This is what I've watched over the last week. I haven't been bingeing - even with Lockdown I'm keeping busy  - but here's what I thought of what I did catch. 

Toy Story 4
Really disappointing! I loved Toy Story 1, 2, and 3, but this was not a keeper. **SPOILER ALERT** I guess there's going to be a fifth, we'll see if Pixar and Disney can bounce back, even with Woody now no longer with his team of toys and a family. 

Dara O'Briain: This Is The Show
Now, this was good. I do like Dara, but I especially liked his comedy on NCT groups. Preach!!!! 

A Star Is Born
I've wanted to watch this for ages, and I wasn't disappointed. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were fantastic, and I felt really moved in several parts. Go see, if you've not already!

Alan Carr Yap Yap Yap
Pretty entertaining but there's a limit to how many of these I can watch!

The Lion King (2019)
I'm not generally a fan of the remakes (see previous blogs) but I couldn't resist this, a true favourite... And it wasn't too bad. Pumba and Timon were actually improved: No wailing crying, some good lines, and Seth Rogan is always a welcome voice. One bit I did think was a bit crap was the Be Prepared song. One of my favourites from the original film and I really missed Jeremy Irons as Scar. Still, one of the better remakes, worth watching. 

And that was my week of Now TV! Not too much viewing, busy with baby and we don't watch a huge amount generally anyway, but it was worth it for A Star Is Born alone. Go get a free trial!

Lou x

P.S. I made myself happy today by watching The Lion King.
I was productive today by making plum buns.
I helped someone today (hopefully) by displaying a rainbow picture in my front window. A lot of my neighbours are doing it, lovely positive sharing in isolation.

I've always been a HUGE Disney fan, so seeing the new version of Aladdin was never in question. My first ever Disney movie ownership came in the form of Mary Poppins in 1991; I was lucky enough to go to Disneyland twice as a kid, something I hope to do at least once with my own; My sister and I wanted to name our baby brother 'Eric' after Prince Eric of The Little Mermaid so bad (we got the first letter alone, he was named Edward). 

So when I heard the Disney cartoons were starting to be remade in 'live action' with real people and CGI animals, I was pretty excited. A refresh, and potentially a more life-like story. 

Jungle Book was pretty good in 2016, and a popular film for Disney to begin their new live action endeavours with, though not in my top rated ones. It was a good start, impressing me with how life-like the animals were and their interaction between the human actors. 

Beauty and the Beast (2018) was less good in my eyes, but it's probably my third favourite overall from the 90's cartoons, so it was always going to be a hard sell. One of my favourite parts was re-shot and missed out (when Belle sits on the fountain edge and the goat eats her book), and Emma Watson ... never been a fan. Please, autotune. 

2019 brings us to Aladdin. And it didn't really bring me to a 'whole new world'. I was disappointed, left feeling a little underwhelmed by the roll of the closing credits. To be honest, I wasn't surprised. On the way into the theatre I said to my brother - let's call him (Prince) Eric just for this blog - that it would be a weird Aladdin without the late, great Robin Williams as the Genie. Will Smith was cast as the new-look Genie and, despite myself, I think he may have been the best character in this re-make - love the way he drops a bit of rap in occasionally and the added storyline he gets (no spoilers). Added to this, his 'Never Had A Friend Like Me' rendition was probably the best bit of the whole film, and he made it his own. Nice work. 

Yes, the costume design was good. Princess Jasmine grew some balls and some sassy, learned character attributes which I loved, and the new songs were pretty decent. What I disliked the most was the stage school vibe the actors had, Aladdin in particular. Sure, the actor needed to be able to look the part, sing, dance and act without a cartoonist's help, but he (no one!) spoke with any conviction and it felt all too rehearsed. I missed those odd voices like the "still I think he's rather tasty" woman in Agrabah's market at he start, and Prince Ali failed to live up to the original song - previously my favourite part. It felt like the Genie was the protagonist at many parts, and the royal parade announcing the arrival of another prince for Jasmine to check-out was one of these. 

And Jafar? One of the first real bad guys I've ever loved, back in 1992. This portrayl by Marwan Kenzari was a complete let-down, even after him being billed as the all-new 'hot Jafar'. He wasn't evil looking enough, and he offered another flat delivery of the script. Where was the passion? Where was the signature twizzly beard??? And Iago, his pet parrot side-kick was just plain mangy. 

So, overall, I enjoyed the Aladdin remake, but it could have been better. At least Aladdin had nipples in this version. How about a 7/10 for this movie. I'm on the fence as to if I'll bother with the Lion King live action remake. 

Lou x

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I recently had a clear-out of a cupboard which wasn't really mine, but was full of my stuff. Dear parents, thanks for letting me store stuff!

While having a good root in boxes and through files, I found a dirty, old, thin newspaper. It was more of a gem than it sounds - my first article in print! My university (Keele) published a weekly newspaper, "Concourse", and I managed to get a book review printed in an issue during my final year. The piece is nowhere near perfect, but it made me quite nostalgic. I left university in 2006, so it's been eight years since I last saw this. 

After this first publication, feeling the early buzz of getting my name in print, I wrote another three or four articles. From memory, one was on the history of popcorn (following a film festival on campus), and another was extolling the virtues of studying abroad - check out "Why you should study in Canada", an updated version of this article which I posted on my travel blog recently. I forget what the other article was, but I was, and remain, excited to see my name in print. 

Finding old pieces you were proud of or enjoyed writing is a great excuse for keeping all you create. Has anyone else ever found some age-old writing they've written and been transported back years or decades? 

Lou x

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A week ago today, the literary world lost one of its greats. 

Sue Townsend 
(2 April 1946 – 10 April 2014)

Sue Townsend was an English writer, best known for creating Adrian Mole, the character which first introduced me to the comic and poignant genius of this woman. 

Did you know, the diaries of tortured teenager Adrian Mole sold more copies than any other work of fiction in Britain during its decade? The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ was a gift from my mum when I was an angst-ridden teenage with a secret diary of my own. Mum opened a door to the world of Sue Townsend, and I hope I can encourage you to begin reading her books too. 

You might be forgiven in thinking that Mrs T was all about just one spotty teenager, but you'd be wrong. Sue's work includes novels, plays and works of journalism. Her warm and touching writing opened up the world of books for me beyond Roald Dahl when I was a young teenager, and I have been a fan ever since. 

It made me wonder though, how many more of her books can I still look forward to reading? A quick look on Wikipedia revealed Sue's full fiction bibliography. Gotta love the internet!

Adrian Mole series

• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (1982), her bestselling book READ IT!
• The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1984) READ IT!
• The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (1989) READ IT!
• Adrian Mole: From Minor to Major (1991)  - an omnibus of the first three, plus a bonus section
• Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (1993) READ IT!
• Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (1999) READ IT!
• Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004)
• The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999–2001 (2008)
• Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (2009)

I've still got a few Mr Mole books to read, then - I had no idea! Whoop, whoop!

Other novels

• Rebuilding Coventry (1988)
• The Queen and I (1992), a story about the British Royal Family living a "normal" life on an urban housing estate. I've wanted to read this one for long time, so it might be the next ST one I devour. 
• Ghost Children (1997), a novel covering issues of bereavement, child abuse and women's self-esteem through their body image. 
• Number Ten (2002) READ IT!
• Queen Camilla (2006)
• The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year (2012) READ IT - just before ST died. Recommended - hilarious as well as touching.

Which books have you especially enjoyed by the late Sue Townsend? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Have a look at the lovely obituary Sue's publisher posted, then get into your favourite online/local bookstore and grab one of her books. You won't regret it!

Enjoy the long weekend, 

Lou x

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Just a quickie - this was my travel blog post for the week... It's on a poetry theme, so I thought I should do some cross-posting.

A Question Of Travel: A Poetry Critique. 

Let me know what you think!

I post on Born to be a Tourist every Monday, so keep checking for more of the good travel stuff!


Until Friday, 

Lou x

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I'm a reader. I'm a writer. But what do titles of books mean to me? What's in them which pique my interest and make me buy, read, or borrow that novel?

A discussion evolved a month or two ago between myself and a friend. We both decided that the words in a fiction title will influence how keen we are to buy said volume. However, if we were shopping for non-fiction, the content and writer may carry a higher weighting than how the title is phrased. 

I'm a book geek, I admit. I have kept a personal 'reading record', as I was taught in primary school, since January 1998. I have written the author's name, the title, and a score out of ten for every book I have read between then and now. It would be one of the first things I'd grab if my house caught fire! Looking through my notebook, I started wondering, which books have I read where it was purely the title which encouraged me to delve into the pages?

The Beach - Alex Garland
I'm a real beach bum (take a look at my travel blog for proof!), and the title sparked something in the part of my which contains all things desire and dreams. I stole a copy from my art teacher. Sorry, Miss. I did return it, though, after I'd read it!

The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
This was my first Iain Banks novel. My mum recommended I try him out, and this title intrigued me. What would a wasp factory be like? How would you keep the wasps inside??? Of course, it's not that kind of novel in reality, but the title worked for me. 

Millennium - John Varley
I read this only because it was the end of the millennium and I felt the need to read on the subject. The title couldn't be more obvious and perfect. 

How to be a Canadian - Will and Ian Ferguson
In 2006 I went to live in Canada for a year. This was a present from a fellow foreigner on Canadian soil; a humourous take at the odd and endearing behaviour of our temporarily adopted nation. There can't be a better reason to read a book named this way!

Egg Dancing - Liz Jensen
An amusing title, if nothing else! I gave this one 9/10 though, back in 2004, so it must have been more than just a well-named book. 

I didn't read these books due to how well the novel was known or regarded. It wasn't the cover design. It wasn't the reputation of the writer, or the fact I'd never read anything by them before. It was the fact their novel had a fab title. I prefer short, snappy titles, but it's not essential. 

Writers: Now consider the blog, short story, novel you're working on, or even the poem. What does the title say to you? Does it give you a clue as to what the piece is about? Do you think it would intrigue the reader enough to open the cover or click the link?

If you really get stuck (or bored!), take a look at Lulu's online title scorer. It's a quick test which analyses the words in your title and gives you a 'likelihood of success' score at the end. Statisticians have studied the bestselling novels of the last 50 years and come up with this equation.... It's just a bit of fun, really, but it's worth considering to help play around with your title configuration. 

This post was inspired by a conversation I had with Northampton's newest hair blogger, Sarah Becker. Take a look at her new blog, Get The Look You Want. 

See you next week,

Lou x

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I admit it, I've cheated. I've given up and cheated on reading Tom Jones ~ Henry Fielding. It's one of the top 5 books of all time, according to the Guardian, and therefore it was given a *coveted* spot on my 30 Before 30 list.

However, I have struggled with it so much, I have given up. I tried so very hard to read it - gave it a good 100 pages out of 400 odd - but it was just too much of a challenge. The text was hard-going. The characters were too numerous to keep up with. I felt no empathy for the characters, and to be honest, I don't really care how the story of the poor orphan bastard ends. 

If it wasn't for the challenge I would have given up way before 25% of the way through. Probably by page 10 ish; that or two chapters in is my normal (but rarely used) cut-off point. However, I persevered and wasted a lot of time. 

I felt kind of bad for my 30 Before 30 list.  How did I get over this? I jumped onto Amazon and bought myself a copy of the Tom Jones BBC series on DVD. It's 312 minutes long (a double DVD set), but for £3, it'll be worth it. And Max Beasley is playing Mr. Jones. Fab. I'll know the story in many fewer weeks than it will have taken me to read it. 

Yes, the challenge was to read the book, but at least I will know the story now - enough to answer a pub quiz question, maybe! 

From reading one quarter of Tom Jones, I have learned the following:

1. Henry Fielding is the author, not the name of the principal character. Yes, I struggled with this for the first few days of considering this read. He himself seems to be, following some research, amazing man, journalist, barrister, justice of the peace to name but a few, whose character is embellished even more so by the scandal his publication made 5 years before his death  in 1754!
2. Reading the word 'bastard' a couple of times on one double page spread makes me smirk, even though I know the real and non-offensive meaning the author intended. 
   
3. There is no uncertainty; I hate classic books written pre-Victorian era.
4. If a book I'm not enjoying is a heavy tome, I am more likely to quit. My handbag was significantly heavier with this beast in there!
5. I'm capable of caving in to the DVD if the text is just too boring. That's a first for me. I'll always try to read the book before watching the film adaptation. Same with stage plays. Going to see 'Les Mis' on stage is also on my 30 Before 30 list (done!), and now I've seen it love in the West End, I can watch the film guilt-free. 

I was relieved of Tom Jones by Iain Bank's novel, 'The Quarry' for a couple of days. Banks saved me from going off reading good and proper, but Tom Jones is well on his way to a charity shop book shelf. 

Just Don Quixote and Pilgrim's Progress to go on the 30 Before 30 list, then... More classics - what fun!

Lou x

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I’m a normally a keen reader, but recently I’ve gone right off it. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you might be aware I’m six months into my 30 Before 30 challenge. One of the challenges I need to complete for this is to ‘read the top 5 books of all time’. I originally thought this would be one of the easier tasks to finish (compared to 'drive a tractor' and 'make fresh pasta'), but no; the books listed by The Guardian are so awfully dull and difficult due to the old English language used, that I am really struggling. I am losing the will to read faster than I can finish these slow-going classics.

The current tome I am tackling is “Tom Jones” by Henry Fielding. It’s over 400 pages long, but the sheer size didn’t put me off. I’ve read “Shantaram” and “The Book Thief” in the past, and enjoyed both immensely, despite them being wrist-achingly large in volume. “Tom Jones” is very different. Fielding introduces a lot of characters very quickly who I felt no empathy for, and I can barely tell apart (I'm thinking of the three old male friends of Mr Allworthy, plotting for power, land and family ties). The text is also hard-going, and even though I’m over 80 pages into the novel I really doubt I’m going to finish it. I hope I do, for the sake of The Challenge, but if it wasn’t for that, honestly, I would have quit on page ten, fifteen at best.

However, a book I recently won through a Twitter competition has brought me back into the light. This book is by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, who passed away in June of this year. It’s called “The Quarry” and I had been gazing at it perched on my windowsill (with several others on my ‘To Read’ list) with a sense of want for a few weeks. Needing a break from the dreaded “Tom Jones”, I finally caved in and started reading “The Quarry” this week. It’s given me the relief I’ve needed. Banks gives good voice to the characters in the (at times) humorous and realistic dialogue. I love the distinct and well-developed character profiles, and they are, as a result, incredibly easy to picture together as a group of friends. There’s a compelling premise to the story, and 'The Quarry' proved to be a page turner from the outset.

Iain Banks has reminded me I love to read. I’m not surprised there’s been an asteroid named after Iain Banks. His writing is ... ready?!... out of this world.

Lou x

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I had a lovely afternoon last Sunday. I went down to Bookmarks Festival, the small Northants village of Helmdon's very own offering to the world of writing and book events. It's in its second year and I can see there will be outcry if this small, friendly, and well-meaning festival doesn't come back for 2014. 

There are two reasons why I love Bookmarks Festival. 

1. The focus of the festival is on local writers. The speakers this year were Adrian Magsun, Alison McQueen and Garry O'Connor, all who hail from Northamptonshire. Engaging, friendly, and very different from each other, they made for a good panel. 

2. Bookmarks raises money for a global charity. It's a different charity each year, and 2013 is the year of Hand in Hand for Syria. Very commendable, in my eyes, and the choice of charity could not be more pertinent given the news from Syria in the last week or two.

I want to show you the fantastic fun I had at Bookmarks Festival, but like the pro I am, I managed to take photos with no SD card in the camera.

However, as you can judge from this blog post title, there is a down side to going to all these wonderful, creativity-filled, welcoming, interesting literature festivals. Yes, while I'm there mingling with other readers and writers, I'm having a great time. Events like this often encourage cake eating, and armed with a slice and a cuppa, I make new friends and acquaintances of bloggers, novelists, journalists and wannabes. However, long-term, literature festivals are indeed detrimental to my social life.

Why?!

Because I've come away with yet more books to add to my 'To Read' list. 

Once again I'll revert to my teenage bookworm state and become completely absorbed into the wonderful world of reading. I'll escape any trials and stresses of the day and enrich my writer's palette. 

I plan to be unapologetically unsociable.

I didn't really need these new volumes to add to the growing collection of books I want to devour, but look at them - how could you resist?! And they were all at the bargain price of £1 per novel. I already have piles of unread beauties at my pad just waiting to be opened, but being the slow reader that I am, I doubt I'll get onto many of them this decade. This means I will spend a good portion of my weekend curled up, sprawled out, perched on a chair with a book. I'm currently reading the beast that is Tom Jones ~ Henry Fielding as part of my 30 Before 30 Challenge, and I really want to get it finished. Then I can start on these fab looking titles.

If you need me, you know where to find me. 

Lou x

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Swanwick Summer Writing School has been running over 60 years. Based in Derbyshire for just one week in August, 200 published and unpublished writers meet together every year to learn, network, and grow in their craft. With a programme of eye-catching workshops and 'A class' speakers, who can blame them?!

Rae Argent, a writer friend of mine, went this year. She's an avid 'Swanwicker' and shares her experiences of this year's event on my blog this week. Take it away, Rae!


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What's to say. Swanwick was fantastic.

One of my favourite parts was our guest speaker James Moran (script writer for Dr Who, Primeval, Torchwood, Tower Block etc.) who ran a workshop.  That was a brilliant insight into what goes on behind the scenes and how to break into scriptwriting.

One of the courses I participated in was 'Literary Novels' - quite different from what I had expected but well worth going to.  It encouraged us to use imagery, not to curb our imaginations, and to introduce very well rounded characters.

'Fiction from Fact', a workshop by Syd Moore, was brilliant too. She encouraged us to write a short piece from a short sentence and let our imaginations do the work.  We were also tasked with writing a list of everyday questions we might ask our characters - that was fun! 

Our last evening speaker was Deborah Moggach, writer of "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", among others.  She told us how it felt to watch her novel being turned into a film and where some of her ideas came from. 

Also, there was a workshop on short story competitions from Linda Lewis full of useful hints and how to make our stories stand out from the rest.

There were umpteen other courses/workshops. It was just FAB.

Rae Argent

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Thanks Rae - I bet you'll be heading off to Swanwick again as soon as you can! Keep an eye on the Swanwick website to see when 2014 tickets are available. 

Why not follow Rae on Twitter?

Keep writing!

Lou x

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