Tag: thriller

More Great TV Shows

As much as I love reading, I also enjoy watching TV series and so now and again I write about my favourites. Right now, I am still hooked on Big Sky, Motherland and Nine Perfect Strangers. However, there are a few other notable shows that I’d like to mention.

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Not being a massive fan of football, it surprised me how much I enjoyed the first season of this series. It’s about an American football coach who comes over to London and starts managing a failing team. Jason Sudeikis is Ted Lasso, the charismatic, quirky leader who happens to know nothing about soccer at all.

He is joined by the feisty football club owner, played by Hannah Waddingham. She is best known for being the woman who followed Cersei on her walk of shame in Game of Thrones, while ringing a bell and shouting, ‘Shame!’ In this role she is steely but likeable and her character becomes central to the plot.

The footballers have little respect for Ted initially but his enthusiasm grates off on them. With a moving soundtrack and some really heart-warming moments, there is a definite feel-good vibe to this programme. I find myself with tears in my eyes during every episode.

This brilliant comedy- drama is moving, sweet and funny. Currently I am in the middle of season two as it is being released weekly, which is the way I prefer to watch things.

Vigil (BBC)

Source: BBC

A few weeks ago a new series started on BBC iPlayer called Vigil. It stars Suranne Jones, who is famous for Coronation Street and Doctor Foster, alongside Rosie Leslie. Rosie is famously married to Kit Harington and starred opposite him in Game of Thrones. Her character once said, ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow!’

Anyway, the setting is incredible as they have clearly built the interior of a nuclear submarine, stuffed with intricate details. Suranne’s character (DCI Amy Silva) is a police detective winched down into the sub to find out more about a mystery death on board.

The story that plays out involves action on the sub itself but also on land as her sidekick DC Kirsten Longacre (Rosie) rummages around on a navy base and gets to know anti-nuclear protestors who also seem to be involved in the plot.

With DCI Silva’s dramatic past, she is no fan of being trapped in a metal box, deep under the sea. Her anxiety gets the better of her at times. Meanwhile Rosie is pursued by a mystery group as she sets about finding out more about the guy who died.

These two TV series have really got me hooked. Ted Lasso because it engages all of my emotions and Vigil because of the incredible storyline set off the coast of Scotland. For more about other shows I like click here.

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Adore-thors! My Favourites

On my Youtube channel I began with a section called ‘Adore-thors’ where I celebrate some of my favourite writers. With today being the launch day for her new psychological thriller, I wanted to share some thoughts about the brilliant Joanne Harris. So now Adore-thors is a blog feature too.

Without a doubt, Joanne Harris’ books have captivated me for over twenty years. I have taken them on holiday with me and constantly have at least one on the go, including right now. Having met her on two occasions I realised that she is humble, funny and incredibly knowledgeable. That is why I adore her work and want to share information about her books in my blog.

Her latest book in the St Oswald’s series.

When she released her third book, Chocolat, she took the world by storm. It soon became a movie and the tie-in cover had Juliette Binoche on it, which is why it originally grabbed my attention. So I read the book and soon got round to checking out the film. Both were amazing and her writing style particularly grabbed me.

With Chocolat using all the senses and describing food in great detail it basically made me hungry for more. So on the way to a Paris holiday I devoured another book called ‘Five Quarters of an Orange’, also set in France. But French books were not Joanne’s single niche.

Different Genres

Over time I kept coming back to her books, initially when I discovered her set of very different short stories. ‘Jigs and Reels’ provided an interesting and often witty collection of stories that showed me her clever imagination and diversity. This writer had skill!

Later I met Loki, the trickster God, in her book ‘The Gospel of Loki’. This was a kind of YA fantasy book that explored her love of Norse mythology and was part of a group of novels on a similar theme, including Runemarks.

But it was her first book set in a quaint private school known as St Oswald’s that began a series which she is carrying on today. Getting to know the teachers and students in the incredible ‘Gentlemen and Players’ I was surprised by the twists and turns that kept me guessing right up to the end.

My review of ‘Gentlemen and Players’ can be found here

So I wish Joanne a great publication day today for her fourth book in the series. It’s called ‘A Narrow Door’ and looks every bit as absorbing as her other wonderful books.

My Writing- short stories

A Run to Remember.

This is a short extract from one of my short stories published in a book known as ‘Short Dates’. I hope that you like it and consider checking out more of my work.

My collection of short stories.

The sun was shining and I felt uplifted. This was the first time there had been a cloudless sky in months. Digby sniffed at my heels noisily, begging to go out on an adventure. I figured it would be a good idea to go for a run and take the pooch with me. I tied his lead to his collar and grabbed some earphones. A new album was downloaded and I was ready for a nice start to the day and a chance to clear my head. As I ran off down the street, the dog stayed close by my side, striding powerfully as we crossed the road and went down the alleyway.

 

The new beats filled my head and I began to step in time to the song. The dog was happy stretching his legs and stopping now and again to explore the lamp posts. I was determined to carry on running every time he stopped and so I jogged on the spot. I must have looked strange but I didn’t care. This week had been a stressful one with loads of work deadlines and the washing machine breaking down. At least I had had that date with Sarah on Wednesday. She really was a great laugh and I couldn’t stop thinking about how fit she was. It was good to know that afterwards she wanted to text and tell me what a good time she had had. It was a bit of a shame that she had not texted me today though. But I guess it was early and there was plenty of time for that. I had decided that later on I would invite her over for a take away as I was aware there was a film on TV tonight that she was keen to see.

 

Digby had liked her. She popped round mine before we went to the pub and grabbed some cheeky cocktails. He had got lots of attention from her. She was so easy to get on with. Not easy for a guy round here to find someone worth the effort. But she was definitely worth trying for. She was sexy, clever and had a cool sense of humour. Digby did not take to everyone. I mean, he always chewed at my mum when she came round. He gave her a hard time and barked and hissed at her. Sarah made him docile and sweet. She got him to roll on his stomach and flirt with her. He flirted a lot better than I ever could.