Hump day recommendations, April 16, 2025

Read: Babel by R.F. Kuang is a masterful blend of dark academia and magical realism, exploring the power of language, colonialism, and resistance through the eyes of Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan raised to serve the British Empire through translation. Set in an alternate 1800s Oxford, this richly-researched standalone novel feels uncannily real, challenging readers to question the role of language in shaping history. Kuang’s storytelling is both epic and intimate — a spellbinding love letter to etymology that doesn’t shy away from the brutal truths of empire. I can’t stop babelling about how much I liked it. – Riley

Watch: “Industry.” Has all this news about “stock trades” and “bond markets” got you hunkering for a show about finance? Look no further than this hit BBC series, which is now three seasons deep (with a fourth inbound). It follows an American near-graduate who runs into a morass of personal and professional issues — some of which are of her own making — as she gets to grips with her career at Pierpoint, a fictional investment bank based in the very non-fictional London. Come for the hastily-cinched deals, stay for the niche football (ahem, soccer) trivia. – Zac