If I thought March was a weird month, April came along and was weirder! Not leaving my house for anything other than groceries and a walk around the block has started to become boring and lonely. I miss friends and family. I miss driving. I miss going out.
The safety of my friends and family, and everyone else, is the most important though. Staying in is the best thing we can do at the moment. If I have to find books, games, film, tv, music and more to do instead, then I guess I won’t run out of content for my monthly favourites!
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My friend recommended this novel to me, about a 30 year old woman who looks back at the relationship she had with her English teacher when she was 15 and he was 42. I read it quick (for me), as I was gripped to every page.
The book raises a lot of points about the current climate surrounding sexual abuse allegations and victims. How big a role institutions have in covering up scandals and what it means to define yourself as a victim or a survivor. It feels very relevant and with the cultural references, it was like I was reading a true account at times. The novel gets dark, so I wouldn’t advise it if the topic affects you.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Seeing as I haven’t been able to go to the cinema, the gym, see family and friends, or do anything outside of the house for the whole month, I’ve moved on from Zoo Tycoon to Rollercoaster Tycoon.
What a throw back.
Lizzy’s quarantine quizzes
I want to make sure I remember, when all of this is over, the quizzes my beautiful friend Lizzy supplied us on Instagram live every Sunday.
I haven’t won yet, but I keep trying. I’ve been 2nd a few times and missed out by only a couple of points!
Baking and liking it
When I can get my hands on flour, I’ve been doing a spot of baking at the weekends and weirdly enjoying it. I’m not good at baking usually, so I’ve been trying simple recipes and they’re at least edible thus far.
New Selena
I mentioned back in January that I wasn’t as taken with Selena’s album Rare like I was with her previous albums, apart from a handful of songs. The deluxe version was released this month with more songs, all of which I adore. Boyfriend, Souvenir, She, Feel Me – all bops.
Viewings
I re-watched the Harry Potter films this month, given it had been a few years since I watched them (I then made a ranked list). I took advantage of National Theatre At Home this month too, by watching NT Live: Jane Eyre. I watched a lot of rubbish, with the odd gem. Like finally watching 1992’s Newsies, which was glorious! On the last day of the month I watch a brilliant new Netflix documentary, A Secret Love. It’s about Terry Donahue, a baseball player from the 1940s who, along with her partner Pat, hid her romance from her family for 60+ years. It’s an emotional film, especially the last quarter, and well worth a watch.
