May

Reading

A slower reading month because life has been chaotic, but I devoured each of the following:

The Boyfriend Academy - J.S Strange

You might know Jack Strange from his romcoms (which are delightful too), but The Boyfriend Academy is a speculative fiction YA book set in a boarding school against a backdrop of an altered but also all too familiar world. A world where couples are paired up out of school for marriage, where everyone is assigned their own role in life by the schools, and the world is divided into these people and others…in that the book dives into the lives of boys at the school while they grapple with who they are, but also question what is actually going on outside. It’s gripping, think The Hunger Games style dystopia but set against a future version of Wales. Dying for a sequel already.

Oh and you can catch me and Jack speaking about his work at Bookish Abergavenney on Wednesday, 22nd July (details here)

The Build a Boyfriend Project - Mason Deaver

One thing about me: I love a self-referential romcom/romance novel. So the fact that this book spends a chunk of a chapter referencing romance tropes while being a romance, no notes. It feels very classic 90s romcom too, with one character working in a magazine, setting up fake dating for an article. That too, we have a transman main character whose trans identity isn’t the story or ‘issue’, just makes this even more delightful.

The Outrage- William Hussey

Another speculative fiction piece that hits way to close to home. A future world where traces of LGBTQIA+ culture are erased from public life, where children are policed on everything from haircuts to not reciting the party line…feels dangerously familiar. But as with JS Strange’s book, the idea that young people will question and rebel feels like a bit of hope in these increasingly darker-feeling stories…

Watching

Your Friends and Neighbours (Apple TV)

I’m so happy my favourite mid-life crisis is back. Jon Hamm robbing his rich friends partly for the lols, partly to avoid working in corporate America, is hugely relatable, actually, and I love that we always want him to win and lose at once. Hamm proves his great comedic skills and a bone-dry delivery that make him incredibly endearing. It’s even more brilliant in that it’s based on a true story, because there’s nowt as queer as rich folks. Another great example of Apple TV throwing money at the right things.

The Pitt (Now)

I’m watching in ‘real time’ on UK streaming, so I’m behind the Americans on this. But I remain fully addicted to Doctor Robbie’s, not quite a midlife crisis, more a midlife breakdown. As a certified connoisseur of medical drama, this is both refreshingly new and incredibly familiar as a format and executed brilliantly. Dr King is my new bestie, and Dr Abbott is everyone’s night shift boyfriend. Plus a lad from Barry starring in it, what’s not to love?

As a side note, this did inspire me to start a rewatch of ER for baby Noah Wyle, but life has been busy, so I’ve only got one episode in so far, but that’s going to be Winter 2026’s project. Shout-out to my friend Paul, who has diligently watched one episode of ER a week since 2020.

Rivals (Disney)

Never has the phrase ‘my body is ready’ (Tumblr circa 2012) been more apt for a TV show. Furthermore, there’s not a single misstep in this show. Episode 2 might quite seriously be the best executed episode of TV this year. It’s exquisite TV- it’s glossy, over the top escapism, because none of it is life or death, it’s daft rich people backstabbing and shagging (sometimes at once). It’s female gaze-driven (thank you, Dame Jilly), and everyone is having the best time. The shirtless hot men might be fun, but actually, David Tennant in full-on bitch-mode is giving me life. It’s such a conundrum, on one hand I’m utterly repulsed by him, on the other Tennant is having such a good time with it, and I can’t actually look away. And also a moment for Danny Dyer, his wig, and being the most endearing man in the Cotswolds.

This month also saw the wrapping up of two staples: 911 and Grey’s. I’m pleased to report that neither gets any less ridiculous. I genuinely think the 911 writers are at times on a mix of cough medicine and caffeine, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. As for Greys, the women of Seattle will finally know peace from Owen-Fucking-Hunt.

Listening

Maise Peters- Fluorescence

I’m a Maise girlie through and through, and while ‘The Good Witch’ will always feel like Autumn to me, we now have a fully summer Maise album. It’s a delightfully bouncy, fun summary with lyrics that cut through. Personally, I can’t get ‘Vampire Time’ out of my head, and I’m not mad about it.

Bleachers- everyone for 10 Minutes

Apparently, the new Bleachers have divided people…regretfully for the haters, I’m in the love-it camp. I love that I was about to say “experiment,” but I am going to say “mess about with their sound,” and I’m enjoying whatever this is. ‘We Should Talk’ is a favourite, and feels like the kind of thing nerds of the internet circa 2012 (which is named checked) would write, and I’m here for it.

Also devastated, I missed the on-sale of the tour, and Bristol is sold out.

Doing (Fun)

Relatively speaking, not much, but not in a bad way…this month has been quiet-ish. I went to London to see Aidan Turner in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which gave a pleasing, filthy Aidan bookend to the month. London is already unbearable in summer, which doesn’t bode well, as I’m rounding off the month back down for a work thing, but also to revisit The Producers. Yes, I could have seen something new, but April, who was having a really rough time, figured seeing something I know I’ll love was a good move.

Otherwise, summer doesn’t mean no ice skating, so there’s been that, and steady quiet progress there. And the gym bootcamp I accidentally joined a few months back, and despite it being the kind of thing I usually hate, actually…kinda love seeing the bunch of random people every Saturday morning.

Doing (work)

My book was launched! It’s a weird on this time around with the book being out in May but most events being Pride-month oriented, so it felt a little like ‘here it is…Bueller…Bueller…’

But at the end of the month, I’m rounding off with two kinds of ‘what the hell’ moments. Firstly speaking at the Hay Literature Festival, which I believe is the second largest literature festival in the UK (behind Edinburgh) and not somewhere I ever saw myself speaking…but speak I did, in fact accidentally ending up chairing the panel we were on because our chair was delayed and only made it for half of it…Hay is such a nice experience, and they treat every speaker the same as the famous people; everyone gets to go in the green room, gets a free (fancy!) meal, gets escorted to your book signing…it’s actually all a bit mad. But getting my Hay flower (they give one to every speaker and have done for years) was a real ‘wow’ moment.

Following that, this Friday (kind of cheating as I haven’t done it yet), I’ll be leading gallery tours with the National Portrait Gallery. Which again is not a sentence I thought I’d write. But also to give myself credit comes from both hard work in the background, and being willing to say yes to a lot of random things. Of which I’m thrilled, this is one.

More on the event here

And next month the book tour continues, with Pride month in full swing and you can

see me at the following places…

One more, I’m thrilled to announce with Siop Armadillo in Wales Millennium Centre