Five of the best big reads: Social distancing from space

Astronaut Scott Kelly's feet as the International Space Station orbits over the Bahamas, December 26, 2015. Photo / Scott Kelly/Nasa via The New York Times

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown most of the world off its axis. It's taken lives, impacted the health of thousands of people and interrupted our very way of life.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by all the information coming at you, so it's important to take your mind off things, even for a little while.

To help you with this we've pulled together some of our favourite big reads from our international partners. There's not a Covid-19 story in sight, promise.

Today we take a look at Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly's photos from space, Egypt's female lion tamers, a Silicon Valley billionaire's big gamble, a sailing boat crewed by toddlers, and the man who proposed 14 times.

Scott Kelly spent a year taking photos in space. They're beautiful

Scott Kelly was practicing social distancing before the rest of us had even heard the phrase.

The astronaut spent a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station gathering data for Nasa's Twins Study. Over the duration of his time in space he also took photos of the stunning views looking down on earth.

The New York Times looks back at the photographic results.

A frozen lake in the Himalayas, seen from the International Space Station, January 6, 2016. Photo / Scott Kelly/Nasa via The New York Times

Egypt's female lion tamers show the men how to do it

The struggle for women's equality is lagging badly behind in Egypt, where only 25 per cent of women are in the labour force. Egypt ranks 134 out of 153 in the Global Gender Gap, an index published by the World Economic Forum. But in one field, Egyptian women are dominant - lion taming.

The New York Times looks at the six women dominating the field of lion taming in Egypt.

Luba el-Helw is one of six female lion tamers currently working in Egypt. Photo / Heba Khamis, The New York Times

Silicon Valley billionaire takes a gamble on weed-infused beer

When Brendan Kennedy gave up a career in finance to gamble on the commercial potential of legalised cannabis, everyone thought he was crazy. Now his company is valued at $3.7 billion.

His next big idea? Weed-infused beer.

Rhys Blakely of The Times talks to Kennedy about what it's like to be one of the first people to become a billionaire, legally, from selling weed.

Brendan Kennedy gave up a finance career in Silicon Valley to take a gamble on the world of legalised cannabis. Photo / Getty Images

Sailing in treacherous waters to Alaska. With toddlers for crew

With a barely-4-year-old and a not-quite-2-year-old, in a 32-foot boat sailing up the Inside Passage, a family discovers the best rewards are those never imagined.

"We are adventurers. We are also parents. It's a dilemma we all must face: how to reconcile our many different identities into a life that feels true, and good, and, in the end, responsible."

Caroline Van Hemert shares her family's remarkable journey with The New York Times.

Dawson and Huxley sailed with their parents up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Photo / Caroline Van Hemert Instagram

She said Yes. Fourteen times

In 2018, at a park bench near the Museum of Natural History, he got down on one knee and proposed. She said yes.

Over the next six months, he proposed again. And again. 14 times in total. Each time with another engagement ring.

Alix Strauss shares the heartwarming story of Tanya Pushkine and Paul Luykx.

Paul Luykx and Tanya Pushkine, after their wedding ceremony at Brooklyn Winery in New York. The two met through a dating website in 2016. Photo / An Rong Xu, The New York Times