I always think at this point I started to lose touch with Backstreet Boys, having been a proper fan-girl for the first few albums. But actually, listening to this now, I did know quite a few of the songs, and really quite liked it. It’s a change in direction for the band, obviously dropping one member for a bit, and moving away from the Max Martin production team. I love Any Other Way and Panic, potentially more than the actual singles, but I do admit it’s not as strong as what has come before.

This album came out of the blue for me, wasn’t expecting it, and was surprised to see its been more than a decade since the last one from the Matchbox. It was good! I really enjoyed diving back into that modern pop rock guitar sound that is pretty iconic to this band. The only downside is that it’s just more of what they do, this could easily be an album they released in their heyday, but on the flip side, to keep that consistency across a lengthy career and gap is impressive.

This was such a lovely read, a book originally written in German and translated into English, it follows the fortunes of three sisters who grow up in the glassblowing capital of Lauscha, only to find themselves orphaned and struggling for a future. It took a little while to get going, but once the sisters started picking themselves up and taking action, in their various different ways, it was absolutely fascinating.

I’ve just wrapped up watching A Small Light, the series that chronicles the life of Miep Gies, the secretary and incredibly brave woman that helped hide Anne Frank and family during the Second World War. The series is incredible, beautifully made and well told, but also difficult to watch - eight episodes that chronicle the build up to the war, the hideous slide into occupation and oppression, and the terrible aftermath.

I feel like it’s been a slow start to the year, vegetable gardening wise. I somehow managed to start things off too soon, before all danger of frost had gone, but then also the things that I did time right have been so slow to start coming through. However, we are starting to see some greenery and things are looking more promising as the sun comes out.

This is such a brilliant film, great fun with a cast of incredible actresses just bumbling their way to the Superbowl. It’s emotional from the start and only gets more and more so as layers are revealed. You wouldn’t expect Tom Brady to be much of an actor, but he gets away with it, and you can tell he means it when he does his little speech.

I love a bit of reggae and this is a good album from the 90s to just enjoy that kind of music. Of course the Elvis cover is a standout and potentially their most famous song, but actually I realised I know and love Higher Ground more… even though I didn’t know I knew it, if that even makes sense. Overall, a good, very listenable album.

I had a realisation while listening to this that Lewis Capaldi is basically a male version of Adele - sweeping songs, huge vocals, a lot of passion and drama and angst and the talent to get it out there and share it with the world. A good album, although by the end I was a bit exhausted by it all!

This is pretty much exactly what you think it’s going to be - bright and colourful and a huge cast of voice actors and their best efforts at bringing to life these well-known characters. It’s not brilliant, but it’s entertaining and there’s enough nostalgia to pull at some emotions, so it gets by.

Doctor Who filmed a lot in Cardiff, so it’s fun to read a story actually set in Wales. This one is about monsters taking form from the nightmares of children, which is so fitting for Doctor Who, I’m surprised it hasn’t been turned into an official episode. Anyway, this one was narrated by Anthony Head, who is, of course, brilliant, so it was a fun experience.

Another emotional read this one, with a family trying to reunite amongst difficult circumstances. It was very well written, really keeping me engaged even though the story itself was quite drawn out. Still the characters were good and I liked the subplots alongside the main event, all in a glorious French setting.

This was a fun one, who’d have thought that taking the troublesome Paddington Bear to France would end up in lots of misadventures? The stories start before the trip, with Paddington trying to figure out what to bring with him on his travels, through getting lost in France and finally somehow ending up taking part in the Tour de France. Because of course!

I listened to the audiobook of this, which had a handful of narrators, when the point of view changed between characters, the narrator did too, but I could have done without that, if I’m honest, the main reader was fine. Regardless, the story took a while to get going and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but somehow it kept me gripped and I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next. An emotional one but a good one.

I was expecting good things from this book, and of course it delivered. It’s a memoir of sorts but with Jarvis Cocker, it was never going to be a straightforward story delivered from A to Z. Instead, we’re trawling through a loft and getting stories and insights into a life from the things found there. A fascinating way to find out about someone’s life… and it’s a fascinating life. Great stuff.

I recently finished watching the mini series Daisy Jones & The Six on Amazon Prime and what a journey that was! The show documents the rise and fall of a new band in the 1970s who gain popularity very quickly but find that drugs, rock and roll, and the intricacies of managing relationships on the road can be a downfall just as fast.

This is so much fun but no one could argue it was a good album - even Ant & Dec wouldn’t take that view at this point. Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble is a great bop with terrible lyrics and the rest of the album carries on from there in similar style. I don’t mind the upbeat terrible lyrical rapping, but have to admit the ballads and love songs are really quite cringy. Ant & Dec trying to do that 90s love whispering, ugh. But still, what an amazing time capsule and piece of pop culture history.

Some of the Jonas Brothers previous work has been right up my street and some hasn’t, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. In all honestly, it was utterly forgettable, and not the normal ’this was fun while I was listening but won’t stay with me’. It barely registered while I was listening either. I don’t want to sound harsh, because it’s not bad or offensive in any way, just regular run of the mill easy listening move along next.

The third of this series of illustrated books lives up to the other two (art & science). It follows the same pattern of a one page biography of women through the years that have broken ground or changed the status quo for women and equality. I guess because of the nature of sport, these are more modern biographies, in the last centure or so, but it’s still inspiring and beautifully put together.

I don’t remember picking this book up so didn’t know what to expect from it. It’s a reasonably good thriller, I liked the way it was structured with various diary entries and points of view, but I’m not sure I was totally sold on the underlying mystery. It seemed a bit far-fetched, but then, you just never know with people, do you?

This is a much more serious tone than Chicago, and a much more serious but subtle message. The underlying story of people finding each other and falling in love is great, but it’s those insidious little Nazi moments that really underpin the brooding feeling and that sense of impending doom for everyone. It’s incredibly well done.

I bought this a long time ago and it was one of those purchases that when I looked at it the next day, I couldn’t really remember why. But of course, Mr Caine is a national treasure and reading it now just hammers home that point. This book is part memoir and part advice for living your best life, getting the most out of your career whether you’re an actor or not. Caine’s approach to situations is pretty inspiring and it’s a very comforting read.

Last year, I, along with a lot of other people, watched in joy and awe as Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest, closely followed by the UK with our best performance in a good long time. I’d actually sworn off Eurovision for a bit, despite being a fan since before I can remember. I’ve had, and still have, an issue with the scoring but I won’t get into all that again. Last year’s contest brought me right back into the Eurovision fold and I was excited for this year to roll around.

This album is pretty much exactly what you think it’s going to be - some medium level rock tunes from a band that Wikipedia calls a supergroup as it features members from other bands coming together. To be hoenst, only Since You Been Gone has any staying power, the rest is quite forgettable, but overall it’s not a bad album.

This is such a chill album, you really have to be in the right mood to listen to it because if you’re not careful, it will completely zone you out and leave you snoring. It’s not really my cup of tea, as a whole, but I did sort of enjoy listening to it because it’s not the kind of music I listen to very much. So it won’t be making any of my end of year lists but it was ok!

This is the second of three books of this kind that I have read, with Art already completed and Sport still to go. Just like the others, it’s so beautifully crafted that it’s a joy to read. The only thing about this one is it made me a bit more angry. I suppose slightly more so than the art stories, this one contained so many women doing the work and being overlooked or actively stolen from. But still, there were stories in there that made me want to find out more and that’s all I ask from a great book like this.

I realised I have quite a few Paddington books on my digital bookshelf to be read so dived into the next adventure with everyone’s favourite London-based bear. This time, our bear is put in charge of the household due to absence and sickness, which results in adventures around the laundrette, trying to cook a meal and doing a bit of DIY. Sawing through the table didn’t ring any bells for me at all, honest.

I’ve been looking forward to this documentary since I first heard about it and was determined to watch it on the very day it was released, and I’m so glad I did. It’s wonderful. I knew a lot of the facts and plot points having read Fox’s memoirs, but it’s different seeing these moments on screen.

I’m slightly obsessed with these DK books that keep popping up in Kindle sales, and even though they are mostly aimed at kids, I still love looking through them. This one was aimed at a really young audience but I think because the subject matter is so good - who doesn’t love the ocean and find it fascinating? - it was still really entertaining for me who is, erm, a bit older than the target reader.

My obsession with the UK’s National Trails has taken a bit of a backburner recently, but I decided to go in search of another starting point. This time, I looked for the trail that practically divides two countries - Offa’s Dyke Path. The path is a wobbly straight line hovering around the border between England and Wales, following the 8th century Dyke construction by King Offa. Lots of history.

There were three of these books in the sale focusing in on the great stories and lives of women in Art, Science and Sport. The layout of the book is brilliant, gorgeously illustrated in a fun way with each double page spread focusing in on one woman’s story, gradually going through history to highlight achievements that have most likely been overlooked. It’s a great way of kicking off interest to find out more as well.

This was a brilliant legal thriller, written in great and believable detail - which you would expect from someone who has the experience that Marcia Clark does. The characters are great, dogged and determined, not always doing the right thing but getting to the right answer in the end. It’s the beginnings of a rags to riches story, but I have to admit the twist of who the defendent ended up being was a surprise! Really good and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

I can’t believe I haven’t seen this before, although I know a lot of the cultural references to it, of course. And I knew all but maybe two of the songs, without actually knowing the context of them in the story. It sort of boggled my mind how watching the movie brought everything together!

I was disappointed to realise that the audiobooks I’m listening to are abridged versions, I’d usually avoid abridgements in favour of the full original texts. But then I just got over it because you can’t argue with great readers telling you Doctor Who tales in a reasonable and short time. Hooray! This one was a bit pirate-y but I did like the twist at the end, and the fact that there was a scientific hurdle to the gang managing to get the Tardis away from where they had landed. Pretty good.

There are two parts of this film to review. Firstly, the concept. Who went into the writers room and said ’turns out, Tetris basically brought down the Soviet Union, the Maxwell media empire, and revolutionised the gaming industry… and we can make a film about it with genuine programming and arguing about contracts and some Russian conspiracies.'

Aww, yay for The Corrs, the adorable sibling pop band from Ireland. There are some great tunes on this album, although I have to admit the album version of What Can I Do didn’t really do it for me, compared to the Tin Tin Out remix that was released later. I also feel like it was a great idea to put an instrumental on there, but they could have done a lot more with it. However, overall, a really great album that fits its late 90s genre perfectly.

This was a really good album, lots of good disco and pop fun, with a great mix of different genres along the way. Jessie has a great voice and you can tell she puts a lot of thought and time into producing the best tracks possible. The only complaint, really, is that it’s occasionally a bit too reminiscent of other songs. The Madonna one is a bit too blatant to be just ‘similar music’. But overall a great listen.

The reviews for this movie haven’t been that great, but I was intrigued and the trailer looked good, so why not go for a rom-com spy comedy crossover? I really liked it, actually, it was fun and the actual conspiracy was a pretty good one.

Season three of The Mandalorian wrapped up last month to very mixed reviews, and it’s taken me a while to decide how I feel about it. Overall, I liked it. I don’t think it quite lived up to the hype and quality of previous seasons but there was plenty in there to amuse.

The cover of this, and potentially the title, made me think it was going to be a bit too much of a romance novel for my tastes, but actually I really quite liked it. There are some interesting characters, and most of them having to overcome some kind of challenges or childhood traumas to move on with their lives. I liked it and would actually be interested in the rest of the series.

I really liked the Crimson Petal and the White - both book and TV adaptation - and I guess around about the time I read that, I picked up a couple of other Michel Faber books as well. This one is a book of short stories, his first publication, in fact, and it’s a mixed bag, as you might expect. There are some really good ideas in there, but I have to admit a lot of the stories I found frustrating, as they didn’t really go anywhere. It was more of getting an idea on a page and then moving on. Interesting but ultimately unfulfilling.

We’re all aware that Marvel has been having a shocker recently, a run of really bad films only saved by a run of really good TV shows. I have to admit, the trailer for this one didn’t make me think it was going to be any better but thankfully it was. Marginally. It was mostly pulled back from the brink by the people - Paul Rudd can carry almost anything, Michael Douglas’ obsession with ants was great, and Kathryn Newton was a great, if a little earnest, addition to the family.

I wanted to just practice the feeling of knitting and test out my endurance and patience levels, so decided to go with a superbly basic garter stitch scarf next. I didn’t think this wool was particularly good, it was labelled as craft wool rather than something you might make items of clothing out of, but as it was just practice, I wasn’t bothered. Turns out, the end result is really quite soft and is super stretchy.

I was so happy with the result of the little blue hat in all aspects except the size of it, I immediately had another go making it a bit bigger. This turned out just as well and has the added bonus of fitting on my head, so a big step forward. I made my first tassle to go on top, with a cardboard circle method. It was a bit fiddly and didn’t turn out that well, so I immediately invested in those little gadgety tassle maker things. Haven’t made another one since, but when I need to, I’m ready to go!

After some of the early bits and pieces, I wanted to knit something actually useful so opted for a hat. I wasn’t ready for circular or double pointed needles (still not, if I’m honest), so this fantastic pattern which knits a bobble hat on straight needles was a gem of a find. I dived straight in without thinking about measurements or gauge or anything, so the end result was way too small to fit on any adult-sized head. I didn’t bother to put a bobble on it because I don’t currently have an intended user for it. BUT I was super happy with the results, the way it decreases, the nice stretch of the rib at the bottom, and the way it stitched together. Hooray!

I’ve been knitting a couple of months now and am currently working on a bigger vest project, but realised I haven’t shared evidence of the small early projects I started with. Pics or it didn’t happen, right? The first one was a small bag that came from this book. Whilst I appreciate beginning with a small and super easy project - garter stitch and two separate parts just to join together afterwards - this bag is completely useless. It holds half my phone, so I don’t fully know what the point of it is. However, I don’t want to undo it because it was my first!

I love the two huge Mr Big songs, but I was sort of under the impression they were the heavy rock band that occasionally popped out a ballad for no apparent reason. It turns out they’re a bit more of a mixed bag, if this album is anything to go by. There are some harder rock moments but also other ballads and other genres slipping in at the same time. It’s quite a good album, although it won’t be breaking into my top ten any time soon. To finish off with To Be With You is great though, and now I have that song stuck in my head.

I always liked Florida Georgia Line so it was a bit of a shame to see them disband and go their separate ways. But having said that, Tyler Hubbard has kept a similar style on his debut solo album and it’s a pretty good one. There’s potentially a bit too much religion on there for my tastes, but there are also some great tunes, so it balances out.

Another David Tennant narration and this one was fun. The great thing about Doctor Who is how it can so easily mix up the various settings - alien planets, ancient times, the distant future - but this one was plum in the modern day with a mystery around a sunken Navy ship and a lot of people appearing to jump off bridges. You always know, when a companion gets injured in one of these books, they’ll be okay, but it still doesn’t stop it being slightly heartstopping when it happens. Great stuff.

I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time, as people have raved about it, and I loved the TV series that was adapted from it. I used to listen to Dolly and Pandora in their various podcast guises but have drifted away from that side of things recently. It’s a great book, beautifully written and searingly honest. I like that it’s not just about love and dating but also about love and friendships and how your closest relationships may not be your plus one but the one that was there since the beginning. I wasn’t completely sure if the recipes and lists and things added anything, but still, overall a wonderful read.