This week, the final episode of Andor streamed on Disney+ bringing to a close a 12 episode season that is one of the best Star Wars creations since Rogue One (not counting Baby Yoda, obviously). Whilst I have my obsession with the Mandalorian firmly in mind, I have to admit that the quality of this series of Andor really shone through from start to finish. Okay, not quite the start, I did already mention that the first couple of episodes were slow, slow, slow. But since then it has only gone from strength to strength.

I had honestly not even heard of Alan Jackson until he was honoured at one of the country award shows this year, and figured if he was such a classic country artist, it was worth giving him a listen. I was a bit nervous because, you know, it’s proper old school country and that isn’t always my cup of tea - I’m more of a modern country girl. But, actually, it was really good. It was old school but it wasn’t bad, very listenable and just a nice, solid album.

I really liked this album. I don’t know if I was expecting great things particularly but it came as a nice surprise. It’s that kind of grown up pop that is really easy to listen to, but without being boring. It has some strong melodies that don’t stick in your head particularly but are wonderful to listen to - and nice themes, good lyrics, plenty to like!

There’s nothing new about this movie at all - it is that same old Christmas story told over and over. High powered city girl ends up in the cosy Christmas village and falls in love, fixes everything, etc, etc. It had so many elements of other films with the most obvious comparison to Overboard, but it held its own and wasn’t entirely predictable. It’s probably the best new Christmas film we’ve had for a while (sorry Hudgens).

This is the one that we were aiming for, the reason we rushed through the previous two entries in the franchise. It was good! I would say not as good as the first one, but a lot better than the second. It’s a different thing, because they’re not travelling, the family are stuck at home and everything that goes wrong has to happen there. That gave it Home Alone vibes, particularly when he was bumbling around the loft hurting himself.

Well, this was okay, still fun, but nowhere near as good as the first one. There were some amusing moments but a lot of the chaos seemed a lot more predictable and signposted which took the edge off a bit. And I feel like some of the stories didn’t quite make sense - I’m still not clear on what the thieves plan actually was with the whole kidnapping thing - and how come so many girls found Rusty attractive?

I’m so annoyed we have ended up waiting so long to watch it. This movie is SO GOOD. It was so funny, just utterly hilarious and crucially, without being distasteful - even when dealing with a dead aunt or some genuine terrorism right at the end. It’s fun because none of the characters change or grow, they just endure and somehow still manage to achieve their goal despite everything not quite going in their favour.

As a kid, I tried to read this book so many times, but I never got past the first few pages. I have that image of Roger zig-zagging across the field embedded in my mind, but I had no idea what happened next. This time, I listened to an audiobook version of it and managed to get all the way through - hooray! It didn’t really grab me hugely, reminded me very much of Enid Blyton, although this came first, obviously. I did like how imaginative these kids are, and how they really threw themselves into this island life they created. But the war with the uncle seemed odd to me. Never mind, finally achieved the end of the book, job done!

This was the first novel written by TV bigwig Jed Mercurio, and it’s very different from the other one I read (Ascent). It follows the early days of our protagonist’s career in a hospital, with the very many challenges faced by young doctors - all the pressure from the scheduling, the lack of funding, the difficult patients, and worse than all of these, the colleagues. The main focus of the story is whether our hero should turn whistleblower or not after a number of things go wrong and are covered up. It’s a very difficult read but very well written and the stress and tension just leap off the page.

For the first time in three years, Strictly was back in the Blackpool ballroom with everything that comes with that - echoey vocals, additional dancers, fish and chips, rollercoasters, and everyone talking about how important the seaside town is to the world of ballroom dancing. Even though we’re all a bit cynical about just how much everyone bangs on about Blackpool, it’s still quite exciting to see how much they all love it and how much it means to them.

It was August when I last wrote about Nasa’s Artemis mission and the ongoing delays of launching. Those delays kept on coming but wahey, the rocket finally lifted off this week and the Artemis Orion craft is finally on its way to the moon. Apparently it will be tomorrow when the ship reaches its closest proximity to the moon, 80 miles, before heading into orbit.

Two things happened that made Bread this week’s album. My dad suggested them as a band I hadn’t experienced yet, and then Everything I Own was featured on a TV show and I realised how much I love that song without knowing who the artist was. As soon as I saw it was Bread, the two things clicked into place and thus, time for a 1970s soft-rock album. It was really good, that song stood out, and I was a bit annoyed at the concept of the song Diary - don’t read people’s diaries - but very 70s in the best way, a nice gentle album to get you through the week.

I was really looking forward to this and maybe I should have tempered my expectations a little because, although it’s good, it was a bit of a disappointment. It was like an easy listening album, and only a couple of times I thought the album was going to pick up and start going somewhere, but it never did. There was no huge hit or anything to grab at you, like Twisted or Girlfriend, but it’s still a nice album to listen to and you can’t fault the talent on display.

Traditionally, I don’t let Christmas start until 1st December but this released on Apple TV+ on Friday and it just had to be watched, so this year, Christmas comes early! It was so good, a lot better than I was expecting. I thought it would just be Ryan and Will reliving the story of A Christmas Carol and putting their silly brand of humour in it. But it was a musical with really good songs, it was a twist on the traditional tale, and it was full of heart and humour and a surprising ending. This is definitely one that will be rewatched many years in the future.

The last episode of the latest true crime dramatisation A Friend of the Family aired this week, and I think it brought to a conclusion an incredible series that has really been well constructed from start to finish. The series tells the true life tale of the Broberg family - something that has already been covered in a documentary and a podcast, apparently, I have not consumed either of them, this was all new to me. The first episode opened with an on-camera appearance from Jan Broberg, the protagonist of our story, who was kidnapped twice by the same man. I thought this was a bit odd, it’s always useful to know how much contact and influence the real victims have in any retelling, but this was like a seal of approval.

Obviously I was going to read this as a massive Friends fan, and it was a very interesting memoir. I listened to the audiobook so Matthew Perry was telling his own story and what a difficult time he’s had. It’s unflinchingly honest, this book, so that Perry doesn’t always come across as the hero, sometimes not even a particularly nice person (what is his beef with Keanu, please?) but it’s an important story to share. Addiction is horrible and hard and can affect anyone, no matter how much money or privilege you have. He talks about his early upbringing, with understanding of the events that shaped some of his later problems, but without making excuses. His time on Friends is discussed, particularly the process of getting the role in the first place, how close the group became, and how they supported him through some of the tougher times. And, as the book title suggests, there’s a lot of women coming and going in Perry’s life… including Julia Roberts! Ultimately it’s a difficult read and I maybe wished for more tales from the set, but well-written, well-read and a fresh take on the struggles of addiction.

I had planned to do a quick update halfway through my 30 days of guitar challenge, I’m a couple of days late but let’s do it anyway. It’s really just to note down a few of the things I’ve found over the first half of the month: I was really worried about the tips of my fingers being painful and potentially prohibitive to playing every single day, but the good news is I’m trying to be quite strict on the time I play each day which helps make it more manageable. They do hurt though, don’t get me wrong. Tingly fingertips. I’ve been working through the Yousician lesson plan which is really brilliant. It’s an expensive subscription (Although they have an amazing Black Friday deal on at the mo that I’m gutted to have missed out on but is worth a look if you’re tempted!). The course is so well laid out - chords and fingerpicking, plenty of songs to play within the course or as and when you want to, and… drum roll please… certificates!!

There are a lot of problems with the clothing industry for women - sizing inconsistencies, promotional angles, impact of fast fashion - but one of the biggest issues is the lack of pockets. This isn’t new news, it’s been a vocal complaint from many women for years: where are my pockets? There’s no good reason that suit trousers or jackets or skirts or anything don’t have pockets. Or worse, they have a pretend pocket opening with a sewed up liner. Infuriating.

I know quite a few of the songs from this musical without having actually seen it until now - and what a production to have for a first viewing. The cast were incredible, particularly of course Sutton Foster who absolutely steals the show and dominates every scene and dance number she’s in. Her inter-play with Robert Lindsay was great, although I do think that slightly fake fourth-wall break in Friendship was a bit awkward.

This is my earliest film watched to date, and my first Fred & Ginger, and I really enjoyed it. What a great musical! It’s a bit corny in places, and I really question the logic of someone tap dancing in any kind of apartment or hotel building… but I loved all the mistaken identity stuff, and that everything that happened just went to reinforce her thinking Jerry was the married one. Fun and frothy, and the only downside was how poor the Venice set looked… to my modern eyes, of course.

It’s Blackpool next week, in case you missed one of the hundred references to it in this week’s show. Time to get your drinking games on! Blackpool… DRINK! A fact I heard during the week on It Takes Two was that four of the six couples who have left the show so far have gone out on a Charleston, making it the danger dance of the series so far. Ellie’s on for the Charleston this week - uh oh - and she was first up on the dancefloor. Let’s go!

I don’t know that I would have specifically picked this up but I had it as part of a two-in-one collection including the Mount Everest adventure. That one was a good read, but I didn’t get quite so engaged in this one. I don’t know if it’s just the nature of the challenge being undertaken or what but I really rushed through to get to the end. Clearly this was a hard experience and a real endurance exercise but it sort of read quite slow and boring - because ultimately it’s five guys in a boat just clinging on to get to the other side, rather than the slightly more interesting and varied experience of climbing a mountain. But tick, another book finished.

Duolingo have been rolling out a new format to their free language learning app, with a more structured approach than previously. I’ve been using the app on and off for years, and have loved it, it’s been my go to for language learning. The new path rolled out to me this month, as it did to most others, having been in testing and beta for a while, and the reaction has been… mixed would be polite, negative would be more truthful.

Really good, solid, 80s rock pop. Alone is an absolute belter and of course I’m listening to this album because the song popped up on Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend. What a tune! The rest of the album doesn’t quite stand up to such a high level, but it’s honestly not that far off. It’s just that recognisable rock from the decade of big hair and equally big riffs. Good job.

The film suffers from the same problems as the book - the tone is odd, the sympathies feel misplaced, it’s a very simplistic and historically inaccurate view of the Holocaust. But the film itself is ok - Asa is incredible as the wide-eyed innocent, and that twist ending continues to pack a punch.

This is a good album, nice sounds, very 1975 from start to finish. It’s not going to stick in my mind, particularly, I don’t know that there’s a standout song in there, but as an album to listen to, it’s perfect. The only real complaint is that the title doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in relation to the rest of it. But I’m sure there’s something I’m missing.

After wrapping up the Apple TV+ series based on this work, I sought out the original but it wasn’t available as a digital read, only an audiobook. So I quickly raced through that on Audible Plus - it’s well written and read, detailing the important moments of the journey, but if I’m honest, if I hadn’t have watched the show, I don’t know that it would have grabbed me all that much. Still, good to have the background behind the piece.

The miniseries Black Bird starring Taron Egerton was released back in August and although I heard all the positive reviews and expected it was going to be a good watch, it took a while to get round to it. I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it but there’s a LOT of good TV out there at the moment, it’s hard to know what to prioritise! But anyway, I’ve finally raced through this series and what a wonder it is to behold.

I love it when green spaces pop up in unusual locations, so was interested in the Castlefield Viaduct green space initiative run by the National Trust. The Manchester viaduct was built in the 1800s and was part of the Industrial Revolution, but has since taken a back seat in priority and was closed in 1969. Now the intention is to make the whole area a spot of green amongst Manchester’s city streets.

This was a much heavier book than I was expecting - and somehow, despite starting with two attempted suicides, it just seems to get darker and darker as the story goes on. Poor Christine seems to be surrounded by people determined to kill themselves, and takes it all upon herself to fix everyone. It was a good read, and I liked the bits with Christine’s family - they were a lot of fun and I would have liked to have more of those - but otherwise it was just left me feeling quite down.

I don’t remember but I think this was a free book of the week on Apple Books, so I didn’t have a lot invested in it - but it really grabbed me. It was that kind of gentle rom-com read, where an outsider heads back to the remote village they came from and has to reconnect with their roots and with the people they left behind. I wasn’t expecting the bridge situation which heightened the claustrophic feel, and the whole DNA part was a surprise. It was a wonderful cast of characters and the start of a lengthy series, so I’m glad to have read it!

I watched this film a while back and knowing the book was written by C. S. Forester of most excellent Hornblower fame, I have had this on my to read pile for too long. It’s so good. Just like the film, I was caught up in the tension of the piece, and even though I didn’t understand all of the intricate, well-researched details, you can’t help but be swept up in the misery and cold, the state of high alert, the danger. It’s so well done, and although there’s not a lot of room for character development, it’s still a really good story.

Strictly went back to normal this week, no theme, just songs and dances. I was ill, though, so didn’t watch it live. Instead I caught up later, and in a particularly grumpy mood, so who knows if I enjoyed the dances as much as I normally would have with a glass of wine. Claudia seemed to have rocked up in her pyjamas, but they were very snazzy so I was all for it.

I probably needn’t have bothered. The only real good thing about this is the incredible cast. CGM is absolutely stellar as Wednesday, who, of course, is the best thing about it anyway. I didn’t mind the story, and actually really liked Allison Janney’s slightly deranged TV host, but otherwise, the animation style was weird, the rest of the subplots not interesting, and none of it particularly funny. Best left.

I have a battered old physical copy of this novelisation from the film and had actually read it a few times before I’d even seen the film. It was different reading it after enjoying the movie experience, as the characters were so much more vivid and crystallised in my mind. The book is actually a pretty close retelling of the film, aside from dipping into the thoughts that you don’t necessarily get to share on screen, it’s scene for scene the same - so a great read but potentially not adding much to the experience.

I was tucked up under a duvet feeling ill and sorry for myself and figured an old-school musical might lift the blues a bit. I couldn’t have picked a better one for it. I didn’t know anything about this going into it, although turns out I do know the song The Company Way. But it was entertaining from start to finish, funny and a really good jab at the world of business and marketing.

This is a rollercoaster of an album, the bangers are brilliant, obviously. Frozen is a tune and a half, and I’d forgotten about The Power of Good-Bye which is a really great song. And then some of the other stuff is great, not quite living up to that level but really listenable. But then there’s also some elements that really dragged. the Candy Perfume one really felt like it was never going to end. Overall, though, a great album.

I’m going to say straight off that I’m not a fan of the moustache. People can make their own choices but oof. However, while listening to the album, I can’t see the moustache and it was a real hit! Great songs, it’s the middle-of-the-road kind of pop that’s great not boring, and other than Are You Looking for Billy which has some odd choices in, I could listen to it over and over.

I love, love, love Tony Robinson and didn’t realise he’d written an autobiography, so when I saw that he read the audiobook version, I dived right in. There’s so much I didn’t know - he’s had such a varied career, so much on the stage, so much TV, packing so much in before Time Team! And all of it is told with rhythm and style and grace and honesty and wisdom and a self-depracating nature that is the reason he’s a national treasure. He’s not perfect, but who is? Even the political chapters were told so well I loved it all.

Saw this film, ages and ages ago, so was interested in the source material. It’s interesting because there’s a character who is plugged into a virtual world, and at one point that avatar plugs into a robot and controls that too. It’s layers upon layers of fantasy and yet it’s so well written, it works. I didn’t know half the references being mentioned so some of it went over my head, but the story is good and the outcome even better. Working as a team for the win!

November has arrived and with it comes the dark nights, cold weather and general feeling that hibernation would be the right choice for any sensible person. Unfortunately, that’s not really an option, so instead, it’s time to come up with another 30 day challenge to get me through the month. This time? Guitar! Hooray! This has been on the list since I first started thinking about doing many thirty day challenges, but there was a small problem - up until recently, I didn’t have access to a guitar. But now I do! It’s not super fancy or anything, but a basic acoustic guitar and a Yousician subscription should get me through the next thirty days.

I whizzed through this book, I wasn’t totally sure I was going to finish it but something kept me reading to the end. Ultimately there were three friends and we’re looking at when they first met as teenagers, to where they are now in middle-age and then, of course, everything that happened in between. They weren’t particularly sympathetic characters but enough to get to the end of hte book and find out what went down between them all.

I wasn’t sure how October’s 30 day challenge was going to go - learning sign language with this online course. The guidance suggests really taking your time so I didn’t want to rush through and set artificial deadlines when all I really wanted to do was explore the language. However, I was at a massive advantage being able to fingerspell already, so it became an achievable goal to get through the whole course in the month.

We’re not quite back to normal with Strictly yet, after last week’s slightly bizarre and trying-too-hard 100 year birthday theme, this time it’s the more traditional Halloween. The costume, hair and make up teams really pulled out all the stops for this, it was clear as soon as the couples started descending the stairs. And the judges! They all looked incredible too, even if Anton spent most of the show doing battle with his curly wig.

I had high hopes for this because, you know, George and Julia, and it lived up to the hype! A solid rom-com, funny and with a good story and a happy ending. What I wasn’t expecting was for Billie Lourd to steal the show, but if I’d known she was in it I probably would have expected that too.

One of the innovations Apple Fitness+ feature is artist spotlight workouts, where all the music on the workout playlist are from one specific artist, giving you a chance to really celebrate with your favourite artists or get into the groove with a specific vibe. If I’m honest, I’ve not been a big fan of these, but I don’t have a good reason for that. Some of the featured artists haven’t necessarily been my cup of tea, but there have been a couple I’ve liked and just not really been bothered about.

I thought I only new Last Nite off this album, a song that I really love. But as I listened through I also recognised Someday. I really enjoyed the album, it takes that rock vibe through from start to finish. The only downside is that some of it was less memorable than the standout song, Last Nite, so although I liked listening, I’m not sure any of it is going to stick with me. Still, a successful album overall.

I’m always keen to hear what direction Taylor has taken on her next album and this one is another change of form. The previous two albums were very gentle, folksy, and slow. Charming but kinda dull. I was worried an album called Midnights based on late night music musings might be the same, but it wasn’t. This was a turn back towards the pop stylings of 1989, although still retaining the more gentle feel. It was a good album, nice to listen to, a fun return from TayTay. The only downside was that there are no bangers on there at all, no massive huge potential hit. To me, anyway.

Last time I wrote about The Sims, I had just discovered my purchase of The Sims 4 and dived into the game, a little late to the party as always. I finished off that post saying ‘The trick now is to not let it take over my life while I see what it’s all about.’ I think I finally managed to get a good Sim balance in my life - it’s not an addiction that sucks up too many hours, but I do check in on the game regularly and get a quick fix of micro-managing those little idiots.

With Doctor Who in the news recently following the excellent farewell to Jodie Whittaker’s iteration of the character, it wasn’t a surprise when Disney+ announced they would be the home of the show in the US, rather than BBC America. It’s a big streaming platform and the connection makes some sense. I wasn’t expecting further details to emerge of this deal which turns out to be more than just a place to park the existing show.