon either. We see a lot of stomach, pancreatic, and colon cancer, and liver cancer is among the most common ones in Pakistan because of hepatitis. 

Us: What are the main risk factors for cancer? You mentioned lifestyle…

Dr. Arif: Yes, the number one factor is lifestyle, which includes diet, exercise, weight, and stress.

Eating healthy and getting proper nutrition is essential. The second most important thing is probably exercise and weight management. Exercise leads to a lot of benefits – 30 to 45 minutes of brisk walk or light exercise every day, four to five days minimum per week, can reduce cancer risk by about 20 to 30 percent. So that’s recommended. Exercise also helps to maintain weight.

Third would be stress. Healthy stress, like exam stress or a little bit of competition stress, is ok. But unnecessary stresses – which have a lot of impact on your overall health – should be avoided.

Sleep is another important thing, especially in teenagers and youngsters. People who get a good night’s sleep are generally overall very healthy.

Other risk factors include – particularly since hepatitis is very common here – needle sharing. We should make sure there is no reuse of syringes and ensure that hygiene is maintained during medical procedures.

Us: What are the signs and symptoms of cancer?

Dr. Arif: Most cancers are initially silent, but when the cancer gets to a point where it starts to show symptoms, the most common symptom is a gradual decline in overall health. People might feel fatigue, tiredness; they might start to lose weight or lose appetite; they might notice a change in the colour of their eyes (which could become yellow if somebody has jaundice) or urine; they may become pale; or they might start to feel shortness of breath when they walk.
In practical terms, any symptom – from pain to a lump – which is new and persistent – more than a week or so – should be evaluated. 

Us: But many of these symptoms could suggest a different disease…
Dr. Arif: Yes, definitely. You shouldn’t be scared if you have some lump. It may be something else, like an infection or something benign. Similarly, if you have weight loss, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have cancer; some people who have thyroid disease start to lose weight. But if the symptom persists, it should be investigated to make sure it doesn’t have a serious underlying cause.

Us: How important is early detection?
Dr. Arif: Early detection is definitely the only way, at present, to cure a cancer. Cancer can be detected early through screening. When the disease has started in the body but you don’t have any symptom and cannot detect it with your eye or by examination, you do these tests, like mammogram, Pap smear, and coloscopy. If the disease is detected early – Stage I and II – and surgery is performed, a majority of the cases are curable.
Take the example of colon cancer. If you diagnose it by screening through colonoscopy that finds a small polyp in the colon and you take it out – that’s all you need, surgery – then you’re cured. About 95 percent people are cured in Stage I colon cancer. In Stage II, it drops by about 20 to 30 points. In Stage III, there’s an about 40 percent cure rate; in the rest of the cases, the disease comes back at some point. Stage IV is not curable. Very, very rarely, if somebody has very limited stage IV and it has not advanced too much, then it might be possible to control with surgery. 

Us: But screening can be expensive…
Dr. Arif: There is cost analysis on that, and if you look at the value of the test, there is a positive correlation – it is very, very cost effective instead of having the disease diagnosed at an advanced, late stage.
Treatments – medicines, surgery – are so expensive. When it’s diagnosed in early stage, most people won’t need very extensive treatments, like chemotherapies and targeted therapies; they might need just a small surgery. Compared to early disease, advanced disease will cost a lot, plus it’s not curable. If you add up these things, it’s very cost effective to do screening tests.
In women, yearly mammograms are recommended after the age of around 40 or 45. Coloscopy is recommended for both men and women who are 50 and above. In men, prostate cancer can be detected early. Similarly, cervical cancer and uterine cancer can be detected by Pap smear which is recommended for women who are married.

Us: Are there any other ways to prevent cancer, like vaccines?
Dr. Arif: Yes. There is, for instance, a hepatitis vaccine which provides almost 80 to 90 percent protection against the disease, so even if someone is exposed to the virus, it won’t cause problems like cancer and liver diseases.
In Western cultures, they recommend cervical and oral cancer prevention with a vaccine that they give to youngsters which has been shown to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

Us: What are the treatment options available for cancer?
Dr. Arif: The classic three ways of cancer treatment are surgery (if possible), radiation, and medicines called chemotherapy.
Nowadays, there are many new advances, especially immunotherapy and targeted therapies. They are very effective in some people.
For example, five to seven years ago, people with Stage IV lung cancer survived only a year or so; now about 20 to 25 percent people survive over five years. Similarly, the survival rate for myeloma was two years on average a few years ago; now it is about eight to 10 years. 

Us: Why is there no actual cure for this disease?
Dr. Arif: By its very nature, in cancer, there are some cells that mutate all the time. Once that process starts, you treat one type of cell, it changes into a different type of cell and becomes resistant to the treatment you are using. So it continues to progress over time. Although you may be able to control it for a long time, eventually it is not possible [to stop it].
Still, there are, say, on average about 30 percent people who are cured of their cancer. It’s getting better – from zero percent to 30 percent – but there’s obviously still a long way to go.
We are hoping that cancer eventually becomes a chronic disease, like other incurable conditions such as diabetes and heart disease; people get long-term treatment for it, but it is no longer an automatic death sentence. That will be a great success, I think.

Us: Do you have any recommendations for the readers?
Dr. Arif: I would say that prevention is probably the best strategy. Be proactive about your health – think about your well-being, make sure what you put in your body is not harmful, do not abuse your body, exercise, sleeping well, avoid unnecessary stresses. Don’t get exposed to risk factors which you can avoid, like hepatitis, unnecessary radiation exposures, unnecessary medications.
The next best strategy is that when you are in the appropriate age range, get screening done so that even if you develop cancer, it is caught early, treated promptly, and you hopefully get rid of the disease for good.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 2nd February 2024 * 

In case you missed it

bookshelf

If you didn’t get the chance to read these books last year, now might be a good time to catch up!

Fiction

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Ann Napolitano’s latest novel Hello Beautiful tells the story of family, love, and loyalty through the tale of the tightknit Padavona sisters, who embrace an introverted guy with a negligent family after he becomes involved with one of them. But their close familial bond is tested when a tragedy strikes and threatens to pull them apart.

A sad, emotional drama, Hello Beautiful was a book club favourite last year, and also has Oprah’s seal of approval.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

A white writer takes a recently-deceased Chinese American author’s manuscript and tries to pass it off as her own in Yellowface, a treatise on authenticity, racism, and cultural appropriation in the publishing industry and beyond.

When literary darling Athena dies in a freak accident, her struggling contemporary June steals the former’s just-finished masterpiece and sends it to her agent, rebranding herself as Juniper to release the plagiarized book. Will she manage to keep her secret, or will she be exposed as a fraud?

Yellowface explores weighty themes, its commentary wrapped in dark satire, as it tells the tale of its very flawed protagonist and a fiercely competitive industry.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Sixty-year-old tea shop owner Vera Wong gets a chance to put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test when one morning she discovers a dead man in the middle of her shop!

Taking charge of the investigation – because of course she will do a better job than the police! – she comes up with a list of suspects and promptly decides to uncover who committed the crime and why.

Filled with quirky charm, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers makes for a fun, cozy read.

Swamp Story by Dave Barry

If you’re looking for a laugh, then pick up a copy of humourist Dave Barry’s latest novel, Swamp Story, a “caper full of oddballs” that promises to take you on a silly, zany ride.

The characters include the beautiful Jesse, who is stranded in a small cabin in the Everglades with her baby and desperate for a way out; her hunky but hapless ex Slater who dreams of being a reality TV star; business owner Ken Bortle who is trying to bolster his failing enterprise by luring tourists in with a hoax; and several other individuals of varying morality levels and intelligence.

There are mobsters and a hidden treasure, a drug kingpin and a presidential hopeful, and all kinds of mayhem, all in a story that is just as funny as it is ridiculous.

*****

Non-fiction

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

The author of Killers of the Flower Moon – a Martin Scorsese adaptation of which arrived in cinemas last October – turns his attention to the Wager Mutiny, a 1741 incident that took place after a British warship was wrecked on a desolate island.

David Grann recounts the tale of treachery and betrayal that unfolded in the wake of the accident that left a group of sailors marooned in a barren wilderness for months. Well-researched and gripping from start to finish, this non-fiction account offers complex repercussion alongside so many twists it reads like a fiction thriller.

Oh and Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have already acquired the screen rights to this book as well, so an adaptation of this too shall arrive at a cinema near you at some point in the future.

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia

If you want to live a long life for some reason – why though? – then you might want to grab a copy of Peter Attia’s Outlive, an “operating manual for longevity” that investigates aging, long-term health, and living a better life.

The Canadian-American physician dissects the science of longevity and shares personal experiences as he helps us understand how taking care of our emotional and physical health can help us ward off or delay diseases.

It may be a tad too long but the book does drive home the point that taking care of your body – through everything from exercise to proper sleep – can help improve your life so that you can live longer and healthier.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

Acclaimed music producer Rick Rubin shares inspirational advice in The Creative Way, a study on navigating the creative process and overcoming creative hurdles.

The writer – who has worked with a varied array of artists, from the likes of Metallica to Johnny Cash – shares wisdom from his decades in the music industry and says that “creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger”.

Some might feel that it reads a little too much like lessons from Zen 101, but hey, we could all use a little bit of positive inspiration, no matter what form it takes.

The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa by Jonathan B. Losos

Cats are awesome – that is a fact and any evidence anyone might present to the contrary is by default invalid. Jonathan B. Losos has decided to celebrate our wonderful feline overlords companions in The Cat’s Meow, a tome that explores the “past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet”.

The book takes a genial look at the history and science of cats, and details how the contemporary cat evolved from its feral ancestors and became an irreplaceable member of our households.

It may be best suited for the most ardent of animal lovers, but those who are interested in the topic will appreciate all the information that is packed in this volume.

- By S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 19th January 2024 *

2024: through the crystal ball

cover story

As we start another journey around the Sun, here’s a look at some of the things you can expect to watch, read, and enjoy this year.

*****

Movies

Brace yourself for a very bold prediction: franchises will rule the cinematic world in 2024. Shocking, we know!

Seriously though, most of the highly anticipated films of the year come from established IPs, as usual.

Superheroes may be losing some of their grip on the box office, but they, nonetheless, remain a prominent presence on the big screen. From Marvel’s roster, Deadpool (portrayed by Ryan Reynolds) is returning for his third venture this July, and he will be joined this time by Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. As part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), Kraven the Hunter is getting his first big screen chapter in August, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson starring in the lead role. Also from the SSU, there’s an untitled Venom sequel set for November. And Dakota Johnson is set to star in the SSU’s Madame Web this February. Will it be bad? Probably. Will we watch it? Probably. Not. Probably not.

Over at DC, Joaquin Phoenix returns as the Joker and is accompanied by Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in Folie à Deux (October).

Elsewhere, there are prequels like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May), A Quiet Place: Day One (June), and Mufasa: The Lion King (December), while the very long list of sequels slated for 2024 includes (but is not limited to) Dune: Part Two (March), Kung Fu Panda 4 (March), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (March), Bad Boys 4 (June), Inside Out 2 (June), Despicable Me 4 (July), Beetlejuice 2 (September), Gladiator 2 (November), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (December), and many, many more.

*****

Music

Several popular names – including Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Shakira, and Coldplay – are expected to release music in 2024, although whether their albums actually arrive this year or not remains uncertain, for the releases still lie in TBD-land.

What we do know for sure – or as sure as we can be, given how artists can tend to shift album release dates – is that the next few months will give us new records by Radiohead-spinoff The Smile, neo-psychedelic rock band MGMT, English rockers The Libertines, Canadian rock band Sum 41, and singer Sheryl Crow.

Rock band Green Day’s Saviors comes out this month. Jennifer Lopez is giving us This Is Me... Now, the sequel to her 2002 album This Is Me... Then, which will be her first studio release in a decade. And the delayed Vultures, Kanye West’s album with Ty Dolla Sign is finally expected to be unveiled this year.

Also, there will probably be another Taylor’s Version of a past Taylor Swift album. And will Rihanna finally release the follow up to 2016’s Anti? Your guess is as good as ours!

Locally, there will be singles aplenty and albums … probably not quite as aplenty? And if the gods of music really decide to smile upon us, there might be another season of Coke Studio. Until then, we’re just going to have to listen to ‘Pasoori’ about 38462517 more times … whether we want to or not!

*****

Television

Episodic content will continue to flourish in the streaming age, with new and returning series ready to take audiences on all kinds of different adventures.

Mega-series like Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO’s House of the Dragon are expected to return with new seasons this year.

A couple of anthologies are releasing new seasons. These will include HBO’s True Detective: Night Country (starting in January) and FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (also January).

We also have Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, the Disney+ series that will be part of the MCU’s Phase Five and will continue the story of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness as she attempts to regain her powers. And Netflix’s animated Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will find Hayley Atwell voicing the titular archaeologist as she explores new territory.

Then there’s the Batman-offshoot The Penguin (Max); the sci-fi prequel Dune: Prophecy (Max); the Star Wars series The Acolyte (Disney+); and the animated Marvel show X-Men ’97 (Disney+), among lots and lots of other upcoming televisual content.

On the local front, our dramas will continue revisiting the same old topics, and people will continue to watch them for some reason, giving the industry no incentive to actually make an effort and come up with something creative and inventive, although these dramas will probably have a lot of competition from political content this year, as eyes around the country are likely to be just as glued to news channels in the coming weeks, what with the country’s general elections coming up in February.

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Books

2024 will see the publication of books by some of the world’s most well-known novelists, including John Grisham who is giving us Camino Ghosts (May), the third book in his Camino Island series; and the prolific Stephen King who is publishing a collection of short stories, titled You Like It Darker (May).

Other highly anticipated novels come from authors including Kiley Reid (January), Kristin Hannah (February), Kelly Link (February), Emily Henry (April), Kevin Kwan (April), and the recently discovered posthumous Until August by Gabriel García Márquez (March).

On the non-fiction front, Kathleen Hanna, Cameron Russell, RuPaul, and Ghostface Killah, are among the celebrities set to release memoirs this year. Britney Spears is planning to release a second volume of her bestselling autobiography, last year’s The Woman in Me, in 2024. And controversial writer Salman Rushdie’s memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, will convey his reflections on the experience of surviving the 2022 stabbing that left him with profound injuries.

Meanwhile, actor Robert Downey Jr. has worked with author Thomas Kostigen to help us reduce our environmental impact through the upcoming Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time (January). Rebecca Boyle is telling us about Earth’s only satellite in Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are (January). Charles Duhigg explores conversation in Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (February). And Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan looks at life and death in Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality (March)

There will be books about love, health, wellness, the world, the multiverse, and everything in between, so no matter where your reading preferences lie, you are sure to find something that interests you and can find a place on your bookshelf this year.

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Sports

The world of sports will deliver the usual annual tournaments and leagues for everything from tennis to football. But the big event this year is, of the course, the Olympics.

Returning to the traditional four-year Olympiad cycle (after the one year delay in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad will be held from 26 July to 11 August, in France, with Paris serving as the main host city. This will be the sixth time the Olympics will be hosted by France (three in summer, three in winter), and marks the centenary of the Paris 1924 Olympics.

Scheduled to feature 32 sports encompassing 329 events, the 2024 Summer Games will see the participation of around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees. Pakistan has Arshad Nadeem vying for a medal in men's javelin throw, and Gulfam Joseph and Ghulam Mustafa Bashir taking part in shooting events.

As for our favourite national waste-of-time pastime, there’s the T20 World Cup that will be held in West Indies and the United States from June to July. And Pakistan also has international tours against Ireland, England, and Bangladesh. So be prepared for a lot of cricket mania to grip the country in 2024. 

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- By S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 12 January 2024 *