Finished reading: A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo 📚
Last book of the year. Indulging my love of queer origin stories.
Booked my first overseas holiday for five years today. A short trip over the North Sea to explore the Netherlands and celebrate one of those big 0 birthdays ✈️
Home Alone, 1990 - ★★½
Introducing my wife to a classic. Not the best filmmaking but good fun nonetheless.
It’s amazing what you can forget about a film you haven’t seen for ~30 years though. I’d erased practically every scene that took place outside the house.
Love at First Sight, 2023 - ★★★
Described by a friend as an unexpected delight and I wholeheartedly agree.
Finished reading: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 📚
My first Erdrich book but definitely not my last. This was a slow burn for me until a little over half way through when I just had to find out what happened next. It’s a rich story based on the history of the author’s own family.
An offering left at the bus stop
Testing posting from Google Keep after seeing all the chat about posting from Apple Notes.
Every December I aim to hold out as long as I can on putting the decorations up. My one concession this year is the wreath I made at a work social this week which is now up on the front door.
My Spotify Wrapped has taught me one thing: I need to take more control over the music I listen to and not lazily listen to the daily mixes that the algorithm throws up 🎶
I remember a time when it seemed all the links shared in newsletters went to Medium. It’s the same now but for Substack 🙄
Finished reading: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery 📚
Finished reading: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers 📚
Sad to reach the end of the wayfarer series but excited to read more from Becky Chambers and the worlds she creates.
I’m a convert to reading microblog timelines via RSS, in Feedbin it’s such a smooth experience. But I find it reduces the amount I post and interact which makes me sad.
Finished reading: Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry 📚
Barry is one of my favourite authors and I’ve enjoyed losing myself in his writing before but this one proved a challenge.
Enola Holmes, 2020 - ★★
I’d heard good things about this. It was entertaining enough for a rainy Saturday afternoon but I have two lingering questions:
- Why did the there need to be a boy?
- Why did Susan Wokoma not get more screen time?
Fanfic, 2023 - ★★½
The story has so much potential. Sadly the execution didn’t match up. Feels like there would have been much more scope to develop the characters and give their stories more depth if it were a series.
The best thing about substack newsletters is that they have RSS feeds.
Finished reading: Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson 📚
Astonishing. I couldn’t put this down, just wanted to float in the words. There’s an art to writing fiction that feels like poetry. This story is tender and it also punches you in the gut.