It’s no secret that I love Miranda Hart so it’s been a joy for me to see her out and about in the last week or so, emerging from a period of severe illness to release a new book about her experience and learnings. I was lucky enough to see the lady in question at the Cheltenham Literature Festival last night, and just want to celebrate that fact. She was so lovely and had the warmest reception from the crowd, as people say ‘a lot of love in the room’.

I’ve wanted to write about Knit in a Box for ages. I love, love, LOVE this concept. A subscription box, you get a surprise pattern with all the yarn, buttons and accessories you need to complete it plus a few small gifts scattered in here and there. It’s beautifully presented and really the kind of thing that just makes you happy. There are subscription options (frequency and type, ie. children’s box, ladies box) and the occasional special edition. You can get the surprise box each time, or wait until the contents are revealed and buy as one offs if they appeal. It’s just gorgeous stuff.

I’ve been gradually discovering some of the fun things that the latest iOS and watchOS releases can do, but one of the main ones in Apple Fitness suddenly became very handy recently. I was under the weather recently, and I suddenly remembered the new feature that allows you to pause your activity rings on the Apple Watch. That’s right, PAUSE!

5SOS are the kind of band where I actually know a lot of their songs but have never really placed them in my mind as a group. This is the first effort to rectify this, with their debut album, and wow, I loved it! It’s like a continuation of the sound from Busted/McFly, although a little softer. And there are some great songs on there that stand the test of time. I really enjoyed it!

I do love Keith Urban and his work and this was another good album, very listenable and with a few fun songs on there. Love the guest appearance by Lainey Wilson, but on the flip side I can live without using the word Drank in the context it is here. There aren’t really any stand out songs, and I don’t know that it lives up to some of the previous Urban works, but nothing to complain about.

Obviously, I, like many others, have been engrossed in the Bridgerton TV show, although less so in recent series’. But it’s taken me a while to get round to reading the source material. I quite liked it, it took me a little while to get in to the style, as it does feel odd to read such a period piece but with echoes of modernity in it. However, the TV adaptation is pretty faithful to the book, so it was easy to picture all the scenes as we went along, and I quite enjoyed it.

This is one of those super quick and easy holiday reads, I think it must have been a free Apple book of the week as I don’t know that I would have specifically picked it up. There’s a lot of family drama in here, lots of secrets and twists and turns to unravel. It’s a little bit drawn out, particularly towards the end when you can really start predicting what’s happening, but it’s easy and unchallenging and a bit of a salve on the brain.

Movie week! Always a fun week, guessing the movie as the couples walk down the stairs, admiring the costumes and makeup, and generally relishing in how many films we’ve watched and how many more there are still to go! Nick Knowles was absent this week after picking up another injury, that’s concerning for him at such an early stage, will have to see how well he recovers. And after the surprise elimination last week of Tom & Nadiya, all eyes on the dancefloor for who will be next to exit stage right.

This was a good Christie read, introducing the character of Superintendent Battle, who is wise and thoughtful, but I thought didn’t really have that much impact on the way the story works out. I’m always happily surprised by the female characters in these early Christie books - so spunky and ready to get stuck in, which isn’t quite the style they’re used to in this time period. Anyway, a good read, a great mystery, lots of twists and turns and a satisfying ending.

We’re a week into October already, so I’m a bit late to share this, but I recently stumbled on the Optimistic October calendar produced by Action for Happiness, and I love it. It’s just a simple idea each day to try and feel a bit happier and why not? It’s been a while since I did a 30 day challenge but this one seems a worthy contender.

At the end of volume 4, it said 5 would be the last in the series, so I thought I would just carry straight on and read through. As it turns out, there’s scheduled to be at least one more, but I don’t regret reading it! This time there’s a big focus on making decisions for the future and how selfish you have to be when it comes to the big things… but also how you can still make a serious relationship work as long as you are honest with each other.

I’m a bit out of the loop on movies at the moment, we’ve not been doing very well on the film front as TV and particularly nostalgic stuff has taken more of a front-seat. But from the looks of things, there’s not that much going on at the moment anyway. November has a few options to choose from but October and December are looking very light.

Just love these graphic novels. Ahead of watching the latest series on Netflix, I thought I would read the book first - they’re so similar, the TV show so faithful to it’s source material, so it’s nice to read it ahead of time. In this one, things are starting to get serious and it has a darker tone but such important stuff - the idea of vulnerability, of dealing with your mental health, but also how difficult it can be for those trying to support as well. Really good.

Another from our 90s adventure: this is not one I’m familiar with but Mr C was very excited about. It reminded me quite a lot of James - some good Britpop style songs but every now and then they would throw in something unexpected or in a higher pitch than you’d imagine. Not as annoying as James though, so I really enjoyed it.

So, you hear that Paris Hilton has released an album and of course you expect the worst, but at the same time, it’s a must listen, right? What will this album be like? Actually, it was alright! The songs are fine, maybe almost good. There’s a nice array of guest stars and it’s a reasonable length. The problem is, I’ve not heard quite so much autotune in a while, and the guest stars end up being stronger than Paris which is a bit awkward. A pleasant surprise and much better than I was expecting, but not a classic by any stretch.

Love this. I’m a relatively recent convert to Inside No. 9 and caught up in several series in one go before enjoying the final series earlier this year. Script books are always fun when you love the show, and this one has little bonus nuggets as they are shooting scripts with scenes that didn’t always make the final edit. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little bit more behind-the-scenes thoughts. There’s just an intro to each series, which is insightful, but I’m always keen on getting more from the creators on their process and how the finished product came to be. But I’ll take what little there is here and love it!

You never quite know what you’re going to get with a John Grisham thriller - they’re always written in a certain style that really appeals to me, but it can approach any aspect of the legal world and dip into the murky worlds within. At first, I thought this one was going to be pretty dull - a lot of people prancing around each other and far too much politics for me to follow… but it gradually started coming together, and I found it really interesting once our new supreme justice had to face the consequences or realities of his own previous decisions. Interesting stuff.

Overall, I think this is a good thriller with an intriguing ending that I didn’t see coming. It does take quite a long time to get there, and feels like it gets a bit muddled in the middle, but it’s well written and keeps you guessing. The main character of Alicia was a little underused too, partly due to her self-imposed muteness but even once she opened up it felt like we could have spent more time with her. But I did enjoy reading it and the suspense was well done.

I played this when it was first released, one of the early games on Apple Arcade and one that was exclusive to the platform I believe. It captivated me at first, such a good idea of gameplay, and lots of fun. Gradually, I played it less and less and haven’t looked at it in a while. There was an update a few weeks ago that added some new books to the library within, and that made me give it another look and what do you know? It’s captivated me again!

People were raving about this game when it was released, so I bought it last year and played a little bit - but back then all my thoughts were on Spider-Man and finishing off saving the streets of New York. I did enter Hogwarts a little bit, but it’s not until recently that I’ve really managed to give the wizarding world my full attention. I’m obviously a big Harry Potter fan, having read the books and watched the films and reliving the world on a regular basis. I know there was some criticism of the game before it was released due to the original authors views, but hopefully this game can be considered separate to that.

I love, love, loved the original couple of Temple Run games. Endless runners, they involved you swiping and jumping and collecting coins and unlocking objectives and seeing just how far you could get in one go. Then a new version came out that tried to capitalise on the trend for match three games and it was so unlike anything before, it sort of soured the experience for me. This, though, is a return to form to a point. It was free to play on Apple Arcade, so didn’t need any additional investment, but was it worth it?

I was feeling under the weather and wanted something kind of relaxing to just chill out with, and although it’s not a new game under the Apple Arcade banner, it popped up as something that might fit the bill. I like doing the occasional jigsaw puzzle, but don’t really have any in the house as don’t have the time or space to have them out and leave them out. Plus I’m notorious for losing things which can be frustrating! So having it all wrapped up in the digital form is much better!

I used to play this style of game a lot - usually in the food genre, but sometimes a spa here or a supermarket there. Something about them really grabs my attention, short levels that you just have to get really good at time management to get the most out of. It’s been a long time since I saw any that caught my attention, and whilst I wouldn’t say that wedding designing is high up on my list of interests, this was a free game via Apple Arcade so there was no harm in giving it a go.

I don’t know when I first saw this but I definitely had it on DVD and had it as one of those things you watch in the background while cleaning or cooking. Lovely Hugh Jackman before he was properly famous, showing off the skills that he later puts to good use as the Greatest Showman. Oklahoma is a bit of a mixed bag though, it’s very long and the dream sequence is diabolical, and I’m not sure the songs really live up to the hype. But I do enjoy the chemistry between the leads and People Will Say We’re in Love is really done well. Plus adorable scatter-brained Ado Annie steals every scene she’s in.

I expect great things from O’Leary after how great the Flatmate was, and I’m not sure this one completely lived up to those heights but it was still a very good rom-com. It was slightly annoying because the story is told from two perspectives and thus it was SO obvious that everything was based on a misunderstanding… you sort of want to just bang their heads together. Why are they both so stubborn? But it ended in a chase to the airport to declare your love that was actually somehow realistic so many bonus points for that!

There were the tiniest of tweaks to the format of this show that for some reason I found really unsettling. Tess and Claudia were already there bang on screen after the credits, rather than walking out to meet each other. And let’s not talk about what a mess the judge’s little dance section is these days! But anyway, they are tiny things that just help to distract from the fact that we’re saying goodbye to our first dancer this week!

I have mixed feelings about Sharpe so far, I love the characters and particularly the complex Sharpe himself: he wanted to be an officer but hates it, he wants to leave the army but enjoys the structure of it, he wants to trust people, but quite rightly doesn’t! All of that layered on top of a big battle - and that’s the bit I enjoy less, it’s so well researched and described but just not that engaging for me. However, taken as an overall piece, I loved it and will definitely be reading the next in the series.

This one has been on my radar for a while as it seemed like such a silly idea… and one day when I was under the weather, it was the exact right time to watch it. There are plot holes galore and most explanations are simply ’they’ve evolved’ which is obviously going to happen but is a very convenient phrase. I was surprised at how serious the film was though, it’s not one of those shark-fest nonsense things, although it’s not done brilliantly, there are some good thoughts in here and the ending was a real surprise! Turns out it doesn’t all work out fine in the end!

I knew this album far more than I was expecting, I must have owned it on CD or something because the running order felt familiar. However, on the flip side to that, I’m not sure I knew it at all - Mike Batt was behind basically all of it? Who knew? It’s great though, those amazing vocals, and tracks that are about as jazzy as I’m willing to go. A specific mood but exactly the right album to listen to when that mood strikes.

I just don’t have strong feelings about this album in either direction. It was good and while I was listening to it, I was happy, but the minute I turned it off it was instantly forgettable. Blossoms do what they do well, but they’ve not really reached the heady heights of Charlemagne. Still, nothing specific to complain about!

I love these live musical events, and am glad to have the opportunity to see them and review them here… but I have to admit this one wasn’t a favourite. As I said above, I have mixed feelings about Annie the musical anyway - it’s a bit dreary but some of the songs are real classics. The good stuff in here was great - Taraji as Miss Hannigan was exceptional, the pipes on our new young Annie amazed, and it flowed really well. But the camerawork was wonky, Nicole Scherzinger seemed out of place and how could anyone look at anything other than Warbucks’ bald head? Medium good but worth a watch anyway.

I found this book completely engaging, it’s so well written and all the characters are really well drawn. Even though some of the situations are illegal, there’s no black and white, no good and evil, and quite literally there are two sides to every story. It raises such interesting questions about identity and family, and what being married really means. So interesting once the two girls meet and one knows and one doesn’t… keeping secrets without actually lying. So much to unpick, it’s really good.

Le Carre books vex me because they are so good, I know they’re good, they’re really well written and engaging but for whatever reason I just find them very hard to follow. It’s all the double crossing and back and forth and who’s side are they on anyway. But somehow I still love it. This one was great, because you knew (or thought you knew) that what was happening wasn’t real as it went along… but then there was a whole other layer under that. And the end, wow, it all happened so quickly and left me reeling a bit!

I didn’t fully enjoy the two perspectives this story was told from, there were so many secretaries and characters that whenever we switched to Sir Eustace, it took me a while to get back into it again. But underneath, it’s a good little story. I find it hard to believe Ms Beddingfield would just jump on a boat like that with the last of her savings, but we’re lucky she did because we get quite the adventure. I liked it when odd little moments popped up, collecting the animals and the size of the giraffe, and then they played a greater part later on. A good story, well told of course!

Earlier in the year, I wrote about the first cardigan I had knitted. I’m very proud of it and still wear it, but do have to admit it doesn’t fit at all well and the colour continues to annoy me. I knew as soon as I’d finished the first one that I wanted to knit it again and do better, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve had the pieces of this finished for a while but it’s taken me far too long to get round to sewing it all up together - finally have achieved it and wahey, cardigan take two!

At the very start of the show, Claudia introduced the contestants about to come out, telling the live audience that they were bound to be super nervous and needed big cheers as they descended the stairs. Well, when they came out, not a single one of them looked nervous! They were all dancing and jigging about and looked like they were having a great time. Long may it continue!

It still surprises me when I realise I’ve got however far in this album adventure and there are big artists that I haven’t covered. The Big O is one of those, so quickly had to rectify the situation. It’s a great album, how could it not be with that amazing voice? I was surprised to hear Bye Bye Love, as I’ve only just heard The Everly Brothers version a couple of weeks ago. But they’re quite different. Overall a great listen, especially for a debut.

I quite liked the last Snow Patrol album except for that one song that continues to haunt me about not having any more love. This album, thankfully, had no haunting songs like that on it and was actually a little more upbeat. It was nice to listen to, some good songs, that great voice, and very pleasant. But the flip side is, none of it is going to be memorable or live with me in the same way. Is that good or bad? I don’t know!

This is 100% the wrong time of year to be sharing this link, but it’s something to bookmark for when the weather clears up again. We’re heading into autumn and the garden is starting to wind down a little… I mean, I can’t say it ever really got going for me this year but let’s go with it.

It’s been a while since I last did a roundup of TV I have watched recently, partly that’s because a lot of sporting events got in the way of my series watching, and partly it’s because there haven’t been that many things that have really, truly, grabbed me. If it’s good enough for a separate post, I’ll do that, but here are those that don’t quite spark more than a paragraph.

I’ve had this book in my to read list for a while and I’m not sure why it suddenly jumped out at me but I’m glad I finally got to it. The book tells of a journey from the New York publishing world, diving headfirst into Silicon Valley startup culture and all that it entails. It’s really well written and engaging, particularly as having obfuscate names and places can be annoying but is done very well here - you generally do know which company is being talked about at any one time.

I really enjoyed Michael Palin’s book about Great Uncle Harry, piecing together the history of a family member where not too much is known about him. I wasn’t sure a book about a ship would capture my attention just as much, but I should have trusted to Palin’s natural storytelling ability - this was great. We hear about the arctic explorer’s first successful adventure and then the next not-so-good journey, which ended with the ship vanishing completely… only to be found in 2014. I won’t say anything else for fear of spoiling it, but just to add that the way Palin ties things in to his own adventures and modern researches really adds to the story and makes it a fascinating read.

A month ago, I was feeling quite grumpy about Strictly Come Dancing. There was all the bad news, and the new contestants weren’t hugely grabbing me, and whatever, maybe I could just give it a miss this year. Guess how long it was into the launch show before I was giddy and clapping and bouncing around the room? About ten minutes, if I’m being modest, five minutes if I’m being truthful. How can you hate on the Vengabus and the 90s tunes that followed?

Delta Goodrem popped up on the Radio 2 in the Park schedules and reminded me that I knew several of her songs. So headed straight for the album and yes, I did know three of the songs - the main singles - but I didn’t know any of the rest. It’s all good though, nice pop piano music from a very strong vocalist. Watching the set this year made me feel like she grew into her personality and confidence a lot more, but this debut album is a great place to start.

Sabrina Carpenter is a bit of a mystery to me - it baffles me that she is on her sixth album but has somehow absolutely burst into the consciousness of music fans. She’s not just popular, there are so many of these tracks in the top charts, it’s very impressive! And I liked the album, it reminded me of Olivia Rodrigo but with far less angst so you can enjoy it a bit more. Just some really good pop with great vocals and a nice mix of genres.

It took me a while to get into this but about halfway through, I suddenly realised I didn’t want to stop reading and desperately wanted to know how it was all going to resolve. The time period was so atmospheric, that pre-war period where the threat is imminent, but for all these people, caught up in their own world on the ship, it’s somewhat remote. It’s a time of morals and class and etiquette and so fascinating to watch those pushing up against them.

Hmm, I’m a big John Grisham fan but I’m not sure this one hit the mark for me. For a start, everyone involved was kind of dubious so it was hard to know who to root for. A sexual assault being at the heart of the issue was a problem - it was obviously serious enough for the protagonist to not want it going public, but at the same time we were supposed to be hoping he got away with it all. At the same time, obviously don’t want corporate espionage to go unnoticed as well. It was well written and easy to devour but ultimately I was just left unmoved by all the characters.

Obviously, I had to read this, coming from one of the founders of Mischief Theatre, but as I’ve said many times, football isn’t my favourite sport - all recent evidence and excessive blogging to the contrary. This is different though, yes, it’s a bit about football, but what it’s really about is throwing yourself into a project that is all about passion regardless of results. It’s brilliant, honest and open and funny - right from the start, when everyone bought lots of kit and then the grant came through that could only be used on kit. It’s just a really fun, albeit stressful, ride and therefore a highly recommended read.

I know it doesn’t seem like it because I’ve spent quite a lot of time talking about Wrexham AFC, but I’m not a big football fan. It’s not a sport that particularly grabs me and although I can admire the set pieces that deliver incredible goals, they are so few and far between that it’s not always an entertaining ninety minutes for me.

I was a bit dubious about this - it’s always hard going into a Star Wars piece where you don’t know any of the characters yet (although Yoda gets a couple of mentions!) but I should have trusted the process, you’re quite quickly in the zone and cheering on the various Jedi. I like how this starts, with a collision in hyperspace that causes massive chaos and destruction and more importantly, some big questions around why it happened. That’s the problem with using a science that you don’t fully understand! And then the deeper nefarious plot is gradually revealed, and it seems to be setting some seeds for further stories in this new Star Wars timeline. A very enjoyable read.