An explosive Quincy Jones interview via Vulture; an even more explosive Sex and The City row via Kim Cattrall (just try and get Dolly to shut up about it); and some fun Valentine’s Day facts for you: did you know that 5% more babies are conceived during Valentines week than any other time (Christmas comes second); and that 52% of people are choosing to stay at home for Valentine’s - or Galentines - this year? Also, old people are having more sex than ever and Dolly’s very happy about it.

Much has been happening in the world of celebrity, but we’ve also been reading some great new books (Pandora recommends Zadie Smith’s short story anthology, Feel Free; whilst Dolly’s pick for this week is Bad Romance, by Emily Hill) and The Reading Cure, by journalist Laura Freeman, who is also our guest today. 

A lyrical book from a former anorexia sufferer, on how books restored her appetite, Laura compares a disordered mind to that of a disordered library: where the books have flown off the shelves, the pages are ripped and the windows are smashed. We discuss the increase in eating disorders - according to a report by The Guardian this week, they have doubled in women - and why Laura sees the term ‘eating disorder’ as an insufficient descriptor of this obsessive mental illness.

Links

Feel Free, by Zadie Smith https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Free-Essays-Zadie-Smith/dp/0241146895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518639110&sr=8-1&keywords=zadie+smith+feel+free

The Reading Cure: How Books Restored My Appetite, by Laura Freeman https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reading-Cure-Books-Restored-Appetite/dp/1474604641

Bad Romance, by Emily Hill https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Romance-Emily-Hill/dp/1783524960/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518639876&sr=1-1&keywords=bad+romance+emily+hill

Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain, by James Bloodworth https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hired-Months-Undercover-Low-Wage-Britain/dp/1786490145

In Conversation: Quincy Jones, by David Marchese for Vulture http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/quincy-jones-in-conversation.html

You don't have to be a CEO to be a superwoman, by India Knight for The Sunday Times magazine https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/india-knight-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-city-ceo-with-nine-kids-to-be-a-superwoman-ordinary-women-perform-miracles-every-day-nnkbw2r72

Carey Mulligan and David Hare interview, by Louis Wise for The Sunday Times Culture magazine https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/interview-carey-mulligan-david-hare-bbc-drama-tv-show-collateral-3w5dj7308

Inside The Mean-Girls Culture That Destroyed Sex And The City for the New York Post: 

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