I’ve ditched my original intro. It was something inane about time flying and wondering when the fun starts. It hardly seems to matter at the moment, as I continue to (both) obsessively read and / or steadfastly avoid the reports coming out of Paris.

I said on my Debbish FB page I don’t quite know how to feel or what to do. Doing nothing is hard. Many of us are tired of feeling impotent.

And yet… life goes on. For the lucky ones.

What I read

It took me a few nights to get through Karen Rose’s Alone in the Dark. Had I started earlier in the evening I might have gotten through it in one very long session, but at 600 pages I had to put it down and then (because of other commitments) it took me a day or two to get back to it.

I took the plunge and attempted Jostein Gaarder’s The World According to Anna. Unfortunately, though it’s a very short novel I just couldn’t get into it and ditched it after about 50 pages. (Which is almost 1/4 of the way through.) It’s hard to even comment on the writing given that it’s a translation so I’ve not left any review at all in Goodreads.

And finally (and belatedly) I read Buying Thyme by TJ Hamilton. I’ve met TJ a couple of times. A former Sydney police officer, she now lives on the Fraser Coast (where she grew up). Originally self-published, Harlequin’s just re-released the first in this series, centred around an intelligent and pragmatic prostitute, Miranda.

What I wrote

I shared another angsty post about feelings and stuff. This time it was about how I possibly perceive myself negatively because I think I should, rather than because I actually feel that way. If that makes sense. 🙂

In less-angsty news, I shared my thoughts on David Baldacci’s The Guilty and Karen Rose’s Alone in the Dark on the blog.

And in Goodreads I reviewed Kristina Ohlsson’s The Chosen and Stephen King’s The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. I was a little #meh re the King compilation, only really enjoying 1-2 inclusions.

What I watched

A few new shows have hit our screens following their launch in the US. I’m actually really enjoying Blindspot and have ditched Madam Secretary (which was starting to annoy me) which is on at the same time. And if you’re wondering why I don’t avail myself of current technology…  I can only record two things at once and I also record Rizzoli & Isles and Major Crimes that night!

I started watching Limitless but am thinking of dumping it cos, well… #meh. It feels a bit all over the place and the lead character just irks me. I did however read some reviews on IMDb suggesting it picks up after episode 5 (or so). We’re a week or two behind the US so I’m undecided as to whether I should give it a bit more time.

I’m hanging in there with Quantico, though it’s starting to annoy me as well. I do think it has potential however so….

I’m also trying to give the Aussie drama, The Beautiful Lie a chance. I like some of the characters but find some of the plot a bit cringe-worthy (and find the supposedly sexy younger male lead kinda creepy!).

What I did

I went to see the 2014 Spanish / Argentinean black comedy Wild Tales at a local theatre. These arthouse / foreign film nights are a great initiative and it’s great to see the local arts council getting a good attendance. They’re now on a hiatus until February 2016, but I must make a point to continue to support them next year. I’m not sure I enjoyed this movie as much as some of the others as it was a little macabre in parts. I wasn’t offended, as much as annoyed by it in bits.

I also tried a new wine bar which has opened just down the road from my apartment. At the moment it’s ridiculously busy, which is a bit problematic given it’s quite small. But it’s offering something a bit new for my relatively sleepy hometown so I hope it does okay in the longer term.

What I plan to read

Well… I actually have no idea. I’ve got a nice little pile of books, a couple of which are already out and have failed to capture my attention. The remainder are being published in 2016 so I’m a little undecided whether to dive into something new or wait to see what arrives this week.

I actually only received a couple of books last week. One via NetGalley (electronically) and one hard copy. In fact the book I received in the mail was a very clever teaser from Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a new book coming out in March 2016.

Perhaps it will leap-frog to the top of my pile… getting bonus points for intrigue.

And that’s about it for me this week. What’s on your weekly agenda? 

Linking up with Kimba from The Caffeinated Book Reviewer for the Sunday Post and Kathryn from The Book Date for ‘It’s Monday!’