Being Bookish

We're definitely getting closer to Christmas, so, this week I have a guest, Griff from The Paul and Griff Show. We start off by talking about one of Netflix's 2019 Festive offerings, Holiday in the Wild, starring Kristen Davis and 1980s heartthrob, Rob Lowe. We then get a little waylaid on the subject of avoiding spoilers, what makes a Christmas film and our current plans for the next few weeks.

This episode was recorded a few weeks ago and in it, I have introduced Lorraine from Once Upon a Nightmare to a film that is probably more horrific to her than anything she has reviewed before...yes, I made her watch Disney's High School Musical!

To find out exactly what she thought, you'll have to listen, and I hope you laugh at her reactions as much as I did!

In the final episode of Jennifer Aniston season, I am looking at a film that is definitely not all sweetness and light. Witness the breakdown of a relationship as Brooke and Gary do everything they can to make the break-up as painful as possible in 2006's The Break-up.

Watch the alternate ending here.

Today is an extra special Bookshop episode as not only do I discuss the first in the Percy Jackson the Olympians series, but I managed to persuade Kelsey and Kailin from the fantastic book podcast Touch Your Shelf to put a pause on their hiatus to talk about it with me. In the episode we talk about guilty pleasures, mythology, why bookshelves should (or shouldn't) be carefully organised and so much more. Give the episode a listen to find out what we really enjoyed about the book and the things that caused us to pause and stare blankly at the page for a few moments.

It's the penultimate episode of Jennifer Aniston Season and I am taking a look at one of her more recent romantic comedies, the first of her two roles with Adam Sandler, 2011's Just Go With It. This film is based loosely on the 1969 film Cactus Flower and could be considered something of a farce, if the story is analysed too closely, at least. Is this one of Aniston's better romantic comedies? Was it received better by the critics and the audience? How did it do at the box office? Give this episode a listen to find out.

Promo: Show me the Podcast

It had to be on the list somewhere, and what better time than now to talk about one of Aniston's most successful romcoms (at least when it comes to the box office). So here I am, talking about Along Came Polly, her 2004 romcom with Ben Stiller. It feels somewhat appropriate after one of the reviews I talked about last week mentioned that Jennifer Aniston was better in films starring Stiller and Sandler. I also talk about anxiety and how I have been feeling this week.

Set in a future not too far from ours, this dystopian New Adult fantasy from Laura Thalassa. This is the first in a series of four books, with the fourth due to be released on 9th November. I wasn't sure what to expect of this as I haven't read any other books by this author, so this was a learning experience.

The Changeover

Good Omens

It's 1997 and Sarah Huttinger is returning home to Pasadena for her younger sister's wedding. While there she discovers the scandal that she believes could uncover the reason why she's never felt like a true part of her family. Is she clutching at straws or is she on to something? Well, Rumour Has It that The Graduate was based on her family's best-kept secret...This week I am taking a look at the 2005 Rob Reiner film starring Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo and Kevin Costner.

Stick It!

Wimbledon

The Holiday

Chalet Girl

There is another book with this same title, but I am not looking at a psychology text in this episode. In fact, I am going to be looking at the sequel to a book I reviewed about 6 weeks ago. All the Feels, by Olivia Dade, is the sequel to Spoiler Alert, which I really enjoyed, and I hope that I encouraged you to give a try. It follows in the same vein, while Spoiler Alert gave an insight into fat-shaming and judging a book by its cover, this one looks at the damage poor self-esteem and lack of self-care can do to a person's self-belief.

All the Feels came out on Tuesday 26th October in the UK and US and is a must-read if you love contemporary romance.

If you're a fan of The Wedding Singer, or maybe 50 First Dates, then chances are that you've also seen the film I am taking a look at for this episode, 2014's Blended. This is the third film that Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler worked on together. So, did I like it better than Sandler's more recent projects, or does it fall to the same stereotypes that many romantic comedies are full of?

As well as taking a look at this 2014 romcom, I also spend a few moments sharing something about my mental health.