Category: Reviews
Discovering that the adaptation of Any Human Heart (Boyd again, sorry if it’s getting repetitive) was going to be shown prior to Christmas in a four-part dramatisation series was a bit of a gift. I instantly called my Dad and told him to Sky Plus it (we are mutual Boyd …
Years come in waves, undulating their way atop the days and the months, until before you know it you have to get used to a brand new arbitrary number at the end of things. 2011 – doesn’t that sound strange? 1st January 2011 – even stranger, especially when reflecting back …
Due to a series of happy occurrences, last week I found myself boarding a plane to Amsterdam. Again. This much-loved city is a real favourite of mine; perhaps on a par with Berlin and London (obviously) in terms of its ‘vibe’. Not a fan of the word ‘vibe’, but there …
I love this time of year: low sunshine, crackling leaves, and not a sign of the abuse of one’s senses that is the absurd Christmas build-up. I also really love Halloween (or to give it its proper abbreviation, Hallowe’en) for its sheer seasonal impact. In other words, it’s an annual, …
Last year, I read Elizabeth M. Gilbert’s quest story Eat, Pray, Love. Taglined as ‘One woman’s search for everything’, and based on Gilbert’s own experiences, the book is the kind of popularised self-help/spiritual crossover that appeals to the specific female market that made Chicken Soup for the Soul a global …
To preface this belated follow-up to my Boyd post: I did of course promise to offer my thoughts on Ordinary Thunderstorms about a month ago, but I’m both forgetful and busy, for which I make no apologies. I’ve just finished a trio of books that all happen to be set …
The really lame thing about going on holiday towards the beginning of an autumn month is that you have no money left to deal life’s inordinate costs when you get back (endless Oyster top-ups, seasonal boots and coats, a fiver for a tiny carton of Canary Wharf soup etc). The …
Some years are defined by a hot summer holiday. You know the kind I mean; a holiday that you wait all year for because you genuinely believe you have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and seeking out sunshine will miraculously cure your blues (HAPPY).
Like a fair whack of the UK, I’m rather excited about sitting down at 10pm tonight to watch the brand new series of The Inbetweeners. There’s something about it that’s just so painfully accurate, vulgar, hilarious and heartwarming; it hits all the right coming-of-age notes and just makes them sound …
As a lifelong Arsenal fan, I was obviously going to jump at the chance of free corporate hospitality tickets to the Emirates Stadium (thanks, Dad). We’re not just talking club level; we’re talking our own private box of nine people, owned by my Dad’s company. Even better; my Dad had …