Hello.
Interesting thread of thought. Perhaps the most outstanding meal I have had, is at Noma in Copenhagen, exquisite fragments of squid ink, candied lichen, strong cheese, berry gel, foamed herring. As a prosaic devourer of things I enjoy, it was a surprise to find that food can be a magical thing. I suppose the swirling fumes of the 14 wines with the meal, helped.
I like story podcasts : EscapePod (SF), PsuedoPod(Horror), Podcastle(Fantasy), plus Dunesteef, the Drabblecast, and whatever randomly is playing on Resonance FM London Arts Radio
A. Potter, oh yes, in our house as in many others you can indicate annoyance by pointing and saying 'Expelliarmus!'.
B. I am reminded of the late great Peter Hitchens description of N Korea as a religious state. I shall have to look up.
C. Someone I know works on Wicked the stage show. Their job literally includes flying monkeys for a living. How many people can say that? The show has wonderful staging, costumes, professionalism and some super songs - e.g. 'Popular' but I confess is not my kind of musical theatre exactly: quite likely it removes many of the subtler elements from the book you recommended. I am more of your Sondheim / Hamilton / one-man-show-about-a-giant-underground-rat kind of person. Also experiential theatre of which there is quite a lot in London (e.g. You get into hurriedly into the back of an ambulance. It speeds off. The other crew are already inside, with the patient. 'Quick, he's going into cardiac arrest!..'). I am very fond of Neal Stephenson (esp the Baroque Cycle), Annie Proulx (Canadian historical fiction for the most part), and Marko Kloos ('Space Kablooie!') but I read loads so these are just what comes to mind now. Are good though.
Best wishes for you to get well, in style, while your mind roams the multiverse through space and time.