At first glance, this feels like a good, traditional Bond story, with a big bad to overcome, a girl or two to deal with along the way, and some help from Felix Leiter just when it’s needed. But actually when you look closer, the book veers so far from the debonair James Bond that we know it’s almost a different character.

I remember watching the TV show that this book is tied-in with when it was on oh-so-long ago, but I’m not sure if I ever read the book. I saw a newer book by Dick Strawbridge that led me back to this one, and I thought it would be interesting to have a quick dive in. It brought back some memories but what was fascinating to see was how much has changed and how much hasn’t. There are areas that the Strawbridges focus on that are still a problem today, but also areas that we have actually managed to make progress on - plastic bags, etc.

I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to! You have to like Ricky Gervias, otherwise it’s not going to be your cup of tea, because he’s really doing his trademark stuff of being sarcastic and fed up of the human race around him. He does it very well, but it does make it quite unbelievable that Téa’s character would actually come to like him.

This was a bit of an odd film that was okay while watching, but the more I think about it, the more boring it seems to be. At heart, the problem is I just don’t care about Jean Grey, she’s not a very interesting character and I’m not sure Sophie Turner does a very good job with her either.

Wow, what a ride. This movie is intense from the opening moments of blasting off with the crew into space, to the sudden realisation that they’re a team of four and not three, and then everything that follows! At heart, the moral dilemma is an excruciating one, almost impossible to know what the best thing to do would be.

I had honestly never heard of Gomez before, even though they seem to have many, many albums. This is their first one and actually I quite liked it. The underlying songs are great, there is the occasional moment where the band try something experimental and it’s okay but drags on just a beat or two too long. Reign it in just a bit and this would be a really solid album.

The third part of Eric Church’s trilogy, of which I only have access to two, is just as good as the first. In fact, I think I preferred this album to Heart (something Mr C and I disagree on), but they’re ultimately quite similar. This one is slightly less rocky and more bluesy, and I really enjoyed it. Hell of a View stands out, being the single, but I enjoyed the whole thing.

I can see why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was scheduled to be the first of the new breed of Marvel TV shows to appear on Disney+. It’s a more standard superhero series than the innovative approach taken by WandaVision. However, I loved both of them equally in different ways. Falcon was a much calmer show, despite traditional action sequences, superhero fight scenes and plenty of drama. Although it had all that you might expect from a MCU movie, Falcon had a lot more. There was a deeper dive into the psychological effects of living in this world, whether that is regret from things you’ve done, how hard it is on the people left behind, or how much courage you have to have to take up the mantle.

I feel like I’ve read this before but I don’t have a review of it anywhere so I figured I’d give it another go. Whether I’ve read it before or not, I’m glad I got to experience it again. Mack deep dives into what drives a comedian to choose this career, and what makes someone funny, by examining his own history in a unique and hilarious way. Usually dipping too much into childhood and early days can be dull but this was never boring.

A lovely memoir. I picked this up after watching Tony Robinson interview the author on his Walking Through History programme. It’s not an area I know a lot about, Guernsey, and it was fascinating and terrifying to think about the occupation by the Germans during the Second World War. This is the story through the eyes of a child, and it’s interesting to hear about the ways the kids tried to get extra food, the things that weren’t allowed (radios), and the way everyone tended to look out for each other. When the Red Cross ships arrived, I could feel the relief pouring from the page. Lovely.

I really liked this film, but do have to temper that with the knowleddge that I was mostly just relieved not to be watching Cherry anymore. But it is a good movie, a gentle comedy with some excellent chemistry between Seth and Barbra. It’s not huge on laughs, but bumbles along in a really nice way. Eventually it leads to an ending that I didn’t see coming and was actually really satisfying. It’s just a nice movie, worth watching but not earth-shattering.

Mm, I wanted to like this because Tom Holland is a bit of a talent, but it didn’t grab me at all. We had to do the twenty minute rule because to be honest, by the time I got that far in, I was so bored. They didn’t seem like interesting people, and the amount of narration was similar to listening to an audiobook - which I love but there’s a time and a place.

As soon as I saw that Lord and Miller were involved in this, I realised we were in for a real trip - the films they make are exhausting in the best possible way, stacked full of easter eggs and jokes and packed with emotions. The film is a combination of road trip family drama and world-ending machine apocalypse - not natural bedfellows, but it works so well.

Sandra Bullock head and shoulders saves this movie with her brilliance, but otherwise it was a bit of a letdown. They set themselves up for a difficult ending as all the characters were likeable so there couldn’t be a happy ending for everyone. They did the best they could but it was a bit unsatisfactory.

Oh man, this film is something else. It’s in two distinct parts, both of which are absolutely incredible, but they don’t seem to fit together in any understandable way - like it’s trying to be too clever and falling down at the final hurdle? Aubrey Plaza is out of this world, in fact all three of them work well together. The row they have in the middle of the first part is mesmirising in all sorts of ways.

I won’t deny, this is an odd little film, but I really loved it. Two headstrong and properly rural Irish families bump up against each other in a variety of ways as they try and figure out love and heritage, and the continuation of family farms. It did feel like a film of two halves - I could feel the play behind it as the second half kicked in.

Great album this one, stacked full of short but sweet rock and roll tunes. I really liked how it kicks off with some proper finger-clicking music, impossible to sit still to. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster of an album though, dipping straight down into a slower love songs. And I can’t believe this album has Old Shep on it - such a downer! And so hard to follow, it’s a weird juxtaposition to suddenly dive straight back into the guitars. But hey, trust in Elvis, it’s a good album overall.

It was good, solid country, but with a more rock feel than I was expected. Stick That In Your Country Song is pretty aggressive after all! Good songs, probably not supremely memorable, but let’s wait and see what Soul has to offer next week!

I’m really loving these bitesize Merky Books How To guides, they dip into a subject and give you a really good beginner’s guide, and remove all the guilt you might be feeling about a topic particularly if you think you should already know the stuff already. This one wasn’t quite as good as some of the others I have ready already, but only because I wanted more from it.

It feels a bit cheeky to call it a book as it feels more like an extended magazine article, but there’s no denying it’s a nice piece. Sam is inspirational and seems like a lovely guy, and it’s nice to see the author connect with his extended friends and family. Would have liked to delve a bit deeper but it was still a nice read.

There are almost no words for this one. It was a similar reading experience to Invisible Women - intensely insightful, well written and incredibly well researched, but so frustrating. I had to keep pausing for these moments of revelation and/or anger, so it took a while to get through it. It’s a must read for anyone who wants to understand why the world works the way it does, with particular regard to racism in America but also across the rest of the world.

An incredible cast delivers an incredible film - courtroom dramas are brilliant when well done anyway, and this one is, but layer on top of that the genuine dilemma of when and when not to follow orders. I loved the three lawyers, their different approaches to the case, their banter and debates, their ultimate support of each other. It was just a great film from start to finish.

You can feel the desperation behind this, to have a hit like the first movie… but it’s just too much of everything and yet somehow a whole lot of nothing. If it was a spoof movie, I might have thought it was okay, but it’s not, it’s trying to be an action-adventure-comedy. The music was awful, the story pretty nonsensical, and some of the actions of the heros inexplicable and irritating.

It’s an interesting album because it’s not really a genre you would think goes down well - that old-school folk vibe - but it works very well. Their unique blend of harmonies is incredible, and even if all the songs aren’t to your taste, it’s impossible to ignore the talent behind it all.

Another band that I didn’t know were still around. This was an okay album, short, sharp, fast, with all the hallmarks of the punk rock feels that The Offspring used to deliver. The Hall of the Mountain King is a bit of an oddity, and I couldn’t get away from how much Gone Away sounds like Mad World. So the second half of the album was a bit of a distracted event for me, but overall pretty good!

I really liked this, James Bond works well in the short story format, potentially because there’s no time for all the in depth explanations of card games and golf courses. Bond’s interactions with women seemed a little better in this collection of stories too - he’s still the man that he is in the time he was written, but perhaps making a tiny step forward.

“I need another pair of earphones,” I said. “What’s wrong with the five pairs you already have?” “I don’t have five!” Indignantly, I counted them. I didn’t have five. I had six. But they’re all for different purposes, you know? Original AirPods - revolutionary and brilliant but struggling for battery life. AirPods Pro - to replace the AirPods, which I never quite got round to throwing away. BeatsX - sporting headphones, but again struggling for battery life. BeatsX but in a different colour - to replace the original Beats X that I couldn’t quite bring myself to ditch. AirPods Max - Because they are freaking awesome. And also felt like my ears could do with a break from all the inner ear nonsense. Beats EP - Wired Beats required for Windows laptop since working from home The new ones, by the way, are absolutely necessary and could not be fulfilled by any of the above - a pair of earphones specifically for Fitness+ workouts.

This has been on the list for a while but I’d sort of forgotten about it - Amy Poehler directs a group of amazing women on a trip to Wine Country, and there’s inevitable fallout but ultimately it’s a feel good time. Whilst not quite the quiet delights of Ammonite, this is a gentle and relaxing watch, even when the women all decide to throw themselves down a hill in solidarity with each other.

There’s a lot about Tina Turner around at the moment, with a variety of documentaries on her life being released. I realised I hadn’t listened to any of her albums so dived right in with this one. It’s perfectly Tina - that incredible voice, great messages and fun beats. Private Dancer is totally stuck in my head at this point too.

Not at all what I was expecting from The Fratellis! I didn’t know they were still around, if I’m honest, I liked some of their early stuff - a particular fan of their first single Henrietta. But this seems like a change of direction, it’s a lot more reminiscent of the 50s/60s, particularly in the riffs and style of the beats.

I don’t understand what this film is. It’s supposed to be a comedy, I think, but it’s not at all funny. It’s not a rom-com because it’s a bit too creepy for that. And it’s not a drama because pretty much nothing happens. It’s so dull! I don’t understand how such a great cast can make something so boring. Genuinely the only good thing about this film is that it made us watch The Graduate.

It was SO GOOD. Exquisite from start to finish, there’s no other word. Each frame perfectly fit the mood, the setting, capturing the emotions that Ben was feeling. It’s a good story, more of a comedy than I was expecting, but grabs you and keeps you wanting to know what’s going to happen next. There’s no getting away from the fact that Benjamin acts weird at the start and just gets more and more unhinged as the movie goes on, but everyone around him isn’t squeaky clean either.

The last couple of Bond adventures haven’t totally grabbed me but I liked this one quite a lot more than I was expecting. The opening chapters were so familiar from the film - Bond foiling Goldfinger’s cheating card scam - it was amazing. I wasn’t as keen on the following pieces where a game of golf is described in excruciating detail… but then we get to the Fort Knox plot and it all picks back up again.

This is a good memoir about an unlikely adventure managing one of the highest pubs in the country, not just highest in fact but also most remote. It sounds like a complete nightmare to me, but Neil and Sue grab the challenge by the horns and absolutely smash it. The book tells of life at the pub, of the variety of different characters that frequent the pub, and of the rambling moors and nature that surrounds such a wind-swept and remote area.

I don’t think my living space is too cluttered but there are always areas that could use a bit of additional organisation and I’m always keen for a tip from the experts. This book is great in the sense that it is an Instagram account brought to life. To be honest, the concepts are pretty straight forward: get plenty of boxes and make sure you label everything. Otherwise, there’s not a lot more the words have to share, but the photos are brilliant.

This isn’t a book I would have picked up without Oprah telling me to but I’m glad she did. I had one false start with it, but on the second attempt I really got into the story. I’ll be honest, it’s a world I know nothing about and found difficult to fully understand - lots of drugs and guns and nicknames and people being mean to each other even though they liked each other. But, it was fun to explore this amazing cast of characters, a sprawling community that are trying ot make the best of their difficult circumstances.

I think there should be a genre of film that is essentially: quiet, thoughtful, will rest your mind. After a busy day, this was exactly the right film for that - just beautiful pictures, a quiet story, well-told. It’s not perfect, there are some clichés in there and a few question marks over the historical accuracy of the piece, but ultimately it was just a lovely thing to watch.

I wasn’t really expecting a lot from this movie, although the trailer looked good, and that’s exactly what it was. A good comedy movie - a weird superhero movie but a good comedy. I laughed a lot, I loved that it was predominantly women, I wasn’t totally sure about the crab arms. Worth a look.

I really thought this was going to be a lot more out there than it was, given the general presentation of Adam and his Ants. It was pretty good, really, a fully 80s pop-rock album, more pop than rock if you ask me, and actually with some good messages. Ridicule is nothing to be scared of, you know?

It’s a bit of an odd start to the album - not the songs, they’re great if intense but certainly what I was expecting from a Demi album after everything she’s been through. It’s weird that there are three super fierce songs and then the album starts. I feel as though that intro is going to be annoying on the fourth or fifth listen. But if you ignore that, everything else is great.

I honestly don’t know where to begin with this. I thought the previous Godzilla film was bad but this was absolute nonsense. Firstly, it has a fundamental problem in that all the humans in it are making terrible choices from start to finish and so it’s hard to feel sorry for them. Secondly, so much monster on monster action, and last film Godzilla was the hero but now he’s the big bad? So confused.

A lovely book this one, very much following in the footsteps of Michael Palin. Travelling the world in a unique and respectful way, engaging with the various strangers you meet along the way, learning about them and telling their stories. Some of the book was more interesting than other parts of it, there’s only so many ways to describe travelling on a train after all!

Terrible film. It had very little plot, it made no sense, it was really hard to care, and where was Kong in all this? Why did everyone suddenly fly Osprey’s everywhere? So much CGI, and for what? Dim and dusty shapes fighting each other at night and in water and barely visible. Bleurgh.

If it wasn’t for our immediate release policy, I don’t think I would have watched it. Somehow, despite my profound love of Staged, it feels too soon to be making this kind of full length entertainment about Covid and everything that’s come with it. But it turned out to be better than I was expecting, and definitely very watchable without being triggering. It starts with a stoned hedgehog, for goodness’ sake!

LeAnn Rimes’s debut album is an incredible work to thrust the teenager into the limelight, what a voice she has! It’s some traditional country, not quite reaching the pop-country heights of Shania Twain in the 90s, but plenty of good stuff on there. Also some slightly less good stuff - the Cattle Call song is not my cup of tea. The only real problem with the album though is that despite having a genuinely beautiful voice, at this stage, you know the singer doesn’t have the experience or emotional weight behind the vocals to back up the power of the songs. But that’ll come.

I was nervous about the genre of this one, hard rock just sounds scary. I know of Evanesence from that moment when they had a couple of huge songs, but I didn’t know they were still going. The album was good in and of itself but I don’t know that I will remember it or seek it out again. I quite liked it while I was listening, it felt very much Evanesence doing what they do best, you would instantly know it was them. And I did think there probably aren’t as many bands making music like this anymore, so that’s a plus. But yea, it wasn’t memorable for me.

Jacqueline Wilson is unquestionably a genius - she can write book after book that is compelling for young and old, brilliantly and perfectly capturing the emotions, confusion and fragility of being a kid in the big, bad world. This one was great because it had that extra twist of Mandy’s saviour new friend also being a bit of a rogue, then what do you do? It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger really, but that just leaves your own imagination to do the rest of the work.

It was a creative idea, and I loved the way Tom Holland handled it - in fact, I was trying to think of anyone else who might have been able to pull this off in the same way, it requires a certain set of skills. Hard-core enough to make the stand, vulnerable enough to fight his thoughts, charming enough to make it cute, etc, etc. And it wasn’t the perfect story, obviously very inspired by other things but supremely interesting and entertaining. Top notch!

A medium level spring clean uncovered this little gem in a dusty box tucked away in a random corner. I got super excited when I first saw the edge of it, because I thought it was the original part one book by George Gipe. Sadly that one is still missing in action. And I never did have a copy of part three.