Welcome back to school, Gophers. I hope your winter break included plenty of naps, a new TV show or movie you binged or a good book you spent some time with. As we re-emerge from our shells and return to lecture halls, labs and our good friend Mr. Zoom, the Minnesota Daily’s arts writers have some media suggestions on how to spend your free time — for when you inevitably ditch that chemistry homework. – Nina Raemont
Wikipedia Around: Over winter break, I read Jenny Odell’s prescient “How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy.” While I read about the ways in which tech companies harass our attention through novel technologies and social media sites, I also learned how to protect my own attention. Odell suggests that learning about nature and places around us provides us with a mechanism for maintained attention. That’s why I’ve loved learning about the history of the places around me through Wikipedia Around. You plug in your location and then the website provides you with articles to learn more about what’s around you. Did you know that the Prospect Park Water Tower is rumored to be the inspiration for Bob Dylan’s song “All Along the Watchtower”? – Nina Raemont
“Euphoria” Season Two: Even though “Succession” is over for the season, your routine of sitting down to watch weekly TV doesn’t have to be. The long-awaited second season of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama, “Euphoria,” premiered recently, and the show wasted no time in terms of giving audiences what they wanted to see. The first season was electric and emotional, filled with stunning visuals and stellar performances, and it seems like season two will raise the bar even higher. Now is a great time to catch up on the show if you want to incorporate “Euphoria” into your Sunday night routine this semester. – Macy Harder
“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean” Part 1: There’s no show out there like JoJo — anime or otherwise — as the name implies. The latest installment of the surreal series (now produced by Netflix) features its first female protagonist. In it, Jolyne Cujoh and her band of flamboyantly dressed inmates offer up an intense first chunk of the season, fit with the absurdly chiseled characters and gratuitous violence many viewers have come to expect of the series. My life has been rapidly consumed by buff women with superpowers, and yours could be, too! Give the show a try if you haven’t already — Part 2 is expected to come out within the next few months. – Bel Moran
“Peaky Blinders”: With its final season premiering on Netflix later this year after a two-year hiatus, there’s no better time to dive into the British accent-packed early 1900’s drama, “Peaky Blinders.” Focused around Thomas Shelby, the middle child in a long line of gangsters, the series pulls the viewer into a world revolving around a family’s journey to fortune in a life stuffed with hand-rolled cigarettes, horse races, shootouts and speakeasy’s. Within the first two weeks of January’s hibernation-worthy temperatures, I watched every episode of the show and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Whether you have a secret obsession with pre-Great Depression cars or your guilty pleasure happens to be bad boys in suits, “Peaky Blinders” fills all your binge-worthy drama needs. – Carly Quast
“People We Meet On Vacation”: During my spare time over break, I was able to finish Emily Henry’s book, “People We Meet On Vacation.” If you love a feel-good, easy-read book about young love and adventure to relax after a stressful day, this is a story worth your time. The plot follows a young outspoken travel journalist named Poppy living in New York City. Although she should feel content with life (she’s a travel journalist, for goodness sake), she has never been more lost. She used to travel to various exotic locations for her job with her old friend Alex, until two years ago, when they had a huge falling out. In an attempt to fix everything, Poppy reaches out to Alex to go on one more vacation. What ensues is a heartfelt story about forgiveness, growth and healing. – Harry Madden
