Welcome back to the Isolation Diaries, our weekly round-up of the things that bring us joy, keep us creatively motivated, and help us unwind. Got a suggestion, or want to be featured? Let us know.

Post-lockdown if a good time to reflect on things. The School of Life Dictionary has over 160 words and phrases that shed light on our feelings about the modern world and its workings, about ourselves and about other people. We’ve picked up Murakami’s Dance Dance Dance, an exploration of human connection told in an offbeat, surreal story. We’re all big fans of The Alienist. After finishing the season two, we were left wanting more, so we’re reading the 1994 novel that inspired the series.

We’re up to season four of The Crown and things are getting real. Following the life of Queen Elizabeth II (played by the ever-regal Olivia Colman), this season introduces Lady Diana and Prince William. It turns out, after five years off screen Toast of London is making a comeback! We’re celebrating by rewatching this weird series again. Yes we can hear you, Clem Fandango. We’re becoming members of Golden Age, and will be taking full advantage of their fancy bottle shop.

Victoria is doing so well on the zeros, we must all be getting a little tired of donuts. Try these Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, a subtle change. Not us, but the talented contemporary artist Aki Inomata recreated the shell of an ammonite—ancestor of the octopus—using 3D scanning and printing techniques. Sculptor and life guru Tom Sachs teaches us How to Sweep which may be helpful once we all head back to the office after all this time working from home.

It’s summertime, the birds are singing and it’s the perfect time to listen to our new playlist, Disco Remixed. Goldie’s Timeless is now 25 years old. A longtime favourite, it’s just as inspiring today as it was back in 1995. We’re also listening to Low’s Double Negative, a 2018 masterpiece that sounds kind of like the end of the world, but it sure makes you feel immensely powerful when it’s playing through your headphones on a long stroll.