Some of us prefer savoury things for a quick snack. But if you happen to have a sweet tooth, you definitely need to try the vanilla, cream-filled quadratinis from the Italian brand Loacker. The quadratini, which means little squares in Italian, was introduced by Loacker in 1994— though I have just only discovered them after a date recommended them to me. These crispy, bite-sized wafer cookies have four layers of delicious vanilla cream. That doesn’t mean they are too sweet, though, so they are perfect as a late-night dessert or, even better, a companion snack with your coffee. I also like the smart packaging: a neat re-sealable pouch-like bag that makes sure you don’t end up eating too many of them in one go. The Loacker Quadratini is available in other flavours too and can be ordered online. —Nitin Sreedhar
Plenty has been written, filmed and said about Veerappan, the notorious smuggler, poacher and forest brigand who dominated the news for more than a decade before he was killed in 2004. Selvamani Selvaraj’s four-episode Netflix series, The Hunt For Veerappan, is well-researched, with clips from his tapes and interviews with key figures from his life, including his wife Muthulakshmi. It pieces together a long story, filled with drama and multiple narrators, without seeming too sympathetic to the smuggler who was almost worshipped by some. A riveting watch, it doesn’t, however, delve deeply into how a figure like Veerappan came to be.—Dakshayani Kumaramangalam
I am obsessive about my dark circles. From trying to drink five litres of water a day to applying potato water, cold tea bags and aloe vera, to using budget-friendly eye creams by Re’equil and amala.earth and not-at-all budget-friendly ones by Isdin and Kiehl’s, I have tried it all. Nothing has worked. But I have not given up. Recently, Kama Ayurveda launched its Eye Contour Renewal serum, promising to hydrate the under-eye areas and reduce dark circles and fine lines. Of course, I had to try it. After a week’s use, I can see the change, though the fine lines, which don’t bother me too much, are still evident. The applicator is extremely soft and smooth, which is something you don’t often come across. I am waiting another week to find out if I really have discovered the magic lightness wand for my dark circles.—Pooja Singh
NaomDragons have a strong hold on the imagination of fantasy writers. In Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series of books featuring the eponymous dragon and his handler Will Laurence, which I discovered recently and belatedly through a chatty online book club, they come alive as fully realised creatures with strong emotions and intellect. The backdrop of the books, which are about the relationship between Temeraire and Laurence if you strip away the adventure stuff, are the Napoleonic Wars between England and France in the early 19th century, with real incidents woven in skilfully in Novik’s period-appropriate prose. Having read only the first two of the series, it’s a joy to think there are several more left to devour.—Shrabonti Bagchi
