This is a good album, I only knew the song Austin but the first track What Happens Now very quickly sounded fun and familiar. It’s very stripped back, no huge productions, each track is just the same instruments you would find on a stage if Dasha and band were playing these songs live. There’s not a lot to complain about other than how short the album is. I’m very quick to judge a record for being too long and it’s rare that I would moan about something going the other direction but these eight tracks just absolutely fly by and definitely leave you wanting more.

This movie has been hanging around in the back of my mind for ages to watch, I wanted to see Linda Hamilton kicking some ass again, and eventually the time was right to give it a watch. It was so bad, like somehow everyone had forgotten how to make films. There were time travel questions that I couldn’t figure out, the fight between Terminators and other Terminators or enhanced humans was pretty dull and quite a few of the stunt sequences would clearly have ended in death for our dear Dani. But, you know, there were a couple of good moments so it was entertaining enough to watch all the way through. Definitely not recommended though.

A collection of short stories featuring everyone’s favourite Belgian detective, this reminded me so much of Sherlock. Written from the point of view of Captain Hastings, as a companion to the genius Poirot, he bumbles around seeing the same clues and not getting anywhere near the answers. Sounds just like Watson. But either way, this is a really good collection of mysteries, easy to read, quick to get through, very tricky to guess. Each one could almost be a book in its own right, so it’s fun to read them all in the same book.

A lot of the reviews for this book are complaints that it’s nothing like what you’d expect from a John Grisham novel - there’s no courtroom drama to be found. But if you go into it knowing that, then it’s quite a good, relatively short novel. It tracks that difficult thing of going back home after a lengthy absence when things are so different and yet, also very much the same. There’s a lot of insight into the challenges of being a hometown hero, and when things go wrong, and burying the past before moving on. Great characterisation and very readable, but have to agree that not a lot actually happens. You just have to go with it to get the most out of it.

I almost didn’t watch this full movie, the twenty minute rule was about to come into effect. It was such a slow, boring start, and there was a dream sequence for crying out loud. But just about twenty minutes in, he started practicing golf and there were a few amusing moments, so I gave it ten more minutes, and then ten more and in the end I was invested in the story. And I’m glad it worked out because it’s an incredible story, almost unbelievable. Mark Rylance does a great job as this oddball character, and Sally Hawkins’ quiet support throughout was very impressive. A lovely film.

I love that there are certain things you can recognise in a Doctor Who story - they’re not necessarily in all of them, but when they pop up, you know what you’re getting. This time we had a famous historical figure, although not really central to the main plot. We had some aliens trying to use and abuse humans for their own benefit, and we had the Doctor and this time Martha trying to figure it all out before it was too late. The idea of those hands moving around, a bit like the Addams Family, was very creepy, very Doctor Who.

I’ve gotten into a manageable habit with my Sims obsession - it used to be that I could sit down of an evening and start playing, and then suddenly the hours have gone by and I’ve got nothing else done other than topped the career path of a specific character. Nowadays, I dip in regularly but only for a short period of time, and it’s a nice way to play - a quick visit, a few directions here or there, see you again this time tomorrow.

An intriguing low-key war film, this one, featuring the true story of an escape from a prisoner-of-war camp via the means of a gymnastics vaulting horse. The first two thirds of the film are quiet plotting, planning and tunnel digging, as you marvel at the stubborn patience of these officers who have a sworn duty to try and escape however possible. It’s not quite at the same enticing level as Great Escape but it’s a similar sort of style. Then once beyond the confines of the fences, our intrepid officers have to try and find their way to neutral ground - not at all easy, even more difficult than tunnelling out in the first place. Just an interesting film telling another of those important and surprising stories. It ends a little bit abruptly, but I suppose whatever happens next probably becomes a whole other story in its own right.

I wasn’t aware of this band until Hip Hop Hooray was featured in an Only Connect question, and then it all came tumbling out and I very quickly had to listen to the album. It’s good, solid hip hop, exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from a 90s group like this. I was quite enjoying it at the start, but I think the quality tailed off a bit towards the end, and the last track was endless. Lovely to have bonus Queen Latifah though!

First album of 2025 proper and it’s not necessarily starting the year with a bang. It was fine, pleasant enough to listen to and never dull, but it was instantly forgettable the moment I switched it off. And even now, thinking back on it just a few days later, I can’t recall any of the songs. It was very Franz Ferdinand though, guitars and singing and good stuff, but more background music than gamechanging.

This was a free book of the week on Apple, so always worth a read. I had mixed feelings about it, there were some really good elements in there - the sunken village, the mystery behind Caroline’s actions, and some good characters - but it didn’t quite come together for me. It was a bit drawn out, some of the events didn’t make sense (all annual leave is cancelled, she says, instantly taking the day off), and ultimately I think Dexter did most of the work of solving the case. But still, a good effort and an interesting final sentence that does make me wonder if it’s worth reading on to book two.

I’ve loved the previous Bad Boys movies, they’re just fun buddy comedies, with banter and hijinks between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and some cop action along the way. Great stuff. This one looked like it was going to go down the same route and it had all the ingredients to make a great movie but somewhere it just fell off the rails and never quite got back on them. There were some inventive camera/VFX trick shots, and you can see the action sequences had had a lot of thought put in to them but it was so overdone and didn’t help, almost hindered. The one where suddenly we’re in a first person shooter game made no sense and I couldn’t tell what was happening. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the banter and the fun moments (Reggie single-handedly putting down 15 bad guys and grudgingly earning some respect), this wouldn’t have been watchable.

This is such a 90s film, despite being made early in the next decade. It’s like a teenage fantasy brought to life, particularly the somewhat gratuitous nudity and unexpected blowjobs. It’s nonsense and over-the-top and entirely unplausable… but somehow still a lot of fun. The iconic scene of them rolling down a mountain for what feels like hours, only to walk away unscathed at the bottom! Really, the only complaint is that this has been on many lists of great hacking films but really there’s not a lot of hacking in it. One short montage of Hugh Jackman creating a cube and shouting at the screens, and then a snippet of what looked like actual code, but otherwise it’s more action than typing. But still, a good one to have ticked off the list!

The next book in the Reacher series and this time we switched to the first person narrative which was slightly weird and took a minute to adapt to. I sort of feel like it’s better to make your own decisions about what this hero/anti-hero is up to, rather than getting that deeper insight into his motives. But anyway, it made for a good revenge story, and we dipped back into the past a bit more to understand what drives Reacher to do what he does.

There’s a lot of noise about The Sims around at the moment, as the lifestyle management game is turning 25 this year. Have I really been playing The Sims since 1999? I can’t remember being an early adopter but I definitely remember the first game very vividly, so maybe I have. The recent announcements are some sizabale updates to the base game, and a new Behind the Sims video stream, where more goodies may be forthcoming.

I have loved the radio series After Henry for a long time, I’ve listened to it many, many times. I also enjoy the TV adaptation, so was intrigued to find there was a novelisation as well. I found it to borrow on the internet archive and read through it in super quick time. It’s basically the first few episodes of the radio show, and the dialogue is practically word for word, so it slipped by very quickly. But it’s so lovely to revisit these characters in a different format.

I can’t remember why I picked this book up, but I’m so glad I did. I’m not hugely scientific but I’m always interested in stories where humans put their mind to something and keep on trying until it all comes together. This is a popular history, not a technical manual, so it was incredibly readable. I didn’t know much about the battle to measure our way round the planet and found it fascinating. The two tribes - one lunar, one watch-based - and our hero Harrison’s hard and detailed work, such a perfectionist. This was brilliantly well written, engaging and well worth a read.

My album adventure for 2025 got off to a roaring start last week, although it’s not until week two that I’ve managed to nab an album actually released this year. The rules of the game (for those who haven’t been paying attention) are that the ’new’ album is from this year or the last, whilst the ‘old’ album has the rest of human history to be selected from. Two albums a week for 50 weeks of the year, hooray!

Sue Barker is notoriously private so it’s great to hear from the horse’s mouth. I didn’t know much of her history, even knowing she was a tennis player, I hadn’t realised she’d won a grand slam. This follows her early tennis life, her journey to become the ultimate sports broadcaster, the real truth behind being badly treated by the BBC, and some thoughts on her private life and press intrusions. A lovely read.

I have only heard good things about this game, and a friend reported that they played for hours and hours so got great value for money out of it. I love a third person exploration style game so it seemed like this was right up my street. Even though it’s a few years old now, it was still on my list to investigate, and it popped up in a festive Playstation sale which meant it was a must buy.

To set the scene, I watched the TV show of this the minute it came out and loved it, just like everyone else did. And it was sort of in the back of my mind to play the game at some point, but by then it was an older game so it wasn’t a massive priority. Then I spotted it in a sale over Christmas and immediately snapped it up and got stuck in. This version is a remake of the 2013 game, and I’m not sure of the differences between the two, but I’m glad to have an up to date pack to dive into.

I watched McFly’s 21st Birthday Party celebration on TV over Christmas and realised how much I like the band and their music - it’s so impressive they’ve been around this long, and their last album was a real banger. I realised I’ve not done any of the early ones so picked out their first album as a good place to start. It’s really good, I enjoyed the whole thing. The first ten minutes or so are songs I know that are classics at this point, but the rest of the tracks stand up to the test. I love the blend of Beatles and Busted, it sounds like it shouldn’t work but it really does!

I missed this one from last year, and with a slow start to 2025, it seemed like a great time to dip back six months or so. I really loved James Bay’s debut album, although the second wasn’t quite as good for me. This one was a return to form, the opening track really felt reminiscent of those first absolute tunes. Potentially, it drifted a little bit and probably doesn’t sustain the 5/5 score all the way through, but it’s a really good listen, and a great start to the year.

Fresh from his last batch of adventures, Paddington gets stuck in to some more weird and wonderful things, including trying his hand at waterskiing, and potentially inventing parasailing. Paddington causing chaos when they tried to make him go to school was fun, and not understanding a rugby game made me feel better about my own sporting misunderstandings. But the best bit was Aunt Lucy making an appearance, so lovely to see her and she was so much more stern and interesting than I would have expected.

Loved this. I’ve seen it before and vividly remembered the opening ten minutes or so. But then suddenly realised I couldn’t remember the rest of it, except for a few flashes as we went through (the drip in the eye - argh!). It’s so well shot, somehow quiet and eeries whilst also being full of tension and terror, and then those bursts of horror and rage. Danny Boyle knows what he’s doing and he does it well.

This started out great. A mismatched buddy comedy combined with elements of Indiana Jones and the Da Vinci Code. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg bounced off each other well, at first prickly, gradually warming up to each other. It was fun and entertaining and then… then they found the boats. After that it was absolute insanity. You could suspend your disbelief for everything preceding it, even the Papa Johns, but once the boats started flying, it was absolute nonsense and really just annoying. I still enjoyed watching it and am interested if they are, indeed, making a sequel, but do think they could have done better.

Another novelisation of my favourite movie series, this time following Marty McFly and Doc Brown as they head to 2015 (the future for them, the past for us now!), cause lots of chaos and have to fix everything before it all ends in a giant paradox. We know the story, so am mostly interested in how the novel version compares - it was a lot closer to the film than the first book was, although it’s nice to see Marty’s motivations sometimes, and there were some extra bits that didn’t make the movie (Marty meeting his brother outside Biff’s hotel in the rogue 1985). Either way it’s just enjoyable to spend more time in this world.

After two film fails, this was just what we needed - a sports redemption story and bonus Keanu Reeves. It’s a good film, the kids are adorable, and it’s an enjoyable watch with plenty of emotions along the way. But if you take a step back, it’s not exactly original - really just a combination of Mighty Ducks and Dangerous Minds - and it’s pretty derivative from start to finish. But definitely worth a watch, either way.

I’ve read the book that this is based on and loved it, and felt like Sam Claflin and Lily Collins would make a good screen pair. That wasn’t the case though. I wasn’t at all convinced by their chemistry, and it was just a pretty dull start to a movie. Plus the side characters were all awful. The doctor. The teacher that put the chat on screen. All dick moves. So no, couldn’t be bothered to get to the end, we all know how it’s going to work out anyway.

I was probably a bit dubious about this going into it, and wasn’t surprised to find it not my cup of tea. It was just pretty grim, horrible people, not very funny at all, and ultimately a bit dull. Twenty minute rule in full effect.

One of Christie’s all time greats, this book features a doctor narrating the intertwined investigation of murders, suicides, blackmail, and missing fiancés. Our intrepid hero Hercule Poirot gets stuck in, although I did enjoy that sometimes we heard what the Belgian detective thought secondhand via the narrator’s sister. Her propensity to gossip was both fun and instructive. Of course the book has a great twist ending, and I didn’t see it coming even knowing there was a twist to behold.

Another of Michael Crichton’s books that was written before he was the thriller writer we know and love, this one follows a doctor who gets involved in a pharmaceutical horror of surprisingly epic proportions. I’m not totally sure of the ending here, or if there was a point trying to be made, but I really enjoyed it up until then. It was so well written, engaging and with fascinating ideas. The hotel made up almost entirely of drugs and the art of suggestion is so intriguing. Awful but captivating in equal measure!

I meant to post this before Christmas but didn’t get round to it, then thought I would wait to top it up with all the festive fun that I watched as well. Except, it didn’t really feel like there was that much exceptional stuff on over Christmas? I’ve mentioned the gameshow nostalgia already, and I loved the Gladiators Celeb special, but in terms of drama and comedy, there wasn’t much beyond Gavin & Stacey, was there? So anyway, a catchup of recent viewings with or without Christmas in the middle.

I love Simon Brett’s writing, and I could honestly follow Mrs Pargeter just going about her business all day long. Her willingness to ignore what her deceased husband got up to whilst still enjoying in the perks of his many, many underworld connections is a joy. And this time, whilst also revelling in a murder investigation, we also had the fun of an ex-con trying to make up for everything bad he did to people - only his amends tend to cause more trouble than you’d expect. I loved how they tied into the main plot, it was so cleverly done. Really good read, this one.

My dad shared this post with me - 11 must-see astronomy events in 2025 - which covers great things to look up for, lunar eclipses, shooting stars, and the planets doing all kinds of wonderful things. The post is geared slightly towards a North American audience, so I went looking to see if there was anything similar for UK stargazers. Of course, the Royal Observatory has me covered.

A collection of short stories from Mr Deaver, and they live up to the twists and turns we’ve come to expect. A couple of the stories feature names we know - Lincoln Rhyme getting outside his comfort zone, Colter Shaw doing what he does best - but there are short and longer stories with new characters. It’s just a really cracking read, and although I don’t do a lot of short story reading, it’s always nice to having something you can dip in and out of.

I can’t stop thinking about this news item on the BBC, complaining once again about the incorrect headline summaries Apple’s Artificial Intelligence is creating based on their stories. In particular here, it claimed Luke Littler won the darts championship before he had (although he later did which I think wasn’t a surprise to anyone). It also claimed Rafael Nadal had come out as gay, based on a story about a different tennis player. As far as I can see, Nadal isn’t even mentioned in that original post.

I really liked this. I started reading it over Christmas before realising it wasn’t a festive read, it was just a very, very cold one. So when snow hit the UK, that seemed like a great time to pick it up again. The story follows Maya, who suffers with anxiety and panic attacks, going with her boyfriend to the Arctic, where things unravel quickly but also manage to wind round towards a level of healing. Throw in the Indian element, and a lot of family drama and revisiting the past, plus the support of great friends with their own problems, then you’ve got all the ingredients for a great read.

Only Connect traditionally has special episodes over the festive period, usually featuring previous teams returning just for the thrill of the game rather than for any particular prize. There are normally four specials, but this year there were eight, which allowed for the quiz show to try out something a little bit different. Our hostess with the mostess Victoria Coren Mitchell explains it best:

This was so good. I’m making it a mission this year to watch more older films and what a movie to kick off with. Alfred Hitchcock is legendary and for good reason. Some of this movie is a bit on the nose. Bruno, whilst clearly psychopathic, immediately starts talking about murder to a complete stranger and they still end up enjoying dinner together. Weird. But go with the premise, and you’re in for a treat. Such well-crafted filmmaking. The boat shadows and scream, only to be tickling. The death in the glasses. The tennis game where one head is staring resolutely while the others twist this way and that. Honestly, it’s beautiful to watch.

Another easy read, lovely Paddington. What I’m enjoying at this point in the series is how Michael Bond must have been scratching around for activities for this bear to get involved in. Some of them are totally mundane, the dentist, or going to a restaurant (and getting mistaken for a critic), but others are quite out there, the gymkhana garlic situation, and Paddington actually tossing a caber!

Apple TV+ are offering access to their streaming services this weekend for free, worldwide. From 3rd to 5th January, you can watch any of the titles available, giving everyone a great chance to dip in and see what all the fuss is about. There’s some incredible programmes and films on there, and I thought it my duty to help narrow down what should be watched in the short window of availablility.

For the last few years, I’ve taken a laid back approach to resolution making and new year resets, given how hectic the outside world has been. There’s no need for any extra pressure, is the wisdom behind this, and that remains true. However, on a personal level, last year really didn’t go to plan at all, and whilst I did achieve some of the things I set out to do (work/life balance made some real steps forward), there was a lot that slipped by the wayside.

Wanted to start the year with something super short and easy to read. I’ve read a few Danielle Steele’s before but not for a long time, and it took a while to adjust back to the style of writing - it’s very much tell don’t show, arm’s length storytelling… which isn’t necessarily the best, but you can’t argue with the characters created and the relationships as they twist and turn. You get invested even if you have to get over the style to get there.

This festive period seems to have been all about the nostalgia, with the TV rammed full of reboots of old gameshow favourites. We’ve seen Wheel of Fortune have a festive edition hosted by Graham Norton and featuring a slightly useless Richard E Grant. We’ve had a revamped Bullseye hosted by Freddie Flintoff and guest appearance from everyone’s favourite dart player Luke Littler. We’ve even had Blankety Blank back with Bradley Walsh at the helm, losing his mind whilst trying to keep control of the chaos.

A slightly different Reacher story. At first, I wasn’t really on board. I know that Reacher likes to help a damsel in distress but this just didn’t feel like something he would get involved in. But once the murder happened and he started investigating, I started to get into it, and it felt more like a regular Reacher story by the end… the big shoot out in the rain was so atmospheric! Also loved Ellie, what a smart kid.

I stumbled across this little gem on TV over the weekend - 60 Songs: BBC Two at 60 - which is a lengthy compilation of random songs from the archives of the channel, in celebration of their anniversary. It’s a real mixed bag of stuff, a surprising jukebox containing performances from the likes of Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, The Kinks, Blur, Sam Smith, and so many more. Lots of genres from pop to rock, to jazz and country, if you don’t like a song, it won’t be long before another one pops up that you do like.

I always find it slightly surprising that I’ve been doing this album thing for such a long time, next year will be the tenth year of this adventure. Two albums a week, 100 albums a year, and we’re closing in on the big 1000! The worst part of the year is having to narrow down the list to the top five, but actually this year it wasn’t too hard - there were only six on the shortlist. Hopefully next year will be better.

A good premise, very much like One Day in style. I thought we were going to get more of a will-they-won’t-they to start with, but they were already in a relationship at the beginning, and having a child by the second update. But there were lots of twists and turns, and I always like this style of book, checking in on a relationship over the course of many years. The subplot with the wonderful best friend Sarah was brutal, as well. Had to keep reading to find out what happened to her!

I’m quite forgiving of a slushy nonsense Christmas movie but I just couldn’t get through this one. The premise was weird, there were so many coincidences and weird conversations, I just had to give it up. Sorry Christina, better luck next time!