16Books

This week’s new page-turners

• The All-Night Sun by Diana Zinna (literary fiction)

Lauren Cress teaches writing at a small college outside of Washington, DC. In the classroom, she is poised, smart, and kind, well-liked by her students and colleagues. But in her personal life, Lauren is troubled and isolated, still grappling with the sudden death of her parents ten years earlier. She seems to exist at a remove from everyone around her until a new student joins her class: charming, magnetic Siri, who appears to be everything Lauren wishes she could be. They fall headlong into an all-consuming friendship that feels to Lauren like she is reclaiming her lost adolescence.

When Siri invites her along on a trip home to Sweden for the summer, Lauren impulsively accepts, intrigued by how Siri describes it: “Everything will be green, fresh, new, just thawing out.” But once there, Lauren finds herself drawn to Siri’s enigmatic, brooding brother Magnus. Siri is resentful, and Lauren starts to see a new side of her friend: selfish, reckless, self-destructive, even cruel. On the last night of her trip, Lauren accompanies Siri and her friends on a seaside camping trip to celebrate Midsommar’s Eve, a night when no one sleeps, boundaries blur, and under the light of the unsetting sun, things take a dark turn.

• This Love Hurts byWWinters (romance)

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us. Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch… The chase and the heat between us became addictive. Our nights together were a distraction; one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us. We should have paid attention; we should have known that it would come to this. We both knew it couldn’t last, but that didn’t change what we desired most. All we wanted was each other.

• The Safe Place byAnna Downes (thriller/ mystery)

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.

• All Up byJ WRinzler(historical fiction)

The fantastic story of rocketeers, visionaries, and madmen, from Capitalists and Nazis in the West to Communists in the East, it’s the tale of Faustian anti-hero Wernher von Braun, solitary genius Robert Goddard, magical loner Jack Parsons, titanic Sergei Korolev, and the legendary trio of Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong. A behind-the-scenes story of the first Space Age.

Ranging from the murderous V-2 to the miraculous Saturn V, from cloak-and-dagger espionage and the blitzkrieg battles of World War II to the atomic deserts of Fort Bliss and the nail-biting missions launched at Cape Canaveral, All Up is an epic telling of the thrilling and true legends.

Tyra Banks waltzing in as new ‘Dancing With the Stars’ host

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyra Banks will be showing off her moves as solo host of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

The supermodel, actor and businesswoman who co-created “America’s Next Top Model” will replace longtime host Tom Bergeron and take on the role of executive producer, ABC said late Tuesday.

In a statement, Banks said she’s a fan of the contest’s approach of “fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances ... it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk.”

Banks lauded Bergeron, host of the show since its 2005 debut, as having set “a powerful stage” and said she’s excited to continue the legacy.

Co-host Erin Andrews also is leaving the series, which is getting a “creative refresh” while honoring America’s affection for it, ABC said. Andrews was not expected to be replaced.

NEW YORK (AP) — The studio is largely empty, but Jimmy Fallon is out of his home and back to the “Tonight” show stage.

The NBC late-night host returned to NBC’s Rockefeller Center headquarters on Monday, saying he hoped he could provide his audience with a little more “normal” during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m here to show you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if we keep each other safe,” Fallon said.

Fallon, along with other late-night hosts, have been working remotely the past few months of months. The coronavirus pandemic shutdown TV and film production in March for safety reasons. New York has slowly been reopening as other parts of the country are now feeling the full effects of the epidemic.

He began his show with a filmed piece showing him “walking” to work, pulling down his mask so a Rockefeller Center security guard knew he was indeed an employee.

His backup band, the Roots, were in place. Studio crew members wore face shields and masks. Everyone there had tested negative for COVID19, he said. There was no audience.

Fallon was dressed more informally, with a sweater instead of a suit. TYRA Banks (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

When the show will get to unveil its new approach in season No 29 remains clouded by the pandemic-caused production halt affecting the return of most TV series. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

“Normalcy, any type of normalcy, feels great,” he said. “So hopefully we can put a smile on your face an hour every night and let you sit back and relax while we try to bring you a little bit of normal.”

Guests, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Charlize Theron, weren’t in the studio as the celebrity interviews continued remotely.

Representatives for Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah both said plans were in the works to return to studios but put no timetable on it.

The announcement that Banks is joining the show followed word Monday of Bergeron and Andrews’ exits. In a Twitter post, Bergeron called working on “Dancing With the Stars” an “incredible 15-year run and the most unexpected gift of my career.”

Last year, Bergeron drew attention when he expressed concern over the show’s decision to include former White House press secretary Sean Spicer among the contestants for last fall’s season.

Bergeron tweeted then that he had suggested to producers the new season be a “joyful respite from our exhausting political climate” and urged them to avoid “divisive bookings.”

ABC thanked the departing Bergeron for his “trademark wit and charm” that helped the show succeed and Andrews for her sense of humor.

Andrews originally competed as a contestant

Jimmy Fallon, ‘Tonight’ show return to studio, sans audience

back in 2010 and returned as co-host in 2014.

Top 10 Apple Movies

1. The Outpost 2. Trolls World Tour 3. Force of Nature 4. 1917 5. Relic 6. The Invisible Man (2020) 7. Impractical Jokers: The Movie 8. Saving Private Ryan 9. Irresistible (2020) 10. Little Women

THE OLD GUARD

Top 10 Netflix movies and shows in the Bahamas

With Bahamians still practicing social distancing, and many working from home with the kiddies stuck in the house, it’s time to turn to Netflix for some entertainment. Here are the top 10 movies and shows Bahamians are watching this week:

1. The Old Guard (film; 2h 5m) A covert team of immortal mercenaries are suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered. Starring Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne.

2. Warrior Nun (series; 10 episodes) After waking up in a morgue, an orphaned teen discovers she now possesses superpowers as the chosen Halo Bearer for a secret sect of demon-hunting nuns.

3. American Assassin (film; 1h 51m) After the death of his girlfriend at the hands of terrorists, Mitch Rapp is drawn into the world of counterterrorism, mentored by tough-as-nails former US Navy SEAL Stan Hurley. Starring Dylan O’Brien (”Teen Wolf”), Michael Keaton and Sanaa Lathan. A young, devout Catholic woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated. Starring Gina Rodriguez. New episodes.

5. Desperados (film; 1h 46m) A panicked young woman, with her reluctant friends in tow, rushes to Mexico to try and delete a ranting email she sent to her new boyfriend.

6. The Business of Drugs (docuseries; six episodes) To understand the origins and true impact of the business of drugs, a former CIA analyst investigates the economics of six illicit substances.

7. The Baby-sitter’s Club (series; 10 episodes) Based on the book series of the same name focusing on a group of young girls who start their own babysitting service. Devastated Peter takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know, Sarah’s travelling to the same resort as her ex - and she’s bringing along her new boyfriend. Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Mila Kunis.

9. The Change-Up (film; 1h 52m) Dave is a married man with three kids and a loving wife, and Mitch is a single man who is at the prime of his sexual life. One fateful night while Mitch and Dave are peeing in a fountain, lightning strikes and they switch bodies. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.

10 . Stateless (series; six episodes)

Inspired by true events; a woman escaping a cult, a refugee fleeing with his family, a father trapped in a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat on the verge of a national scandal find their lives intertwined in an immigration detention centre.

art ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’

Students from around the Bahamas put the spotlight on invasive land and sea species in this year’s 20th Annual Marine Education Poster Competition hosted by Dolphin Encounters – Project BEACH on Blue Lagoon Island.

This year’s theme – Pirates of the Caribbean: Invasive Species in the Bahamas – encouraged students in kindergarten to grade 12 to learn about the tremendous impact of invasive species like lionfish, cane toads and casuarina trees on our seas and islands from these human-introduced pests and use art to offer their solutions for dealing with the problems.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down schools and businesses earlier this year, entries were submitted from students in New Providence, Abaco and Exuma.

The international judging panel of Amy Schulman, education supervisor at the Mirage, Las Vegas; Orla McDonnell, marine mammal specialist II at Dolphin Quest, Bermuda, and Tristian Pratt, education supervisor at Dolphin Experience, Grand Bahama, were challenged with choosing the category winners from an impressive selection of entries.

“The judges’ job was not easy at all as we had so many creative entries again this year,” said Annette Dempsey, director of Education and Staff Development on Blue Lagoon Island. “This annual competition enables young Bahamians an opportunity to learn about a very important issue that very recently has been highlighted in the news with the resurgence of cane toads in western New Providence and the removal of casuarinas along the northeastern coastline.”

First, second and third place prizes were up for grabs in each of four age-group categories as well as the Special Education category.

In the kindergarten through grade 2 category, the winners were: 1st place - Brooke Stewart (Xavier’s Lower School) 2nd place - Koen Stubbs (Xavier’s Lower School) 3rd place - Chloe Ellenwood (St Andrew’s International School)

ART by Brooke Stewart

Students use art to put spotlight on harmful invasive species

In the grades 3 – 5 category, the winners were: 1st place - Logan Stubbs (Xavier’s Lower School) 2nd place - D’Nyah Armbrister (St Francis & Joseph Primary)

In the grades 6 – 8 category, the winners were: 1st place - Jacob Malone (Agape Christian School, Abaco) 2nd place - Candace Bodie (St Francis & Joseph) 3rd place - Omari Stewart (St Augustine’s College).

“This annual competition enables young Bahamians an opportunity to learn about a very important issue that very recently has been highlighted in the news with the resurgence of cane toads in western New Providence and the removal of casuarinas along the northeastern coastline.”

ART by Jacob Malone

The sole winner in the Grades 9 – 12 Category was Naima Nixon (St Andrew’s Anglican School, Exuma).

In the Special Education Cat- egory, the winners were: 1st place - Anwar Seymour 2nd place - Samiya Joseph 3rd place - Sapphire Stirrup.

All three winners were fourth grade students at the Centre for the Deaf.

For the second year, Project BEACH was invited to enter Bahamian artwork in the Interna- tional Festival of the Oceans Art Competition hosted by Delphinus in Mexico. Jordan Cash (Xavier’s Lower School) placed second in his age division and Jacob Malone placed with honourable mention in his age division in the interna- tional competition.

“We were especially excited to once again see our students’ work being recognised on an interna- tional level. Last year, Jacob’s entry placed second overall in the

ART by Logan Stubbs International Festival of the Ocean Arts Competition and many of the Bahamian entries were put on display at Cancun’s airport,” said Ms Dempsey.

Due to the COVID-19 pan- demic and resulting school and business closures, the competi- tion was extended to include online submissions through the month of May. The pandemic also meant that this year there was no awards presentation ceremony.

National prizes for winning entries included passes to many of the activities on Blue Lagoon Island, including Swim with the

Dolphins, Sea Lion Encounter, Stingray Encounter, Beach Day, Segway Safari and private tours.

In order to recognise the importance teachers play in educating and encourag- ing students on these critical topics, Dolphin Encounters Project BEACH also awarded the teacher of each first place student two Blue Lagoon Island Beach Day passes.

To learn more about the Bahamas’ marine environment and the education programmes offered by Blue Lagoon Island, contact education@dolphinen-

counters.com.