Again, in anticipation of watching the TV show, I listened to the audiobook version of this. It’s read so wonderfully but I do think a lot of the warmth and inclusivity that this book gives you comes from how detailed the descriptions are. Sometimes it feels like overkill, but other times it really brings you into the time and place being discussed, so overall it’s probably worth it.

This is a proper country album, good work from Faith Hill, with some classic country songs on there. It meanders through love and loss, what ifs and maybes, and is your standard country rollercoaster ride. Nice but probably not one of my favourites.

A while back I wrote about the Amazon Dash buttons and how my initial tests left me frustrated and underwhelmed. I’ve recently started using them again and although a couple of the issues are still there, I’m now converted. It was this year’s Prime Day that kickstarted me into using them again, as some of the buttons were on offer. I picked up a couple that I’d been in two minds about and since then, I’ve started using them properly.

This album is exactly what I expected it to be – perfectly pleasant but not exceptional. I really like Slow Hands, but the rest of it doesn’t really stand out. It’s a good, solid work, and I like it better than Harry’s experimental efforts, but I can’t say it’ll stick with me.

It’s about time for the (sometimes) annual collection of novelty mugs, and this time I’ve got a selection of five that feature top secret ninjas, a bit of computer geekery, and of course, a panda. Let’s start there in fact. This panda hug mug is adorable, although it’s disappointing the hug is being given to the biscuits you are just about to eat, rather than yourself. As with many mugs like this, I worry about putting chocolate biscuits right next to the hot beverage. There’s going to be a melting situation if they are there for any length of time. But that probably just means you need to eat them quicker. Biscuits gobbled up, hug from panda, a pretty good start to the day.

I love Ken Follett and his writing is always intriguing, whipping you along through a story until you get to a satisfying conclusion. This was a different work, an earlier one, and as the author himself alludes to, it doesn’t abide by standard thriller specifications.

At first glance, this film looks like it pushes all the right buttons. A lonely man with a big idea fighting against all odds, some misfits who just want to be accepted, and… well, and Zac Efron. But all you need to remember from this trailer, and hopefully from the movie is this:

I was really looking forward to Taylor Swift’s new album. I’ve been racing through her back catalogue in preparation, and was captivated by the four songs that were released ahead of launch day. Mr C, previously the biggest TayTay fan in this household, hasn’t been convinced by the new stuff but I’m all in. Except, I’m not all in because I can’t listen to the album yet. Reputation has been kept off streaming services for at least a week, in a well-planned and manipulative launch schedule.

I love Dawn French and it’s so easy to see elements of the lady herself in the lead character of this book. Rosie Kitto is a fabulous, slightly frumpy, but cheerful and forceful character, inserting herself very firmly into the lives of an uptight old school New York family.

Loved it. The album is bookended by two fantastic songs, starting with Roseanna and ending with Africa, but in between is a wealth of 80s fun and games. It’s not necessarily aged very well, but equally doesn’t sound horribly dated, you just sort of engage in the 80s sound and go along for the ride.

A nice selection of songs that are exactly what you’d expect from these two Beautiful South alumni. Finely crafted, expert lyrics and some catchy sing-a-long beats with hidden depths. I really love Jacqui’s voice, and it’s great how the two work well separately and together within songs.

Just another one of those films that has some good moments but all in all doesn’t add up to a good comedy. I think Poehler and Ferrell could have had some good chemistry but they didn’t really have the script beneath them to get it working properly. Their relationship with their daughter was weird, so as a fundamental plot point, it gets things off to a rocky start.

This standalone work from Kerry Wilkinson charts the unfolding mystery of a kidnapped child who returns. She’s welcomed in with open arms by some, and treated with understandable confusion and suspicion by others, and sorting truth from the lies is what our journey together is all about.

I love Nadiya so was interested to read her foray into novel writing. This tells the story of a large family with lots of issues at a particularly turbulent time in their lives. I thought it was a charming story, whilst perhaps not the smoothest writing in the world, but still the kind of story that sucks you in from the first moment - I had to know what happened.

What I love most about Cars 3 is that it had absolutely NOTHING to do with Cars 2, barely referenced it and pretty much ignored that it ever happened. Instead, we’ve got what should have been the proper sequel - a story that continues the first, concentrates on racing, and delivers an important message: sometimes you need to know when it’s time to step back, and sometimes you need to keep fighting.

This album speaks so clearly of a specific point in time, midway through the noughties, where music was transitioning from fun pop to the more grungy pop that it is today. Guitar bands were prevalent and Snow Patrol were one of the best. Some great songs on this album so that I can’t believe I haven’t listened to it all before!

Love this album, it’s very much like the first – nice, simple, clean and crisp country songs with a youthful edge, and plenty of unique moments to make it stand out from the crowd. I thought this album indulged a little more in the ‘we’re not in high school anymore’ vibe, with plenty of references to US high school tropes that I’ve only seen in movies, but even with that, it’s still up there with the best albums of the year.

I’ve been rallying for more music television content since they took Top of the Pops off the air, and the BBC have delivered somewhat in the form of Sounds Like Friday Night (half an hour isn’t really long enough for that kind of show, but I’ll take anything at the moment). Now I think we’ve got time and space on TV for the return of music quizzing as well, and that brought to mind Name That Tune.

I’ve needed a new phone for a while, and was umming and ahhing about what specific iPhone to go for. In the end, I went for the 8 Plus and now I wish I had shut up and bought it sooner because the dual-lens camera is totally incredible. I’m not a natural photographer, but every single photo I’ve taken this past week or so is the best photo I’ve ever taken, thanks to the camera. The colours are gorgeous, the focus crisp, and portrait mode is something else entirely. Now I want to take more photos of everything, everywhere all the time, and I think that is worth every penny.

Earlier this year, I wrote up some thoughts on Netflix original content, and having just finished up yet another fabulous Netflix series, thought I would post an update. One Day at a Time (series 1) I don’t know the original show that this was based on, and by all accounts it’s different enough to not matter, but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The Cuban family dynamic is one quite alien to me, but actually it draws you in pretty quickly, and you start to really feel for the characters. Sometimes I wondered how Penelope kept on going, but it was reassuring and quite uplifting that she did. Can’t wait for series two.

I enjoyed this Grisham book - the tale of a highbrow lawyer who realises there’s more to life than money and changes his entire lifestyle to instead help the homeless. It’s quite an inspiring tale, particularly as the people involved aren’t holier-than-thou, they make mistakes and get sued for it!

Hmm, not my cup of tea really. I like Love Shack, and the album is stacked full of the quirky nature that makes that song fun. But, I think it’s all quite samey and aside from one instrumental at the end, it could basically be a 45 minute version of Love Shack, and I’m not sure I like it THAT much.

Really solid album from Kelly Clarkson. It occurred to me before I listened that I only really knew the singles and very little else about Kelly, but still managed to love her. This album just adds to that: great vocals, some great hooks, and a nice overall positive feeling about love, life and everything in between.

Apple Music recently launched public profiles so that you can properly share playlists. My profile is here, and it’s small at the moment, but I’m hoping to publish regular playlists. This first one, Oct 17 - Eclectic Selection, features songs that I have been listening to and loving over the past month in an effort to show just how mixed and bizarre my musical adventures can be. Some of the tracks are from albums that I’ve been listening to for On the Record, but others are songs I’ve listened to having been inspired by TV, film and musicals, as well as trying to play bass lines and generally listening to a lot of Beats1.

This is a far more traditional child’s adventure story than I had been anticipating. It took me a long time to get round to reading this one, despite it being so high up on the top 100 reading list I’m working through. At first, I wasn’t really on board with it at all - daemons and Oxford college and armoured bears. But the more I read, the more it grew on me.

There are some great elements, Bratt allowing some fabulous eighties references is great, and I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition between the twin brothers. But actually, not having enough stories means the film relies too heavily on minions being cute, or pigs scattering the land, or the unicorn sub-plot.

Love this album. I know it from old, one of my favourites, and it’s still up there. Just plain simple guitar rock, tortured souls but great songs, and some real gems including Wherever You Will Go and Things Don’t Always Turn Out That Way. Could listen over and over.

Wasn’t expecting too much from this – I’m totally on board with Miley reinventing herself whenever she has a mind too, but it was sold as an updated take on fifties beats. Odd. But actually it really works for me. I like almost all the songs, and they have a good, chilled out, mostly positive vibe.

Loved this. I don’t know a huge amount about Poirot really, but I’m hoping to read and learn more. This audiobook version is read by the two different narrators, and there’s a slight issue in that one is much better than the other, but still, the stories are the main focus and they are nearly always interesting.

I am adamant that if Cold as Ice was made today, it would sound totally legit and fit in with the current music scene. The rest of the album, not so much. It’s good but very seventies, very of its time. Things get off to a good start with Feels Like the First Time and Cold as Ice, but the rest of it is less memorable.

Was really looking forward to this after the genius of What About Us, and for the most part it totally delivered. It felt like a rollercoaster of emotions on the first listen, but it really grew on me on the second. With the documentary giving a bit of extra insight to some of the songs, as well, it really helps make this one shine.

This is a really interesting book, I think. Not totally successful but quite a thought-provoking piece of work. It’s stacked full of sub-plots that confront a lot of issues - empty nest syndrome, falling out of love with your partner, affairs, racism, getting older, the fickleness of celebrity, and at its heart, just plain mental health issues.

The murder mystery was good, I guessed a few names but got it wrong each time, and like all good stories, the answer was obvious when it was revealed to you. It’s not a happy story, but as with the TV series, the real joy comes from the team of misfits investigating. It was fun reading through the crisis of confidence Richard had, questioning his own methods. I think I said this in my last review, but it’s nice to read more about why he’s the way he is, whereas on the TV show you could never really delve into his inner thoughts.

Something about Johnny Cash’s deep and sultry voice just washes over you and wraps you in a comforting blanket – even when he’s singing about troubling topics. Prison, death, heartbreak, and just the occasional glimpse of love going right, this is a brilliant, if short, debut album.

Lovely album from Shania, it’s incredible to think it’s her first in 15 years. The songs veer from positive life-affirming pop to serious personal pain, but all with the sheen of pop-country that you come to expect from Shania. Never gonna beat Come On Over as an album, but an incredible return.

I wasn’t aware of the TED talk that brought the author into the public, but having read the book, I’m keen to seek it out. It’s an incredible tale of bravery amidst chaos, of losing your identity in the search for a better life, and of family loyalties and impossible choices. It’s really a heart-wrenching story from start to finish - that there are countries in the world like this, that those looking for help get ripped off at every turn, and that the end result isn’t a wonderful happy ending but just another step along a journey of huge adjustment.

The penultimate book in the Clifton Chronicles and at last it seems as though the threads are starting to draw together - and people are starting to get what they deserve. This book contains plenty of drama and twists and turns, but I must admit the endless scenes in law courts and boardroom meetings are starting to wear thin.

I know a few of Nelly’s main singles but from this album I was only aware of Ride Wit Me (which I love). The whole album has a similar feel, a sort of chilled out vibe rather than angry rage rapping, and that makes it a really nice listen. It’s not all as strong as Ride Wit Me, but still I liked it.

Was looking forward to this album and it mostly delivered, although I was curious about the tone. Kicking off with an empowering anthem then switching immediately to a weepy ‘I’m nothing without you’ song is a bit weird. Demi gets quite personal, and there’s some good songs, but I didn’t enjoy the one with ridiculous amounts of swearing.

On the surface, this film is very much like the CHiPs remake - an old school television show, revamped and turned into a film. It’s superficial, good looking, with a lot of base humour and, you know, body jokes. HOWEVER. Baywatch is actually a good bad film, whereas the more I think about CHiPs, the more I dislike it.

I left a bit too much of a gap between reading the previous book and this one so that I couldn’t remember all that had happened, and was grateful for any and all catchups that were mentioned in the book. You’re thrust straight into the action after the cliffhanger from the last book, but it’s all soon resolved and the story continues onwards.

Really enjoyed this album – didn’t know very much about The Cranberries going in, other than Zombie. It’s all so very Irish, great accents, great instruments, and a lilting pain that pervades even through some of the more upbeat stuff. Perhaps some of the songs were a little samey, but overall a great album.

Great to hear The Killers again, such a distinctive voice and some great songs to go along with it. I didn’t really like the title track so the album got off to a very inauspicious start but it picked up as it went along, and I quite enjoyed the rest of the piece.

Recently, I’ve been trying to watch more educational television alongside all the more sensational Netflix stuff or traditional half-hour comedies. This desire has meant checking out a lot of BBC Four and BBC Two, and I really enjoyed the four-part factual show on the latter: World’s Busiest Cities. Presented by Anita Rani, Dan Snow and Ade Adepitan, the show delved into what makes four very different cities across the globe tick. After the first episode, I was a bit confused about what the aim of the programme was – it felt a bit like a random selection of insights into a city that didn’t necessarily tie together. However, after watching more episode, I realised that the randomness of it actually was the point. These cities are huge and sprawling and you never know what you’re going to find around the next corner.

Now that Rhyme and Sachs have been partnered up for a while, it’s nice to see new characters getting a look in. We’ve got Pulaski, who was featured previously but really steps into the new boy role here, and of course Kathryn Dance, who gets her own spin off series after this first appearance.

Been waiting for this film ever since the first trailers appeared, and there was so much fuss over it - the first proper female led superhero movie in a long time. I was supremely glad to see it, and not only because it was a good film but also because it didn’t stand out for me for being a female superhero movie. In fact, it stood out only in so much as it was a great superhero film and certainly the best one that DC have made in a considerable amount of time.

I listened to the audiobook of this, mostly because of the fabulous narration by Robert Glenister but also because I knew I wouldn’t have time to read the book before the TV show disappeared off the iPlayer. Now I’ve caught up, I’m really glad my hand was forced because this was a surprising and unusual take on the detective genre.

Not sure you’d have got me listening to an album that kicks off with an 11 minute song this time last year, but I’m all on board now. Very similar to the first Bat Out of Hell, this is piano rock opera at its finest, but I think if you pushed me I’d have to say I preferred the first album to this. All good though.

This is a pretty good album to chill out to but I was expecting more of it to stand out than it did. The fun game of “who is going to guest on each song and what are they going to sing” only lasts for so long. I really like Feels with Katy Perry, and the Nicki Minaj song was good, but otherwise it wasn’t as memorable as I’d thought it might be, considering the calibre of talent on it.