A recent dishy purchase |
reading: Diary of an Ordinary Woman by Margaret Forster. This book totally hoodwinked me. It's written as if the author, Margaret Forster, has been presented with a collection of diaries written by Millicent King, who was born in 1901 and kept a record of her life from 1914 until 1995. The idea was that Forster was given the diaries to edit and perhaps publish. What I didn't fully grasp was that Millicent King is a work of fiction, as is the entire book. It's amazing because Millicent is such a believable character, as are so many others in the novel, and she has such a strong narrative voice.
Next I'm planning on reading The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters by Charlotte Mosley. After reading Brideshead Revisited I became quite interested in Evelyn Waugh and the others of his generation, and so I've read a couple of books about that sort of period (Bright Young People by D J Taylor, Paula Byrne's Mad World).
watching: TV-wise, The Secret Life of Four / Five / Six-Year-Olds. Like Gogglebox, this was something that I thought sounded awful when I first heard about it, and then as soon as I watched it I fell in love with it. Some of the lines the kids come out with are absolute gems - who licked the cake? "A giant bird came down... a mini-beast!" They're also so insightful at times, like when a six-year-old explained the concept of a democracy. Really addictive viewing.
Film-wise, I saw Spectre and really enjoyed it, thanks to the amazing cast (mainly Ben Whishaw, if I'm being honest), although I can't help but find 'Bond girls' a bit ridiculous in this day and age. The film I was more excited about, though, was Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I've seen it twice already - the first time being the midnight showing because I'm a cool cat - and loved it both times. No spoilers, but Han Solo and Leia have always been my number one favourite film couple.
listening to: mostly (slightly cheesy) 60s stuff, like this gem from the Shangri-Las, Leader of the Pack, and Da Doo Ron Ron by The Crystals.
eating: everything.