Category Archive for "Film & TV"

TV show review: Lost Girl

Sunday, December 20, 2015 Permalink

The culprit is yet to be identified… but I swear someone in one of my social media networks suggested I watch a TV show called Lost Girl. And if I ever find out who’s responsible I’m gonna kill them. Well… at least rant a little.

Though I don’t read fantasy / science fiction / dystopian fiction I enjoy watching it and some of my favourite shows fall firmly into that genre.

However, I’m now reminded that—like my reading fodder—my enjoyment boils down to a number of factors. And #spoileralert… Lost Girl fails on several fronts.

A Game of Thrones Colouring Book

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Permalink

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you know… in Westeros or Essos, you’ll know that colouring-in books for adults are now a thing.

Most people choose to colour zen-like mandalas which are perhaps designed to send you into some blissful trance—thus reducing your need for wine. Or LSD.

Weekly check in

Sunday, September 27, 2015 Permalink

The anniversary of my redundancy came and went this week without me realising. It’s probably a good thing as I would have felt compelled to do some sort of ‘then and now’ post. Don’t get me wrong. Leaving the life I was leading before was the best thing I’ve ever done, but I still have some regrets—things I wish I’d done differently. But given there’s no chance of me returning to 2012, here we are… ready to talk books and reading. Again.

Book review: Tennison by Lynda La Plante

Wednesday, September 16, 2015 Permalink

At some point in the 1990s it felt like we were flooded with TV shows based on novels on my bookshelves. From Ruth Rendell’s Inspector Wexford to Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse—we were offered an array of quality police procedurals. And of course… leading the pack was Prime Suspect, based on the book by Lynda La Plante.

I understand La Plante herself was involved in writing the teleplays for series one and three, but the fact the series stretched to seven seasons was really a testament to the awesomeness of Helen Mirren in the lead role.

Room by Emma Donoghue movie trailer

Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Permalink

I wrote about my love of books long before I started reviewing them with any vague sense of commitment. Indeed one of the first posts on this blog in February 2009 was a book review of sorts.

Over the next four years I randomly wrote about my favourite books or series of novels reflecting everything from Jane Austen to Robert B Parker’s Spenser series. Another which made it on the blog remains one of the very few books to which I’ve awarded 5-stars and is possibly still my favourite book. Ever.

Things that help me cope

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Permalink

I haven’t participated in a Wordless Wednesday link-up for ages, so figured the time was ripe. Or perhaps overly-ripe… But here I am nonetheless.

And I thought I’d share some of the coping mechanisms I’ve been employing to keep me sane. I’ve posted some personal stuff recently which has probably given you the impression I’m teetering on the edge. Well, thankfully I’m not that bad (at least during the day 😉 ) but I’ve developed a few interesting crutches.

The Gilmore Girls – 10 years on

Thursday, June 18, 2015 Permalink

Spoiler Alert: This post contains some references to 'how the show finished up'.

The Gilmore Girls seems to be on everyone’s lips of late. A few people I know were already revisiting the show (which first screened between in 2000 and 2007) when it reappeared on Australian TV screens a couple of months ago—encouraging me to take a casual look now and again. (Which soon became every day!)

Thankfully our local TV station isn’t breaking the show between series, so in just a few months we’re already up to season four. And even though I watched it a decade ago and know what happens, I’m loving the time I spend each day with Lorelai and Rory.

Book review: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Monday, April 13, 2015 Permalink

In my little mind Nicholas Sparks novels (and movies based on his novels) have a certain stigma attached to them.

Because I am a woman of the world, however (well, in that I indulge in social media), I know many—mostly women—LOVE his books and movies. I also suspect there’s the occasional guy who doesn’t mind being dragged along to a Dear John / Safe Haven / Best of Me type flick. However, the problem with offering such popular schmaltz is that some people— like yours truly—shy away from his work because of the aforementioned stigma. (And anyone who knows my tastes knows I’m far from a literary snob!)

Just a bit of history repeating

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Permalink

I recently watched the first series of a TV show called The 100 (pronounced ‘the hundred’). Essentially it’s a post-apocalyptic drama in which 100 juvenile offenders are sent to earth 97 years after a nuclear war rendered it uninhabitable. The remaining humans have been living on The Ark in space since before the war and, as they’re running out of oxygen, decide not to wait the century before returning to earth as originally planned.