What’s on our shelves: Supermarket sweep, a night at the opera, and at last, an answer to the question ‘Why do we sleep?’
Last updated on: 7th April 2025|7th April 2025 | Lauren Purton | WOOSH
Performance: Puccini’s Madama Butterfly produced by Ellen Kent, featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv
5 March, Kings Theatre, Portsmouth
In 2023, Eilish and I attended a performance of La Bohème by the same theatre company and producer and it was a wonderful introduction to opera for us. For the uninitiated like me, I recommend reading up on the basic plot before going to help better immerse yourself in the experience and allow you to focus more on the performers rather than the surtitles. Olexandr Forkushak’s baritone performance as the US Consul and Elena Dee’s as Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly) were captivating. The set design and costuming were charming.
I am so appreciative of this touring troupe bringing opera to Portsmouth, without which I wouldn’t experience the artform. Madama Butterfly has come under increased scrutiny about its place in a modern context and the values and stereotypes it portrays, these thoughts did present themselves whilst watching the performance and continued discussion thereafter.
Keep an eye out for future Ellen Kent productions.
Lauren Purton, Marketing Executive – Open Fifth
An update from Helen’s ‘To be finished’ shelf
Listened to:
Why we sleep by Matthew Walker
It has gone down in Open Fifth history that Jonathan Field, our Managing Director, talked about this book so much when he read it that I had to listen to it. It is both fascinating and terrifying. I would have said that ‘sleep is important and we should all get more of it’ was one of those classic ‘common sense’ and obvious statements that doesn’t really need to be researched. Although, apparently certain people are still under the impression that only sleeping 4-5 hours a night makes them superior somehow? Sure. It turns out that not only should sleep be researched but that the impact of not sleeping enough is so varied and bad, I am likely to lose sleep over it. My one criticism (that’s a lie, I have two), is that there are times the author really labours a point so I get frustrated, thinking, yes I get it, move on. My other criticism is that the narrator attempts to put on accents when, for example, he quotes Paul McCartney. I recognise that is about me rather than the narrator but it drives me mad when people attempt to do accents. Please do not do accents.
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
As the team know, I am currently renovating a big old house I took a mad fit two years ago to buy. I usually spend my weekends painting, gardening and other DIY things I’ve no idea how to actually do. Last weekend was no exception so I decided to listen to Temeraire as I put up curtain poles and cleared out my utility room in preparation for painting. I LOVE Naomi Novik’s ‘Scholomance’ series and have enjoyed some of her other standalone novels but had never looked at her earlier ‘Napoleonic Wars’ series. I’m so glad I finally have. I basically listened to the entire book in a day. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of them as I endlessly scrap, sand, paint, dig, cry, question every decision I’ve ever made in my life…
Read:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I read the biography of Agatha Christie a few months ago and as it mentions The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as controversial, I had to read it, obviously. If I read crime or murder mysteries, my preferred choice are those where you don’t care at all about the victim and it’s all just a bit of fun, so Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Deanna Raybourn, etc. are my preferred authors. I rarely guess the twist, I rarely even try, but as I already knew the twist here, it was fun to read it feeling all superior and picking out various suspicious and inconsistent things being said.
Forget me not by Julia Soto
I’m back to my beloved romances and this one was lovely. Ama is a wedding planner and Elliot is a florist who fall in love but because they are very young and have issues it doesn’t work out the first time round. How they fell in love is told from Elliot’s perspective and how they meet up again and get back together is told from Ama’s perspective. It was just an easy, lovely story that I binged over two days.
Helen Symington, Sales Executive – Open Fifth
Pamphlet: Le français va très bien, merci = French language is doing very well, thank you / Les linguistes atterrées
A couple of years ago, a group of French linguists got fed up with public commentators saying things like: “people nowadays can’t write French correctly”, or “the French language is getting lost; there’s an invasion of English words”. So they set out to address all these preconceptions frequently heard in the media and to re-establish the truth regarding the French language.
This pamphlet clearly debunks each preconception, teaching us a lot about the history and evolution of the French language, and offers thoughts to improve how we French speakers (and learners) approach the language.
I liked the way the authors pointed out that “French language doesn’t belong to mainland France”: according to 2014 figures from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, 54.7% of French speakers live in Africa, 7.6% in the Americas. We also learn that no, l’Académie française does not regulate the French language: it simply, very very slowly, publishes a dictionary and suggests new words. However, the French Ministry for Culture does have an office “for the French language and the languages of France” which makes recommendations for the modernisation of the language. For example: simplifying spelling and grammar rules – to make the language more logical, and therefore easier, for native French speakers and for learners. It’s worth noting that Québec also has a public body for language: l’Office québécois de la langue française.
Now it will be fun to hear what native English speakers think about all that!!
Aude Charillon, Customer Services Consultant – Open Fifth
Build: Fractal Design Ridge
My review this month is a bit off the wall, but as the title of this series is “What’s on our Shelves”, I figured a small form factor PC chassis fits the bill as being, literally, on my shelf. I’ve been in the market for a new PC chassis for some time now, having grown increasingly tired of the large monoliths that unnecessarily pervade the computers found in many a home. I live a fairly mobile lifestyle, spending plenty of weekends away from home (often with family, but also at friends’ houses from time to time), and so enters the Fractal Design Ridge.
The Ridge is what is referred to as a small form-factor chassis, which is essentially a chassis that is designed to take an ITX (small) rather than an ATX (medium) sized motherboard. Usually, going SFF means trading off with either worse thermal design (unless you choose the promised lands of ARM), or worse compute performance in some department (usually graphical). The Ridge, however, offers a jewel of opportunity for those who want to have their cake and eat it, by offering a solidly built chassis, with plenty of ventilation, and enough room for a modern graphical processing unit (GPU).
My only gripe with the chassis is how the thermal design appears to have ill-considered those who would choose to use the machine in a horizontal orientation. Lying on its left-hand side, the GPU fans are obstructed from good airflow. Lying on its right-hand side, where the feet provided can be fitted, the device does have some airflow, but nowhere near sufficient to keep the CPU cool (whose fans are pulling in air from the desk, which is likely a thermal sink of its own). Luckily, I tend to use the device in its vertical orientation, which is unafflicted by these problems.
For anyone searching for that perfect briefcase powerhouse, I’d highly recommend investigating the Fractal Design Ridge. It is easy to build, keeps itself within a nice thermal envelope, and offers plenty of room for future system expansion, should you choose to pursue that avenue.
Jake Deery, Junior Software Engineer – Open Fifth
Board game: Magic Maze designed by Kasper Lapp
A mad dash through the supermarket…
For our recent company meeting’s evening entertainment, we decided to shake things up with a board game, and Magic Maze seemed the perfect choice for a mix of chaos, strategy, and laughter. This cooperative game, designed by Kasper Lapp, has a unique premise that does not immediately seem noteworthy: four adventurers are resupplying at the local supermarket before setting off on their latest mission. Where this game shines, is in the gameplay mechanics which provided us with literal hours of fun.
The goal of Magic Maze is to guide your adventurers through the store, collecting their specific weapons (represented by tiles) and then making a dash for the exit all while under threat of the provided timer. But there’s a huge twist that makes this game stand out: communication is banned. You and your teammates can only convey your intentions by intense eye contact or, if you’re feeling bold, slamming the provided gavel to get someone’s attention. But don’t get too carried away, because the clock is ticking down, and the pressure mounts as everyone scrambles to act in their designated roles. One person can only move characters north, another south etc, and others can only operate escalators or lay down tiles to build the map. It’s a puzzle of speed over contemplation, and there is no room for hesitation if you want to succeed.
The game is still designed to make you think on your feet, but the thrill lies in the frantic, simultaneous action. There’s no room for idle chatter (it’s also cheating!), no time to pause and plan—just pure chaos and quick decisions. And again, while there’s no talking allowed, the sheer energy in the room speaks volumes as everyone scrambles in a frenzy to hit the targets before time runs out.
Of course, the game is a blast, but like any group activity, Magic Maze becomes even more entertaining with a touch of friendly competition—and, if you’re like us, maybe a healthy application of alcohol. Watching teammates frantically point, gavel, and squint at each other is a source of endless laughter, and the sense of accomplishment when you finally beat the clock is nothing short of thrilling. Though, we struggled to beat the easiest difficulty without some (very minor, of course) cheating.
If you’re looking for a game that’ll get your heart racing and your team working in perfect unison (or hilariously failing to), Magic Maze is a must-try. Just remember, it’s all about the fun of the madness—winning is just the cherry on top.
Jacob O’Mara, Junior Software Engineer – Open Fifth
Book event: Breaking Bread: How Baking Shaped Our World by David Wright
The company name change wasn’t the only exciting launch for me on 26 March, I also attended an event and reading for new book Breaking Bread: How baking shaped our world by David Wright, a third-generation baker (IG: @thebreaducator). The book club that I (intermittently) attend also inspired a chapter in the book – ‘Frankenloaf’, after Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which the club read in 2023. Support your local book gang!
Hosted at local independent cafe Hunter Gatherer in Southsea, the event was intimate and engaging, with an insightful Q&A session. Accompanied by fresh bread, a spread of homemade butters, and natural wine – what more could you ask for on a Wednesday evening?
I look forward to digging into the book!
Lauren Purton, Marketing Executive – Open Fifth