What have you been reading this week?

In the last couple of days, I’ve finished two whole books, which makes me feel a little more comfortable about how much I’ve read this month. It’s hopefully a good sign that I’m not actually in a reading slump but just a bit tired at the moment. We’ll see how things go this week. It should be a slightly less stressful work week which will help. Or at least I hope so.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW –Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Maybe it’s just because I’m so contrary? Maybe it’s because I have trust issues? I don’t know. What I do know is that whenever a book is super hyped, I tend to avoid reading it for as long as possible. I just never believe it can be as good as everyone say. Piranesi was one of those books. Last month I finally read it. Check out my review to see if I was right to doubt it.

• FILM REVIEW – The Courier (2020)

I was in desperate need for a quick film to watch this week after a busy birthday weekend. This was the first thing that came up on Prime that was under 2 hours. The fact that it also featured a moustachioed Benedict Cumberbatch was an added bonus. To find out if this had more going for it than getting to stare at Cumberbatch for an hour or so, check out my review.

• BOOK REVIEW –No Shame by Tom Allen

I don’t really bother reading many memoirs or autobiographies. In fact, the only ones that I really pick up are ones written by comedians. I feel as though they’ll always have the safety of humour to fall back on. So, when I saw a copy of Tom Allen’s No Shame in my charity shop, it felt like time to read it. I think he’s a great comedian and was excited to read his book. Check out my review to see if this was everything I hoped it would be.

Just Read

• No Shame by Tom Allen

This was something to listen to at work on Thursday when I realised that I needed a book for my Friday review. I knew that I wasn’t going to finish my current read, so I had to find an audiobook that I could fit into a workday. The fact that I’d recently bought a hardback copy only made me more eager to read this.

• The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore

I found this on my recent charity book haul and figured it would be a fun and quick book to read. As it turned out, it wasn’t as quick as I expected but that was mainly down to my fatigue and not the book. I finished it yesterday morning and it was an absolute delight.

Currently Reading

• Mother For Dinner by Shalom Auslander

I recently asked my Instagram followers to pick my next read based only on their opening lines. This one won with the line “Mothers taste awful”, which I can understand. What an attention grabber. I’m excited to get further with this gem. It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Book Haul

I had a pretty big charity book haul recently as well as a few other hauls. I know that I shouldn’t be doing it but I couldn’t help myself.

• Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka – I’ve been eyeing this up for a while. It sounds so good and I had to have it.
• The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan – Another book that sounded too goo to not get a copy of.
• Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm by Laura Ellen Anderson – I already own but haven’t read the first Rainbow Grey book. I bought this one in the hope it would get me to read the other one too.

Recently Watched

• TV:
  • Masterchef Australia – I’m nearly at the end but I still have a couple of episodes to go.
  • Gavin and Stacey – This appeared on the BBC iPlayer homeage and that was all of the persuasion that I neede to rewatch it. Aside from the cringey 2019 special, this is a pretty good show.
• Film:
  • X-Men: First Class – I watched this on Disney+ and I really liked it. It’s still really good. Although Michael Fassbender’s accent is so ropey here.