I really like this album, it’s that good punky pop vibe that we’ve come to know from Willow and Avril Lavigne of late. The only problem with it is, that having listened to Willow and Avril Lavigne relatively recently, they do it a bit better, so it feels like we’ve already heard this. There’s nothing wrong with it though, very listenable and I wouldn’t turn it off! The Willow song is the best one though.

Released in line with the well-received TV series, this book doesn’t shed too much light on what we already know, except that one crucial thing - a truck crash that happens to a competitor at the same time as one of the data refinement processes is complete. Is it a coincidence or are Lumon up to no good? I think we know the answer to that, and at this point we also know that there were no answers in the first series of the show… so thank goodness there is a second!

I went into this knowing how it would all work out, having read the book in preparation to make sure it was a satisfying conclusion rather than a ’they-all-did-it’ disappointment. So the mystery wasn’t really there for me, but I did still enjoy the way it twisted and turned, and having the insight of how this compared to the book and what changes had been made.

My breakfast habits are inconsistent at best, but sometimes I get into a bit of a rhythm with porridge and enjoy eating it for a few days at a time. The thing about porridge is though, and forgive me because I really am just this lazy, it’s quite a lot of effort and banging around pots and pans in the morning when people are trying to sleep. You can do the overnight oats thing but that’s not quite the same, and that’s why I’ve previously fallen into the trap of the instant porridge pots.

Hmm, this one is a real shame. I love Mel so much and the writing is so wonderful, it was very easy to read. I listened to the audiobook and read by the author with great style and excellent characterisations. It’s just that the characters are truly awful, all of them, with no redeeming qualities from start to finish. It’s a riches-to-rags story but it isn’t until right at the last minute that anyone even contemplates the idea of getting an actual job to help them out. I don’t know that these characters would be easy to swallow at any time, but in the current difficult financial situation for much of society… it really doesn’t go down well.

This is such a weird film, it feels like it was so long since the previous two that they’ve completely forgotten what those movies were. This was a good enough movie in it’s own right, quite funny in places and some enjoyable action sequences, but it was completely different to the earlier Beverly Hills Cop movies and didn’t have whatever it was that made them special.

This was so readable, I really whipped through it in super quick time. I didn’t necessarily relate to the characters, they weren’t all particularly nice people, but I really wanted to know how it was going to work out for them all, especially when there were clear moments that were going to come back and haunt them later! My only complaint is that the party of the title takes so long to arrive and is over very quickly. It wraps everything up but does it deserve to be the title after all that comes before it?

This didn’t look like it was going to be a good sequel, and I don’t think there’s any universe we would have watched it in if it wasn’t for an interest in Jason Bateman’s debut movie. And to be fair, we didn’t really watch it in this universe either, just getting through the statutory twenty minutes before switching it off. It was boring, it didn’t seem to have anything new to say, and they couldn’t even reach for special effects - the uncle was a man, then cut away, cut back, bam, he’s a wolf. Blah.

This was a pretty good sequel, there was a lot to like about it, but a couple of things let it down and brought the overall score down. You can never fault the confidence that Axel Foley brings to every situation, it’s almost admirable except for just the few times he takes it too far. I really liked the character arc of the two California detectives though - the guy with all the plants getting obsessed with Rambo and Guns, and the other guy having relationship drama and learning to live a little along the way.

I really wasn’t convinced this was going to be any good but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This movie is why we’ve suddenly worked our way through the Scream backlog, intent on seeing how they manage to get the gang back together. I think it was really well done, totally believable, even whilst these movies are really going so meta they are almost impossible at this point. It was the most gory and scary of the series but still pretty mild and more of a mystery than anything else and honestly, it would have been a perfect film if it hadn’t been for killing off Dewey. Boooo.

I’ve dipped my toe into the comic book waters before, particularly when the official Back to the Future comics first launched. I quite enjoyed reading them but it’s not something that seriously stuck. If I’m honest that was mostly because I felt like they weren’t value for money - I 100% appreciate the talent and creativity that’s gone into creating the artwork and stories, but you can devour them so quickly… it feels like an expensive hobby.

Listened to this in honour of the sad passing of Taylor Hawkins, my first Foo Fighters album on this journey. I went through a period of loving Foo Fighters music but it was after they’d been around for a while. It’s so interesting to follow the journey of the band, from Dave Grohl’s earlier experiences in Nirvana to blossoming out and becoming frontman of this new adventure. This album is a great debut, full of rock and angst and rage but more importantly showing all the hints of the band they’re going to grow into.

I really like the first song on this album, a self-referential song with great lyrics and a catchy chorus. The rest of the album can’t quite live up to these heights, but that’s not because it’s a bad album by any stretch - it’s just not superbly standout. It’s a really good, comfortable, modern country album, highly produced and sung well with Maren’s excellent vocals. I’m just not sure it’s going to end up in the country hall of fame.

I didn’t even know this movie existed until very, very recently, so happy to have dived right in and watched it fresh off the back of the others. This was such a good one, considering we’re four movies in, a sequel as good as, if not better, than the previous two. The old characters continue to live with their trauma every day, whilst the new gang fit in and handle it all really well. Somehow, despite the fact they are cynical enough to make fun of the horror genre, and stupid enough to fall for all its traps, it all makes sense and is really well done.

And so, I’ve done it. 30 Days of ShadowDraw, the app that lets you follow a sketch as it comes to life and practice along with it. I really enjoyed this challenge, getting the most use out of my Apple Pencil possibly ever, and feeling like I was really getting into it by the end. But even with all that, I still don’t feel like I can ever actually be a good artist. The only thing that I felt was improving as I went along was my brushstrokes, getting a slightly steadier hand, and understanding the concept of that cross you draw on the oval of a face to place the eyes.

You’ve got to love wisdom from the goddess that is Oprah. I loved this book just because it shares snippets of insight, honesty, life stories and advice, whilst not being judgemental and really just saying ‘it’s there for the taking’. It’s a little repetitive in places, but these are nuggets that bear repeating - be kind, be good, believe in yourself, take time for yourself, and just breathe.

The ever expanding list of streaming services is a constant topic of conversation and consternation amongst TV enthusiasts, particularly as the current trend is for more and more silos popping up with selected own properties, and fewer general access places like Netflix. I hadn’t expected the distillation of shows to go down to such a granular level as Taskmaster have taken it. The brilliant comedy panel show, that features a selection of comedians trying to complete silly tasks to gain subjective points from the Taskmaster himself, has become a global phenomenon, and that, in part, is the problem.

Woohoo, finally completed the trilogy having only ever previously seen the first two Scream movies. I don’t think this one is as good as the first two and it’s certainly stretching the format a bit, but it’s still very entertaining. More of a mystery thriller than a horror, I’d say, as the scares are few and far between, and the comedy is ratcheted right up. I quite enjoyed watching the two Gales running around together.

I just finished the final episode of Dickinson and wanted to celebrate what a wonderful show this has been. I wrote about it after the first season, highlighting the specific creative choices that make it a brilliant period piece (the music, the modern moments, the way the poetry weaves in and out of the narrative) and that has only continued on through the next two series. It makes sense that this show was always going to have a a relatively short run given the life they are documenting, but I’m still super sad that there will be no more Dickinson in our lives.

Oof, what is this album? This was in our minds because in Pam & Tommy, Mötley Crüe were annoyed when they got bumped for Beck, so why not follow up a week of listening to their album with a week of listening to his? I do wish I hadn’t. It’s not bad stuff, really, but it’s all mixed up and completely all over the place. One minute you’re listening to singer/songwriter warbling, the next you’re in some hardcore hip-hop that wouldn’t be out of place on an album out of Compton. It was jarring and ended up just being annoying… especially that last track, seriously, dude.

I’m always a bit nervous listening to a new Charli XCX album - I like a lot of her music but have found a full album can get a bit out there for me. The last one was not one of my favourites. But thankfully, this one was a lot better, bigger, bolder, brighter - it hits you right from the start with those iconic vocals and production. They are pretty much all good songs throughout with maybe a slight dip in the middle, and some great guest stars (Christine and the Queens!) to make an overall good listen.

This was one of those twisty short stories that Deaver does so well, but this time it’s an audiobook read by the marvellous David Harbour. I whipped through it super quickly. Interesting insight into death row and how people campaign against it regardless of the crimes and the feelings of the actual criminal themselves. The twist ending didn’t quite work in my head but I got the vibe and I do love the twists when they come.

I’m not sure it fully counts as horror, because the scares were really minimal, ramping up slightly towards the end but even so nothing like a ‘proper’ horror movie. Instead, it was actually a serviceable mystery movie, with lots of leads and red herrings and suspicious actions, plus characters you’d learn to care about moments before they were brutally murdered.

The US chat shows did their best to struggle through the two-ish years of lockdown but now guests are appearing regularly in person again (questionable as that is), the entertainment value has shot right back up. This video absolutely brightened my day, with Kelly Clarkson hosting Anne Hathaway on her show and getting seriously competitive in a singing contest. The job? Identify a song from the opening beats the band play and start singing it as soon as you recognise the tune. There are three reasons to love this video.

I don’t think I would have read this if I hadn’t picked up a six book digital collection - all the Dune books written by the original author. So it was too easy to finish the last one and move on to this. I usually hate introductions and prefaces that spoil the books but this had some insight from Frank’s son Brian - who has continued the series after his father’s death - and it was actually good to get a bit of context around this and made the reading of it much easier.

I bought this book around the time we watched the film, but then didn’t enjoy the movie version at all so was reluctant to pick this up. Eventually I have managed to get round to it and glad I did because the book is so much better than the film. All the things I disliked about the film (Sherlock being smug and solving it all, the mother turning out to be a terrorist) just aren’t present in the book. Thank goodness, and it was so readable, I’m keen to see how the second one turns out.

I’m never quite sure how to feel about reading plays, it sort of works but also I feel like you’re missing a crucial element of the whole thing. But of course, you have to start somewhere and knowing this was the basis for My Fair Lady has had me intrigued for a while. It’s a lot shorter than I expected, and I was surprised how similar it actually was - although of course the ending is vastly different and the characters slightly less fleshed out. A good read though.

Obviously, I was going to read a book by the legendary Dolly Parton - and then when I saw that the audiobook featured both Dolly and Kelsea Ballerini, that was my chosen format. It took a while to get into it, because they had a narrator who I didn’t really gel with and then various voices dipping in and out for the characters - but gradually I got into the story and was really hooked by the end. I listened whilst being outside in the sunshine and that just made it all the more glorious.

Generally speaking, spirits such as gin, vodka, and rum, are packaged in nicely crafted glass bottles - very reusable, recyclable and perfectly acceptable in Christine’s new regime against unnecessary waste. However, I couldn’t help but be excited by the concept of Gin in a Tin and managed to get my hands on one. It looks like a sleek over-sized hip flask and it’s full of delicious sloe gin. I thought this was genius.

Of course, I only listened to this because we recently finished watching the incredible Pam & Tommy on Disney+. I had only vaguely heard of Mötley Crüe anyway, and certainly didn’t know their music or what it was all about. If I’m honest, I was expecting the worst, loud angry headache-inducing hard rock, right? You know what? I really loved this album. That Dr Feelgood song is completely stuck in my head and I don’t even mind! I can’t see that I’m going to listen to any more of their albums, this is supposedly the best and most successful so I went straight to the pinnacle and loved it.

So, at first, this is just the album you’d expect - some surprisingly good dad-rock from Bryan Adams who’s been doing this for so long he can probably write a good soft rock song in his sleep. But then, out of nowhere, Brian Cleese pops up with a really dramatic song-opening monologue, which makes you think you’re in for something a bit more Meat Loaf rock opera. And then the album goes back to the regularly scheduled middle-of-the-road rock. It’s weird but also completely listenable. Very odd.

This book has been around for a while and been revised a few times, but fundamentally the story doesn’t change - Mary tells her story of being the victim of a bigamist who defrauded her of hundreds of thousands of pounds. It’s well written and highlights just how easy it would be to be manipulated by a smooth-talking guy who did what Will did, but I do wonder about how deep into debt one might go for their other half. You don’t know until you’re in the situation, of course, and having read this, it’s a good warning about staying aware of the signs of manipulation.

This was a surprisingly good, short but intriguing film. It mostly drew attention because we like Julia Stiles, and at first I wasn’t sure we’d get through the whole thing as getting deep inside heart transplant operations isn’t really what I want to watch. But mercifully the operation side of things was only brief - the majority of the film was talking, discussing the implications and moral questions surrounding one heart with three potential recipients.

One of the first things I had to address when I started thinking about reducing waste was my meal delivery box. I’ve learnt so much over the years getting a weekly delivery with great recipes and the ingredients all laid out for you - gained a lot of confidence and started to understand how to throw together a meal with the basics in your store cupboards. But I couldn’t ignore how much plastic and waste was coming into my house each week.

I was determined to finish the book before watching this and, mission accomplished, took the opportunity of a tired evening to consume the lengthy movie. It’s fair to say it’s a lot better than I thought it would be, bringing the characters to life and telling the story really well… but on the flip side to that, there isn’t a huge amount of story to be told and the emotions are very rarely accessible - it just feels like a very flat couple of hours.

I’m halfway through my 30 Days of ShadowDraw challenge and really enjoying the chill vibes this month is giving me. The app allows you to pick a drawing and then effectively guides you through tracing how the picture comes together, so you end up with the finished result. I’m loving getting some use out of my Apple Pencil and occasionally feeling like I’m actually making some progress. Occasionally, I have a bout of doubt and say ‘but this isn’t really me drawing, it’s just copying.’ And then Mr C said, quite profoundly, ’the Core Challenge was just you copying and you didn’t have any problems with that’. Which is true and beats that imposter syndrome down. I’m doing what I’m doing and I love it!

This is such an odd little book but it was completely readable from start to finish. At first, I couldn’t really see where it was going - there was a lot of detail about our protagonist’s life, including her husband’s obsession with trapping a raccoon, but things gradually started to pick up pace. The underlying concept didn’t quite hang right for me, this odd little rejection club, but it didn’t really matter, the fun was having this adorably oddball collection of people forced to spend time together. A good read, and a happy finish. Apparently there’s more in the series, so I’ll be looking out for the next one.

Thankfully, this movie was a step back to the great for Spider-Man, ending this first trilogy of films on a really high note. It wasn’t perfect but it was very well done, particularly as the Multiverse aspect could have been very confusing. The more elements you throw into a movie, the more messy it gets, but this was handled spectacularly, remaining entertaining all the way through.

Recently, I’ve become obsessed with reducing waste. Although, I suppose it’s not that much of a recent phenomenon, it’s something that I’ve been mindful of for the past few years, with an increasing focus on our planet. I’ve made sensible changes where possible - sourcing toilet rolls from a paper-based subscription service, scrapping all physical mail and magazines where possible (Christmas Radio Times excluded, obviously!), and choosing glass options over plastic if available.

Oh lovely Emily Dean. I used to listen to the Frank Skinner show regularly and I remember the weeks she took off when her sister died, such a sad and difficult time. But I stopped listening and had only vaguely been aware of what happened after that. This book is incredibly honest and detailed, a look at how grief can affect you in many different ways and some ways to try and deal with it. Emily doesn’t seem to have had a traditional upbringing which makes it kind of hard to relate to, but most can relate to imposter syndrome and feeling out of sorts in your own skin. Great book, well written, tragic tale but somehow uplifting at the same time.

This album is the epitome of hit or mmiss. There are a good few songs on there, although none of those humungous essential U2 hits. I really, really love Numb, it’s one of my OG U2 favourites. And Some Days is a great track too. But the problem with this album is that it really doesn’t fit together. The transition between Numb and the next song Lemon (some kind of disco number) is really jarring. And at the end, we suddenly jump to old school slow and meandering country with the wonder that is Johnny Cash. Getting Johnny Cash on your album should be a highlight but actually I sort of wish it wasn’t there. So mixed feelings from start to finish.

Yay for Dolly! What a genuine legend she continues to be. This album is full of general Dolly goodness but with a few added extras in there. I love the fire of Woman Up, obviously, but particularly as it follows the soft whisperings of a tragic story like Blue Bonnet Breeze. When Dolly’s whispering in your ear, you’re absolutely listening. I wasn’t so bothered about the guest stars, all men, but overall a good album.

I’ve attempted this before but didn’t get past the first couple of pages, this time I was determined to make a better effort - there’s the big film on the horizon and I wanted the inside track. Plus it’s such a cultural phenomenon that it had to be on the list. I got through it this time, which is a bonus, and elements of it were interesting…. but ultimately I did find it pretty dry (pun intended, considering the lack of water on this planet). The characters are all so stiff and hard to invest in, and even the ‘hero’ Paul isn’t particularly sympathetic.

Although I’ve always been a bit judgemental of the red panda (not a real panda), I was kinda looking forward to this movie. I’d forgotten it was a Pixar film but when I saw that ident, it raised my expectations even further. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my hopes, but it wasn’t an overall bad movie. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t as good as Luca, but it was better than the one where they dragged some decapitated trousers around.

I listened to the audiobook, and hearing Kelsea read these in her own voice with her own cadence was exactly the way to experience it. Occasionally a burst of emotion would crop out - stories of food disorders and the school shooting she witnessed are brutal but beautifully told - and I just whipped through the book. Wonderful.

As always, I love Jacqueline Wilson books even though I’m massively the other side of the age bracket, but it can’t be helped - these plucky youngsters putting themselves into difficult situations, learning and growing and coming out the other side. This was an interesting one in terms of a fractured family just trying to piece themselves back together (and apart), but the best bit was Wilson writing herself into the book in a slightly different form. Adorable!

Another step along the Johnny Cash journey, and this was another simple collection of songs that he does so beautifully. What I always find weird about these albums is how many covers there are, or songs that are traditional that I had no idea about… Beach Boys’ Sloop John B is on here in a different format because it’s actually an old school traditional song - who knew??? And My Grandfather’s Clock is just an old kid’s song… but also on a Johnny Cash album?!

Woohoo, what a great album from Avril doing everything she does best twenty years on from her first album. It’s just exactly what you’d expect - strong pop-punk-rock, taking no prisoners, picking you up and zipping you along the journey. I really loved this album, and can’t believe how strong a start to the year this has been compared to the last few months. Good work Avril, more please!