Bookish Post – Daisy Jones & the Six

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

When I first heard about Daisy Jones & the Six, it was after Resse Witherspoon had included it in her book club. Of course, this also put me off a bit because I wasn’t sure it would be the right book for me. I had some issues with it but, ultimately, I think it was a really fun read. A lot of that had to do with the format and how original it was. So, I was interested when it was announced that it would be adapted into a show for Prime. It certainly had a lot of potential to be a really good series. However, I’ve also just read and not enjoyed Carrie Soto Is Back, which made me a little nervous to watch it. Could the show ever live up to my expectations? I took the plunge and watched it this weekend. There are still a couple of episodes to go but I wanted to get some thoughts out.

Book Review – The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave

books, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I’m still not doing very well when it comes to reading this month but this week I’ve managed to finish 2 whole books. Mostly because they were audiobooks and I was able to listen to them at work. I guess I was feeling musical as both were related to the music industry. The first was The Beastie Boys book and the second was this novel by Nick Cave. I’m a fan of Nick Cave so I was expecting something a bit weird and very lyrical.

Book Review – Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, et al

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I don’t often read non-fiction but I do like to buy it. I have a section of my TBR that is dedicated to music-related non-fiction books. This is one of the ones that I’ve had for the longest and also one that I was most excited about. I was already intrigued when I heard Adam and Joe talk about it on the Adam Buxton podcast. I was so easily swayed that I tracked down a copy as soon as possible. Then I put it on a pile and never thought of it again.

Book Review – Hourglass by Keiran Goddard

books, reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I’ve been so tired this week that I haven’t finished my current ready yet. Luckily I already had a book ready to review, so I didn’t have to rush to finish something. Hourglass was my final read of last month and one that I’d had my eye on for a while. I’ve not read any of Keiran Goddard’s poetry but I do love a verse novel. Plus, it looked absolutely gorgeous and was going to be a super quick read. Basically, my perfect book.

Book Review – The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

books, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I come from a pretty musical family. My parents are both great singers and my sisters and I all played instruments at school. I initially tried out the oboe but couldn’t cope with the double reed. I then moved to the flute and, after a lot of effort, became pretty adequate. So, it was a given that I’d be interested in a book that a magical musical school with a flautist main character. The fact that I could get it free with my Audible account only made it better.

Tuesday Review – Encanto (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve been on the internet recently, so I’ve heard the absolute banging tunes from this film. It got to the point where I’d heard them so much that I just had to watch it. It’s another of those recent Disney films that I’ve just heard nothing bad about. Although, I was slightly concerned that the actual film couldn’t live up to the songs. I mean, the ones I’d heard were so good out of context that I wasn’t sure placing them into a story would work for me. The only thing that I could do was give it a go.

Tuesday Review – Sing 2 (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I hadn’t expected to enjoy Sing so it took me a while to get round to it. I think, in the end, it was only after I heard Taron Egerton singing ‘I’m Still Standing’ that I decided to watch it. I enjoyed it. I mean, it wasn’t groundbreaking or outstanding but it was fun. Fun enough that I was interested in watching the sequel even before I knew Adam Buxton had a starring role as a Proboscis monkey dance instructor. But was that enough to make this film necessary?

Tuesday Review – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I’ll tell you what, the 25th really can’t come quickly enough for my liking. I am so tired and really craving a break. Which is another reason why my heart really isn’t in this post. It’s probably going to be a fairly quick one because it’s quite late as I’m writing this. I’m also currently listening to a Spotify playlist called Christmas Lullabies so I can feel festive and get ready for sleep. I’ll be honest, I’m not feeling particularly festive right now. No matter how hard I try, it’s just not there right now. Watching a Christmas film every day hasn’t done much to help but that’s possibly due to the films I’ve been watching. They weren’t necessarily the best of the bunch. I’d better get round to my favourites soon or I’ll run out of time.

Book Review – The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

After finishing Mr Wilder & Me, I was hoping to start reading Jonathan Coe’s Brexit novel Middle England. However, I knew that if I did that, I would never finish it in time for today’s review. Instead, I went to my Audible library to find a quick read that I’d been putting off. I guess the melding of fact and fiction in Mr Wilder & Me made a bit of an impact on me because I went with this Julian Barnes book. I don’t know as much as I should about classical music and I don’t know as much as I’d like about Russian history. I did know enough about the Stalin’s Russia to have been excited about this one. Could I have done with knowing more about Shostakovich before I went in? Possibly but, then again, wouldn’t I find out everything I needed to know?

TBT – This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

films, reviews, TBT

thisisspinaltapposter 5_star_rating_system_4_and_a_half_stars I used to listen to Brett Goldstein’s Films To Be Buried With podcast when I was working. For those who haven’t listened to it, each episode was based around a series of film question that Brett put to his guest. It included the question “what is the funniest film ever?” Comedy is one of those genres that is so subjective, which is perhaps the reason why comedy films don’t have the same lasting appeal as dramas. Some comedies do have staying power but funny films tend to age quicker than straight films. There are only a handful of really important classic comedy films, so most people answering this question would pick more contemporary ones. Of course, the one major exception is This Is Spinal Tap. It was the film that was picked most often in this category. So, is Spinal Tap really the funniest film ever made?