Joker to the core, perhaps to challenge the archetype of the solemn and grumpy French writer, David Foenkinos (Paris, 1974) talks about his latest novel, Todos aman a Clara (Alfaguara), as if it were not about him. But he admits that there is a lot of himself in its pages.

When I was a child, I loved receiving wedding invitations at home. As an adult, a wedding is simply one of the worst pieces of news one can receive. That invitation should be replaced by a black dot like in Treasure Island where pirates received their death sentence. Something similar happens with hotel stays. At first glance: Who doesn’t want to go to a good hotel? From which day of the stay does the hotel start to do harm? What does a hotel room, as an emblematic non-place, do to your body night after night? You can never trust a hotel room because it is made not to be honest with anyone. It flatters you, welcomes you, makes you feel special when to it you are just another, the same as those before and after.

Summer is the best time of year to enjoy movies with the family. The long school holidays are always more pleasant and refreshing when planning an afternoon with the little ones at home in a dark room where you can escape the intense heat and, at the same time, ready to recover that child we all carry inside to dive into endless entertaining adventures. Animation is always a foolproof genre. Titles as attractive as those that arrived at the beginning of the summer season like Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, or Disney’s live-action Vaiana have dominated the Spanish box office – between the three they have grossed more than 32 million euros and nearly six million viewers – achieving success for family productions to which several new releases join starting today.