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What good is a living room without at least a few of the best coffee-table books? Whether or not you ever actually crack them open, they double as both home decor and signifiers of your taste, an answer to the question, “Who lives here, really?” Although a select few become inescapable—cough, Tom Ford, cough—there are so many options out there, a volume for every interest, style, and reader. And yes, they all make stellar gifts for everyone on your list, especially if you’re shopping for a housewarming present.
Art and design lovers have almost too many options to choose from, including guides on curating interiors and compendiums on movements like Afrofuturism and artists like Diane Arbus. Anyone with an interest in fashion needs a work on their favorite designer, whether it’s Virgil Abloh or Collina Strada. If you’re more of a music person, some of our favorite books dive into hip-hop jewelry and Taylor Swift’s wardrobe. And there are so many picks for foodies (like this manifesto on dinner parties), cinephiles (like this Wes Anderson explainer), and pet parents (like this collection of dog photos). Plus, Christmas coffee-table books also abound this time of year. ’Tis the season.
Like area rugs, reading chairs, and scented candles, every living space needs the right oversized volumes. Whether you’re building out your own library or shopping for a loved one with impeccable taste, these are the best coffee-table books that Glamour editors own, covet, and recommend.
How to Live With Objects$60 $38AmazonThis one throws out the traditional rules of interior design, making the case for simply surrounding yourself with gorgeous objects. (And even if you never crack it open, that cover is gorgeous.)Save on the best coffee-table books with these Amazon promo codes.
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Black Futures$40 $19Amazon“What does it mean to be Black and alive right now?” This popular collection of photos, essays, recipes, poetry, and more—all from the Black creators shaping culture today—works to answer that question.Save on the best coffee-table books with these Amazon promo codes.
Our very own coffee-table book chronicles three decades of Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards, including inspirational words by luminaries like Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Billie Jean King, and more.
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Library of Esoterica: Tarot$40 $32AmazonAnyone with even a fleeting interest in tarot needs this compendium, which features a huge array of deck designs, the meaning behind each card, and essays on the practice.Save on the best coffee-table books with these Amazon promo codes.
Molly Baz knows her way around a photogenic cookbook. We recommend you keep this one in the living room, not the kitchen.
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The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel
This book companion to The Grand Budapest Hotel, one of Wes Anderson’s most beloved movies, features behind-the-scenes photos and interviews with the director—perfect for any devoted fan.Save on the best coffee-table books with these Amazon promo codes.
While Dolly herself once famously said, “It costs a lot to look this cheap,” her new book, an exploration of her iconic style, is pretty much exactly the opposite.
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“Castaway Diva” is a South Korean television series that aired from October 28 to December 3, 2023, on tvN, with episodes available on Netflix in select regions. Here are the synopsis:
The family members are all living under false identities. Mok-ha’s old friend Jung Ki-ho is pretending to be Bo-geol, and Sang-doo is not their real dad.
Sang-doo rescued Ha-jung from her abusive husband Jung Bong-wan (Lee Seung-joon) when he was a government employee and she was trying to get away from him. He left his own life behind and took her and her kids to Seoul, where they took the names of another missing family.
But when Mok-ha comes back to society and becomes famous, Bong-wan, who is still violent, finds them.
He reveals their lies to the public, but Sang-doo has already confessed his crimes.
Bong-wan is a weak and clichéd villain in the series. He is easy to hate, but he is also irrelevant. There were many potential antagonists for Mok-ha, but the show relied on a cartoonish character like Bong-wan instead of focusing on Mok-ha and her music career.
The family wins against Bong-wan in court, but he tries to get his revenge by stabbing Sang-doo and killing himself. Since Sang-doo and Ha-jung were not legally married, Bong-wan’s death would make him the legal father of the family again.
The weirdest part is that the family seems more upset about being legally linked to a dead man than about losing Sang-doo, who sacrificed his life for them and was always there for them.
Luckily, Sang-doo survives and we can move on without thinking too much about the family’s values.
We go back to Mok-ha’s story, as she releases her first song and performs on stage for the first time, at the same event where she sang “Someday” with Ran-joo as a backup singer at the start of the series.
She sings “Fly Away”, a nice song, but like all the other songs in the show, it does not match the quality of “Someday”.
Mok-ha, played by the charming Park, is a joy to watch, but she did not face many challenges in her new life. She was supported and loved by everyone around her, and she did not have to struggle much.
She became Ran-joo’s mentor and friend, and she got several free places to live, including a fully furnished studio from Ki-ho. Her few rivals, like the pop star Eun Mo-rae (Bae Gang-ree), quickly became friends with her.
This may seem unfair to a character who almost died at sea and lived alone in the wild for half her life, but the story was not about her survival, it was about what happened after that.
Castaway Diva was a fun series to watch, from beginning to end. Park was great, as was her relationship with Ran-joo, and there were many satisfying moments along the way.
But, with such a strong premise, the show ends with a feeling of regret, not for its characters, but for its viewers. It feels like there was a better show possible. Maybe we’ll find it, “someday”.
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Disney movies, whether animated or live-action, are an essential part of our lives, bringing joy and entertainment to audiences of all ages. These films often come with high production costs and expectations. While some have not performed well at the box office, they have still managed to accumulate impressive budgets. If you’ve ever wondered about the process of making a film, our list of the 7 most expensive Disney movies ever made will provide some insight.
The world of entertainment has undergone significant changes over the years. From the Lumière brothers’ first projection of moving pictures to the rise of movies, television, live streaming, and subscription-based services like Netflix and Disney+, the industry has evolved in terms of filming methods, sound processing, editing, and technology. Today’s movies and shows are a testament to this constant evolution, captivating audiences with their wonders.
As the quality of films improves, so do the budgets and costs involved. Disney’s first full-length traditionally animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, had a budget of USD 1,488,422.74 when it was released in 1937. While this was a significant sum at the time, it pales in comparison to the budgets of today’s productions. For example, Disney’s upcoming release Wish has a budget of USD 200 million, and it’s not even the studio’s most expensive film to date.
With massive budgets and high expectations, it’s no surprise that Disney has produced some of the highest-grossing movies in recent years. In 2023 alone, two of the top 10 highest-grossing movies were distributed by Disney. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned USD 845.6 million, The Little Mermaid earned USD 569.6 million, and Avengers: Endgame holds the record as the second highest-grossing movie of all time, earning USD 2.798 billion. Despite their box office success, these three movies had a combined production cost of USD 903 million.
While all productions strive to stay within budget, overspending is not uncommon in the complex world of moviemaking. In the 2023 fiscal year, Disney spent USD 27 billion on content and plans to reduce its spending by at least USD 2 billion in 2024. While some big-budget movies have proven to be successful investments, others have flopped. The question of whether the end result justifies the cost will always be debated, but there’s no denying that quality comes with a hefty price tag.
Now let’s take a look at some of Disney’s most expensive movies:
These are just a few examples of Disney’s most expensive movies. Each one showcases the studio’s commitment to creating visually stunning and captivating films, even if they come with a hefty price tag.
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Wish (2023) adalah sebuah film animasi musikal yang dirilis untuk memperingati ulang tahun ke-100 Walt Disney. Ceritanya mengikuti Asha (Ariana DeBose), seorang perempuan cerdas dan idealis yang tinggal di kerajaan sihir di pulau Rosas di Semenanjung Iberia.
Setiap warga Rosas memberikan harapan mereka dalam bentuk gelembung kepada Raja Magnifico (Chris Pine), seorang raja terhormat dan ahli sihir, dengan harapan bahwa satu hari nanti harapan mereka akan dikabulkan oleh sang raja.
Namun, ternyata Raja Magnifico tidak sebaik yang diharapkan oleh warganya, dan Asha menyadari hal tersebut. Suatu malam, Asha mengungkapkan harapannya kepada langit dan bintang.
Keajaiban terjadi saat harapan Asha dijawab oleh kekuatan kosmik dengan pertanda dari alam. Langit Rosas bercahaya terang, dan Raja Magnifico serta warga lainnya menyadari hal itu.
Pada malam itu, sebuah bola kecil bernama Star turun ke Asha dengan kekuatan tak terbatas. Banyak keajaiban dan konflik terjadi setelahnya, termasuk pengalaman Valentino, kambing peliharaan Asha, yang juga mendapatkan keajaiban setelah bertemu dengan Star.
Nama Asha dalam film Wish memiliki kesamaan dengan frasa “asa dan harapan” dalam bahasa Indonesia. Film ini disutradarai oleh Chris Buck (Frozen 1 dan 2) dan Fawn Veerasunthorn (Raya and the Last Dragon).
Wish menampilkan animasi campuran antara 2D dan 3D dengan gaya watercolor seperti buku cerita klasik yang dihidupkan melalui teknologi CG. Animasi dalam Wish mengingatkan pada film-film Disney zaman dulu seperti Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), dan Sleeping Beauty (1959).
Seperti film animasi musikal Disney lainnya, Wish juga menampilkan gaya menyuarakan gagasan melalui nyanyian, seperti yang terjadi pada film Aladdin. Lagu-lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh para karakter dengan animasi yang indah menambah warna dalam film ini.
Namun, meskipun Wish menghadirkan beberapa konflik, konflik tersebut terasa sedikit tergesa-gesa dan emosi yang dihadirkan oleh Asha sebagai tokoh utama tidak sepenuhnya tersampaikan kepada penonton.
Wish menyajikan berbagai konflik yang sering terjadi dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, seperti pengkhianatan teman, kepemimpinan yang sewenang-wenang, dan perasaan putus asa warga dalam menghadapi situasi yang menakutkan. Film ini memberikan pelajaran bagi penonton dari segala usia tentang konsekuensi keserakahan, seperti yang terjadi pada Raja Magnifico.
Raja Magnifico menikmati perannya dalam memenuhi permintaan, dan dia merasa berkuasa atas harapan-harapan warganya. Asha berusaha untuk tetap mempertahankan harapannya meskipun sering kali harapannya hancur. Pesan yang ingin disampaikan adalah bahwa tidak ada kekuatan yang lebih besar di alam semesta selain seseorang yang memiliki keinginan sejati di hatinya.
Film Wish menampilkan suara Ariana DeBose sebagai Asha, Chris Pine sebagai Raja Magnifico, dan Alan Tudyk sebagai Valentino, kambing peliharaan Asha. Film ini memiliki cerita dan karakter asli, dengan tujuh lagu baru yang ditulis oleh Julia Michaels dan Benjamin Rice.
Wish telah tayang di seluruh bioskop di Indonesia sejak 22 November 2023. Selain Asha, kehadiran Star dan tingkah laku unik Valentino juga turut menyajikan hiburan dalam film ini.
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You just need a quick scroll on social media to feel like the world is a troubling place right now. While we’ve all heard of triggers — those moments that catch you by surprise and send your body into fight or flight mode — you are less likely to know about triggers’ siblings: glimmers.
The term was coined by Deb Dana, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in complex trauma, in her 2018 book “The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy,” in which she identified the small micro moments of joy that lead our bodies to experience feelings of connection, calm, and joy. While the word conjures up images of faint, fleeting light, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they are hard to come by — but in actuality, glimmers are all around us. You just need to tune in to them.
While there’s little doubt we could all do with coming across our own personal glimmers as often as possible, just how beneficial are they? How do glimmers differ from triggers? And, most importantly, how do we find them? We speak to trauma-informed integrative therapist Abby Rawlinson, author of “Reclaiming You,” which is available to preorder now, for more information on glimmers and why they are so important.
Rawlinson explains that glimmers refer to the people, places, and experiences that help regulate our nervous system. They are small moments that occur during the day and bring a sense of calm, happiness, and appreciation. Despite their seemingly insignificant nature, glimmers actually trigger a physical response in our bodies, promoting a state of calmness.
Rawlinson further elaborates that glimmers activate a specific part of our body called the vagus nerve, which is often referred to as the “care-taking” or wandering nerve. The vagus nerve originates in the core of the brain and extends all the way to the gut. Its role is to bring us back to a regulated state where we feel calm, focused, and at ease.
While significant events can certainly bring happiness, there is great value in recognizing and embracing these small moments of joy. Sometimes, these glimmers can evoke memories of past moments of safety, while other times, they simply involve appreciating passing things that bring a smile to our faces.
Rawlinson emphasizes that glimmers have the ability to shift our nervous system into a regulated state. When we are in this state, we experience positivity, a sense of manageability in life, and the ability to be productive, creative, and capable of handling challenges. Being regulated gives us a general feeling of “everything is OK,” fostering trust in others and the world around us.
According to Rawlinson, glimmers have the opposite impact compared to triggers. While triggers activate the survival responses of our nervous system, glimmers evoke feelings of calmness and relaxation. They bring us back to a state of equilibrium and balance, known as homeostasis, where our system is regulated.
Triggers often elicit memories of past traumatic experiences, whereas glimmers have the power to remind us of moments filled with joy and happiness.
Discovering your own personal glimmers can be a challenging task, as they are unique to each individual and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Our nervous systems are wired to focus on threats rather than moments of safety, and Rawlinson explains that the sensations we experience when we are in a regulated state can be more subtle compared to those when we are dysregulated.
It is crucial to start paying deliberate attention to what brings you a sense of ease. Take a pause and reflect on the situations or activities that have made you feel calm. Rawlinson suggests asking yourself questions like: What activities make me feel nourished and relaxed? Who are the people that make me feel safe and accepted? Which places bring me happiness and peace?
Rawlinson further explains that glimmers can be categorized into two types: self-regulating glimmers and co-regulating glimmers. Self-regulating glimmers encompass activities that you can do on your own to regulate yourself, such as reading, engaging in creative pursuits, spending time in nature, practicing yoga, or taking a bath. Co-regulating glimmers involve interactions with others that help bring you into a regulated state, such as sharing laughter with a friend, talking to a therapist, having deep conversations with your partner, or cuddling with a pet.
We tend to categorize our days as either good or bad, but the reality is that our lives are filled with fluctuating ups and downs. Glimmers are the numerous micro moments of positivity that occur throughout our lives. They can be as small as hearing your favorite song on the radio, brewing a cup of tea, or lighting a candle.
Keeping a record of your glimmers in one place can be helpful, allowing you to revisit them when you feel anxious or disconnected. By tuning in to these glimmers and actively seeking or creating more of them when needed, you can cultivate a calmer state of mind.
Rawlinson suggests actively seeking moments of awe. Awe is experienced when we encounter something that possesses extraordinary qualities that seem beyond our comprehension. Examples of awe-inspiring experiences include witnessing the birth of a child, attending a mind-blowing concert, or marveling at a beautiful sunset. These moments of awe not only divert our attention from ourselves but also evoke a profound sense of appreciation. Moreover, they have the capacity to shift our nervous system from a state of dysregulation characterized by anxiety, anger, or hopelessness to a more regulated state where we feel happy, present, and at ease.
It is important to note that experiencing awe doesn’t necessarily require grand or extravagant plans, such as elaborate vacations or once-in-a-lifetime trips. Awe can be found in the ordinary moments of our everyday lives. It can be experienced by immersing ourselves in powerful music, appreciating the beauty of nature, connecting with remarkable individuals or stories, or listening to inspiring speeches. These everyday experiences have the potential to evoke a sense of awe and contribute to regulating our nervous system.
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One of the most popular types of Korean dramas is high-school dramas. Teen romance series, often featuring love triangles, are commonly seen in this genre. However, over the years, high-school dramas have become more diverse and complex, especially with the rise of streaming platforms.
Here is a ranking of the top 7 high-school K-dramas:
Starring Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin, this glossy hit series follows the story of a chaebol heir attending a prestigious high school. It offers all the elements of teen romance and showcases an impressive cast.
Standing out from the romance-dominated list, Weak Hero Class is an intense series on Wavve Original. It revolves around three high-school students who must confront the bullies. The show combines thrilling fight scenes with intriguing alliances. Season two is set to release next year.
The first installment of the popular Reply anthology series, Reply 1997 focuses on a high-school student in 1997 who admires the K-pop band H.O.T. Set in Busan, the show incorporates a vibrant dialect along with youthful romance and personal struggles.
This dark high-school drama on Netflix centers around a resourceful young man who secretly operates as an online pimp for underage prostitutes. The show sheds light on the darker aspects of youth crime in contemporary Korean society.
In this delightful series, a high-school student discovers that she is a character in a comic book and attempts to break free from the constraints of her predetermined story. Extraordinary You lovingly parodies the genre while delivering a tender and lively teen romance.
Considered one of the best seasons of the School series, School 2013 portrays two teachers with different teaching philosophies dealing with a challenging group of students who bring their troubled backgrounds into the classroom. It features a talented cast and explores themes of perseverance and pursuing dreams.
Topping the list is Twenty-Five Twenty-One, a 2022 K-drama featuring Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk. Set against the backdrop of Korea’s 1997 financial crisis, the series follows a determined student’s journey to join a fencing team while navigating love and personal growth.
These high-school K-dramas offer a variety of engaging storylines, from romance to friendship and personal struggles, making them enjoyable for teenage viewers.
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