What have you been reading this week?

A lot has happened in the first week of 2021. I blame all of those people who proclaimed that 2021 would be better than 2020. Of course, it was going to try to prove them wrong. Although, I guess the coronavirus, Brexit and white supremacists had quite a bit to do with the drama as well. We might as well accept that we’re not really going to be back to normal for about 10 years so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. At the very least, we’ll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t take that long. Rather than focusing on the awful news stories we’ve been seeing, I’m going to see the opportunity to read more great books. It’s been a slow start but I can can sense it’s going to get better.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW -One By One by Ruth Ware

This was my last read of 2020 and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. I know Ruth Ware is a much loved writer thanks to her thriller and crime novels. When I read Turn of the Key, I couldn’t see what the fuss was all about. So, I wasn’t exactly in a rush to pick up another one. Until this was released. The premise had amazing potential and I was interested to see of she could live up to it. Would this be another disappointment? You’ll have to head over to my post to find out.

• TUESDAY REVIEW – Soul (2020)

I wanted to wait until the New Year to watch Pixar’s big Disney+ release. It sounded just as good as the films that they’ve been putting out lately. Pixar have been making mature and existential films that help guide their young audience through some big aspects of life. This was all about the meaning of life and making the most of your time. It sounded heavy but if anyone could make it lighthearted it would be these guys. Was it the perfect start to 2021? You’ll have to check out my review to know for sure.

• BOOK REVIEW – A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

It was pretty late when I decided that I wanted my first read of 2021 to be related to the New Year. This is why I didn’t really give it much thought and picked the first book that I could think of. Well, one of them. It was between this and Bridget Jones’ Diary. I thought that the diary of a chubby singleton would probably start to get a bit too real for my liking and start my year off badly. Was it the right choice? Head over to my review to find out.

• TBT REVIEW – A Long Way Down 2014)

An adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel starring Pierce “Bronhom” Brosnan himself? How had I not seen it before? Well, probably because the book it is bringing to life isn’t my favourite. After reading it this week, I decided that it was finally time to check it out. If you’re feeling nostalgic, head over to my review

• BOOKISH POST – 2021 Reading Resolutions

We’re about a week into 2021 and I can already feel myself falling back into bad reading habits. So, I decided to set myself a bunch of reading resolutions to follow. I tried to keep them quite vague so I don’t feel as though I’m putting too much pressure on myself. Hopefully, I can stick to them and make the most of the next 12 months. What are these resolutions? You’ll have to check out my post.

Just Read

• A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

My first book in 2021 took longer to finish than I’d anticipated but I’m finally done. I started out reading the paperback version but soon switched to the audiobook. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of one of the narrators and I really didn’t feel as though they captured the character. It made it awkward whenever they were narrating.

• Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff

I bought this book for my Kindle in 2016 and never got round to reading it. I can’t remember why I decided to buy it or why I never got round to reading it. As one of my reading resolutions is to read more of the unread books on my shelf, I decided to finally do it. Again, I ended up starting the ebook and finishing off by listening to the audiobook. It meant that I could spend most of yesterday listening to it while getting stuff done.

Currently Reading

• After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

I started this one last night so I’m not very far on with it. January 12th is Murakami’s birthday and I’ve seen loads of people on Instagram reading his books this month. I didn’t want to dedicate the whole month to him but figured I should at least read one.

Recently Received

Still doing well with not buying books but I reckon it’ll be a different story next week. That book voucher is burning a hole in my pocket and Waterstones are offering double points this weekend. Maybe I should just spend it and get it out of the way?

Recently Watched

• TV:
  • The Simpsons– I haven’t been brave enough to go back to ER this week so am going over classic episodes of The Simpsons. There are plenty of early episodes that I haven’t watched for years. The humour still stands and it’s great to go back to the Golden Age.
  • Bridgerton – I’ve been obsessed with that guy on the Bridgerton trailer who shouts “Daphne Bridgerton” in a ridiculous way. I’ve been amusing myself by imitating him all Christmas. After awkwardly watching the first episode with my parents on Christmas Day, I decided to finish the rest. It’s not for me but it was better than I expected. I think it’s just a bit to YA and Americanised for my liking. I don’t need my period dramas to be as stuffy as Austen but I’d like them to have a bit more substance.
• Movies: