I’ll be honest, I had planned to do a few more blog posts last week. I was going to do some more Star Wars related posts and even do a review of A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish. But, I was struck down with a horrible illness on Christmas Day. I woke up feeling absolutely dreadful but I managed to make it through most of a family Christmas. Although, I did end up back in bed by about 6pm. If anything, Boxing Day was worse. I couldn’t sleep. I woke up at 5am and couldn’t drop off again. I decided to read Adam McKay’s ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas and then try again. I then didn’t get out of bed or have anything to eat all day. The days that followed were marginally better but I still didn’t have the energy to do much so my blog has suffered. I say suffered but it probably saved you from several shitty posts. So, you’re welcome. But now I’m back with my weekly rundown. Not that I’ve managed to do a lot because of the aforementioned illness.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW – Stig of the Dump by Clive King

One of the few posts I did manage to get up this week was an audiobook review of a childhood favourite. Now, because my memory is terrible, I don’t really remember reading this as a child but I do remember it being something we referred to a lot. So, I decided it was time to revisit it and see if it stood the test of time. Read my review to see if was as good as my childhood memories.

• TUESDAY REVIEW – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywaker (2019)

Talk about controversial. My only other post this week was one about my feelings for the latest Star Wars film. I know there has been a lot of talk about this film since it came out and I knew that I was never going to make much of an addition to the conversation. But I still wanted to get my feelings across. It’s far from a full review but it’s something. Go check out my post to find out which side of the fence I’m on.

• 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.

Just Finished

• ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam McKay

I’ve had This is Going to Hurt on my TBR for ages but have never got round to it. So, I decided to buy this super digestible Christmas themed book and read it to hopefully inspire me to read the rest. As I mentioned in the introduction to this post, I woke up at 5am on Boxing Day having only had a few hours sleep. I knew I wasn’t going to get back to sleep so I picked up this little book. A few hours later I was finished but no closer to getting any sleep. At least it proves it wasn’t boring I guess.

Currently Reading

• Last Christmas curated by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson

I’ve barely had the energy to get through anything this week so my currently reading list hasn’t changed at all. I’m getting there slowly though. Hopefully well before New Year.

• 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:
  • The Crown – I started watching season 3 of The Crown yesterday and, though it’s not as good, there are lots of things I do love about it. I love Olivia Colman, obviously, but I also think
  • BoJack Horseman – I finally got round to finishing the latest episodes. I’m not sure what to think but I’m never sure what to think about this show. It needs a second watch.
• Films
  • A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish – I watched this on the 23rd December and intended to review it today or yesterday. Instead, I’ll just say this film was perhaps even worse than any of the other Netflix offerings I’ve seen so far. There was so much autotune that I really have to ask why they made it all about singing? Just dreadful.
  • Christmas With The Kranks – Another pre-Christmas advent calendar watch. It’s not quite as bad as I remembered but it still deserves its place on my Worst Christmas Films list.
  • Florence Foster Jenkins: I’d never seen this film before so, when I found it on iPlayer, I decided it was a good film to watch from my sickbed. I really enjoyed it. Meryl Streep was on fantastic form and the more I see of Hugh Grant these days the more I like him. It certainly makes a change from all of those gods awful Richard Curtis films he made.