So, this is it. The last few days before December 25th. I’ve got 2 more days of work (boo) to get through and then I’m off until January 2nd. I’m the only one in the marketing department who’s in so it means I’ve got a lot to check. One might say too much but let’s not go into that. My favourite thing is that nobody trusts me with all of this responsibility (cause I’ve only been there since May and have spent most of that time answering emails) but they also didn’t care enough to make sure it wasn’t all left to me. Classic. But I’ll get there. At the very least, there shouldn’t be many, if any, customers asking questions next week. I assume people have better things to think about than buying football kits on the 23rd and 24th of December.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW – Festive Spirit by Kate Atkison

I’ve not done particularly well on the reading front this week. I have Monday to Wednesday off work and have been busy with other things. I didn’t do very well last week either but I did manage to finish a couple of books. I’m less confident this week. After all, I don’t have any quick reads like this one to get through. Read my review to see if this short read is worth a look.

• TUESDAY REVIEW – Frozen 2 (2019)

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the sequel to a popular Disney film will always be disappointing. Most of them are, at best, forgettable but, at worst, are insulting. I grew up in the era of the straight to VHS Disney sequel so have become a bit jaded by it all. But my friend was super keen to go and see Frozen 2 and I owed her one. I’d forced her to watch Joker and we know how badly that went. I needed to make it up to her. But would this be able to live up to the popular first film? Go check out my review to find out if this Disney sequel breaks all of the rules.

• BOOK REVIEW – Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

As you can imagine, I love Die Hard. It’s a fantastic action film and it’s a fantastic Christmas film. I look forward to watching it every year around this time. What I’ve never done, is read the book it was based on. I’ve had a copy of it for years but I’ve never been brave enough to give it a try. Until this year. It took a long time but I managed to make it all the way through. If you’ve ever wondered what the book was like then have a read of my review.

• T.HROWBACK THURSDAY – Daddy’s Home 2 (2009)

I wanted to branch out with my Christmas film advent calendar this year. I normally watch the same four films every year and watch whatever nonsense is on Netflix. This year, I decided to watch some films I’ve not seen in years and others I’ve never seen. This was one of the latter. I didn’t exactly like the first film but John Lithgow was part of one of my favourite childhood Christmas films. So, why not give it a try? If you’re also feeling a bit nostalgic then head over to my review.

• FRIDAY FAVOURITES – Adaptations of A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is one of the most adapted stories so the news that the BBC and FX had made a new one for 2019 didn’t exactly fill me with delight. Did we need another one? What could it possibly add? I don’t care how much everyone loved Peaky Blinders, I’m not sure the changes I’ve read are as revolutionary as they want us to believe. But I’ll give it ago. I’m a sucker for a good adaptation of the Dickens classic. So, I decided to list my favourite ones. Head over to my post to see them.

• BONUS REVIEW – Klaus

Another week and another Netflix Original Christmas film. I needed a break from the romantic nonsense I’ve watched in previous weeks. So, I decided to watch this new animated film. It looked really good and had an amazing cast. It really looked like it might be one of the best Christmas films that platform has ever made. See my review to find out if it was.

Just Finished

• Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

It took a long time to get there but I did it. I suspect this has had an impact on my reading because I’ve not wanted to do any in ages. I knew this was never going to live up to the film but I thought it would be better than it was. I mean, Die Hard is so good. Besides, even Jaws was a “so bad it’s good” kind of book.

Currently Reading

• Last Christmas curated by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson

I bought this because I love Emma Thompson and felt guilty for hating her new film. There’s also the fact that some of the money goes to charity and the fact that I love hearing about people’s personal lives. There is a great range of people writing here and some big names. I’m looking forward to getting further into this.

• The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories edited by Jessica Harrison

Not only is this a beautiful book but it has an amazing collection of festive stories. I’m not very far through at the moment but it’s nice to have little chunks to get through easily. And it’s such a great selection of writers from all over the world and from different periods of time. It’s such a lovely thing to be able to pick up when I feel like it.

• Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson

Not got any further with this for obvious reasons. It’ll be my next read I’m sure. Am I lying? Definitely.

• Supper Club by Lara Williams

I think I’m going to try the audiobook with this one. It might be easier to get through.

• The Sky Is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith

I’ve set this aside for the time being. It feels like it’s going to be a very dense read so I think I’ll leave it for a better time. A time when I’m in the right mood.

Recently Purchased

Don’t think I’ve bought any new books this week. It’s all about the Christmas presents.

Recently Watched

• TV:
  • Murder in Successvile – This amazing BBC show has been off iPlayer until recently. As soon as I realised it was back up, I had to go back and watch it all. It’s such an amazing premise. A celebrity is put in a murder mystery and has to solve the crime. The suspects are always kind of dodgy impressions by a cast of comedians. It’s so funny and I wish there were more. It’s so good.
• Films
  • So many Christmas films. I’m off out soon so I don’t have time to list them. However, if you’re interested check out my Instagram story highlights.