My dad pointed out that I hadn’t listened to any Status Quo during this album adventure, so I put it on the list and snapped it up straight away. I know a couple of the more famous songs, and know of the ‘Quo for opening up on Live Aid, but otherwise I’ve not given them too much thought previously. It’s quite a good album, this one, the nice thing about Status Quo is they have a guitar style that you can instantly recognise. In the same way you know Johnny Cash from his train style beats, Quo have that riff that you can shake your shoulders at and the theme continues through the whole album. Fun!

I was going to listen to the latest album from Jason Aldean, released this week, but then realised it was the second part of a double-album style release, and this, Macon, was the first part. So I dipped back to the first part and quite liked it. The song with Carrie Underwood is the highlight, obviously, and I’m not totally sure I’m happy about the live songs padding out the tracklist (the second album has the same, so why not get rid of that and just release all the songs in one go?) But aside from that, it’s a traditional good ol’ country vibe - man tries to get over loved one with lots of alcohol, and I’m intrigued to listen to the second part.

Mixed feelings about this movie. It’s a great cast doing the best that they can with a pretty poor script - the occasional funny line drowns under endless chatter about how inconvenienced they are by this global pandemic. I know it’s trying to be tongue-in-cheek and Hollywood letting us know that they know how privileged they are, but it doesn’t really come across like that. Also they tried to make it sound worse than it was - trapped in a posh hotel! - but they were clearly being shuttled to and from the studio, which didn’t really become clear until nearer the end… it’s a bit of a mess.

And we’re done, 30 days of comic books done and dusted. Have I learnt anything? Quite a lot actually but I think the main result of this thirty days is to prove that the Marvel comics are too complicated for me. Brilliant but hard. However, the Star Wars reboot - with that hard cut off between current canon and previous legend - is much easier to deal with.

Absolutely whipped through this romantic drama, because although it did have that age-old trope of a city girl moving back to the country, it had a good deal more to it than that. The book starts with a tragedy, and really puts some of the main characters through the wringer, but good things do start to happen. Missed opportunities and plenty of misunderstandings later, and we get towards our happy ending. Just a good easy-to-read story.

Recently, I seem to have watched a lot of second series of things, either because they’ve just been released with much fanfare, or because I’ve done a bit of a catchup. Four of the shows I’ve watched recently have all had second series’ that differ quite significantly from their first, and it’s been very interesting to watch them myself and also see the reaction to them in the wider world. I thought I’d put my own thoughts down on paper (digital screen paper, obviously):

I think I’ve hit the hat trick of ways to consume this story now - I saw it first on stage, then watched the movie and have now topped it off with the book that started it all. I do like to do things backwards! Again, reading this, I do think I would have found it confusing if I hadn’t already known the story, it dips back and forth in time and character, and actually the three main women are quite indistinguishable for a long period of time - damaged and dealing with difficult men. It’s a good thriller though, and worth sticking with.

One of my favourite things about this year so far was getting to early spring and realising the desire to get back to my vegetable garden was back. Last year, I gave it a go but chucked it all in as a bad job after a disappointing haul of carrots. In my offline diary, I specifically wrote “and that might be the gardening over with. Bored of it now.”

This is one of those books that is engaging and really draws you in to a world… but actually once you’re out the other side of it, it’s hard to say what actually happened. I listened to the audiobook which was wonderfully read by Meera Syal, and it was engrossing to hear about the difficulties for immigrants of trying to fit in alongside all the different societal pressures from their own culture and the one they’re trying to adapt to. It was well written, and well read, but I don’t know if I ultimately liked it.

Ten days of comics later, and I’m going to be honest, I don’t think I’m going to be reading all the Marvel comics that have ever been published. I like the idea of it, of course, but by day twenty I felt like the vast array of comics available was starting to get a bit wearing. I quite like browsing the covers and revelling in all the creativity that has gone into these issues - but picking what I actually want to read has been a challenge.

The marvellous Manics with a super strong album - that first five tracks are really good, hitting you right from the start with the mood that takes you right to the end. It’s quite a long album, but it never feels like it’s taking too much of your time. I’ve really loved the most recent couple of Manics albums, and whilst this doesn’t quite live up to those for me, it’s still head and shoulders above a lot of other albums.

This is a really good album from Camila, who I now can’t help but call Camilia. It’s got those deep and wonderful latin beats, Camila dips between languages in that fluent and fabulous way, and there’s a rollercoaster of a story in there with plenty of emotions on display. I loved the guest stars, WILLOW is all over the place at the moment and I’m here for it. Very listenable, although I have to admit that whilst I love it while I’m in it, there’s nothing hugely standout to remember once you’re a couple of hours down the line.

I mean, I think it’s fair to say that if I hadn’t bought the complete Dune series within one book, I wouldn’t have gotten to book three, let alone finish it. I find them a really weird series - on the one hand, I kinda like the writing, the dynastic nature of the characters, and the way they are always plotting something. But I wish there was more about the planet itself, the people, who are we actually leading, what is the whole point? There seems to be less and less of that as we go on. Still half of the six originals are complete, so I may as well keep going at this point!

I can’t believe I’ve never seen this film before. Oddly, I have read the novelisation of the movie, and have dug out that book from a dusty old box, ready to read again. So I knew what was coming up but still wasn’t quite prepared for it. It was so good! So ahead of its time, in casting, in the issues on show, in the way it was just a snapshot in the life of these kids that comes to no specific conclusion but let’s them get on with their life afterwards.

As I’m looking out for more environmentally friendly product options, I couldn’t ignore it when I saw someone promoting Wild deodorant on TikTok and then getting an introductory deal on the same day. I don’t really need to write a long post about this because the concept is simple and really makes sense - you can buy one-offs or subscribe but overall the system is you get a reusable case and then order refills of the deodorants.

A really sweet young adult rom-com read, featuring two boys that meet in the New York and have a rollercoaster of a summer together. I liked that we dipped back and forth between the two characters - and having each author write the different point of view meant the characters really felt real, approaching life in their own unique way. I also thought the subplots about how complicated it is navigating friends-to-lovers-to-friends-again relationships can be. Super easy to read and adorable, I definitely want to pick up the sequel to see what’s next for Ben and Arthur.

We’ve had a real hit-and-miss rollercoaster journey with these brat pack films so approached this with some nervousness… mostly drawn to it because the song is brilliant. Actually you don’t hear a lot of the song in this, but thankfully, the movie stands up on its own. I liked it, which was a surprise because the characters are all deeply unlikeable. I can’t believe how creepy Emilio Estevez’s character was being and no one was batting an eyelid. It’s not great from that point of view, but moments of it were good and as a whole it was entertaining.

The critics and all the reviews I’ve seen are absolutely panning this movie but I really enjoyed it. Sure, it was predictable and not a particularly sophisticated spy movie but so what? Gangs of men have been making movies like that forever, it’s about time the women had a go. It was fun, fast and furious, a great cast and even if the plot left something to be desired, it all stacked up and made sense and allowed each character to have their moment. Perfect Saturday night popcorn action.

The phrase ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ doesn’t really cover everything we need to do to fix our planet, but it’s a really good place to start and does help you think in the right way. Reuse is one of the best options, meaning new items don’t need to be made and we can really get the most out of our products. It’s no wonder that milk delivery to your door in glass bottles has been making a comeback, sped up by the pandemic but also by a convenience/conservation aspect too.

This isn’t a particularly ground-breaking movie, the story of a coach down on his luck that reluctantly takes over a kid’s team and makes them believe in themselves, etc, etc. The only difference being this was based on a true story after Coach Peyton was suspended from the NFL (I actually would have liked to know more about all that business, but I guess that’s not what the film was about).

I’d forgotten how many of these songs I knew, and particularly it’s a really good start to an album, I think the first five tracks are all bangers. The whole thing is good though, very strong pop, if slightly over-produced in that early Popstars/X-Factor style that does sound a bit dated by now. It also feels like they hadn’t quite found their gel yet, the chemistry that is clear in later releases isn’t quite there yet. A clear example of the talent within the band, though.

Ooh, I loved this. Peck has such an incredible voice, it’s like a cross between Elvis and Johnny Cash, and combining those two greats into his own interesting style. It’s really old school and yet feels big and fresh and inviting and unlike any other country music coming out at the moment. Peck’s whole mystery-man-in-a-mask thing is fun too, like Sia’s quest for privacy. Just concentrate on the music and forget about the rest.

Corden is a love or hate character, that’s become clear although I don’t really know why. I think he’s great, and have loved some of the stuff he’s done on his late night show, but of course, it’s Gavin and Stacey that we all admire so much. This book tells how James battled through boredom in childhood and fought against regular rejections to get to a position where he was able to write, record and celebrate the success of that show.

It gets harder and harder to make and thus enjoy a rom-com, as most of what can be done has already been done. And, of course, going into this, you know exactly how it’s going to end. But, the two leads are completely likeable, Charlie Day in particular, and there were twists and turns along the way that I wasn’t expecting.

What a wonderful book this is. I listened to the audiobook read by the man himself and it’s just a warm, joyous affair, filled with knowledge and love and honesty and fun. Dick dispenses his advice in a way that is completely relaxed and without judgement, whilst still telling us what he thinks is right and wrong. I particularly enjoyed the timeline of events that have happened during his lifetime so far, and his rating them with a school style A-F.

So far, my 30 Day Challenges have fallen into one of two themes - either trying to embed a habit, or really giving something a good go. The comic book challenge is the latter, something I’ve thought about and dipped into occasionally but never had the stamina to keep up a good streak of comic book reading. One thing I didn’t mention in my introductory post, is that the vastness of the various superhero universes is another thing that has previously put me off. And my reading for the first 10 days has proved that is something I was right to be nervous about.

There’s been a TV show streaming on Apple TV+ recently, a little production called Severance, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it? I’m astounded at how popular this show has become, not because it’s not good, but because it just seems to have blown up out of nowhere. But the show features that thing that everyone loves - morals alongside a mystery. While you’re trying to figure out what on earth is going on, you’re also desperately trying to imagine how you would feel in a similar situation.

It’s hard for me to describe this album without sounding like I didn’t like it… but I did. It’s a great Genesis album and a great vehicle for Phil Collins - particularly as some of the songs sound like they have come straight off a Phil Collins album. I generally enjoyed the album, and Jesus He Knows Me gets stuck in my head far too easily, but the thing about it is, it’s so long! Well over an hour, with several of the songs nearing the 10 minute mark. One you could get away with but more than that and I start to get annoyed. But I liked it, honest!

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.