So…March was something. Especially the last half, which was scary, confusing, anxiety-inducing, lonely, and most of all: different. It’s weird not being able to do 80% of the things you usually do. I want to keep in a routine as best I can, like sticking to these little monthly lists of mine. As anticipated, there’s a lot of shows, books, music, and other things that I enjoyed this month because there wasn’t really anything else to do with my free time while I’m social-distancing.
Disney+
About bloody time! Disney+ finally hit the U.K. this month. At first I wasn’t sure about it due to already having other streaming services and thinking Disney-only stuff would be quite limiting, but the collection on there seems really impressive so far. And the introductory deal was too good!
Months since the release in the US (and because I didn’t stream it), I’m glad that I can finally watch The Mandalorian! It’s better than I expected, despite seeing all the Baby Yoda GIFs and memes online already. So far I’ve seen three episodes and think it’s terrific. I like how it appeals to both hardcore and casual Star Wars fans. I’ve always considered myself in the middle as I love it, but wouldn’t say I know all the ins and outs of Star Wars legends and history. It’s got enough new Star Wars content to appeal to the hardcore fans (there’s probably lots of easter egg goodness), while also being a fairly easy action adventure show. It helps that episodes are roughly 30 minutes.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I read a book in 5 days! I’m shook. That goes to show how good it was. A couple of people online and in person recommended Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because of the film theme, so I was intrigued. While I did love the story being set during the Golden Age of Hollywood, it was also the story that got me. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers, however I will say I loved: the fact it’s LGBT fiction (something I don’t read enough, but should be), the feminism, and the fact the fictional actress stars in an adaption of one of my favourite novels Little Women (!). It’ll be the book I recommend to everyone for the next couple of years, because it’ll take me that long to find another book I love enough to read in 5 days.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
That last 10% came at me and I was NOT prepared. Damn.
Gonna need a film adaptation pronto.
Music
Due to social-distancing, I’ve listened to a bunch of new-ish and different songs rather than the same old playlists on Spotify. They include:
- Stupid Love – Lady Gaga
- Lonely – Joel Corry
- Time – Jack Garratt
- Juliet & Romeo – Martin Solveig, Roy Woods
- I Love Yous – Hailee Steinfeld
- Time – Childish Gambino
If all of these aren’t in my 2020 Spotify Wrapped I’ll be surprised.
Zoo Tycoon
That rut I was feeling in February was a bunch of things I was struggling with internally and to distract myself from it, all I wanted to do was play Zoo Tycoon or RollerCoaster Tycoon. Well, this month I bought Zoo Tycoon (2001) again and have been loving it. I thought I use to make good zoos when I was a teen, but I was wrong. Now I have themes around my zoo and everything. Strangely my love for Zoo Tycoon returned at the same time the lock down in the U.K. started, which is a tiny positive I guess? I’m missing my expansion pack as a kid though!
Next up is RollerCoaster Tycoon.
Viewings
The last film I saw at the cinema before they closed was Onward, which was great! I thought it was one of the only Pixar films not to make me cry, until the finale where I weeped. Since then it’s been a lot of re-watches and a few films on Disney+. I also caught up with Midsommar which I missed last year and opted to watch Force Majeure from 2014 rather than the English-language remake Downhill at the cinema.
