Love is in the air this week as we roll into Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re spending the evening with your partner, or just enjoying a Galentine’s Day with your best friends, be sure to check out this week’s recommendations for date night ideas.
In TV and film, there’s definitely a theme going on in the names of these new releases. Immerse yourselves in the smooth, soulful sound of Bob Marley with his new biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” coming out in theaters. Or, if you’re in the mood for love and drama, the hit reality show “Love is Blind” is premiering a new season on Netflix this week.
In books, take a break and enjoy a comforting read with the popular Korean novel Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, which is finally being released in a highly anticipated English translation. For a romance novel, be sure to check out the newest YA release by author Marissa Meyers, who is famous for writing the Lunar Chronicles series.
For the audiophiles out there, get ready for a throwback with Jennifer Lopez’s first album release in ten years. But be sure to also check out the mini album by K-pop girl group Le Sserafim.
There are going to be a few concerts at Peabody and Homewood this week. Hopkins student composers will be featuring new works at the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, while the Hopkins Concert Orchestra will perform some familiar and fiery pieces from Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Or, enjoy a night at the opera with the performance of a Serbian piece about a bride on the night before her wedding. Though I’m not an opera fan myself, having been pleasantly surprised by a Peabody Chamber Opera performance before, I would recommend them to anybody.
To watch...
Love is Blind Season 6, created by Chris Coelen — Feb. 13
Get ready to meet a whole new cast of singles in the new season of this wildly popular dating show where individuals meet and get engaged, all without seeing each other’s faces.
Bob Marley: One Love, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green — Feb. 14
This biopic of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley follows his rise to fame and stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley.
Bleeding Love, directed by Emma Westenberg — Feb. 16
Follow real-life father and daughter due Ewan and Clara McGregor in this road trip movie about a father driving his daughter to a rehab center after her overdose.
To read...
With a Little Luck, by Marissa Meyer — Feb. 13
This romance novel follows a boy who finds a magical twenty-sided dice that grants him good luck, only to then lose it at a local music festival. Suddenly bereft of luck, he must try to reclaim all the good fortune he was once granted and grapple with romantic feelings for his best friend.
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, by Hwang Bo-reum — Feb. 20
This heartwarming, slice-of-life story follows a woman who decides to abandon her life plan to follow her dream of opening a bookshop in Seoul. The inhabitants of Seoul talk and take refuge in the literary haven she creates in this stunning novel, newly translated from Korean by Shanna Tan.
To listen...
This is Me... Now, by Jennifer Lopez — Feb. 16
The ninth studio album from pop singer Jennifer Lopez will be released accompanying the film This is Me…Now: A Love Story. With title tracks like “Dear Ben Pt. II” and “Midnight Trip to Vegas,” we can assume that the album will at least partially be about her marriage to actor Ben Affleck.
Easy, by Le Sserafim — Feb. 19
This new mini album from K-Pop girl group Le Sserafim will feature tracks like “Good Bones,” “Swan Song” and “We Got So Much.”
Live events...
Peabody Symphony Orchestra: Composition Reading Concert at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall — Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
See the Peabody Symphony Orchestra perform new orchestral compositions by Peabody graduate students Zachary Detrick, Carlos Meyers and Yoonjung Lee, as well as Peabody senior Michael Balsamo. Tickets are free and the performance will also be livestreamed.
Ana Sokolović: Svadba at the Baltimore Theatre Project — Feb. 16–18
Sung a cappella and performed in Serbian, this production from the Peabody Chamber Opera follows a bride-to-be celebrating with her friends and family on the night before her wedding. Tickets are $10 for students.
Hopkins Concert Orchestra: Spring Concert at the Interfaith Center — Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.
Watch the Hopkins Concert Orchestra perform selections from Bizet’s fiery opera Carmen, along with works by Florence Price and Giuseppe Verdi, in this dramatic classical performance. Tickets are free.
