The Week in Womble aka We've Got Bette Davis Eyes

Helllooo! Ok a weirder week the work side has finally jumped up a gear; the trains really messed up getting home at a sensible time and my reading speed seriously slowed just as the eyes did not want to read any more.  But the weekend has done a lot of good!

What Have I been Watching?

Vikings (BBC4) – no; not the tv drama, but one where Neil Oliver talks about the history of the Vikings and the finds and tour around key sites is fascinating.

Spider-Man: Far From Home – I missed this in the summer being knackered; at cons or on holiday, it was a decent Marvel effort but I wasn’t too fussed about the global road-trip.  What I liked about Homecoming was the low-key Spidey and not sure the locations here added much.  Great cliff-hanger though!

All About Eve – An impulse buy and I knew nothing about the film.  This has Betty Davis in sizzling form as accomplished stage actor Margot Channing. She meets a super fan in the form of Eve Harrington played by Anne Baxter.  But slowly we see Eve is ambitious and has her own agenda.  It’s a little in love with its talks of acting and movies (can see why it won a lot of Oscars) but it’s a fascinating study in relationships; power and agism.  Davis though plays someone often aggressive; unlikeable and yet shows you why they’re like that and you end up caring about them.  Well worth tracking down and half the main cast are women and they get the meatier parts – this was a 1950 film and you can’t help thinking we went backwards for a few decades!

Star Ward – Fallen Order – a rare trip into gaming but it’s Star Wars.  I am a slow gamer so just completed first level it was FUN!!

What Have I Been Listening To?

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

The Magnus Archives – Only one episode this week - slowwww

What have I reviewed or read?

Dead Sky by Weston Ochse - Enjoyed the first novel in this apparent duology and this offered a satisfying if different type of story to conclude the story.  But I do hope more adventures follow!

Bonus feature – starting a few more author interviews and after being so surprised by Moon-sitting last week I wanted to hear a bit more from EM Harding an author I hope we see more from in the future

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

Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri – Hoping to finish this for Monday and its genius

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz - intriguing thriller set in a very strange school

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

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward – a new fantasy series I plan to start soon

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

And so much more.  Have fun!