What I'm Reading & Watching
At a time where we find ourselves at home with no where else to go, reading becomes that little more essential in our routines - it is the perfect way to escape from the real world and gives us time to leave our own headspace and enjoy someone else’s story, be inspired and forget about ‘us’ for a while. In addition, living in a world where going to the pub, bar, a friends house, the cinema or out for dinner is simply not possible, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime soon become your most visited place in the evenings. Here is what I’ve been reading and watching lately to hopefully inspire you a little…
Reading
Romance, life, loss, friendship, career and a little drama are all things I love when it comes to reading and after finishing off Sally Rooney’s Normal People which contrary to popular opinions, I didn’t love as much as the hype surrounding it (maybe I need to Conversations With Friends), I have been getting stuck into plenty of other books such as Versions of Us, One Day, Cassandra At The Wedding and Eleanor Oliphant (again, I didn’t love this), An American Marriage, ME Elton John, Hotel Du Lac, Everyone Brave is Forgiven and Tangerine.
I’ve just polished off GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso which was a compelling, motivational read into Sophia’s life before and during Nasty Gal. It teaches us how to be a #GirlBoss, CEO and offers us insight into finding a path to success doing something you love. I couldn’t put this down and was gripped to read more of Sophia’s story. I’m currently getting stuck into a romance classic from Jojo Moyes as I was on the look out for something light, feel good and easy. I trawled through the book shelves at home and picked out The Last Letters From Your Lover, as recommended by my Mum. “Spanning forty years, two women's stories of love, loss and betrayal are intertwined” - I’m in. After that I have Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams which I’ve been dying to read since Christmas and I also picked up Tessa Hadley’s new book last week; Late In The Day which follows the lives of 3 inseparable friends who navigate adult life and relationships together following a loss. I love Hadley’s other books so I’m excited to get started on this one. Whilst rifling through the bookshelf at home, I also picked out The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes that I’ve been wanting to read for a while after seeing so many good reviews online.
Watching
I love anything that offers tension, suspense and chills when it comes to TV but I’m also a sucker for romance and a cheesy Netflix original love story. On days when I’m after something with strong substance and a gripping story line, I am hooked on The Nest - a new Sunday night BBC meaning I have to wait a full week to get the next episode (frustrating but there is something slightly nostalgic about this) but it follows the lives of a couple living in Glasgow who struggle to conceive and welcome an 18 year old girl into their life…. oh the suspense. On the topic of BBC dramas, I have already binged it but I couldn’t not mention The Split - a family of sisters working in divorce law come to terms with change, life and different relationships as they discover who they really are. If this doesn’t make you want to switch to a career in law then I don’t know what will (although we all know it’s not really like Suits). If you’re one for mini series based on real life events then you have got to watch When They See Us. Harrowing, heartbreaking and eye opening, this 4 parter follows the story of ‘The Central Park 5’ wrongly accused 14 year old boys who served time for an assault they did not commit. I’ve just watched the last episode of Ricky Gervais’ dark comedy, After Life which I found incredibly poignant and full of comedy but also tears and sadness. I adored this series and can’t wait for Season 2 which is coming at the end of April. On my to watch next list is Girl Boss, the Netflix original of Sophia Amoroso’s book, ITV’s Liar, Save Me Season 2 and I couldn’t not have some trashy American drama on my watch list so I’m going to try out Dare Me - high school, female friendships and drama - I’m sold but it may well be terrible.
What have you been reading and watching lately?