Need a distraction? Here's five of our favourite big reads

Adam Castillejo underwent a bone marrow transplant that removed the HIV virus from his body. Photo / Andrew Testa, 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 the man cured of HIV, cricket hero Jofra Arhcer, Jackie O's improbably friendship, Generation X and Japan's monarchy.

'How I was cured of HIV': Adam Castillejo's extraordinary story

In March last year a British doctor made his way to a conference in Seattle with some extraordinary news. His patient, a 40-year-old man with HIV, had undergone a bone marrow transplant that had removed the virus from his body. The London Patient, as he was known, became the second person in the world to be cured of HIV.

That man was Adam Castillejo.

He and his doctors tell Rosie Kinchen of The Times the extraordinary story.

Adam Castillejo endured a decade of gruelling treatments and moments of despair to become only the second person to be cured of HIV. Photo / Andrew Testa, The New York Times

From Barbados to bouncers: The rise of Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer quickly became the hero of cricket after making his debut for England in May last year.

The fast bowler talks to Robert Crampton of The Times about racism, moving from Barbados to Sussex – and the ball that felled the Australian captain and announced Archer's arrival on the global stage.

Archer celebrates after dismissing Australia's Marnus Labuschagne during day four of the fourth Ashes Test cricket match. Photo / AP

Infidelities and PTSD: Carly Simon reveals the private side of Jackie O

Carly Simon reveals the private side of Jackie O as she opens up about her improbably friendship with the former first lady.

Will Pavia from The Times sits down with Simon.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1992, left and Carly Simon in 2016. Simon has written a memoir about her friendship with Jackie O. Photo / AP

Actually, Gen X did invent all things millennial

"They crave entertainment, but their attention span is as short as one zap of a TV dial. They hate yuppies, hippies and druggies. They postpone marriage because they dread divorce. They sneer at Range Rovers, Rolex's and red suspenders."

It's been a quarter century since the clichés about Generation X ossified. But what if everything we decided about Generation X turned out to be wrong?

Alex Williams of The New York Times looks at how Gen X set the precedent for today's social justice warriors and capitalist super-soldiers.

Students celebrating graduation in 1990s. Photo / Getty Images

Survival of the throne: The story of Japan's monarchy

There has been an emperor in Japan for more than 15 centuries, making the Chrysanthemum Throne the world's oldest continuous monarchy.

Last year, the emperor stood down, yielding to his eldest son in the first abdication in 200 years.

Motoko Rich of The New York Times tells the family's story.

Japan's Emperor Akihito speaks during the ceremony of his abdication in front of other members of the royal families and top government officials at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Photo / AP