IT’S A DAY of rest, and you may be in the mood for a quiet corner and a comfy chair.

We’ve hand-picked the week’s best reads for you to savour.

1. Socialite, GRU agent

The fascinating story of a woman who charmed her way into NATO circles in Italy, but was really a spy.

(Bellingcat, approx 23 mins reading time)

The Lima civil officer was not convinced and reached out for verification to the parish priest at the Cristo Liberador dioceses, the Rvd. José Enrique Herrera Quiroga. Unluckily for the citizen-in-waiting, the priest would not even have had to check the church records to report that the document was fake. He had had the honour of being the founder and inaugural priest at this church which was established in 1987, nine years after the supposed baptism of Maria Adela had taken place. 

2. The horrors of Yemen

Children affected by Yemen’s war speak about their experiences.

(The Guardian, approx 18 mins reading time)

We have returned to precivilisation. All cities are without electricity: we live by candlelight and the gas lanterns our ancestors used. When the gas runs out at home, families resort to cutting down trees to burn in wood stoves. There’s no clean water to drink. Every day, children and elderly people line up with pots at tankers donated by some doer of good. You see poverty wherever you turn: citizens have lost their jobs and livelihoods, impoverished to the point where they don’t even question the meaning of war. Women and children fight over scraps from rubbish piles. 

3. How the unseen Blackbird got cult film status

The Hollywood Reporter has cottoned on to the fact that people are obsessed with Michael Flatley’s spy thriller Blackbird – even though it hasn’t been released yet.

(The Hollywood Reporter, approx 11 mins reading time)

However, for reasons that can only be speculated upon, the screening shut out press (invites were rescinded on the day) and produced zero reviews or reactions. The decision may have been linked to a spot of online backlash over two early posters featuring Blackbird’s older, sharp-suited and very much credited male stars (including Eric Roberts and Patrick Bergin) alongside an assortment of younger, bikini-clad and uncredited women (notably Nicole Evans). But attempts to find out were met with silence. It then went dark, even on Flatley’s social media pages, previously filled with excitable updates about the film and sun-soaked behind-the-scenes snaps.

4. Superbad

An oral history of the great, hilarious teen movie.

(Vanity Fair, approx 28 mins reading time)

ROGEN: We like American Pie. But I think in a lot of ways, Superbad was reactive to those types of movies. In those movies, there’s no sense that anything other than maybe raw sexual energy is what’s good and right. I think Superbad is more about these guys that grew up being exposed to that, not being uncomfortable with it, and how they don’t ultimately subscribe to that mentality.

5. Retirement

Michèle Dawson Haber is retiring early – so shouldn’t she be celebrating? The truth is, it’s complicated.

(Oldster, approx 7 mins reading time)

Maybe to me, Retirement = The Loss of Purpose. Like many, my work is a big part of my identity. I am an advocate, researcher, and writer representing unionized healthcare workers, helping them achieve fair and generous working conditions (such as the opportunity to retire early). It has been my dream job, allowing me to apply my values of justice and equity in concrete ways that make a difference in the lives of workers. Twenty-four years is a long time to do the same job, and, as good as it was, I want to try new things. But when I step aside to let someone else take over my role, what purpose will I serve? So much of who I am today is a result of the skills I developed in my work. 

6. Body confidence

A trip to the local swimming pool can really help with your feelings of body confidence, one woman found.

(Stylist, approx 4 mins reading time)

I’ve been impressed by the athleticism of an amputee swimmer; made to laugh by an older woman who says her skin is wrinklier than the paint on the bottom of the pool; while a younger one joked her in situ pubic hair is an accessory for her high-cut costume. Cellulite, stretchmarks, sunscreen-induced spots and a range of skin tones are just the norm. 

…AND ONE FROM THE ARCHIVES…

In March 2021, Noteworthy looked at how Direct Provision centres became a catalyst for far right activism in Ireland. 

(Noteworthy, approx 17 mins reading time)

The first physical manifestation of this new wave of anti-immigrant sentiment occurred in November 2018. Plans to accommodate 100 asylum seekers at a hotel in Moville, Co Donegal, a coastal town on the Inishowen peninsula, led to an arson attack at The Caiseal Mara. Gardaí said they believed the attack was deliberate. Before this attack, concerns had been raised locally about the impact that accommodating 100 people in Moville – which has a population of 1,400 – would have on the town with locals expressing both support and trepidation. 

Note: The Journal generally selects stories that are not paywalled, but some might not be accessible if you have exceeded your free article limit on the site in question.