What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in February

What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in February

Francis Spufford, Manish Chauhan and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments I’ve been reading a very short book by Claire Baglin, translated by Jordan Stump, On the Clock . Set on the edge of somewhere in Brittany, all run-down blocks, dual carriageways and drive-in eateries, it’s a dark, sometimes funny story of a working-class family and a young woman starting work in a fast-food restaurant. Through a few short scenes we get a real insight into the quotidian soullessness of the work. Continue reading...

Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’

Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’

It’s hard to know what people can see in their own mind’s eye. But for Maddie Thomas there was no doubt: she had especially vivid mental imagery Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email I close my eyes and picture a boat making its way towards the mainland. Lit only by moonlight, a silhouette walks towards a post box and mails three letters, one by one. Then, the familiar tune of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) starts to play, and the musical begins. Sometimes as a child I had trouble falling asleep. But from age 11 and through my early teenage years, recreating the film Mamma Mia! in my head frame-by-frame was my remedy. Running each line of dialogue through my mind and bringing to life the colour of the characters’ clothes, usually by the time they arrive flustered from their journey, I would drift off. Continue reading...

Trump officials move to kill system that protects US from chemical disasters

Trump officials move to kill system that protects US from chemical disasters

EPA rolls back rules as chemical firms claim provisions in RMP protection system too expensive to implement The Trump administration is slowly dismantling the federal disaster management system that protects the nation from chemical catastrophes, such as fires and explosions at high-risk facilities. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Response Management Program (RMP) requires over 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes, or limit fallout, and was largely designed to protect workers, first responders, and fence-line communities. Continue reading...

Taylor Swift Pays Off Bride Who Booked Maid Of Honor She Wanted

Taylor Swift Pays Off Bride Who Booked Maid Of Honor She Wanted

NEW YORK—Doing everything within her power to ensure the big day would be absolutely perfect, pop superstar Taylor Swift paid off a bride who had booked the maid of honor she wanted, sources confirmed Friday. “I just really had my heart set on Lindsey,” said the multiplatinum recording artist who reportedly made a cash offer of […] The post Taylor Swift Pays Off Bride Who Booked Maid Of Honor She Wanted appeared first on The Onion .