Read: I’ve just started on J.K. Rowling’s latest, The Casual Vacancy. The book has attracted criticism for being too adult for her existing readership (as previously covered here at Limited News by Jennifer Bennett), but I’m looking forward to seeing what Rowling can achieve with a real world setting. So far it is cracking along quite well, and it’s good to see that her editors have obviously reigned her back in after the shambolic, unpruned mess that the final Harry Potter book was.
Listen: Audiobooks from my local library. Did you know that you can join just about any library from the comfort of your couch? Even better, you don’t need to go in and pick up a card before you can get stuck into downloading audio and ebooks from many of them. Extra bonus points: most libraries are happy for you to join, even if you don’t live or work in the area they service. It sounds too good to be true, but after joining three libraries in as many months I’m hooked. I can access multiple services to look for the titles I want, or utilise the easiest service via whichever library has access. Bliss. I’m looking forward to more libraries picking up bigger and better ebook services, too.
Watch: Hit & Miss has one of those premises that has you rolling your eyes. A transsexual hit woman discovers that she is a father when an ex-girlfriend dying of cancer sends her a letter to break the news, and is thrust into the lives of a rural English family struggling to get by. Once you get past this unlikely opening, Chloe Sevigny hooks the audience in with her detached, slightly bewildered portrayal of Mia. I’m three episodes in and enjoying the way the story is unfolding. The performances from all of the young cast members are particularly good, and thus far the show hasn’t shied away from any of the complicated, multi-faceted issues that comes with having a transsexual character.
