When it comes to entertainment and education, we can choose from podcasts, videos, games, live performances, or books, one of the oldest and still most popular ways to learn something new or escape (at least temporarily) from todays troubled world. We asked the staff of The Verge what their favorite reads were in 2024. Their answers ranged from fantasy and science fiction to histories of engineering and clothing to autobiographies, insights on body image, and more.Read on, and see if theres anything here that you want to check out during the holidays.Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editorWhen recommending novels, I usually try to go with those that come from independent presses or that arent on anyones bestseller list because there are so many books and authors that dont get the attention they deserve. However, this year, Ive gone against my usual habit and chosen two books that are popular and publicized retakes of well-known tales, simply because I could not put either down.James is an incredibly intelligent and insightful retelling of Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of the boys companion, the enslaved man named Jim. And The Bright Sword is a fantastic (in both senses of the word) retelling of the mythos of King Arthur that takes place just after Arthurs death, from the viewpoint of a neglected young man who defies the class system to become a knight. Both books are not only extraordinarily well written but also bring new and unexpected insights into tales that have been so microscopically examined over the years that youd think there was nothing new to add. But in the case of both of these books, youd be wrong. James byPercival Everett$15A skillful retelling of Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of the enslaved man Jim.$15 at Amazon (Kindle)The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman$15A fantastic (in both senses of the word) retelling of the mythos of King Arthur that takes place just after Arthurs death.$15 at Amazon (Kindle)Kara Verlaney, managing editorLike most millennials, I grew up on a steady diet of daytime Food Network shows when I stayed home from school. Barefoot Contessa was always my number one. There was some form of procedural satisfaction about watching as this grandmotherly hostess spent hours, seemingly effortlessly, preparing a meal for a 20-person gathering, only to wistfully sigh, smile, and never enjoy the fruits of her own labor. So when I heard the Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten was writing a memoir, I knew I was already bought in.Ill put it plainly: this book is perplexing. From her previous stint as a US nuclear budget analyst to learning how to fly planes to five entire chapters about how she wanted to decorate her Paris apartment, its a memoir that will have you constantly asking yourself, Is this lady for real? (There is a lot of quiet money as an explanation for her various achievements.) Its a trip!I listened to the audiobook (she narrates), and hearing her lilting, peaceful voice talk about her rough childhood, relationship with her fan-favorite investment banker husband Jeffrey, and her (at the time) radical decision to not have children reminded me that were all human and all experience lifes trials. Ina just has the unique ability to make it all look like luck. Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten$15A memoir of a fascinating life by the host of Barefoot Contessa.$15 at Amazon (Kindle)Andrew Liszewski, senior reporterBill Hammack is a professor of engineering who is better known as engineerguy on YouTube, where, for years, hes shared compelling videos breaking down the complex engineering of seemingly simple items we often take for granted. Think diapers, soda cans, and duct tape. His book, The Things We Make, does the same thing but provides more in-depth looks at the engineering behind ancient marvels like medieval cathedrals. Its worth a read just to learn how the microwave was created and eventually found its way into the average home. The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cansby Bill Hammack$10Bill Hammack provides in-depth looks at the engineering behind ancient marvels like medieval cathedrals.$10 at Amazon (Kindle)Kristen Radtke, creative directorThis deranged collection of linked stories is so preposterously good that Ive read lines from it out loud to friends at dinner parties, on the subway, and once, in a public sauna. In this viscerally uncomfortable, laugh-out-loud, straight-up gorgeous book, Tulathimutte scrapes bare the corners of the internet and (forgive me) the contours of the human heart so piercingly that reading it is like a long-range emotional endurance exercise. I cant stop thinking about it or talking about it. Disclosure: the author is my friend, but that doesnt mean hes not a genius. Buy a copy for yourself and for your weirdest, smartest pal. Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte$15A preposterously good collection of linked stories.$15 at Amazon (Kindle)Allison Johnson, reviewerThis will surprise nobody: Midnight in Chernobyl is not an uplifting read. But it is meticulously well reported and an incredibly comprehensive look at the Chernobyl disaster, from the inception of the nuclear power plant to the aftermath visited on generations of people affected by its explosion. Its all very matter-of-fact but recounts the events before, during, and after the disaster with remarkable humanity and places it all in the broader context of Soviet corruption without ever feeling like a history textbook. It is a thick book, and I could not put it down.On a lighter note, I also picked up St. Lucys Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, an older collection of short stories from Karen Russell. The way she can just punch you in the guts with a sentence is unfair. The stories mostly feature kids in those awkward middle school-ish / early teen years, and theyre a little (or a lot) surreal. Theres a sleepaway camp for kids with sleeping disorders, a seaside formation of giant conch shells that might be haunted, and the titular home for girls raised by wolves, which is what it says on the tin. It makes you remember how hard it is to be growing up and more than once cracked my heart right open. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the Worlds Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham$17A meticulously well reported and incredibly comprehensive look at the Chernobyl disaster.$17 at Amazon (Kindle)St. Lucys Home for Girls Raised by Wolves: Stories by Karen Russell$14Stories that feature kids in those awkward middle school-ish / early teen years and which are a little (or a lot) surreal.$14 at Amazon (Kindle)Victoria Song, senior reviewerI read a lot of books this year, but these three stuck out because they made me think a lot about perspective. Notes on an ExecutionThe Travelling Cat Chronicles is told from the point of view of Nana, a sassy stray cat, as he accompanies his adopted human Satoru across Japan, trying to figure out why Satoru needs to rehome him. (Warning: you might want a tissue box if youre a cat owner.) Meanwhile, The Memory Police is a dystopian story of a small island in which the government can make certain peoples memories of objects and things disappear at will and one persons choice to hide a friend who can still remember things they shouldnt. (Its vibe is like The Giver by Lois Lowry, but make it Japanese.)Theyre all different books, but Ive been thinking about them all year because they deftly dig into why we make the choices we do and how those choices are viewed and felt by the people around us. Each book made me look in the mirror and think about the sort of person I am and who I want to be. I think thats the best kind of fiction, really. Notes on an Executionby Danya Kukafka$10The story of a serial killer on death row, narrated by both himself and three women whose lives he upended.$10 at Amazon (Kindle)The Travelling Cat Chroniclesby Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel$14Told from the point of view of Nana, a sassy stray cat, as he accompanies his adopted human Satoru across Japan.$14 at Amazon (Kindle)The Memory Policeby Yko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder$13A dystopian story of a small island in which the government can make certain peoples memories of objects and things disappear at will.$13 at Amazon (Kindle)Kate Cox, senior producerMy only regret about reading The Steerswoman (and its three sequels) this year is that I did not read it 30 years ago this book would absolutely have become a formative part of my personal adolescent canon.The best way I can describe the Steerswomen is as a wandering order of largely female natural philosophers. They observe, deduce, test, and share knowledge in a slow-motion, preindustrial world, and the way Kirstein lays out her prose and her characters encourages the same in the reader. Several times during the series, I formed conclusions that were not borne out by the evidence and had to discard them and did not mind doing so because that was just part of the process.I read a lot of genre fiction, and I love a slow burn, so The Steerswoman fits the brief. But also I admire Kirsteins respect for the intelligence and wit of both her characters and her readers; she brings you along on the journey and trusts you to understand the people youre journeying with. Despite starting the series 35 years ago, shes still slowly adding to it, and to say I am looking forward to a fifth installment in coming years is a massive understatement. I will preorder and devour it when another book comes along. The Steerswomanby Rosemary Kirstein$3A wandering order of largely female natural philosophers observe, deduce, test, and share knowledge in a slow-motion, preindustrial world.$3 at Amazon (Kindle)Mia Sato, features reporterLook, I love clothes. I research them, I buy them, I even make them. Fashion is an essential part of how we express ourselves and our ideas (if you dont trust me, ask Steve Jobs). But the journey of how our fashion gets to us is purposely opaque, because the truth is far more upsetting than many of us are ready for especially in this era of ultrafast, dirt-cheap clothing.Sofi Thanhausers 2022 book is a pickax to this wall of secrecy. She traces the hidden history and costs of five types of textiles linen, cotton, silk, synthetics, and wool in this deeply reported work. Thanhauser travels to locales like China to learn from the last producer of ancient silk; to the North Carolina town where textile mill workers staged large-scale strikes in the 1920s; and to Northern England, where conservation groups are protecting local sheep biodiversity. This book isnt just for fashion people (though they should be the first to read it); its for anyone curious about the labor that goes into the luxuries they take for granted. You will never look at a T-shirt the same way again. Worn: A Peoples History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser$12Traces the hidden history and costs of five types of textiles linen, cotton, silk, synthetics, and wool in this deeply reported work.$12 at Amazon (Kindle)Cath Virginia, senior designerAs someone who is, more often than not, the fattest person in the room, its no surprise that I have struggled a lot with my body image and self-worth. That, on top of the guilt over feeling bad about feeling bad, ends up compounding like the interest on my student loans (and because body positivity feels like a pipe dream to a girl whose mind is riddled with body dysmorphic brain worms).Enter Jessi Kneeland, a former personal trainer turned body image coach, whose central thesis revolves around the notion that our body image issues are always a symptom of a larger and more complicated internal conflict. Through this, they share insight on how to identify the true source of a persons body image issues as well as clearly outlined steps on what to do about it. Life-changing is an understatement.Ta-Nehisi Coates latest book is an exploration of the concept of storytelling, told through a series of essays centered around three different locations. Dakar, Senegal, a historic site of the transatlantic slave trade; Columbia, South Carolina, where a school teacher fights an attempted banning of Coates own book; and finally, Palestine, where he spends a few days in May 2023 observing the stark contrasts between life in Gaza and Israel. It left me with a sense of optimism (or maybe blind faith?) that despite how hopeless the present moment can feel, our collective imaginations are ever shifting toward something better than before. Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues by Jessi Kneeland$5A former personal trainer turned body image coach explains the notion that our body image issues are always a symptom of a larger and more complicated internal conflict.$5 at Amazon (Kindle)The Messageby Ta-Nehisi Coates$15An exploration of the concept of storytelling, told through a series of essays centered around three different locations: Dakar, Senegal; Columbia, South Carolina; and Palestine.$15 at Amazon (Kindle)

The grid is a comfortable place to live.The app grid, I mean: the rows and rows of app icons on your iPhones homescreen. Its familiar. Safe. Its how Ive lived with my various phones over the past decade. But at some point, it started to feel oppressive. All those icons staring at me in the face, vying for my attention. The clutter! The distracting little notification badges! The grid was a reasonable way to organize apps when I had like, ten of them. There are sixty on the iPhone Im using now, and I set it up from scratch a few months ago.Naturally, living off-grid or in a non-traditional homescreen arrangement has been possible for much longer on Android. Googles OS lets you keep your screen clear and just find your apps in the app drawer, which is always a swipe away. You can even replace the launcher entirely. But iOS where every new app you download winds up on your homescreen by default hasnt exactly made it easy to abandon the grid. That started to change when iOS 14 added widgets, an app library, and the ability to hide apps from your homescreen though I havent developed the muscle memory to use it much. Now, iOS 18 adds even more flexibility. You can put apps and widgets anywhere you want on your homescreen, change their colors, and put more functions into the Control Center. But even as the apps and customization options have multiplied, most of us are still using our homescreens in basically the same way as we did with our first smartphones.With the new options in iOS 18 and getting a peek at other peoples well-curated homescreens I decided it was time to do a little cleanup. Why should an app I only open once a month when I park downtown take up space on my homescreen year-round? Better yet, does any app deserve to occupy that precious real estate?RelatedI spent about an hour deleting icons, arranging widgets, and adding controls to create my new homescreen. The camera control button on the iPhone 16 renders that icon unnecessary; the action button launches the oft-used daycare app, so that could go too. When I was done, my haphazardly maintained system of folders with cute emoji labels was whittled down to just four apps in the dock and a handful of widgets spread across two pages, which Im affectionately calling Windows Phone 2.0. Outside of the dock its just widgets.Page two features some gentle nagging and a shortcut to play some festive tunes.Was it scary? A little. But you know what? I dont miss those rows of icons at all. Nine out of ten times the app Im looking for is in the Siri suggested apps that pop up when I open search. If not, I type in the first few letters of the app name and there it is. You could swipe over to the app library, I guess, but I hardly ever do.The biggest drawback is that Ill see a notification, dismiss it, and then forget about it for days since the app icon and its little red notification badge arent in my face anymore. But I missed things here and there even when I was living on the grid, and those badges are a real problem for me: Im the kind of person who needs to reach badge zero, so Ill constantly open apps just to clear out the notifications and get the red dot out of my face. Living off the app grid removes this distraction, and its the number one thing I appreciate about my new lifestyle.Wordle gets a seat at the table, but everything else is shortcuts and widgets on Wes homescreen.Jays homescreen is like, the ghost of a homescreen.Im happy with my new homescreen, but some of my colleagues take the off-the-grid philosophy to the next level. Weekend news editor Wes Davis could teach a masterclass in functional iOS homescreens. He keeps a few apps in the dock, and Wordle gets a place on his grid, but outside of that its just widgets and shortcuts.I hate looking for things on my phone, he told me. All of this kind of started with me jumping on the bandwagon of I want to use my phone less, and have it be less distracting. The grayscale shortcut icons on his homescreen cut down on visual clutter, and he doesnt feel as drawn to opening time-suck apps like TikTok when the icon isnt right in front of him. Many of the shortcuts also contain drop-down menus, so he can launch right into the task hes looking for.Best of all, this method allows him to organize his phone by the action hes trying to take. An icon labeled Podcasts launches whatever podcast app hes using at the moment. If he ever starts using a different app, hell keep the same shortcut icon and have it launch a new app. I dont have to put a new app in there and get myself used to looking for that icon.I try and keep it to just these seven apps.News editor Jay Peters takes a more straightforward approach. Like me, he finds the constant presence of app icons distracting. If I dont see the app right on my homescreen Im way less likely to use it and just scroll with it. He has a total of seven apps on his homescreen including three in the dock and will occasionally allow an app icon back onto the grid if hes going to be using it a lot in a short period of time. If Im going on a big road trip or something, maybe Ill move the maps app [at the top of the homescreen], he says, But otherwise I try and keep it to just these seven apps.Both of my colleagues have achieved a level of balance in their digital lives that I admire. I also heard from many more who said that they still maintain a homescreen filled with app icons, but they almost always skip the grid and go to Spotlight search when they need to open an app. And none of us knows quite when it happened, but more than one person I talked to agreed that the Siri suggested apps at the top of the search pane got really good at some point in the past. More often than not, the app Im looking for is right there before I even type a letter into the search bar.You dont have to wait for AI or the metaverse or whatever to make your digital life less annoyingThat kind of thing gives me hope for a future where personalized AI can help me find what Im looking for on my phone, with less input from me. But if Ive learned anything from this exercise, its that you dont have to wait for AI or the metaverse or ambient computing or whatever to make your digital life less annoying. There are tools in our hands already; you just need a little courage to leave your comfort zone behind.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 65, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If youre new here, welcome, get ready to take up all your phones storage space, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This is the last Installer of the year! Im taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays, and I hope youre getting some relaxation in too. Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed to this newsletter, emailed me your recommendations, told me Im a lunatic about to-do lists, and generally been part of the Installerverse this year. Making this newsletter is so much fun, and Im so thrilled to get to do it with you. Bigger and better next year!This week, Ive been reading about Spotifys ghost artistsFormula 1 and Mufasa and the deeply silly New York Jets, watching Hot Frosty30 Rock, beating BalatroI also have for you a nifty new smart home controller, a new app for the future of social networks, the next Sonic movie, and much more. Plus, our most-requested homescreen ever? Lets do this.(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now? What should everyone else be playing / reading / watching / building / upgrading this holiday season? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)The DropHome Assistant Voice. I am currently actively avoiding becoming a Home Assistant person, because I know as soon as I get a Green in my house Ill become a full-on smart home lunatic. But this new voice assistant and microphone you can call it Jarvis! has me more enticed than ever. I might spend the holidays tearing my house apart.Flipboard Surf. Ive been ranting and raving for two years about how the fediverse is the future, and Surf a way to create and consume feeds of all kinds, from Mastodon and Bluesky to RSS and YouTube is the best evidence Ive seen yet. The apps waitlist-only and opening up slowly, but you should get on the list. Surf is awesome.Google Whisk. Prompt engineering was never a good idea. Google is one of the companies trying to find better ways in this case, it built a way to prompt its models just by uploading some inspo images and then describing what you want. I dont know if its useful, per se, but its fun to play with.Sonic The Hedgehog 3. I feel like nobody ever talks about the Sonic movies? But Ive really enjoyed the first two, and the reviews on the latest installment are really strong. And apparently Jim Carrey is on a whole new level in this one.Acorn 8. Acorn is one of my favorite Mac apps. Its like Photoshop for babies, in the sense that it cant do everything but it also doesnt require a masters degree to use. The new version brings a bunch of automated editing and selection features, Shortcuts integration, and some other useful new stuff.Niagara Launcher. Niagara remains my favorite Android launcher, and I really like the new Usage Breaker feature that helps you track and manage your screen time. Its much more subtle, and much more thoughtful, than all the OS-level stuff Google and Apple are doing.1-800-ChatGPT. A phone hotline for chatting with AI is definitely at least half a gimmick, but I kind of love it? (You can also message the number on WhatsApp.) Theres a long and delightful history of phone-number tech products like GOOG-411 and 777-FILM, and Im glad its not over.The LG Signature OLED T. For our last Installer of the year, the most expensive thing weve ever discussed: a 77-inch, kinda-sorta transparent, fishbowl-looking TV that is both extremely cool and totally pointless, and is now on sale for $59,999. If you buy one of these, email me. I need to know everything.Screen shareTheres a document I wrote when I was first planning Installer, in which I wrote down a bunch of people who seemed like perfect people to feature in a homescreen-sharing section. Hank Green was the very first name on that list. Hank is a YouTuber and a TikToker and an educator and a standup comic and a merchant slash philanthropist and an author and just, like, everyones favorite person on the internet it seems? I can think of few people as Installer as Hank.And for this, the last issue of the year, Hank agreed to share his homescreen! (He also assigned me a story in the middle of our email exchange, which Ill allow, because it was a very good story idea.) I sort of hoped hed have 12 phones, each for a different social platform, but alas it appears its just the one.Heres Hanks homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:The phone: iPhone 14.The wallpaper: My son attacking me with a cat tail and the planet Mars.The apps: Shopify, Wikipedia, YouTube, Duolingo, Apple Notes, Google Authenticator, Google, Philips Hue, FocusFriend, Gmail, Phone, Messages, Google Calendar.I know its a mess. All of this has evolved over years and now I just know where everything is and can never change anything. If theres any hot take on this home screen, its that more people should use Wikipedia as a primary search engine its often where youre going to end up anyway, so I keep that very handy. Also, I recently moved Twitter out of my social networking folder to make it harder for me to use. Its like three swipes away now, though still on my phone. I run several Shopify stores that are a big part of my business, so thats why thats there!By far the most-used non-social media app on my phone is Notes. I rely on it in a very unhealthy way that makes it an extremely entertaining scroll for me at least. My short-term memory isnt what it used to be, so everything ends up in there. There is also a secret project on here that I could have removed but instead were doing a soft-launch you can probably spot it if you look hard enough.I also asked Hank to share a few things hes into right now. Heres what he sent back:Adrian Tchaikovsky. If you havent read any, read Children of Time, but if youve only read the Children of Time series youre missing out on so many very interesting ideas about what minds are and the bizarre and exciting future we are headed into.Bluesky. Its where the nerds are, and so, five years from now, its where everyone will be.The Narwhal Wikipedia Page was robustly and entertainingly analyzed by this YouTube channel HG Modernism, and I loved it so much and youre silly if you dont watch it.Sean Carrols Mindscape: If sometimes you think, I like that Hank Green but he isnt technical enough and doesnt take on deep enough topics like the origin of life or consciousness, BOY DO I HAVE A PODCAST FOR YOU!!Frontline: The PBS investigative documentary show. Its just extremely good and I feel like it is totally underappreciated. Like, long YouTube videos analyzing things are great, but you know whats even better? When a large team of professionals work together on a long video analyzing things. The fact that I have more subscribers than Frontline on YouTube is FUCKED. CrowdsourcedHeres what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what youre into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal @davidpierce.11 with your recommendations for anything and everything, and well feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.If you havent played with Tana yet, I think that it is just about the most mind-blowing technology out there for personal knowledge management. It is a next-next-generation version of where knowledge graphs are going. RobertProbably a show thats a little under the radar right now is the show The Agency. Star-studded cast such as Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, and Richard Gere. This is a show that asks a lot from the viewer but is handsomely rewarded. JohnPlanning on building my second Classic-TKL keyboard from NovelKeys over the holiday break. The real challenge will be figuring out which keycaps to put on it! NoahThe ABC procedural High Potential has scratched the itch Ive had since similar concept shows like Monk, Psych, or the Mentalist went off the air. Is it revolutionaryno. But if you love person with special talent solves crimes this is a show for you. MikeIve been trying all these Bluesky/fediverse clients. I like: OpenVibe, Graysky and Skeets. JordanOne of the best shows about AI I watched in the past year, Pantheon, is on Netflix instead of AMC Plus jail. Highly recommend! SaadIts not going to spread Christmas cheer, but last night I went to a theatre near me to see The Order. Its a pretty limited theatrical release (and on Prime Video in the rest of the world) but the movie is fantastic. Its based on real life events involving a (more) violent splinter group of the Aryan Nation in the Pacific Northwest. Its violent, its scary, its full of slurs and cop cliches but it really happened. JohnI am way late to the party but I am really enjoying Suika Game for the Switch. Nice change of pace compared to what I usually play and today I managed to get my first watermelon. FilipRead it before, but never finished the series, so I re-picked up the first in the Murderbot Diaries series and am super enjoying it (again). DanReading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. Its a very sobering read about our relationship with the internet, written in a manner that traverses the entire history of humans relationship with technology, literacy, and information intake. JoeThat new Superman trailer! NachoSigning offOne of my very favorite kinds of stories is how things beget other things in ways nobody could have seen coming. Someone invented the elevator, and so skyscrapers happened, and cities changed forever. Some lobbyist comes up with the term jaywalking, and suddenly cars rule the road. Or the one I discovered this week: how the invention of the gang-nail plate somewhat unintentionally forever changed the houses people live in. Without a weird sheet of metal, we might not have open floor plans. Weird. I love it. And I bet there are a million more examples just like it. Blows my mind every time.Have a great holiday, see you in a few weeks!

Unlike series 14s episodes, the new Doctor Who Christmas special wont have an early streaming release followed by a later BBC One airing, meaning that everybody will be able to see it from the exact same time on December 25.Joy to the World is a 54-minute special adventure written by former showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Bridgertons Alex Pillai. See the official synopsis and trailer below:When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the earth, just in time for Christmas.And heres the episode trailer:When does the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas Special Come Out?For UK viewers, the 2024 Christmas Special Joy to the World airs at 5.10pm GMT on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday December 25.Where available around the world, non-UK viewers can stream the episode on Disney+ on the same day and at the same time, which is 12:10 pm EST / 9:10 am PST in the US.Series 14 Recap: Wheres Ruby Sunday?As is (mostly) traditional, the Doctor is without his regular companion in this years Christmas special and is instead joined by guest stars Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), Joel Fry (Plebs) and actor-director Stephanie de Whalley as Joy, Trev and Anita respectively who are all part of his adventure at the Time Hotel.In the series 14 finale Empire of Death, the Doctor and Ruby (Millie Gibson) defeated classic-era villain Sutekh, whod been hitching a ride on the TARDIS through the Time Vortex ever since 1975 serial Pyramids of Mars. Sutekh brought his empire of death to the universe, bringing destruction to all life, until the Doctor reversed it all and resurrected everyone and everything.Ruby also solved the mystery of her birth mothers identity in the finale, and discovered that she wasnt part-alien or a scion of some fantasy creatures family, but all human. Rubys mother had simply been a young girl who found herself pregnant and who was forced to give up her baby to protect her from an unsafe home.Reuniting with her birth mother, Ruby chose to say goodbye to the Doctor and leave the TARDIS so that she could spend more time with her family. She and her adoptive mum Carla (Michelle Greenidge) and grandmother Cherry (Angela Wynter) are still around, living their lives on Earth, just without the Doctor.A New Companion for Series 15Millie Gibson will appear as Ruby Sunday in multiple episodes of series 15 but the Doctor will meet a new companion played by Varada Sethu named Belinda Chandra. Well bring you the official season synopsis once its announced.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!A release date is also yet to be confirmed for the new eight-episode series, which once again has showrunner Russell T Davies at the helm, but wed expect it to arrive at some point in spring 2025.Joy to the World airs in the UK on BBC One at 5:10 pm, and will be simulcast on Disney+ around the world.

The Mississippi Delta may be a popular destination for the recreational hunting of wildlife, but it was a sport of another sort that brought this lakeside hunting lodge to life. Our client is not only a hunter; she is also an avid collector, says interior designer Richard Keith Langham, a native Alabamian turned New Yorker who was tasked with infusing his signature brand of Southern comfort into Black Bear Lodge, where the owners friends and extended family gather for hunting, fishing, and holiday getaways. We had a treasure trove of things to work with, says Keith. Principal designer Cass Roth-Retz echoes the sentiment: A lot of design decisions were made based on the clients curation of these really interesting things.More specifically, these interesting things include 19th- century European antiques and American primitive pieces that share space with taxidermy and unique artwork featuring wildlife, hunting dogs, and other outdoor scenes. The whole house is an amalgam of furniture and art that pays tribute to the land and nature and the animal kingdom, says Keith, who complemented his clients collections with custom upholstery, draperies, and lighting. Becky Luigart-StaynerThe lodges red metal roof and trim (Cottage Red by Benjamin Moore) provide a holiday-ready palette, while the dark neutral exterior siding keeps things grounded. Outfitted with wreaths, a pair of antique dog statues stands at the welcome at the front door. The propertys found furnishings merrily intermingle with its more rustic touches, including reclaimed barnwood ceilings, a fireplace featuring Tennessee limestone, and unique bark detailing installed by the homes architect, Mississippi-based Lewis Graeber III. In addition to gracefully walking the line between rustic and refined, the home lives up to its geographical claim to fameMississippi is the Hospitality State, after allwith a gracious open floor plan, well-appointed guest rooms, and a Christmas-ready color palette, which even extends to the rusty red of the homes dirt road drive. By the time December officially rolls around, a fresh-cut tree gets dressed up with handmade wooden ornaments and burlap ribbon, while pine cones and greenery gathered from the 20,000-acre property outfit the homes other cozy corners. Despite its thoughtful design, its the destinations off-the-grid disposition (read: spotty internet and cell service!) that makes every trip feel like a retreat. Its the most blissful place, says Cass. Unless someone has the [landline] phone number, the family cant be reached. Theres something quite charming about that. It is just idyllic.Tour More Homes All Decked out for the Holidays:Ruddy RedsBecky StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerBarn red milk paint sets a warm, welcoming tone for houseguests. Milk paint has a nice, chalky complexion, which gives the space that rustic charm, says Cass. The red thread continues with two bobbin-legged work tables, custom hooked rug, and billiards table. Beneath a large oil painting, one table holds woven baskets and a German Black Forest stag clock from the 19th century. The front doors bark veneer panels bring the outdoors in.Get the Look: Wall Paint Color: Barn Red Milk PaintEuropean AntiquesBecky Luigart-StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerAfter days full of brisk activity and big country meals (fried quail and catfish are often on the menu), guests gather at the 19th-century French oak table for games. New splat-back oak armchairs with embroidered upholstery and a wrought-iron light fixturekeep things cozy. The English chiffonier holds a collection of the homeowners old books, candlestick lamps, and nature dioramas. On another wall, a duo of carved Black Forest trophy plaques pairs with a painting of hunting dogs on the job.Natural MaterialsBecky Luigart-StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerA grouping of cozy upholstered furniture beckons guests to gather around the living rooms fireplace featuring Tennessee limestone. Along the walls are framed pieces from the homeowners personal collection, including watercolors of wildlife and a 19th-century English painting of a deer. The clients treasures give the house its personality, says designer Richard Keith Langham. Come Christmastime, the room is filled with a 10-foot Leyland cypress that is bedecked with claret-colored burlap ribbon and wooden ornaments hand-turned by Emily Wood, a maker based in Utah.Nods to NatureBecky Luigart-StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerUltrasuede counter stools by Louis J. Solomon surround a maple-topped island in the kitchen. Architect Lewis Graeber III designed the island as well as the cabinets, where he used tree bark insets to bring in a nod to nature.On the dining table, the Christmastime table setting features the owners Spode Woodland Pheasant china paired with antler-handled flatware. The designers created the centerpiece from pine cones and greenery gathered on the property.Welcoming SpacesBecky Luigart-StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerGarland made of cypress and pine cones harvested on the property deck the staircase. The chinking in the rough-hewn timbers gives the walls a log cabin feel, and the recesses in the wall house the owners wildlife dioramas. The antique English chair holds hunting rifles, and its back piece folds down to make a table. The British-style snug a denlike space where lodge guests can loungecontains a hunter green L-shaped sofa, a 19th-century American hooked rug, and a mushroom-shaped concrete table with a red slate top. Above the sofa, an Adirondack frame holds an antique painting of a fisherman. Nubby TextilesBecky Luigart-StaynerKeith and Cass employed a color-coding system for the lodges upstairs bedrooms. Guests who stay in the red room are treated to traditional handmade beds, classic nature scenes, and charming textiles, including red-and-white striped duvets and curtains of an embroidered fabric reminiscent of a folksy sampler pattern. Its very Americana, Keith says of the space. Handcrafted FurnitureBecky Luigart-StaynerBecky Luigart-StaynerIn the green room, the walls are washed in a custom sage milk paint to complement the painted bed by Country Bed Shop, which Keith calls an interpretation of American country furniture. On the window, shorter curtains keep the space simple. It makes the room not look so fancy and formal, says Cass. Patterned linen bedding and traditional brass swing-arm sconces provide the finishing touches.A pair of low-post beds flanks an antique carved wooden shelf in the blue room, while the custom lampshades match the blue milk paint on the walls. A large bird etching continues the nature thread. Flea Market FindsBecky Luigart-StaynerThe owner of the lodge found the 19th-century animal watercolor studies at a French flea market, and Cass culled from the 50 or so works to curate the collection that hangs in the mustard-yellow guest room. Gingham curtains complement the harvest gold linens and striped duvet that dress the bed. Tour More Country Houses Across Mississippi:

According to Mark Gurmans Power On newsletter, Apple is not working on a new version of its AirPort wireless router. However, they are working on something else that could potentially serve as a wireless access point, so dont give up hope quite yet.Earlier this month, we got some new information regarding Apples in-house wireless networking chip, dubbed Proxima. So far, we know this chip will go in a number of home related products, including the Apple TV and HomePod. Itll also show up in iPhone 17 and Mac models later on.One interesting thing about this new chip is that its apparently sophisticated enough that Apple could choose to turn it into a wireless router:The Proxima chip is so sophisticated that it couldtheoreticallyturn a home device like an Apple TV box or HomePod into a wireless access point. Google has released products like this before, including a mixed Wi-Fi router and smart speaker.Gurman notes that the wireless features of these upcoming Apple TV and HomePods wouldnt be a highlight at all, if Apple even chooses to enable wireless access point functionality at all.Either way, its cool to know that it is possible. If Apple wanted to, we could have an Apple-designed wireless access point, similar to the AirPort Express, in our lives once again. Many have dreamed of this, especially since Apples AirPort lineup was discontinued so long ago. Apple released the last AirPort device in 2013.What do you think of the possibility of new Apple wireless access points? Let us know in the comments.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloombergs Mark Gurman laid out a couple updates on Apples developments on health features for AirPods. Weve heard reports on this matter in the past, but this provides a little more insight.According to the newsletter, Apple is working on a wide variety of health features, including a heart-rate monitor, a temperature sensor, and new sensors thatll track a slew of physiological measures. Apples primarily focused on developing the heart rate sensor at the moment.In internal testing, Apple is noticing more accurate heart-rate info off of the Apple Watch, but Gurman reports that AirPods arent too far off. We dont have details on the other health features, nor a precise timeline, though Gurman says well see it roll out over the coming years.Apple is also working on cameras for AirPods. This project was previously cancelled, but got revived with Apples sudden interest in developing products for the era of AI. Gurman notes that this is a priority project for both AI teams and AirPods teams, but its still a couple years away:In fact, its now seen asa priority for theteams within ApplesAI and AirPods hardware development groups. That said, I wouldnt expect the technology to hit the market for a couple more years assuming it doesnt get canceled again.Apple released a new firmware update for AirPods Pro 2 earlier this year, enabling hearing health features and the ability to use AirPods as an FDA-certified hearing aid. With the release of these features, its obvious that Apple is moving in a more health-oriented direction, so introducing AirPods health features for users without an Apple Watch is a probable move.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is working on a new smart home doorbell, to compete with the likes of Ring. Itd offer advanced facial recognition, and integrate wirelessly with smart home locks.Apple already offers many third party HomeKit locks on its online store, but doorbells with facial recognition would be a new venture. Gurman reports that the doorbell will be able to automatically unlock your home by just scanning your face:The idea is that the doorbell could automatically unlock the door for a homes residents by scanning their face just like Face ID lets them into their iPhone.This doorbell will potentially be able to integrate with many of the third party HomeKit locks on the market, although that isnt quite clear. Gurman says Apple may partner with one specific lock maker, and instead just offer a complete package with one purchase.This smart home doorbell is still in early stages, and wont come to the market before the end of next year at the soonest, according to the report. This doorbell will also take advantage of Apples new in-house networking chip.Apple is expected to expand its reach in the smart home market significantly next year, with the release of a new smart home control device, which can reportedly attach to your walls and potentially a speaker base. Think of it as a Google Nest Hub of sorts. Well also be getting a refresh to the Apple TV and HomePod mini next year, as part of these efforts.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Two US navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in an apparent case of friendly fire, the US military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in more than a year of the country targeting Yemens Houthis.Both pilots were rescued alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the incident underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become amid the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.The US military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemens Houthi at the time, though the militarys Central Command (Centcom) did not elaborate on what their mission was.The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, Centcom said. On 15 December Centcom acknowledged the Truman had entered the Middle East, but hadnt specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, Centcom said in a statement. The incident was being investigated.From the militarys description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the Red Rippers of strike fighter quadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia.It wasnt immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.However, Centcom said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.Since the Trumans arrival, the US has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the navy described as its most intense combat since the second world war.On Saturday night and early Sunday, US warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which the Houthis have held since 2014. Centcom described the strikes as targeting a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility.Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without providing any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included western military vessels.The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israels campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube789kWatch on YouTube Well folks, we're back with another look at some of the best best games that we (that is, our video team) played in 2024.This time, it's Zion's turn to reveal the goods, and what a selection of games. There are some truly excellent titles here; a couple of smaller, more niche curios (one for my fellow horror fans, too!), but all of them are well worth recommending.Tomorrow, we'll be back for the final time to check out the lovely Alex's picks, and we're confident that those, too, shall be absolute bangers. So please come back and join us for that, and be sure to let us know what your top five games of the year are, if you haven't already! But what are yours?"A unicorn is worth more than riches"See AlsoShare:03 Nintendo Lifes resident horror fanatic, when hes not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesToby Fox Shares Another Development Update On Deltarune Chapter 3, 4 & 5"Progress has still been steady"46 Games You Should Pick Up In The Nintendo Switch eShop Holiday Sale (Europe)Every game we scored 9/10 or higher'Switch 2' Is Projected To Be The "Clear Winner" In The Next Console GenerationWhile either Sony or Microsoft will "struggle mightily"