Ron Weasley’s tartan consists of dark orange “to represent the Weasley family’s famous red hair”, beige “to represent the capital ‘R’ on Ron’s hand-knitted sweater”, the maroon and yellow colours of Gryffindor, and brown for Scabbers, his pet rat. One of the most striking is dedicated to Harry’s loyal friend Luna Lovegood and is in […]
Less than four years ago, Janice Hallett tells me, she could have summed up her writing career with the words “years of failure.” Today, at 55, she is a fixture on the bestseller lists and is being hailed as the new queen of cozy crime. Readers flock to tell her that her novels are saving […]
An opening batsman faced 137 balls without scoring a single run to secure a bizarre draw in a Derbyshire Cricket League match. Darley Abbey Cricket Club 4th XI opener Ian Bestwick batted 45 overs without scoring a point, his extraordinary display of defiance ensuring his team escaped with a valuable draw in a bottom-of-the-table clash […]
Last year was the first year since 2018 that battery cars failed to increase their market share. In March 2024, traditionally the busiest month for new car sales, the number of new electric vehicles sold fell slightly (1 percent) compared to the same period in 2023. Even more worrying for the automotive industry is that […]
Making 14 recommendations to improve the situation for police chiefs and bodies such as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, Ms Skeer said: ‘Victims of rape and serious sexual offences have been failed by the criminal justice system for too long. “Many find it difficult to reveal themselves because they […]
Jessie Stone likes to think of herself as a doctor with a kayaking problem. For much of the year, she runs a clinic in Uganda that provides malaria education in addition to basic medical care. The clinic is located on the Nile, near its source. “I was lucky!” she said recently, but the more she […]
The company offers a 10-day trek through the jungle, calling it “a place you should see in your lifetime before you get too old.” “Are you ready for the craziest adventure of your life? Come along if you dare,” writes the company, which charges just over £3,000 for the tour. Wandermut does not mention the […]
A canon of children’s literature that is fit for the 21st century will therefore reflect the children who read it. It is no exaggeration to point out that audiences have changed since the all-conquering Enid Blyton and her contemporaries wrote predominantly about white, middle-class children in private boarding schools and set their adventures in nostalgically […]
In the top 20, Vex King’s latest guide to self-care and “overcoming toxic energy,” “Good Vibes, Good Life,” landed at number 18. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear was a must-read, and further down the list is “12 Rules for Life” by Canadian author and commentator Jordan B. Peterson, which became popular with young men. Some […]
A year before I became a passionate New York Jets fan, I developed another obsessive interest: the Harry Potter series. My uncle bought me the first book as a gift just before my eighth birthday. It sat on my shelf collecting dust before I finally decided to read it, and thus my love for the […]
