Devouring TV: What I've Been Watching Lately

Oh my god! How am I even writing a post about TV, I haven't done that for about 10,000 years! This is very true, and I don't really have an excuse for it, other than that the main thing I was working through was a rewatch of Breaking Bad, and I've already written about that, and everything else I would write about in a serious way (Pushing Daisies, My Mad Fat Diary) I watched too long ago to do them justice*. Instead you get this: a little snippet of things I've been watching, MOSTLY on Netflix because TV at the moment sucks so much. Here it is:

The Great British Bake Off

I feel like this has come up in one of these kind of recaps before, but GBBO is literally the only thing I'm watching on actual TV at the moment. It's so sedate and nice and soothing that I can't help but feel massive affection for it, and the fact that one of the contestants had a beautiful and magnificent beard doesn't hurt things either.

It's exactly my kind of show, and it has allowed for some pretty good housemate bonding times so it's good for that, too. Yay, cakes? Yay cakes.

That Mitchell and Webb Look

So, That Mitchell and Webb Look is totally old and I watched it the first time round, but it's just been added to Netflix so of course I'm having to watch all three series again. If you've never seen it, you're missing a treat- sketch comedy that takes the piss out of advertising, films, pretty much everything you can think of in the media, um... numbers? Sport, definitely sport, and basically it's hilarious. It also has my favourite sketch possibly ever (sorry, Monty Python) which is a take off of Rebecca and really has to be seen to retain any comedic value because I definitely can't explain it. Oh wait, here it is:

SO GOOD.

Pokemon

And, continuing the nostalgia drive... It was brought to my attention that Pokemon (original, not shitty. If there are more than 150 151 Pokemon, then it's bullshit) was on Netflix, so obviously I was STRAIGHT THERE with great eagerness and fond childhood memories. I mostly watch it when I'm doing other stuff, but so much of it is internalised that I pretty much know what's going on anyway. I actually haven't watched it for a little while, because busy, but I've already gotten to the point where Charmander turns into an asshole so... Maybe I'm done. (I'm definitely not done).

Futurama

Of COURSE I haven't only just seen Futurama, are you MAD? I remember when it started on English TV because I was watching it, obviously. However- Sky has been showing the newer episodes (i.e. the Comedy Central ones) and it FREAKS ME OUT when I haven't seen an episode of Futurama, so I've resolved to watch them all on American Netflix. There are multiple problems with this, mainly that I've seen the first four seasons SO MANY TIMES that they're practically internalised and I can't seem to take in new information; which leads to the second problem of not knowing exactly what I've seen of the new stuff because I start off an episode going 'hmm, don't think I've seen this one!' and then halfway through going 'oh wait, no, actually I have.'

I mean, it's not the WORST problem in the world, I realise. It's just annoying. But I will persevere because I NEED more Zapp Brannigan in my LIFE, man.

Bob's Burgers

I feel really really late to the Bob's Burgers party, but I'm here now, it can finally begin. I mean, I've only watched Season 1 so far, but seriously, HOW GOOD IS THIS SHOW? So much genuine loling, so much awesomeness. Too much? Not quite, but nearly. What am I even saying anymore? I'm not sure, but basically I think Bob's Burgers is the shiz, and we should all watch it right now, neglecting our entire lives to do so. Agreed? Agreed.

Six Feet Under

I like to always have a drama on the go (breaks up all the cartoon watching...) and Six Feet Under's time has finally come. I've been wanting to watch it for YEARS, and I've had the boxset since Christmas, but kind of decided that I'd wait to watch it because subject matter... Yeah. Regardless, I think I've cried at every episode I've seen so far (so... Three) just because death is horrible and difficult and I FEEL for everyone, all the time. Having said that, I think I've also laughed at every episode, so... This programme is so weird, and I mean that as a compliment. But it is SO WEIRD. The characters are weirdos, their lives are strange, their occupation is one that, unless you actually do it, you don't really get, I think, and just yeah. So odd, but pretty good so far. Alan Ball, I think you might have done it again.

Or, you know, you did it again. At the time. Before some of the other stuff you've done... I don't know, shut up!

And that's what I've been watching, and that's why nothing gets done around here! It's an ok life, you know, I can't complain.

*Oh SHIT, I've just realised that I watched all of House of Cards and have said nary a word about it to you all. The reason is, I think, twofold: Firstly, it's MUCH too spoilery to say anything about, ever; and secondly: I watched (almost) all of it with my now-ex housemate so I totally had someone to discuss it with as it happened, which was awesome. Don't feel too rejected now, internet.

RIP IX BOOK 2: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

"When Jim Donell thought of something to say he said it as often and in as many ways as possible, perhaps because he had very few ideas and had to wring each one dry... I made a rule for myself: Never think anything more than once."

I wasn't overwhelmed with love for We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This surprised me, because I loved The Haunting of Hill House an unspeakable amount, but I guess this goes to show that you can't necessarily read by the author all the time and expect it to work. It's not a terrible book, I should probably start off by saying, and actually I think the main problem I had with it was one that I was supposed to have, but at the same time... It kind of bugged me!

SO. The deal with We Have Always Lived in the Castle is that Merricat lives with her sister Constance and her sick Uncle Julian in, well, not so much a castle as a really big house. The family used to be bigger but all but the three of them were killed when the sugar for their strawberries was replaced with arsenic, for which Constance was tried (and then acquitted) because she was the one who prepared the food. Because of this, the townspeople who live just down from the big house are both afraid of and ostracise the family, and so Merricat is the only one who leaves, twice a week to get the groceries. As things do, as the book goes on things get progressively worse, the townspeople get downright nasty, and everything feels horribly unsettled and uneasy.

There were things I liked about this book, and I don't want you to think I hated it because I didn't. I was totally intrigued by the way the townspeople didn't seem to like or care about the family to begin with, but as soon as the other family members were murdered, they took it almost personally and took it upon themselves to punish the surviving ones. It felt almost like they were just taking the chance to outwardly do what they had been talking about in their own houses for years and years, and it's this kind of bubbling over nastiness that makes me really like Shirley Jackson. (Is it time to read The Lottery again. It might be time. Go on, read it!)

BUT. I really hated Merricat. This was unfortunate, since Merricat is our narrator and the way we see this world, but I couldn't help it, I just hated her. I don't think that I was supposed to like her, exactly, but I don't think I was supposed to hate her with the passionate fury that I did. She's supposed to be 18 (I think) but acts like a child- ok, understandable because the majority of her family died when she was 12, so maybe she has arrested development issues (God, I love that show). But she's childish in a way that means she won't accept reality, and she's childish in a way that holds Constance back which is incredibly unfair to her (please keep in mind that Constance was acquitted. She's probably not a murderer, so we don't have to hate her. We can want good things for her.) 

So, the fact that Merricat seems to be completely mentally disturbed meant that I just couldn't get on board with wanting good things for her. I wanted good things for Constance, and sweet Uncle Julian, but that seemed like it would have to involve Merricat so I didn't really even want that either. Now that I'm thinking about this, I guess I'm realising that I kind of cast Merricat as the villain of the piece, and I'm also realising that maybe that's what Jackson meant to do all along. Which is making me think that We Have Always Lived in the Castle is even cleverer than I realised, but not that I must automatically be in love with it, because at times I really had to grit my teeth and power through reading it because I HATE MERRICAT. It is not a long book, and it took longer than it should to read. 

Basically, you will probably like this book better than I did, which is some but not ten billions. I don't even feel let down by Jackson, because I think she actually did exactly what she intended to do with it, but it just really wasn't for me, in the end. Not bad as an example of Shirley Jackson's themes and stuff, but definitely not my favourite of her books.

Devouring Films: Movie Mini-Reviews

In lieu of reading, and because I suspect I'm not going to have much time to watch ANYTHING EVER over the next year*, I've been watching quite a few films of late. These are the ones that were both 1) new to me, and 2) I didn't fall asleep watching (a rare feat, these days). Why the mini-reviews? You know, lazy...

Don Jon

Ok, first of all I lied, because I actually did fall asleep watching Don Jon and had to watch the end half the morning after. This is neither here nor there, but that's what happened. SO. I've wanted to see this pretty much since I first heard about it, because there can't be a film written and directed by JGL that I haven't seen. That just isn't a thing that can happen. FORTUNATELY for us all, this turned out to be amazing, and I shall try to describe why.

So, Jon is kind of a dick. All he has in his life is the gym, and work, and church, and having sex with a beautiful woman night after night after... Ok, I know that doesn't sound so bad. Jon is ALSO addicted to porn, to the extent that he enjoys it more than sex with actual women, and this is really just a symbol for the emptiness of his life and his SOUL. He meets and 'falls in love' (spoiler: it's not really love) with Scarlett Johansson, which starts to make him a better man, but there's still something missing, and we're always aware of that as the audience in a way that Jon isn't.

Basically. I love how porn addiction is treated as a symptom of a wider issue of caring about how things look rather than how they feel, I love how this film could have been so gross in the wrong hands but is actually done SO well and sensitively and everything else, and I love the part that Julianne Moore has to play that I will tell you literally no more about because I didn't even know she was in the film but I'm so glad she was. Basically, as I write this, I watched this film a week ago, and I already want to watch it again. Ringing endorsement? Ringing endorsement.

Dead Poets Society

Almost as soon as Robin Williams died, people started talking about Dead Poets Society and how excellent it is, and people I know were really surprised that I hadn't seen it already. I know what they mean now- everything about it is something I enjoy in a film (except that there are bagpipes in the beginning. I HATE BAGPIPES) but I have a legitimate reason for not having seen it until now. SO you know how there's that episode of Friends where that woman steals Monica's credit card, and Monica's all like 'why do you live like this?' and the woman says 'Did you ever see Dead Poets Society? I came out of that movie and thought "well, that's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back." And that thought scared me.' THAT one thing made me think that DPS was going to be really boring. Because I'm a stupid person. Look, I didn't say it was a GOOD reason...

Anyway! I finally did watch it- I had to wait ages for the DVD because it's apparently unavailable to watch online ANYWHERE and the DVD is like golddust, but I have now seen it, and oh how I wept! I just... There are so many things I loved about it that I don't even know where to start, but maybe I should start by saying that I actually don't think it's a perfect film, and there are weird pacing issues and sometimes they don't seem to know which characters to focus on the most BUT BUT BUT there are moments that I think ARE completely perfect and it kind of cancels out any other inconsistencies there might be in the film.

REALLY I just want to talk about the end of this movie (not the standing on desks. Which is AMAZING. But before that) because I have total feelings about everyone involved in that, but I can't because you might not have seen it and I don't want to take that away from you. So instead, here's what I'll say- I love how disobedience at this school is going into the woods and reading poetry, I love how even the baddest of the boys really aren't that bad, I love how it reminded me that poetry isn't so bad**, and I love how Robin Williams lights up every scene he's in, and shakes up the lives of boys that have always just done what they're told and haven't ever been taught to love things that aren't money or success.

Also, this: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." Just, yes. Please.

This probably should have been a full review rather than a mini one, because I still have so much more to say. But watch it, watch it, watch it, and we'll talk further in the comments.

Beginners

I only vaguely knew of Beginners because Christopher Plummer won an Oscar for it, so when it was on TV (a LONG time ago, now) I figured it was worth recording. This film kind of blew me away- I don't know if it's because I had somehow gotten the wrong idea about it (I thought it was going to be more comedic than it actually was) or because it's genuinely as excellent as I think it is, but either way I was so incredibly impressed, and yes, I'll say it, moved by this film.

Let's see if I can describe it in a way that makes it sound at all appealing... So Ewan McGregor plays this guy whose father has just died, but before he did, he came out as gay and lived voraciously until he died. This is making this all sound a lot more linear than it actually is, because really the film cuts between Ewan McGregor in the present trying to cope with grief along with being more open to other people because of it. This style is something which works really well, in that these flashbacks cut in when McGregor is trying to do other things, which is absolutely how grief works, but it's not just the style. Everything about this film is sort of beautiful, and perfect, and so so sad, so of course- of COURSE I loved it.

I don't think I've done a very good job of summing it up at all, and I feel like that might be because it's not a film that can be summed up very well, or maybe I'm writing this too soon after I've seen it so it's all still too fresh. Wikipedia tells me it's based on the writer/director's actual experience of his father coming out at 75, which explains why it feels so honest and true, and it's a shame that, in a film that does such a good job of describing entire character traits in such a few lines, I can't do it the same justice in this tiny review. Consider this, when Christopher Plummer explains to Ewan McGregor why he's with the man he's with:

"Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait, but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe."

"I'd wait for the lion."

"That's why I worry about you."

I mean, right? RIGHT?! So revelatory about Ewan McGregor's character, in so few words. Basically, you have to watch this because I'm doing a terrible job of describing it, but just don't let the fact that I've apparently forgotten the names of all the characters put you off because that's not important, right? Of course not.


*Dramatic? Perhaps. But would you have me any other way?
**I kind of hate poetry, I think really only because it reminds me that I don't really have a beautiful soul because I don't really get it. Like, hardly ever. But this film made me feel like I could, maybe.

RIP IX BOOK 1: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (LOL)

"Though they spent so much time trying to make themselves beautiful, you were not supposed to admit to women that beauty mattered."

I finished The Silkworm just before the start of RIP so THIS TOTALLY COUNTS. Also, the fact that I'm writing a review at all is an achievement in itself, so it's all good. Before I say absolutely nothing about The Silkworm (come on, it's a detective novel- CAN I tell you anything about it? Not really...), I think it's important to just say I'm really really glad that the Cormoran Strike novels are going to be a whole series, JUST LIKE I HOPED THEY WOULD BE when I reviewed The Cuckoo's Calling last year. So, what I'm saying is, thanks for listening to me and doing what I wanted, international bestseller and millionaire, JK Rowling.

SO. The Silkworm. I enjoyed this book a lot, to the extent that I managed to read it in a couple of days which really doesn't happen at the moment, and the fact that I only did that because I had to take it back to the library is neither here nor there. It's got a lot of the great stuff from the first book (Cormoran, Robin, mystery solving awesomeness) but it also deepens the things we know about the main characters AND, I think, sets the main crime in an area I'm more interested in than the fashion world, which is the literary world.

What's especially cool about this is that, in my brain, this means that a lot of the characters could easily be caricatures of real editors and authors in the literary world, and since this is kind of a theme of the novel, I'm choosing to believe that's true. There's a murder in this book. I realise that's not incredibly shocking for a detective novel, but at the same time, the only reason I'm telling you about it is that it's almost definitely written in the blurb on the back of your copy, which is annoying. And it's annoying because the murder doesn't happen (or get discovered, I should say) until the middle of the book, which meant that for the first half I was just sitting around WAITING for the murder, which I didn't really appreciate because I knew I was MISSING stuff, but I also knew MURDER was afoot and I couldn't focus.

 But still. This is all really swings and roundabouts, cause when it comes right down to it, I just really enjoyed this book. I think that, as someone who reads a LOT of literary fiction, when I get down to it and read something more genre-y, I really enjoy it because OMG STORY STORY STORY, and then I wonder why I don't read more detective novels. (And then I read more detective novels and remember that most people can't really write, and THAT is why I read Lit Fic). So that's part of the deal with this, but also, you know, characters and plot and some really gross and disturbing stuff and JK can WRITE, man. She really can.

I feel like this was very rambly, and for that I apologise. Really all I want to say is this: I feel like I've seen some people going 'I feel weeeeird about reading anything by JK that isn't Harry Potter', and you know what? I get you. But, the thing is, weird feelings or no, you're really going to be missing out on something awesome if you keep living your life like that. Cormoran Strike not only has an awesome name, but is a really excellent character, his lovely assistant Robin is, you know, lovely, and I kind of love everything about these books. You probably will too, so just stop worrying and learn to love this brave new world of JK's writing. It's pretty great.

Sunday Sundries: Happy Birthday, Stephen King

Hey guys, hey guys, hey guys! How is everyone? I am on the back end of nine days off work, so naturally I'm really grumpy that I have to go back tomorrow- but since I'm not a normal person and only work three days a week, it seems churlish to complain. But let's not think about tomorrow, let's talk about this week just gone.

It wasn't anything spectacular- I went to a few places, made some MOOMIN related purchases (pjs and a phone case and a book, thanks for asking), and just generally tried to relax and recharge before my life becomes so ridiculously busy that I can't stand it (but I will. I so will.) In preparation for that, I took a little trip to my new uni just to see how long it takes to walk there from the station, and I did already know this but LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS:

I mean, right? That's worth the fees right there.

So. A good week. Apart from work, this week holds my last Wednesday off until reading week (and then Christmas. And then another reading week. And then Easter) and my induction day at uni on Thursday. Can you be excited for and terrified by something all at once? If you can, that is what I am right now. Eeeeeeek.

But anyway, the important thing is that today is Stephen King's birthday. (Yeah. THAT'S the important thing...) I don't know if I can overstate how important Stephen King has been to me as a reader over the last few years, but you probably know all about that if you've been around here for any length of time. Choosing to read his books in order gave me something to focus my mind on when I had literally nothing to focus my mind on, and gave me a project for when I didn't really know what I was doing, in any area of my life. There were times towards the start where I was pretty much reading his books because I literally didn't know what else I should be doing, or because my mind felt so empty but so dark that I couldn't think of anything else I could do.

I got better. I don't necessarily credit Stephen King with that, but having a project really did help at the darkest points. Things have changed so much since reading his books was my only project (which explains why I still haven't read all of his books...) but I'm still always going to be grateful that I had them when I needed them, and maybe even more grateful that they'll be there when I want them, too.

When I think about Stephen King, I can't help but think about this blog too- the two things really go hand in hand for me, and my relationship with them has really shifted in the same way. There was a time when I needed this blog, because I needed things to do, to keep me going. Now, I have so little free time that it's not necessarily the first thing I think of when I do have some (that thing would be sleep) but it's such a part of me that I can't imagine it ever not being here. I know I'm only going to have less and less free time as this academic year gets underway, but the thought of not having this space anymore hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm not saying I'm going to be posting regularly- I think that would be unrealistic for me to believe, both in a sense of how much I'm going to be able to read, and then how much I'm going to be able to write- but I'll be here, sometimes. And then, also, always.

So there it is. In case you were wondering (you definitely weren't) if you'll ever see me around here again once I get sucked into the sixteenth century, then this is your answer. I'll be around, and I'll be thinking of you often. The fact that this blog isn't everything to me anymore is undoubtedly a good thing, but the fact that I want it to remain as something is still there. And that's a good thing too.

Devouring Books: Stoner by John Williams

Stoner has been on my radar for quite a while now, and let's not talk about the fact that I thought for a long time that it was going to be about drugs and, you know, a stoner, in spite of the fact that I had literally no evidence to back this up. I mean, look at the cover! It's got books on it! Stoners don't read books! (Or... probably they do. In a super deep and then unintentionally hilarious way. Ah, drugs.)

But anyway. Stoner is NOT about drugs, or stoners, if you can believe it. Much as I would have enjoyed that book (maybe I need to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas again...) I actually think I liked this one even more, and it's tricky to pin down exactly what I liked about it. It's such a quiet book- not much happens, and it's not even that long; but somehow it manages to encapsulate an entire life- one that feels so real that you can't help but care about it.

That life belongs to William Stoner, a man who was supposed to be a farmer but went to University, fell in love with writing, and became an English lecturer. He also gets married, avoids two wars, gets involved in University politics, and, in short, does all the things that make up a life. It's so weird to think about now, because trying to sum it up makes it sound SO boring- 'there's this guy and he does stuff and it's all good...'- but when I was reading it I was like 'this is IT. This is life. This is truth' and all those other things that make me sound like a twat when I put them in writing...

Essentially, I think Stoner touched me especially because, you know, I can relate to falling in love with words, and right now I can relate to the beautiful idea of (maybe) being an academic for life, whilst also being nervous about all the politics involved in that. Or maybe it's just because Stoner is an incredibly human book- it really does cover all facets of life, and the fact that it begins at the start of the twentieth century does nothing to make it still wholly relatable- and the fact that I related so completely to a white male at the turn of the century surprised me more than it would surprise you, believe me.

I don't really know what else to say about this book- if I've made it sound horribly boring then I've probably failed to pass on the level of its impact on me. Quiet though it is, it's still so (is she going to say human again? She's going to say human) human and real and just really very very good. And if that's not a ringing enough endorsement for you, then I don't really know what else to say.

Bookish Questionnaire

This is it, you guys. Since I've apparently become incapable of writing anything on here other than 'OMG so busy', you're getting two posts from me this weekend whether you like it or not. Is either of them going to be a review or whatever? Noooooo, because that would require some effort and stuff, you know? (However, I do have 9 days off work stretching out gloriously in front of me, so SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN THIS WEEK. You know, if I get bored).

Anyway! Sarah and then Alley posted this bookish questionnaire and I felt all nostalgic cause I used to do these allllll the time back in the old days (like, 3 years ago. So long, man) so here I am jumping on bandwagons and whatnot. Enjoy!

1. What is your favourite fictional food or drink?
Today is Roald Dahl day, so I'm going to have to say basically everything in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory? I mean, I definitely mix up the book and the film (the first one. I actually like the Tim Burton one, but the sweets in the original movie really do it for me) but just alllll the chocolate and sweets. All of it.

2. How long did it take you to finish your last book?
I'm so not in a bookish place right now that I can't even remember what the last book I finished was. Records tell me it was Stoner, which OH MY GOD, took me so long to read. Not because I didn't like it (the opposite, in fact) but just because I have NO TIME. NONE.

3. How many times do you stare at your books or bookshelves each day?
I mean... They're in my room so I look at them a lot, but stare at them? Not so much. Sometimes I try to avoid looking at them because I have SO MANY BOOKS and remember that not enough time thing? Still applies.

4. How many Goodreads friends and books do you have?
Fun story that I might have told before: So, before I started this blog, I had only read a few other book blogs and didn't even know that Goodreads was a thing that existed. Had I known, I might have just joined that as a way to keep track of what I read, rather than starting this. So, it's kind of a good thing that I didn't know about it.

5. Do you ever quote books in public?
I probably have, but I'm not sure my memory is that good. I'm much more likely to quote Friends or The Simpsons, and once upon a time, almost everything I said was a quote from either Friends or Sex and the City (I know).

6. Do you ever re-read books?
Less and less since I started this blog, but I used to kind of read the same, like, 10 books on rotation, so there are a few books (To Kill A Mockingbird, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights...) that I know really really really well.

7. Do you judge a book by its cover?
Oh yeah. Normally it's more bad judging, but sometimes a cover will draw me in and I'll pretty much just have to buy the book. Like with The Newlyweds, which wasn't anything special but did have a great cover.

8. Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr?
Twitter is my greatest love, but I do like the ease and prettiness of just scrolling through other people's photos on Instagram, and making my own photos look pretty.

9. Which genres take you the longest to read?
Classics. Classics, classics, classics. Which means I hardly ever start them (because, lazy) but once I've finished them, I hardly ever regret it. Except for you, Robinson Crusoe.

10. Who are your favourite BookTubers (or Book Bloggers)?
Aw, all my guyyyys are my favourites. My guys know they're my guys. I hope.

11. How often do you pre-order books?
I almost never pre-order books because I don't want to own hardcovers, basically- my books are heavy enough already. In fact, forget almost never, I think I might just say never... Hmmm. I have been sorely tempted to pre-order Lena Dunham's book, but... Nah. I'll get it from the library.

12. Are you a shopaholic?
Um. I'm not rich enough to be. AND I get to points where I'm like 'I don't need any more stuff!!', so no.

13. How many times have you re-read your favourite book?
FAVOURITE book, you say? How dare you. But ok, quite a few. Like, a good 5 times. At least. I don't know.

14. Do you own a lot of books?
Have you read my other answers? We're all slightly scared that I'm going to break the attic with the amount of books I own. This is a slight exaggeration, except not really.

15. Do you take pictures of your books before you read them?
I don't, but I kind of want to start just because it's becoming so tricky finding a good book cover photo online to put on top of my posts. Plus those are probably copyrighted and blah blah blah...

16. Do you read every day?
Does twitter count as reading? If not, then no- not anymore, anyway.

17. How do you choose a new book?
To buy, or to read? I choose new books to buy on the basis of 'oh look, a book I haven't read. Someone said it was good. I'll get it!' With reading, I usually have a pile I'm 'reading from' (like my RIP pile right now) and I'll usually read one of them if I need something new to read or I'll just read something else. I HAVE NO SYSTEM, OK?

18. Do you always have a book with you?
Yes. Even if I forget a physical book, I always have my phone so I always have my kindle app. BOOKS EVERYWHERE.

19. What are your biggest distractions from reading?
Netflix. So much Netflix. Do you know what's easier than reading? Picking something on Netflix and then falling asleep watching it (seriously, happens all the damn time). Also, you know, my phone and its shiny shiny twitter and instagram and tumblr (and repeat) apps...

20. What is your favourite place to buy books?
You can't beat buying books in an actual bookshop, and I can spend literally hours in them before I'm forced to leave. That's my favourite place, but realistically I buy most of my books from charity shops (because, poor) which I don't hate because the price is right and the search is fulfilling and, most importantly, the price is right.

DIDN'T WE ALL HAVE FUN?! Not as much fun as Aaron Paul on The Price is Right, obviously, but still a lot of fun!

Sunday Sundries: I'm not tired, I'm just busy

GUYS! I am super going to rush this whole update thing because I'm tired and I want to watch some Netflix and go to sleep, frankly, but, you know, I can't have the whole internet thinking I'm dead.

The title of this post is something my housemate said to me this week, after I went 'I'm tiiiiired', as I am wont to do. He's wrong, of course- I'm busy AND I'm tired, and that's just how it is. It's partially my own fault- I spent my ONE day off this week going to London and walking around looking for jeans (sooo hard to buy jeans) and birthday presents for my sister, and then I spent my other half day off buying a dress (I know, I know, my life is hard) and making a cake. Sorry, that should be REALLY TIREDLY making a cake (ok, this might have been when the 'not tired, just busy' thing happened. Who can say?)

So, yeah. I didn't rest when I could have, and the rest of the time I worked. By which I mean, I did that extra morning AND THEN I worked this afternoon (WHY?!) because they needed someone to be in charge and I was that person. This was my first time of being in charge of people, like, ever, and I think I did ok! In that I gave everyone their jobs and then did mine and nobody mutinied or died or anything. Which, you know, I'm going to call a success so go me.

This week should be kind of quieter- I don't have things to buy or make, although I am kind of on call for an extra afternoon at work- but, an afternoon is not a morning, and that is the truth of that. My mantra for the rest of the week is basically 'five more days then nine days off. Five more days then nine days off' for I am having the week off work the week after next and it shall be too too glorious. Now just to get this pesky week out of the way...