acHow on earth has March raced by so fast? It seems like I’ve managed to blink and miss this one but I’ve just about managed to sneak in yet another favourites. To recap, each month I’m using my ‘Five Favourites’ to share a book, a film, a TV show, a song/album and a random thing that I’ve loved. So let’s get started!
The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
Emery Lord gave us her debut YA novel When We Collided last year, which was a very deftly told story of loss and mental illness that I raced through and enjoyed a lot, so I was very excited to discover that she’s got a new book out this year – The Names They Gave Us. Tackling similarly tough topics, this one centers around Lucy whose steadfast belief in God is called into question when her mum is diagnosed with cancer, and it sensitively explores the struggles that a lot of people come to face when the beliefs that define who they are are challenged. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this as I thought the religious themes might be a bit excluding to me, but I found Lucy a deeply empathetic main character and the story is charming and sad. I think fans of When We Collided won’t be disappointed, and I know it’s ubiquitous now but it would be one to look out for if you’re a fan of The Fault in Our Stars. Smart, genuine female protagonists with depth and sass – we need as many of those in literature as we can get.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
I’d heard about this film after it was discussed in passing on the School of Movies podcast (also excellent), and I was curious to check it out for myself. Waking Sleeping Beauty is a documentary about the renaissance of Disney animation, and contains interviews with key figures who worked at Disney during the production of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King etc. It’s clear there was a lot of internal power struggles and conflict between the creatives and businessmen, which was interesting to learn more about, but more than anything else the documentary just reaffirmed to me how astoundingly gifted the animators on these productions are, and the passion and dedication that must go into the production of every single film. If you like Disney movies, or even just animation in general, I’d say this is one to look into to give some greater context and a deeper appreciation of such a wonderful art form. No minions allowed.
Catastrophe
How I’d missed Catastrophe when it first launched on Channel 4 a couple of years ago I don’t know, because I love Rob Delaney’s stand up. When I found out he was in a sitcom it made my day, and Catastrophe lives up to everything I had hoped from it. Catastrophe follows Sharon and Rob, who get together after Sharon falls pregnant following a business trip fling, and it shows the growth and development of their relationship as Rob relocates from the States to the UK to be with Sharon and look after their baby. The writing is genuinely excellent, possibly some of the best sitcom writing I’ve ever seen, and it’s such a wonderful combination of wry humour and heart that I identify with constantly despite never experiencing their situation. It’s now up there as one of my all-time favourite sitcoms. And I still love Rob Delaney. If you want to catch up with Catastrophe it’s on All 4 at the moment and I think also on Amazon Prime – go do that, do it now!
Lower Than Atlantis – Could Be Worse
Sometimes you just need a track that helps you keep all the little annoying things in life in perspective – I have more than one Spotify playlist dedicated just to cheering myself up. Sometimes in life it is very hard to be appreciative and mindful, but 3 minutes or so of being reminded can’t hurt! I’d question the logic of some of the lyrics if I thought about them too hard, but it’s a nice, positive song. And who doesn’t need more of those?
My yellow coat
I’m not much of a fashion blogger (I’ve only just thrown away some T-shirts that I’ve had since about 2005), but I fell in love with this yellow coat when I was in Sainsburys of all places with Jon one weekend and had to have it. I didn’t think it would suit me at all, but when I tried it on I realised I didn’t actually care whether it did or it didn’t – it’s my own source of sunshine on a grey day when I’m commuting to work. I’ve seen a couple of similar ones at varying prices, but my one is this one here and it was under £30, which I thought for a coat was pretty impressive!
And that’s it for this month! Next month we’ll definitely be into Spring and I am keeping my eyes open for any great Summer reads. What are you reading lately and have you started building your Summer reading list? I’d love to hear what you’re loving at the moment.
