Category: Blog

October 2024 reading round-up

I do like autumn. This month has been mild, mostly dry and my health is finally in a good enough place to cycle the dog off on Sundays for long walks again. I’d missed our adventures.

October was socially pretty full – we went to the Great Western Brick Show, saw the Dandy Warhols and celebrated Tim’s birthday. I went to the first night of Neneh Cherry’s book tour and a folk concert of spooky music. Plus our usual film nights and pub quizzes.

I read some great books this month but the highlight was definitely Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang. I don’t know why it took me so long to read any of her books. I’m tempted to jump straight into Babel next.

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Heartstopper – Isaac’s reading list in season 3

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Heartstopper logo

It’s that wonderful time of the year again. No, not autumn, I mean the release of a new season of the Heartstopper TV show on Netflix. It is an excellent adaptation of the comics by Alice Oseman. One of the major differences made for the TV show is the introduction of the character Isaac, a bookworm who gradually realises over the first two seasons that he’s ace and aro. Which is a great addition. And has given the world the great gift that is Isaac’s reading list.

I have done my best to pause to see clearly every book we see Isaac reading in season 3. Sometimes the title isn’t clear and it’s only identifiable if you recognise the cover design. So if you spotted a book in Isaac’s hands this season that I haven’t listed here, please do comment below and I’ll add it to the list.

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August 2024 reading round-up

Done a cruise

We knew August was going to be packed and indeed it was. We bookended the month with holidays celebrating weddings. It’s been a lot of fun and I am exhausted. I need a quiet September.

Somehow I did manage to read eight books in August, three of them by women in translation, most of them excellent.

Also, Tim and I celebrated 22 years together. Which is a lot of years. More than half my life. Go us.

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July 2024 reading round-up

Bristol Pride 2024

Stupid Covid is stupid. We had a rainy start to the month, attending multiple birthday barbecues in the rain. Then the sun came out and a few days later I caught Covid and had to spend the last 10 days of the month confined to home, feeling too ill to read anything more challenging than YA.

But if I cast my mind back a few weeks to the start of the month there were some highlights. I went to Bristol Pride with a bunch of friends (and the dog). The parade was huge this year (apparently 20,000 marched) and we were near the back, missing a lot of the spectacle but thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere. It was a beautiful, uplifting experience. But as we walked home and left the safety of the Pride crowds, there were some hateful comments directed our way. Even this open-hearted, forward-thinking city has its haters, sadly.

And of course we had a general election that resulted in a Labour government and 4 Green Party MPs. It does feel like I can breathe clearer and hope for a better future again. But the current Labour leaders aren’t perfect. They have a long way to go to improve the status of trans people, refugees and disabled people, and I’m still worried for the NHS. But it does look like they will improve the UK’s environment and carbon emissions.

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June 2024 reading round-up

Another month when I read a lot and didn’t do much reviewing. We also watched some good films and started watching season 3 of The Bear. Which continues to be both stressful and brilliant. Oh, and we watched all of Mr and Mrs Smith, created by and starring Donald Glover. It’s not as good as Atlanta but it is good – and much lighter fare.

Most days have been gorgeous so I’ve done a lot of sitting in the garden reading and throwing a ball for the dog. I’ve been on some bike rides, taken a couple of days off work to enjoy the summer, and treated myself to multiple book shop visits.

I attended a brilliant event at Bookhaus called Reading For Gaza. Palestinian-Italian author Sabrin Hasbun read an excerpt from her memoir about visiting Gaza. Noreen Masud read extracts from her book A Flat Place and explained why she has joined Book Workers for a Free Palestine. Nikesh Shukla introduced the work of a writer he is mentoring, Anam Raheem, who lived in Gaza for five years. She worked at Gaza Sky Geeks, a tech hub and community space, with Matt Davis who also spoke at Bookhaus. I found this event sad and hopeful, inspiring and beautiful. Matt runs a mutual aid fund for Gaza if you are looking for a specific place to donate money where it can truly help.

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May 2024 reading round-up

Well that was quite the about turn from wet lingering winter to sudden summer. In the first half of May I powered through books, for lack of much else to do. Then finally the sun came out and we managed a few long(ish) bike rides. I am quite far behind previous years in my cycling practice for annoying health reasons but I’m pleased to find I can keep pootling along, albeit much slower than Tim.

I watched the TV adaptation of One Day, which was great and just like the book it made me cry. And we’ve started season 3 of Bridgerton, which is fun as ever. And I’m excited to see that a TV adaptation of Queenie is coming soon.

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April 2024 reading round-up

April wasn’t very eventful, which might be for the best. I fell asleep in most films we watched and rain postponed a lot of plans. But we did get a couple of sunny weekends that felt something like spring. The books were a mixed bag. I think I might need more upbeat reads on my TBR.

If you’re reading this on 1 May, happy International Workers Day! Else, happy whatever day it is.

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March 2024 reading round-up

Happy Easter Monday, folks! As is traditional I have spent my weekend mostly reading. I also did some library reorganising for added bookish activity. It’s been a good long weekend.

March has been…wet. I’m starting to miss taking the dog on long, fun expeditions – much as I like the four parks near our house. I really hope we get a few dry days soon. On the plus side our front garden is full of daffodils, tulips and pansies.

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K-drama review: Marry My Husband

Marry My Husband poster

Unusually, I didn’t just stumble across my most recent K-drama, it was recommended by a friend. Marry My Husband (tvN 2024) is brand new to Amazon Prime and it’s a typical K-drama blend of genres. In this case, it’s a mix of saccharine romance, light sci-fi, crime thriller and workplace drama.

As is often the case, it’s impossible to explain the overall premise of this series without completely spoiling the plot of the first episode, so I will do my best and then give a big fat spoiler warning before I get into it.

When we meet Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young) she is an ordinary woman in her early 40s with gastric cancer and a mid-level corporate job at U&K Food. After almost 10 years of financially supporting her useless husband Park Min-hwan (Lee Yi-kyung from Descendants of the Sun) Ji-won has just discovered he is having an affair with her best friend Jeong Su-min (Song Ha-yoon). It is peak sad melodrama.

Then there is a major plot flip and it all lightens up. There’s a comically terrible boss, multiple love triangles, a very bitchy high school reunion and a lot of lies are told – some more transparent than others. Marry My Husband goes through a few stages, ramping up gradually from office politics to action thriller.

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