Helllooo! And a weekly schedule returns at long last! Huge change from Rome in the UK with grey skies, rain and it’s freeeeeezing. Despite that still feeling pretty active so trying to avoid the temptation to give into dark nights and hibernate.

Work wise still annoyingly quiet and I’m trying to use the hiatus to get a few non work things done – the suspicion is that when decisions are made the pace will go up very very fast. There has been a lot of tidying.

What Have I been Watching?

Blakes Seven – So Servalan and Travis appears in the evil Federation’s arsenal against the plucky revels and the show which has felt a bit loose actually feels like it’s got a competition on its hands. 

Dracula - The 1931 Spanish version NOT with Bela Lugosi. Apparently, the studios would use a Spanish speaking cast on the same film sets to create the same film.  A little faster paced than the stagey US version but actually you now can see what Bela Lugosi adds as the guy playing Dracula isn’t charismatic on screen but much more playing it as an obvious bad guy.

What Have I Been Listening To?

This week has been much more podcast focused as I’ve fallen down a listening track

The Missing Crypto-queen – I started this Sunday and finished all 8 episodes by Thursday.  It’s a factual investigation of a cryptocurrency company named Onecoin and its mysterious leader whose leader has vanished while her brother is now in the US under investigation. This is a compelling and worrying look at how crime; the web and the desire to no longer be poor make a multi-billion-dollar fraud.  It’s stunning and really recommended to see where this goes across the globe by the final episode, I’m scared as to what is going on that authorities seem unable to stop.

13 Minutes to the Moon – This is a series exploring the first Moon Landing. It uses what happened in the final 13 minutes of the landing to discuss the team behind the Apollo crew. Four episodes in and really enjoying the interviews explaining a) how difficult this was b) that it’s a mix of winging it, great science and ambition.

Death in Ice Valley – early days on this one but it’s an unsolved crime podcast exploring the case of the Isdal Woman a mysterious woman whose body was found burnt in a remote Norwegian woods in 1970.  She had disguises, used false names and no one knows who she is and why she died.  A fascinating mystery and exploring the history of the time.

The Magnus Archives – This is a podcast that the saga of moving out made me lose track but this week my friend @squidfromspace has started a daily review of the episodes from the start so I’m back in and catching up.  The Magnus Institute investigates supernatural events and has a new archivist going through various statements. Think a 20-30 minutes horror story and slowly in the best ways of the Black Tapes you start to see they’re connected. The daily analysis from Squid is fascinating and all available on #MagnusArchives

What have I reviewed or read?

Gone by Leona Deakin – a thriller that starts with a birthday card, a schoolgirl attacking a caretaker ans turns into a UK wide conspiracy thriller.  Promising start to a new series

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz – Oh I loved this - SF that talks about social issues and less technobabble is my favourite type and this is a thoughtful and keen to avoid falling into tropes.  One I will be recommending come end of the year posts!

Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley – Review coming soon and as with anything by Whiteley captures my attention and this plays with stories and how our desire for a narrative to life means we all seek certain roles. Brilliant

What am I reading or coming soon?

Loads to do before the year is out but this week on imminent TBR

The Djinn Falls in Love edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin – need to sit down and lose myself into this

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie – I must see how things have gone in the First Law universe

The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson – the end of an excellent series

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward – a new fantasy series

Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri – Oh I’m looking forward to this one as Empire of Ash was brilliant

Bone Lines by Stephanie Bretherton – an unusual tale of a woman in prehistoric times and a women investigating her skeleton many thousands years later

X-Men Mutant Empire by Christopher Golden – a new marvel prose series

And so much more.  Have fun!