There are novels that quite happily skim the surface of the deep well of emotions that make up most people and then there are novels like Sharks in the Time of Saviours, the immersively impressive debut novel from Kawai Strong Washburn, which dive in, hard, deep and long, unafraid it Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: It’s not a yolk – cute cartoon characters end up on eggs
SNAPSHOTJapanese mom Etoni Mama turns fried and boiled eggs into adorable cartoon characters. Etoni Mama is also a culinary artist in her own right and a published author. The title is “Saiji-ki Foods For Children” This book is full of recipes that offer a fun and delicious take on seasonal Continue Reading
COVID-19 strikes again – #Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled
To my great sorrow, COVID-19 has claimed yet another event – the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. It is nothing compared to the suffering it has caused countless people worldwide and you could well argue it’s cancellation is a minor thing in the grand scheme of things. But it’s something I Continue Reading
Movie review: Queen and Slim
All of us come to a point in our lives where a decision is made, often a bad one, where life is never even remotely the same again. In his recently-released book, Sharks in the Time of Saviours, Kawai Strong Washburn captures with poetic truthfulness what it is like in Continue Reading
Book review: Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar
Life can be tough so it makes sense that there comes a time when we want to hide from it, push it away and create a haven, as much as that is possible, that feels safer, kinder and less reflective of our past. But as Kitty Hawke, the protagonist of Continue Reading
Star Trek: Picard review: “Nepenthe” and “Broken Pieces” (S1, E7 & E8)
SPOILERS AHEAD … AND A HEADY MIX OF NOSTALGIA AND THE FUTURE … JUST LEAVE YOUR SYNTH AT HOME OKAY? Your mobile phone is a threat to the galaxy. Well, that’s not strictly speaking true but if it were to suddenly to develop sentience and start talking back to you Continue Reading
Still feeling Insecure? Of course you are! (season 4 trailer + poster)
SNAPSHOTAside from the seemingly inevitable conflict between Issa and Condola, Issa and Molly’s relationship could be put to the test in Season 4. Never have the two really dated men from the same circle, and they’ve both kept those parts of their lives relatively separate from their friendship with each Continue Reading
Book review: The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
If you’re an inveterate reader, you will be well acquainted with the inestimable pleasure of losing yourself for hour upon hour in a good book. But what if instead of you diving headlong into it, the book, particularly the characters cane rushing out to meet you? That’s exactly what happens Continue Reading
That Was Your Life: The Good Place final season review
SNAPSHOTThe series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a deceased young woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is welcomed by Michael (Ted Danson) to the “Good Place” in reward for her righteous life; however, she eventually discovers that Michael’s “Good Place” is a hoax, and she is actually in the “Bad Place”, Continue Reading
A mini-mass of movie trailers: Uncorked, Lost Transmissions, Jungle Cruise
We live in exceedingly weird times. With COVID-19 cutting a swathe of disruption across the globe, the issue for many cinemagoers right now, quite apart from whether you should go to a pplace of public gathering such as a cinema at all, is whether you will actually get to see Continue Reading