I have put up a Christmas in July tree! Those who know me well will not be surprised by this at all, since I love Christmas with the same fervour and passion that I reserve for caramel cheesecake and releases of new books by my favourite authors. But in previous Continue Reading
Book review: How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
All of us, somewhere deep down or agonisingly close to the surface, long for a place or a person to call home. It seems to be (understandably) hardwired into us, an impelling desire to not simply find someone or some place, because anyone can do that with enough bars, datings Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: “B is for Ben” and the problems of leaving an alien planet
SNAPSHOTBen is having problems getting back to his spaceship on a stranded desert planet. He is an astronaut, he has gadgets, what could go wrong? (synopsis via Laughing Squid) Hands up anyone who wants to be stuck on an arid alien planet? No one? Thought so. Into that large number, Continue Reading
Songs, songs and more songs #30: Anson Seabra, Rhye, Kacy Hill, Chord Overstreet, Bibio
Life is BIG and it is BUSY and there are lots of times, most of them seemingly happening right now in the midst of the ongoing horror show that is COVID-19, when the only appropriate reaction is to go loud and out there, singing and shouting from the rooftops until Continue Reading
A derelict hospital, friendship and love: Thoughts on Crashing (2016)
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a big deal. A really big deal. Much of the current high regard in which this supremely-talented and sharply observational writer and performer is held comes down to Fleabag, a two-season British series based on the 2013 stage play of the Continue Reading
Book review: Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar
We live in mysteriously varied worlds. That’s right – worlds. When Disney opined that’s a small world after all, they likely weren’t taking into account the theory of the multiverse which posits that the Earth we know and if not love, somewhat tolerate, is just one of many multiple versions, Continue Reading
Believing is everything: Over the Moon and the magically propulsive power of hope
SNAPSHOTFueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. There she ends up on an unexpected quest and discovers a whimsical land of fantastical creatures. Directed by animation legend Glen Keane, Continue Reading
Movie review: Eurovision Song Contest – The Story of Fire Saga
The Eurovision Song Contest, whether you love it, hate it or are blissfully indifferent to it, is almost impossible to ignore. Taking place usually in May in the nominated city of whichever country won the event the year before (COVID-19 plagued years like 2020 aside), and established in the wake Continue Reading
Find your heart at the top of the world in The Sunlit Night
SNAPSHOTBased on author Rebecca Dinerstein’s novel, The Sunlit Night follows the story of an aspiring painter from New York City to the farthest reaches of Arctic Norway for an assignment she hopes will invigorate her work and expand her horizons. In a remote village, among the locals, she meets a Continue Reading
Book review: Wilding by Isabella Tree
We live in an increasingly blighted world. This is not an assessment borne of alarmism or sensationalist tendencies; study after study is showing that the Anthropocene age, the dates of which have not been conclusively agreed but which aligns roughs with humanity’s impact on the Earth’s geology and environment, is Continue Reading