Hello again
I hope all is well with everyone and the weather is being kind. We’ve had and will still have many days of cold damp weather with a continuous covering of grey clouds. This could be seen as gloomy but the twinkling Christmas lights in our small town are beautiful, and if you are still out in the evening it is nice to catch a glimpse of the decorations in people’s houses when they leave their curtains open. Yes, this time of the year is one occasion when I like to hunker down indoors with the Christmas decorations up, the lights down and either read or watch a good television series. Hence the post today is all about my best television and my best books of the year.
Let’s start with television: first up, comedy. I don’t think you could beat We Are Lady Parts (Channel 4) for laugh out-loud comedy. It’s all about a Muslim all-girl punk band, yes you heard that right, and it is quite barkingly irreverent and anarchic – just the sort of humour I like! Another irreverent comedy was Stephen Merchant’ s The Outlaws (BBC iPlayer) starring amongst others, Christopher Walken. Yes, the Christopher Walken in a deadpan British comedy about seven unlikely law-breakers serving their time by doing community service. Another now well known actor in this comedy is Jessica Gunning who starred in Baby Reindeer (Netflix) – anyone watch that? I just didn’t fancy that one – the subject matter of stalking seemed a bit unsavoury to me.
Both We are Lady Parts and The Outlaws are exceedingly British comedies – very laid back and getting laughs from quite tricky situations. A more conventional (and American) series that is rather lovely as well as funny, is A Man on the Inside (Netflix) starring Ted Danson as a retired rather lonely professor getting a new lease of life when he gets hired by a private detective agency to be a ‘mole’ in retirement home. Thefts have occurred, who is the thief? In the end Danson solves it all. It’s a warm and cozy experience to watch this and very suited to being viewed after seeing something serious like a documentary. I see Danson is getting the Carol Burnett award at the Golden Globes.
Talking about serious documentaries, two come to mind, Putin and the West and Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland are excellent. Both can be found on BBC iPlayer and both are the best type of documentary one could watch. The doc on Northern Ireland is a heartbreaking insight into the hatred that can be felt by different communities with different customs and religions. It is astonishing that this hatred has reduced and that peace eventually came to that part of the UK. But OMG that peace is delicate – long may it hold.
And finally, drama. Well you cannot beat Slow Horses (Apple) for a well-acted, well-scripted television series. It’s based on the Slough House series of books by Mick Herron. All members of Slough House have failed in some task or other and are not exactly sacked from MI5, instead they are sent to this dreadfully boring place where they are given mindless boring work. Inevitably the real action comes to them, and what with the wonderful Gary Oldman as their fat slob of a boss in the background to chivvy them along, they always deal with said action amazingly well. Throughout the many series there is also a long story arc which has a long way to go (believe me, as I’ve read the books) before it is finished. Series 5 was shown in 2024, Series 6 is commissioned.
Honourable mentions go to True Detective Season 4 (Now tv/Sky) starring Jodie Foster and set in Alaska. Loved it and I’m glad to say that, as I think this series went off the boil in Series 2&3. And I absolutely love For All Mankind (Apple) which is an alternative view of the space race, very different I’d say. I find it well acted, well scripted and quite fascinating. With this season we’ve got to the stage of a well developed colony on Mars. There will be another season – can’t wait to see it.
On to books: But first a question: are you watching Wolf Hall on BBC or BBC iPlayer? Damien Lewis and Mark Rylance are brilliant as ever, but sadly I’m finding it a bit heavy going and throughout the episodes watched so far there’s a lot I don’t remember reading in the book version. So I got The Mirror and the Light off the shelf (I have all 3 of the Mantel books) but I had forgotten i) what a heavy tome it is in every sense of the word as it’s far far bigger and heavier, physically, than a brick. And ii) how exceedingly long and detailed it was. I’m on page 50 and they’re still having a short conversation about Anne Boleyn’s execution! Actually I remember reading all 3 of the trilogy with relish and not finding them difficult. I think I would now! So, that is one book I am not going to re-read!
Unlike the films I watch which are all, every one of them, faithfully written down with a few short comments, my book book (not a typo!) is a moveable feast and I don’t record every book I’ve read. I’m also reading fewer books as I seem to be a bit slower at reading these days. However, I do have a few books that have stayed in my mind and thoroughly recommend.
First is my book of the year which is Sebastian Faulks’ The Seventh Son. How to describe this? Well, it’s dystopian with a melancholy feel to it. And I rather like one reviewer saying it is a work of non-fiction masquerading as a novel, yes, that’s right. Suffice to say there’s an Elon Musk type interfering with nature, a child, and the entire book explores human evolution, anthropology and the nature of consciousness. I cannot reveal too much of the plot as it will give away the twist to it all. But it’s just the sort of book I like as you have something to get to grips with.
On the other hand, I do like a stonkingly good family saga and have just discovered the author Sally Vickers. The first one of hers I read I found in a charity shop, it’s her book Cousins which was simply wonderful as in this there is no exposition just three ‘voices’ telling their story – loved it. I’ve been searching out more of her titles, and have read Miss Garnet’s Angels, and The Cleaner of Chartres – all good. Honourable mention goes to The Long Song by Andrea Levy which is set in Jamaica and tells the tale of one woman in the last days of slavery and the first days of ‘freedom’. But oh, how unreliable at telling her story she is at times!
Btw, when I say a book is good I am using the ‘method’ explained by Martin Amis in his book Experience when he says there are two categories of books; good and bad. According to Amis within those categories there is another division to be made: there are good, good books and also bad, good books. And within the bad category there are bad, bad books and good, bad books. So here are examples (all my own opinion of course) of bad, good books. I read two of Isabel Allende books that were nothing but ‘telling’ (instead of barely showing, which is always the sign of genius) the first was The Wind Knows My Name, set on the Mexican/US border and all about child separation from their parents – horrendous and so important to highlight. But in this book I would have liked fewer pages of exposition. Same for A Long Petal of the Sea which was all about the Spanish Civil War – it was exceedingly heavy going. Both, don’t get me wrong, are good books but for me they were in the bad, good book category.
And here’s an example of a very very good, and yet bad book. I cannot remember reading many of Robert Harris books as I unthinkingly always put his books into the category of a lot of other page-turning pot-boilers that I always turn my nose up at. Possibly that’s very wrong of me (tell me more if you like his books or that type of book) and indeed I tried Fatherland a few weeks ago and found it incredibly boring, so much so that unusually for me I gave up on it. But I’ve just been to see Conclave, the film of the Harris book set in the Vatican after the death of the Pope and the installation of a new Pope with all of the intrigue therein you can imagine. Loved the film 5***** from me as it has an excellent cast and a great story. But I thought I just have to read the book as well, to see how it was adapted. Oh my word, it’s a good read! But do discuss this with me, as I think it’s a very good, albeit, bad book!
That’s enough of my opinions for now! Here as promised is another of this year’s great buys. It’s reminder that despite my love of black, I also like fun and colourful clothes.
The jacket is also a reminder that I frequently go up to London! And I’m not going to say did, in the past tense, as I will be going again after Christmas for sure.
And it’s also a reminder of fun times!
That’s all for now, but if you’ve read to the end, note that I absolutely realise that all books and films and tv are seen, read and viewed from different personal perspectives. Everything I’ve said here is about my choice, but I’d love to hear what is your favourite book, film or television series as I do love recommendations and, indeed, discussion about what’s good and what’s not!
With love, Penny, the Frugalfashionshopper
Hi Penny, Thanks for another interesting blog. I am an avid reader and all my books come from charity shops, apart from a surprise selection my darling husband buys me each Christmas , all quite different but very welcome . The YMCA shop in Hove sells up to eight books for a pound ! And has a vast chouce .So I have rather a mad selection of books as it’s difficult to actually find a favourite author as of course it all depends on donations. But to me that makes it all the more exciting. My favourites just now are Maggie O,Farrell , Charles Frazier – his “Cold Mountain” is wonderful, and Anne Rivers Siddons , an American writer, lovely warm books set in the southern states.
I love your red jacket, did you know that Violetta is part of the Mango chain? Actually they are made for larger sizes, but it looks super on you .Best Wishes from Judy in Brighton
Oh yes, charity shops for books – Oxfam in Lewes has a brilliant book section and I am always buying books there of which some I realise I don’t like but it doesn’t matter as they cost very little and others like the Sally Vickers one was a delight to find. But 8 books for a pound – amazing! I’ll have to go there one day!
I too love Maggie O’Farrell. Have you read her memoir, I am, I am, I am? It is a hair-raising account of her 15 encounters with near death. Truly she gets her into incredibly difficult situations and as for her health….. Very interesting and of course beautifully written but I could only read one chapter (of the encounter) at a time, as they were so intense.
Actually that red faux leather jacket is rather large! But I think I get away with it!
Thanks Judy 😊
Love your new jacket! What a perfect color! The year ends with me not having watched many shows or TV. We did finally cut down the number of channels available for a little bit of savings. I haven’t read much but my usually inspirational fiction but I did find a couple authors in the genre that wrote suspense stories that kept my attention.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I remember that when we had small children we watched very little television, hardly ever went to the cinema and had little time to read books. Who has the time during those years! But Mireille you can catch up later on.
Thanks so much 😊
Thanks Penny an interesting selection. We are still watching Wolf Hall – one more episode to go. My husband read all the books and loves them. I must confess I haven’t read them, nor will I, but have sort of enjoyed the tv. It is rather gloomy though so I do have to psych myself up to watch it. We’ve also watched Renaissance on BBC – have you seen that?
I’ve read a few Robert Harris books and have ‘Conclave’ lined up as it’s a future voice in my book group. The one that I most enjoyed by him was ‘Act of Oblivion’ which tells of the hunting down of the signatories to the death warrant of Charles 1. That is a good story and very engaging. I think my best book of the last year was ‘Shrines of Gaiety’ by Kate Atkinson. Laugh out loud funny at times but also poignant. She’s always a good read.
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Kathy x
Yes, one more episode – I think we know the ending. It is gloomy with a lot of men swathed in heavy furs talking. I found the 3 books to be a great read (some years ago) but I am not finding The Mirror and the Light as good as I thought it would be. However, I really really liked Renaissance and thought it very well done as it was both well acted and entertaining whilst at the same time you learnt so much about the 3 artists. Around 55 years ago a friend and I went to Rome to stay with a friend – we both saw the Sistine Chapel. We walked along with a trolley with a mirror lying on it, so you didn’t have to ruin your neck while looking at the ceiling. Amazingly we were the only people in the Sistine chapel. I can’t imagine that being the case now what with all the tourism these days.
I’ve probably done Robert Harris a great disservice saying his books are in the’ bad’ category. So far Conclave is proving to be a very good read. Do see the film if you can. Will look out for the book you’ve read. And Kate Atkinson is always a good read, isn’t she.
Thanks Kathy 😊
I LOVED A Man on the Inside! I just one movie advertised on Hulu that I want to try watching called Summer Camp with Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, and Alfre Woods that I’m hopeful will be fun and funny.
Wasn’t that the most lovely television series – Ted Danson is so good in it. Btw, I expect you know that A Man on the Inside was made by the same team who made The Good Place which of course Ted Danson was in and several people from that series were in A Man on the Inside. I love both series and Ted Danson really does deserve his Golden Globe award.
Love Diane Keaton, and Kathy Bates – will look out for that one. Thanks Joanne 😊
Thankyou for all your book, film, tv comments. I only have Netflix as a subscription so can’t comment on some of your suggestions. But I did watch Baby Reindeer, it was disturbing and pretty grim but I stuck it out. I’m just about to start Black Doves which has a great cast, Keira Knightly. Ben Wishaw and Sarah Lancashire. It’s got to be good hasn’t it?
Loving Wolf Hall, I’ve read all 3 books but I know several people who just found them tedious. Mark Rylance is amazing! I’m in a book club and we get iffy stuff provided by the library but my best this year was Stoner by John Willians. Beautifully written about a college professor in America from early 1900’s onwards. It’s a book where nothing happens and everything happens, Highly recommended but not all the book group loved it!
I love your red jacket btw, It looks really good.
Happy Xmas!
Black Doves is excellent, but not to everyone’s taste as it doesn’t spoon feed you and you have to work out a couple things. That said, the cast….they’re all amazing. Loved it.
Like you I loved the 3 Mantel books and think they are probably the best books I have ever read. But I just can’t quite get myself into loving this last Wolf Hall – it’s a bit ponderous. And if you watched Barbie it’s a lot of men on horses or, in this instance, a lot of men swathed in furs. But I agree Mark Rylance is amazing and when he’s on screen (like most of the time) you just cannot stop watching that face registering such emotion and his voice…..
I shall definitely seek out Stoner – sounds interesting, and I do like an interesting book!
Thanks so much Judi 😊
I think I have just bought a black version of your red jacket. Mine is a mock suede, lined with a satish lining, and it cost me £12.50 from Oxfam. Leo hated me to wear black, but now my hair is grey/white black really suits me. With a white top and my vintage 1960s crazy skirt it looks great and feels such fun. Skirt looked unworn, came from Steyning Antiques about a year ago for £20 and I haven’t worn it much, but now it hasca partner it will be worn a lot this festive time!
I feel sad that it’s a long time since I had time to read – too much to do and think about this year – and I have found myself watching comforting tv like masterchef and Canal diaries. Actually I want the head space to think about and get on with my next project, and the hand space to finish off my Cardigan and do some sewing….. lots of love and thsnks for the mental stimulus! Wendy
We don’t do anything stimulating in the evening – no projects, no writing or researching, consequently tv drama is very much part of our lives which relaxes us at the end of the day. But I think comforting television always has its place and we love certain tv series that are exactly like that. We always watch Gogglebox and have done for years and love the people who critique the shows, also Have I Got News For You is a favourite of ours. I have less time to read during the day, but always at night I have to read. Some books, though, keep me awake and some send me straight to sleep!
That jacket sounds so good, what a great find! I agree black and white outfits would look good on you and would be very stylish.
Thanks Wendy 🙂
I read Wolf Hall several years ago after I returned from England and had spent the better part of the day at Hampton Court. I kind of became obsessed with the Tudor history. When the series came on TV I loved it . My family even gave me a gift of taking me to the Broadway play based on the book. I happily watched it recently when the series was rebroadcast. For some reason I have not read Mantel’s last book but I am excited that there will be a new series based on it. I will get the book from my library when I go there this week for book club. Or put it on reserve.
That jacket is wonderful. And it does not look too large, and you can layer sweaters under it. And the color is perfect for the season. Love, Darby
Oh I am so glad you are a fan of Mantel’s books. I thought the way she entered into Cromwell’s mind was extraordinary. His voice throughout is so challenging to follow and yet, once you do…. I am so glad also that you saw the earlier Wolf Hall on television. Do get the last book of the trilogy out – it’s The Mirror and the Light. But be aware it is an enormous door-stopper 🤣 The latest tv series is on BBC now called Wolf Hall – The Mirror and the Light. Somehow I think it is both brilliant and a bit ponderous. See what you think of it when it comes to the States.
Thanks re: the jacket. I do love it but because I don’t go everywhere in the car I tend to wear jackets in the Fall and Spring – one does need a long coat when standing at a bus stop!
Thanks as ever Darby 😊
I agree with you about Baby Reindeer. It was disturbing on so many levels. After we finished it, I did a little research which cleared up not much! I wonder if I can find these anywhere since you’ve listed most of them as on BBC. They’ll probably make it to Netflix soon, though. I’ve heard of Wolf Hall, but now I’m really going to have to look for it because I’m all about the whole Tudor dynasty. I caught that bug decades ago with the PBS show, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and then the outstanding Glenda Jackson in Elizabeth R. We have watched almost everything I can find about them. Mike even knows the order of the wives now! And, I’m schooling him on how the whole Tudor dynasty began. Of course, it will take a bit to sink in. I’m not familiar with any of the books you’ve listed. Do you think Covid and the lockdowns had anything to do with our reading? I find that I just can’t read continuously for very long without stopping to do something else. It’s frustrating as I used to read four or five (if not more) books at the same time and could remember the plots and characters. Now, it’s a slog to finish just one.
Love that jacket, and you and Mr. F look quite dashing!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Oh my word, if you love the Tudors you have to read the 3 books in the Hilary Mantel trilogy of Thomas Cromwell’s life. Cromwell was the mastermind behind Henry VIII and managed the divorce of Katherine of Aragon, the evidence against and the trial of Anne Boleyn, and the dissolution of the monasteries. His downfall was the marriage of Anne of Cleves, who incidentally owned property in Lewes – a house which still stands in Southover Street. https://sussexpast.co.uk/attraction/anne-of-cleves-house/
The books though are big in every sense of the word. Huge in size and quite challenging to read, as Mantel gets so far into Cromwell’s mind she seems to be a medium for him and it is bit challenging to understand who is speaking when. As you can see from Darby’s comment (Darby lives in New York) you can get the books from the library and the first television series of Wolf Hall has reached the States as she’s watched it. This second season is just finishing on BBC with the last episode coming tonight. So it won’t be in the States yet. Damien Lewis plays Henry and the wonderful Mark Rylance plays Cromwell.
Although you might think I watch (and read!) nothing but serious stuff, have you watched A Man on the Inside? It was a delight and Ted Danson was gorgeous! And it’s on Netflix. We do stream the majority of television and hardly watch analogue television at all. For All Mankind is American, it’s very very good and on Apple.
Actually my concentration has reduced a bit – like you I could read everything and I did in such a short space of time. I read so much. But actually I now find I have little time to sit and read. The best reading time I used to have was when I commuted to London from Brighton for work. That was over an hour on one train and then the underground. And back in the evening. I read loads in those years.
Thanks Marsha – I hope you like the Mantel books – BUT they are whoppers! 😁
I do enjoy reading your reviews Penny as it gives me an idea of what we get here at a later date. I noted that you mainly watch on subscription TV , no a thing we have embraced in our house so far.
I must admit that my reading has not been as I like this year but hopefully that will change next year.
I do like you in that red jacket , always like red and black together.
Enjoy the pre Christmas Penny.
Hi Jill – yes, we don’t watch any analogue television whatsoever. Our way to relax and get a good night’s sleep is to watch drama, never late at night though. If the drama is serious or a bit dystopian we watch something funny afterwards! Btw, well over 50% of both Netflix and Amazon is rubbish but you do find the occasional gem!
My ability to read books at a very fast rate has gone, but I slog away and it is quite unusual for me to not finish a book. Increasingly I am scouring the charity shop book shelves and finding books there.
Just recently followed a blog recommended by Gail and a pic of a woman in a very shocking pink skirt made me think I must have something like that – pink and red in the winter are great colours especially with our grey skies.
Enjoy the Christmas festivities Jill and thanks 🙂
A bit late, Penny, as I’ve been trying to finish my book😉!
For me, books are the breath of life and it’s very much a case of see me, see my book; our house is chock-a-block with them. I read a lot of ‘ologies’ but also love a good novel/mystery/thriller so I reckon I cover the waterfront quite well.
Favourite authors? Elizabeth Berg and Jo-Ann Mapson, both American with differing styles but delivering worthwhile reads. This side of the pond: Penelope Lively, Anita Brookner, Tracy Chevalier (an honorary Brit), Salley Vickers and a real favourite for a lovely, gentle read is the late Eva Ibbotson whose books are suitable for all ages for their their beautiful descriptive pieces and gently uplifting stories: almost fairy tales. Two thrillers come to mind: James Swallow’s I Am Pilgrim and Nomad while my favourite favourites are Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
As for tv, we rarely watch it! Having said that, we do, really, but we mostly watch re-runs on Freeview as we don’t have Sky et al. Documentaries by Simon Reeve (his books are good too), Michael Portillo (us) and perennial favourites like Vera, Lewis (me) and motor/motorcycle racing and train programmes (him) keep us occupied – when we’re not reading!
As for your red jacket, Penny, Whoo-hoo! What a beauty!
Happy Christmas to you and yours, Penny, and please may I wish the same to all your correspondents? I so look forward to their comments every week, as do you, I’m sure!
Here’s to 2025!
Zepherine x
Oh wow, Zepherine thank you so much for all the recommendations – I often wander around a bookshop thinking now what can I read. I shall take note of these authors and look out for them now.
Simon Reeve is a wonderful maker of incredibly interesting documentaries. I think he would easily step into David Attenborough’s shoes. He has the same dedication to nature and humanity – lovely man. We too like train programmes! Portillo’s trousers!
Thank you so much for your Christmas greetings – have a lovely week 😊
That’s a fun jacket! Look forward to seeing it in London.
Thanks for the recommendation for We Are Lady Parts, I like the sound of that! We did watch Baby Reindeer, although it was a bit of a teeth clencher (and more so, since we discovered some of the truth around it).
Love Slow Horses, and Black Doves is in similar vein though not quite as good.
I also started re-reading The Mirror and the Light, having never finished it first time round. It is very ponderous, and I had to skip through reams. I absolutely loved the TV adaptation. It’s the sort of thing the BBC do so well, but hardly ever seem to these days.