April

What I've been up to...

Another month another round up…

Reading

I accidentally had a ‘food and drink’ themed month here, and also have read substantially less than usual, but that’s ok, despite what TikTok says, not everyone is reading 100 pages a day.

I lucked out early in the month that someone had clearly dumped an array of Queer books in my local charity shop. And so I obviously also did the only obvious thing and dropped all of my TBR for one of those. Namely, Timothy Janovsky’s ‘You Had Me at Happy Hour’ is a cute romcom, where enemies to lovers is the sommelier and cocktail barman (emphasis on cock…), cute, fluffy…I still know nothing about wine, but I had a good time.

I also picked up ‘Taste’ by Stanley Tucci, which I also found in a different charity shop (in Belfast, in fact). My only criticism is of my own choice to read, not listen to him read the audiobook, because that would have been pure pornography. Possibly more so than the spicy book above, in fact. But aside from that, it is a delightful combination of autobiography and reflections on how food shapes us.

I didn’t intend it this way, but these two led into the main event this month…my friend Mikey Bell’s new book, which I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of. ‘How an Egg Saved My Life’ is a story of Mikey’s life with food, from cooking at home in a valley’s kitchen, through some culinary ‘adventures’ in Uni, to falling in love with food (and with boys). For anyone in a particular Millennial age bracket, this book will scream to life your experience through its pop culture references and the ‘vibes’ of early 2000s teen and twenty-something life. More than that, though, Mikey captures perfectly lots of what it meant to be Welsh, or Working Class, or LGBTQ, or indeed any and all of those three at that time. All while tracing a line through life with food. And he won’t mind me saying, without being Wanky-American-Blogger about food. It’s out in July, (buy it here) and I can’t wait for the world to read it.

Listening

I cannot lie, my music tastes are incredibly dull this month…I am cycling through my usual Taylor Swift playlists at the gym, throwing in some Bleachers to work to, and gave the new Noah Kahan a listen because I am subject to the algorithm as much as anyone… but that’s about it.

Oh, and I can’t get that Tame Impala song out of my head.

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Watching

I have never once claimed to be original in my tastes, and for that reason, I make no apology for the fact that ‘The Pitt’ has consumed my TV watching time over the last month. I first watched it on a plane last November, but it was a little bit stressful for a plane journey so I stopped two episodes in. I also need you all to know I am not a binge watcher, never have been- and by that I mean I’m a one episode a week of something girlie. So when I say I went through ‘The Pitt’ series 1 in two weeks, you know I’m addicted. For someone who loved 24 back in the day, and who has been addicted to medical dramas since Casualty as a child, this is very much my crack. Add to that the fact that all the characters are so well developed, interesting, and actually engaging. And unlike ‘Greys’, I don’t currently want to throw anything at any of them (Owen). And grown-up Noah Wyle is well…that.

The only thing I am disappointed in about the Noah-Wyle renaissance is that I named a character after him a few years back, then wrote a joke that the character’s mum named him after Noah Wyle, and now it’s no longer the weirdly niche reference I wanted it to be.

The fact that I watched ‘The Pitt’ for two weeks straight means I’ve basically watched nothing else, but I have dipped back into the new season of ‘Virgin River’, which remains the most ridiculous melodrama, and I hope it runs forever (and I feel Charmaine will still be pregnant if it does). I’ve also been keeping up with the world’s dumbest Firefighters in 911, and in niche-ish nerdy things, was delighted when they soundtracked an episode with ‘Carry on My Wayward Son’ (I will not be elaborating, you either were there or you weren’t).

Finally, against my better judgment, I’m still watching MAFS. Men continue to have the audacity, but also at the risk of the botox-ed orange girlies branding me ‘not a girls’ girl’ this season has demonstrated the viciousness of women as a pack when someone doesn’t fit in (or they decide she doesn’t)

What I’ve been doing (work)

Mostly preparing for book release (as the plethora of other blogs will attest!) while juggling an arts project I’m working on and a (semi-secret? Mainly in case it goes nowhere) series of research interviews for a new project. At some point, too, I hope to have a bit more balance to get back to fiction-writing properly. And time to breathe, that would be nice. There’s a weird lull this week and last before I can do anything/events start happening for the new book,

so it feels like an incredibly busy but also limbo period of work.

What I’ve been doing (fun)

Hockey season is over!!

More importantly, the team that so many dismissed earlier in the season as a waste of time, only went and won the damn playoffs! Second in the league and playoff champions? I’ll take that.

In all seriousness, I was both so proud and so emotional about the win. The team deserved it, and I feel those of us who believed in them, or at least stuck by them all year, felt a certain sense of pride and accomplishment, too. It’s not just about the winning, but it sure is nice to see. But also this year truly cemented what hockey means to me- I might not have been there with the team to see the win, but I really felt part of something.

What now? Well, firstly, a few weekends without somewhere to be is quite nice, a chance to see a little daylight also. But in addition to that, the summer is, ironically, when I traditionally get more time to skate myself, so no time off from the rink.

A little reminder that my book is out next week (!) and here are some places you can hear me talk about it (if you’re so inclined)