TV review: Game of Thrones S08E01 - Winterfell

After a nearly interminable wait between seven and eight, a mammoth re-watch of the preceding seasons, and far too many theories to count -  season eight finally aired its premier episode last night and hit all of the right notes.

Moving multiple people around on the ever moving chessboard as we set up for the big battle to come, this was a relatively understated affair that still packed a hell of a punch as we're thrust back into the world of Thrones.

Given that most people in the UK will have been sensible and not gotten up to watch the premier at 2am, my thoughts on the episode are below the cut.

Game of Thrones Re-Watch: Season 1

It's nearly April. More specifically it's nearly April 14th and that means that the time has come, at long last, to start the Thrones re-watch.
With so many characters, plots, random easter eggs etc. it's the kind of show that really rewards re-watching. Plus it's a good way to dive straight into the new season all caught up and ready to go without the moments where you inevitably have to pause the episode and go 'but who is this guy???'

Season one had an insane amount of weight on its shoulders - arguably more than the ridiculously anticipated final season. It was a hugely popular fantasy book, being made into a hugely expensive HBO show. It was breaking all the rules and doing something no one had done before. It could have gone horribly wrong, flopped, and never had any follow up seasons. But it didn't. Fans of the books loved it for the faithful adaptation it provided. Fans of good TV loved it because it is incredibly good TV. And by the end of the season it had broken all the usual rules of engagement and done what a lot of shows are too afraid to do. Audiences were hooked.

Now I came a little late to the game - I didn't have Sky so I had been mildly spoiled for the end of the season before I launched into the box set. It took a few episodes to really hook me because there's a huge amount of information to bombard the viewer with to get them up to speed; I was intrigued enough to watch, but not yet into full binge territory. And I think that still holds true even now when I'm watching the season in full for the seventh time. Sure it's good, it's filled with insanely impressive set pieces, an amazing cast, and has an engrossing quality that sucks you in. But it's a slow burn. The kind that rewards you for watching, for going back and fitting previously unnoticed pieces together. No matter how much I'm enjoying it (and believe me, I always am) it doesn't fully grab me until the end of episode 6 - my first sit up and take notice 'oh hey you're really not messing around' moment.

If you've not yet experienced Thrones, I cannot recommend it enough. It's the kind of show that rewards re-watching and you'll never experience it exactly the same way twice. Yes it's brutal and bloody, yes it has a rather ridiculous boob quota (although that calms down in later seasons), but it's about so much more than that. Even if you don't consider yourself to be a fantasy fan, I guarantee you'll enjoy this. It's about people and power and relationships. The scheming of powerhouses, the resentments that run decades deep. Ignore the White Walkers and Dragons for a minute (the first season certainly does) and you still have an incredible, compelling, sweeping saga of a story.

Review: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Publication date: September 30th 1999
Publisher: Egmont Books
Pages: 162

Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

These books completely passed me by when they first hit shelves. They got tangled up with the parodies of Harry Potter that came out around the same time, and then the film came out and I'm not a fan of Jim Carey, and before I knew it I was (apparently) an adult and had never read A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Then the TV show was released and received such rave reviews that I figured I should really at least try the show. Which I then loved. And then binged. And now it's all over and The End has happened, I'm desperate for my next fix of the Baudelaire orphans. Enter the books.

I think approaching the series like this is an unintended bonus, because I have a lot of really amazing show to picture as it's happening, and I have Patrick Warbourton's voice in my head reading it to me, which is never a bad thing.

You're introduced to the main players in this first book, and I loved going back to the beginning and meeting Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. And even, to a certain extent, Count Olaf who I both loathe and adore. It's a really dark start to what is a wonderful series.

Suffice to say I really loved the first book. It's a quick read - the writing style takes a bit of getting used to but once you're into the flow it works really well. It's dark, it's twisted, it's  unlike anything else I've read. I loved it.

The TV show is incredibly faithful to the first book, and the casting is absolutely spot on - the casting for the Baudelaire's is perfect, and don't even get me started on Neil Patrick Harris as Olaf... I love this overblown, crazy world that they create, and whilst it's dark and a little bit depressing to watch, it's a solid start to the series, sucking you in and refusing to let you go.

If you've struggled with the books, watch the show and come back to them, it's definitely worth it.

Top Ten Tuesday: TV shows I've been binging

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

This week is a freebie week, and given that when I'm not reading I spend far too much time watching tv shows, I thought it was an excellent time to talk about some of the shows that I'm loving at the moment.
Buckle up guys, if you've not discovered these shows yet, prepare to lose all your free time.

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
I put off watching this show for far too long, 1) because the title just didn't appeal and 2) the poster didn't exactly sell me. But then I was told (repeatedly) to watch it, and I thought I may as well give the pilot a shot. Confession: I snort laughed my way through the entire twenty minutes before going straight on to the second episode.
It just gets better the further in you get. If you need something funny and light, do yourself a favour and give this one a shot.

Marvel's: Jessica Jones (season 1)
Krysten Ritter showcases how versatile and talented she is with this sarcastic, dry, badass and brilliant superhero in Marvel's pantheon of TV heroes. The start of this season should come with a trigger warning, because some scenes are incredibly hard to watch. However it does ease slightly the further in you get, and becomes a really gripping and brilliant show to watch. Ritter is brilliant, and David Tennant's turn as villain 'Kilgrave' is an insanely glorious thing to watch. It's addictive and I loved it.


Homecoming
Intense, weird, and incredibly discomforting, this tv show is perfect binge material. Some may find the lack of discernible plot movement in the first few episodes to be a put off, but if you give this one a chance it definitely rewards. It's a slow burn, the kind of show that enjoys making you feel super paranoid without really knowing why or what's going on. It is so, so good, and really rewarding by the end.

The Good Place
I'll admit, until the latest episode "Janet(s)" (which is frankly one of the most glorious episodes of TV ever...) Season 3 hadn't thrilled me in the same way as the first two seasons. The show starts out as some quirky oddball comedy that feels pretty surface level and shallow. What follows over the next two seasons is a gloriously brilliant, complex and layered, snarkily funny weirdo of a show. And I mean that in the best possible way. There is nothing else on TV like this, and it is frequently laugh out loud funny. Every time you think you've hit peak insanity, The Good Place finds a whole new way to pivot, keeping the show fresh and brilliant.


Riverdale
This show keeps getting better. The idea of taking the Archie characters and making everything a lot darker is great. The cast is great. A lot of the plots are great (some not so much but we can forgive that). But the thing that really sells this show to me is the cinematography. Riverdale captures (in a way that no other show that I've been watching manages to) the slightly pulpy, stylized concept of comics. Some of the framing is down right breath taking, and they've really embraced it head on. Plus the flashback episode in Season 3 is pure tv GOLD. I will always love this show - from the neon pink and blue lighting, to the over enhanced colours of things like the school colours and Archie Andrews' hair, I adore the look and feel of this show and I dare you not to fall in love with it too. Go on, I'll wait.

Final Space
How dare this show. I started watching it expecting a quirky, funny, animated series. What I got was a quirky, funny, animated series, that FREQUENTLY SUCKER PUNCHES YOU IN THE FEELS.
But I love it.
It's a lot darker and has a lot more to it than I expected going in. It also has David Tennant as the baddie (I want video proof of him doing this voice please) and one of the sassiest, snarkiest scripts around. This one won't be for everyone, I've heard from a few people who struggled to engage because the protagonist is a bit of an ass sometimes - but I personally adored it and can't wait for the second series.

Queer Eye: More than a makeover
Oh this show. This show is everything we need right now. It's honest to goodness kindness and humanity and five wonderful people helping others become the best version of themselves. I can't fully express how much I love this show. I need more of it, two seasons is so not enough. It is chicken soup for the soul.

Nailed It!
Do you like baking shows? What about baking fails? Then this is the show for you! Watch people attempt to create truly insanely difficult cakes in not enough time, whilst learning some surprisingly helpful baking tips, and finding the entire thing hilarious rather than painfully cringeworthy. Honestly the best part of the show is the host Nicole, whom I adore, and I want to be when I grow up.
Light, half hour entertainment to give you a giggle after a long day. Plus, THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS NOW UP AND OH MY GOSH IT IS BRILLIANT.


The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Weird, bizarre, not at all like the 90s sitcom, this new version of Sabrina takes a bit of getting used to. But once let go of any pre-conceived ideas of what the show should be, it's a brilliant binge watch. It also helps to take some of it as the pure comedy gold I think it was intended as, rather than it all being super dark and serious. Either way, it's a great show to curl up under a blanket and binge your way through. Fair warning those who have arachnophobia, there's a scene in episode 1 (and another in episode 5) you're not going to want to watch. Just shut your eyes for a couple of minutes, the rest of the show is worth that brief horror.

A Discovery of Witches

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand I loved the first book in this trilogy, and binge read it before the tv series hit our screens. On the other, I really didn't get along with the second book which put a dampener on my excitement. Conversely I really struggled with the first few episodes of the series, finding them contrived, and a slog to get through. But then suddenly the magic of binge watching, or the show getting better, or possibly my high fever whilst watching (who can say? It's a mystery!) meant that I loved the second half of the series. I stormed through it in one evening and found myself craving more and really excited for the second season. Bizarre, but enjoyable.

There you have ten of my currently binged shows, have you got any that you've been watching recently?

TV Review: La Casa de Papel

There's been a lot of TV bingeing going on in our house over the last few months, as now that the stresses of the first half of the year have died down, we've been catching up with shows that we started and loved and never quite finished. La Casa de Papel is a fine example of this - brilliant, complex, utterly engrossing, and requiring a little more brain cells as you keep up with the subtitles which doesn't make it good TV viewing whilst you're trying to fold paper cranes...

But I digress.
This is a show that almost everyone seems to have watched/be in the process of watching/have heard amazing things about and are planning to watch. It's crept in everywhere. It's been one of Netflix's most binged shows for months. And it deserves every single bit of hype and more, because this is a case of a genuinely brilliant show.

It's the kind of show that is best unspoiled, so I'll keep this vague. Suffice to say this is one of the best shows I've seen this year. It's clever, it's slick, brilliantly plotted and filmed, and it keeps you guessing right up until the final moment.
It is genuinely worth the time invested in it, and is filled with breathless anticipation, pulse racing moments, and a suffocating sense of dread that permeates every scene the longer the group are trapped inside.

The heist formula is one we've seen many times before -a group of eight misfits with slightly illegal talents are rounded up by a mysterious figure known only as the Professor, to undertake a heist that he has spent years planning. So far so cliché. Yet once we get beyond that original idea, the entire thing soars. The character's are fleshed out into eight individual real people. Everyone is morally grey. There are no 'good guys' and 'bad guys' as the con-artists work on the inside in a truly brilliantly intricate plotted scheme, and the police work outside to try and foil them.
Every time you think the police are about to win, some additional layer to the scheme comes to light, and it is glorious to behold.

But the longer the heist goes on, the more the cabin fever sets in, the sleep deprivation gets the better of people, and tempers start to fray and schemes unravel. It's a claustrophobic look at a curious group of people, as tensions mount and you genuinely don't know who you want to come out on top. The Professor works from the outside to try and keep his plan afloat, but all throughout his brilliant scheme he didn't really consider the variable reality of having eight people living and breathing this heist. Those individuals add new dimensions and layers, and he's often scrambling to keep up.

It's a truly brilliant show. Compelling, with some of the best plotting I've seen on a show in some time, and a truly stellar cast. Whilst the series is narrated by Tokyo, it is a truly ensemble piece as every character has time invested in their development, and you find yourself caring, or at least sympathising, with almost everyone you've spent this claustrophobic and tense time with. Now I've finished I feel somewhat bereft, I'm going to miss this oddball bunch.I cannot recommend it enough.

TV Review: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

The nights are getting darker, there's more than a little chill in the air, and Netflix have unleashed the first ten episodes of their much hyped new series (just in time for Halloween no less) with a further Christmas special on the way. What have we done to deserve this?!

I've been excited ever since this show was first announced. I was a huge fan of the 90s "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series (it's glorious) and I am a huge fan of Riverdale. Plus, you know, the series released on my birthday, so it's an all round win.

With all those expectations I settled in with the first episode and felt... curious, but not entirely enthralled. This could be in part due to the truly terrifying spider sequence that should come with a trigger warning, and basically involved me hiding behind a cushion and waiting to be told when it was safe again.

I left it for a week, mulled over my feelings for it, and then started in on the second episode, at which point I was hooked.

This is not a remake of the 90s-laugh-track-sassy-Salem-one-liners Sabrina. This is dark and twisted, and at times absolutely horrifying. Yet for all that I adored it. I'm not a fan of horror by any stretch, yet this somehow works brilliantly.
A lot of that is in how overblown and melodramatic it is. One particularly squicky episode (episode 5, complete nightmare fuel) left me struggling to sleep. Yet once I explained the plot to my husband, within moments we both found ourselves laughing at how insanely ridiculous it was. The writers had captured the twisty horrifying elements of nightmares, wrapped them up in the insanity that comes with it, and delivered a genuinely diverting hour of television.

The writing is brilliant, the cinematography curiously bizarre, and the cast, oh the cast. These characters are so good. I want to spend more time with them. I just want a normal day in the life of the Spellman household, never mind all the dark fun things that go off in the series. They start off as fairly average stereotypes, and gradually over the course of the series are unpacked into layered, nuanced and thoughtful people. Everytime I thought I had my feelings sorted for them, they'd go and upend my feelings again and make me fall in love with new facets of their characters.

Plus, diversity in television! Not only is Ambrose openly gay and has a super cute date, but we also have some truly amazing mortal friends surrounding Sabrina. Roz - fighting for banned books, suffering from degenerating eyesight. And Susie, a non-binary character who suffers hideous bullying and abuse but keeps on fighting and discovering themselves, played by a non-binary actor. I had several moments of fist punchy happiness watching this series for those characters alone. 

Once I was hooked, I couldn't help but binge the rest of the series. It wasn't what I expected, but it ended up becoming so much more, and ultimately being a really important series to me for the representation, the storylines, and these wonderful characters.

I can't wait to see where they go next.

Review: I'll be There for You by Kelsey Miller

Publication Date: 25th October 2018
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 304

This definitive retrospective of Friends incorporates interviews, history and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to offer a critical analysis of how a sitcom about six twentysomethings changed television forever. 
When Friends debuted in 1994, no one expected it to become a mainstay of NBC's "Must See TV" lineup, let alone a global phenomenon. In the years since, Friends has gone through many phases of cultural relevancy, from prime-time hit to 90s novelty item to certified classic. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe have entered the pantheon of great television characters, and millions of people around the globe continue to tune in or stream their stories every day.
I'll Be There for You is the definitive retrospective of Friends, exploring all aspects of the show from its unlikely origins to the elusive reasons why we still watch it. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show's most iconic moments, analyzes the ways in which Friends is occasionally problematic and examines the many trends it inspired, from the rise of coffee-shop culture to "Friendsgivings" to the ultimate 90s haircut, The Rachel.
Weaving incisive commentary, revelatory interviews and behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving high-profile guest stars, I'll Be There for You is the most comprehensive take on Friends, and the ultimate book for fans everywhere.

For myself, and for a lot of people around the world, "Friends" was a lynchpin of growing up. A show that you watched every week without fail. Whose characters felt like your own friends. And who you'd return to again and again on re-watches. Feeling under the weather? World going to hell? Need some nostalgia or tlc? Friends were literally there for you (in some cases three episodes three times a day) whenever you needed them.
It was a show you could enjoy as a child, because it was clean and nice and people weren't mean to each other. And as the viewers grew up, the show took on new layers and meanings. There's a lot that resonates for me now on re-watches, that I didn't really touch on at all when I was first watching it.

Basically, it's a cultural phenomenon, and this book explores all of that.

It's a deep dive into the creators, the cast, how the show came to be, the issues they faced with filming, and the entire smorgasbord of elements that came together to form this entity that no-one ever saw coming.

It's well written and engaging, and I found myself immersed in this show again, wanting to go back and re-watching certain episodes. To revisit these characters and that nostalgia once more. It's stuffed with titbits of information, anecdotes and retrospection that are really interesting, and quite frequently things that I had no idea about, despite having done a lot of reading around the show.

It likely won't appeal in the same way to those who are just very casual viewers, but anyone who loved the show at the time, or has found it since it came off the air, will enjoy this insightful foray into a phenomenon that no one saw coming when the pilot was first written.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bestest Villains

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

We've all got them, those villainous characters that we both love and hate. It's a sign of an excellently written novel if the bad guys are relatable enough that you actually feel for them, or that they inspire such visceral feelings in you. There are also so many excellent villains in film and tv that I had to let some of them sneak onto this list too... So here are ten villains (although it is by no means a complete list) that were so well written and played that I am in awe, even though I hate/love them.

Cersei Lannister - A Song of Ice & Fire by George 
(book and show)
She's cunning and devious and let's face it, not particularly nice a lot of the time. But she's also really human and entirely relatable. She's just trying to protect her children, her family, and herself. It all makes sense, and I feel for her particularly given the excellent portrayal in the show. But once you pit her against other characters that are infinitely more likeable she's always going to lose. Particularly given some of the truly heinous things she does...

Leck - The Seven Kingdoms trilogy by Kristin Cashore
(book)
There is no redeeming Leck. I love that we see him as an adult in the first book, and then see snippets of how he came to be that person in the second, followed by unravelling the effects of him in the third. He is such a vital part of these books, with how he impacts these women, whilst he spends very little time on the page. Corruption of power, and unchecked power as a child, it's an incredible examination of it, and Cashore makes a terrifying villain out of him.

Captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall - The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
(book and show)

Tobias Menzies is glorious in this role. He's terrifying and utterly without humanity, and he is so well written and played as to be absolutely horrifying but impossible to look away from. Plus having him play quiet, loving, Frank is a visual masterstroke. Like Claire, you're constantly expecting Black Jack to behave with a shred of humanity, which then make his violent and blackest moments all the more horrifying.

Catherine de Medici - Reign
(show)

Catherine becomes less of a villain as the show progresses, but she is still a sly and brilliant woman, I think we just become more on her side as the show progresses and she stops trying to hurt Mary so often. She's a woman in a man's world who cares deeply for her family and will ruthlessly do what she feels needs to be done to protect them and herself. She's complex, tactical, and fascinating to watch.

Klaus Mikaelson - The Originals
(show)

Ah Klaus, you complex and utterly screwed up guy, I love you so. He entered The Vampire Diaries as a full blown swaggering villain, and over the course of that show and the spinoff The Originals, he became someone so complex and intriguing that I couldn't look away from his attempts at redemption. Played exquisitely by Joseph Morgan, I'm so sad that his story is, after a thousand years, finally over.

Regina Mills - Once Upon a Time
(show)
Complex, intriguing, and in later season's more hero than villain, Regina's journey was fascinating. I adored seeing her growth and development, the moments when she'd slip up and go back to her old ways, the peaks at her humanity and vulnerability that gradually were revealed more frequently. She was brutal but human, and I loved watching her.

Hector Bowen - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(book)
He doesn't have a huge role in the book, but Hector's machinations and power plays are what set off the events of the book, and seeing what he does to his own daughter to achieve his ends is absolutely horrifying. Parents treating their children appallingly is a guaranteed rage thing for me, and whilst Hector is by no means the worst parent out there, something about him really gets to me. Excellent writing at its best.

Kilgrave - Jessica Jones
(show)
Oh David Tennant is brilliant. I loathe Kilgrave, but Tennant is exceptional in his portrayal. He brings a humanity to him, even whilst he compels people to do the most awful things. It's hard to watch, particularly early in the season, but Tennant's acting is worth it. A child with unchecked power, who never learnt how to not get his way, or any sort of humanity. Yet you can kind of understand how it happened. It's a horrible grey blurry thing, and that's what makes it brilliant.

Dolores Umbridge - Harry Potter by J K Rowling
(book and films)
Nope, there is no love here, only hate. But to provoke such a response from so many people is pretty impressive. More than Voldermort in a lot of cases, Umbridge embodies every hateful and cruel thing. She is vicious and despicable and very human (everyone has known some level of an Umbridge) and that's why she inspires such a visceral response from readers and watchers alike.

Loki - the Marvel Cinematic Universe
(film)
Can he even really be considered a villain now? Probably, after all he is the god of mischief. But Loki is just such an excellent character I couldn't resist. Sure, he tried to take over the world and make everyone into mindless minions, but he just wants to be loved guys! I have such a soft spot for him, and even when he's been super bad, I still adore him. Plus the little insights we got into his and Thor's childhood were GLORIOUS. 

So there you have ten of the villains I love/love to hate - share some of yours!

Top Ten TV Shows That Have Kept Me Sane Whilst I've Not Been Reading

So what do you do when you’re a book blogger who can’t seem to settle down and read? We all go through those patches where you cannot finish a book and end up starting ten and only getting a few pages in. Frustrating, demoralising and incredibly bad for the ever growing to read pile, I turn to television.

As a result I have been ploughing through a truly crazy amount of television over the last twelve months. Some absolute duds that I barely made it through the pilot of, but some incredible shows as well. So rounded up for your viewing pleasure, here are the top ten tv shows that have been keeping me sane whilst I haven’t been reading.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
I love Gilmore Girls, so this was on my radar purely because it was coming from the Sherman-Palladino camp. I resisted watching the pilot when it came out earlier this year so I could binge through the entire series when it landed at the end of November, and I am oh so glad I did. I was interested but not hooked, right through the first episode until the final fifteen minutes at which point my jaw hit the floor and it shot straight up to an all time favourite show. It’s gloriously funny, quick, whip smart, and takes a long hard look at women, relationships, and life – not just in 1958 when the show is set, but a lot of commentary is relevant even now. I love this show, I couldn’t get enough of it, and I am so thrilled that season 2 has already been commissioned.

Stranger Things
Why oh why did I not catch on when the first season came out?! A nostalgic, terrifying trip of a show, Stranger Things is one of the best things on television, and it not only came back hard with its second season, some might argue it came back even better. It’s dark and intense and brilliantly written and acted. The character arcs are fantastic and involve some truly great evolution and amazing pairings that had me practically skipping come season 2. This won’t be one you can hold off watching, once you start you’ll binge straight through, and join the rest of us desperately wanting season 3.

The Handmaid’s Tale
Oh boy was this one traumatic. It also resulted in a lot of fascinating conversations surrounding the events of the show and how we would respond if these things started to happen in real life. For all the trauma (this is not a show you can easily binge, you need to give yourself a breather between episodes) it is one of the best shows out there. Incredibly done, with some truly stunning acting, this show felt real, terrifyingly real, and became all the more powerful for it. Season 1 covers the entirety of the book, but there is a second season in the works, and I’m fascinated to see where they take us next.

Big Little Lies
I’m feeling a bit conflicted about the newly announced second season of Big Little Lies, because the first season was so perfect on its own. However the idea of going back to these characters for a second go around fills me with glee…
It’s a surprisingly funny, dark, and brilliantly constructed who dunnit, that centres on this group of families and the ways their lives cross and intersect in all sorts of twisty ways. It’s incredible, with some truly amazing performances, and one of the best portrayals of an abusive relationship I’ve seen in a show. Sometimes incredibly hard to watch, but always gripping, this is a compulsive must watch.

Dear White People
Short, sharp, incredibly relevant, this show explores the racism at fictional university Winchester, and packs an emotional and truthful punch. It’s dark, it’s funny, it’s brutally honest and as a result horrifying. It lays out the racism still far too prevalent in society today, and does it elegantly. Focused on a group of students, episodes follow storylines for each, interweaving, doubling back on themselves to fill in blanks, and showcasing a truly astonishing cast of actors. Watch this show. And then get ready for the second season that’s already been commissioned.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
This is a show that I’ve ended up having a lot of thoughts about as I’ve caught up with the two and a half seasons so far available. It’s a completely odd mismatch of things – a show with mental health at its heart, that’s also got a musical element with some of the funniest whip smart lyrics around? Not something that would immediately spring to mind. But somehow this show works, brilliantly. There are the odd episode mis-steps, but on the whole this is a surprisingly nuanced and layered look at mental health. Honest, at times quite dark and hard to watch, this is a surprising show that rewards watching all the way through. The further in you get the more you realise is going on – plus the songs will be stuck in your head for days…

Master of None
I will admit, the first few episodes I was not convinced. But a friend of mine had been raving about this show for long enough that I felt I ought to carry on, and I was incredibly glad that I did. It’s funny, realistic, tackles topics like racism and sexism head on, and explores all manner of relationships from those with family, to friendships and romance. It’s a wonderful insight into life as a 20 or 30 something and has a freshness to it that makes it even more charming.
The second season is where it really kicks off – particularly the first episode, shot entirely in black and white and mostly in Italian. I loved it.

Santa Clarita Diet
Completely insane, a little bit gruesome, but seriously brilliant – this show took me by surprise. I started to watch it purely because it was Drew Barrymore and not a crazy number of episodes to work through. The first episode (mostly due to the ick factor) was not the greatest hook, but it was still off the wall enough that I kept watching… And watching… And watching… And before I knew it I’d finished the entire series and had become a lot more invested in these characters than I’d ever expected to be. It’s funny – the two leads are brilliantly suited and their down to earth portrayal make the crazy hijinks that ensue even more entertaining. Just don’t watch it whilst you’re eating dinner…

The Crown
Who doesn’t love this show?! Gorgeously shot, costumed, scripted, and acted, this show cannot put a foot wrong. It’s decadent and engaging, completely immersing you in the upside down world of the royal family and breathing fresh life into England’s very recent past. The casting for this is absolutely superb, with some truly incredible performances across the board. If you’ve not had chance to watch it yet, it’s perfect viewing for the entire family and an excellent binge watch over Christmas.

Riverdale
Based on the characters from the Archie Comics, this show is much darker than you’d expect and explores a much more grown up side of Riverdale. The stories are dark and twisty, the characters are compelling, and it’s shot in gorgeous dark and neon colours that add an extra ethereal air to the show. Everything about it is just more and it gives over to that otherness to great effect. The cinematography in the second season is particularly brilliant, with a lot of episodes feeling as though they’re panels that have been lifted straight from a comic. Halfway through the second season, now is the perfect time to catch up before the show re-starts in the new year.

Are there any good shows you feel should be bumped onto my viewing list? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Books I Would Love to see as Movies/TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful folks over at The Broke and the Bookish

We are currently experiencing a few incredibly good adaptations of books onto the screen - Outlander and Game of Thrones I am looking at you guys. So if we could continue with some more fantastic ones that would make me exceedingly happy, and if they could be ones from this list I would be even happier...


The Lady Julia Series by Deanna Raybourn
This one has actually been optioned by a UK TV company. That doesn't necessarily mean that it will get made, but I have everything crossed that it will because Lady Julia deserves to be seen by more people. I'm happy with either TV show or movie, just so long as they do Julia and Brisbane justice.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Another one that has been optioned, this time for a movie. Again, nerve wracking period where we don't know if it will go ahead or not, but I would give pretty much anything to see The Scorpio Races DONE RIGHT on the big screen. It is such an incredible book and I think it would lend itself really really well to a visual format. Plus, Tom Hiddleston has to be George Holly and Charles Dance has to be Benjamin Malvern. That is all.


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
OH THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE A MOVIE. I think this may in fact be another one that has been optioned, really who's surprised by this, it would be EPIC. This is just such a stunning and incredible book and I WANT TO SEE IT MORE.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Another one that has been optioned and latest news is that it has been picked up by Starz (they who are currently doing awesome things with Outlander) AND I AM FULL OF GLEE, because I trust Starz a lot and I think they will do amazing things with this book. AND BOY THIS BOOK. It is just incredible and so unlike anything else I have read and I really want to see it done justice.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
Think about it for a minute. THINK ABOUT THE GLORIOUSNESS THAT WOULD BE THIS. Seriously, this series would be incredible on the screen. I don't know if I want a tv series or film, mostly because films tend to get butchered and tv series get done right. If it could be done well then film, otherwise gimme all the tv episodes!


Heist Society by Ally Carter
This book as a film would be utterly brilliant. A bunch of teenage heist pullers and con-men who are sneaky, sassy and intelligent? I want it. I want it now. This book is fantastic and it would translate so brilliantly to the big screen. Why has it not already happened?


Graceling, Fire & Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
I want films, but they have to be done right or not at all. These are three of the books I am most protective of (along with Scorpio Races and Night Circus) and I am so desperate for films of them but also terrified of them being done wrong. Done right these would be glorious though. Brilliant characters, fantastic worlds and beautifully crafted plots, these could be extraordinary.


The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray
These are such a fantastic series, and something so different to anything else we're seeing on screen at the moment. The books are populated with magic, incredible characters and a twisting and heart-breakingly wonderful plot. Movies or tv, I think either would work for this one, and it would be breathtaking to see it finally brought to life beyond the book.


The Scarlet Trilogy by A. C. Gaughen
I adore Scarlet and her Robin, Much and Little John. I want more time in their world, so much more time, and a tv series would be the perfect way to do it. She is such a brilliant heroine, a determined fighter and the world is so brilliantly crafted and filled with such wonderfully real characters. This series deserves to have a tv series so more people are able to see how good it is and discover the books.


The Curse Workers Trilogy by Holly Black
This series would make an incredible tv show. Magic is real, but controlled by the mob, illegal on the whole and it has actual consequences instead of people just casting spells left and right. This would translate insanely well to tv and I am surprised no one has jumped on it already.

So those are my top ten books that I am desperate to see turned into movies and tv shows. Are any of these ones that you would trade pieces of your soul on screen? Or have I missed some out? Comment below and send me links to your top ten lists!