Well, those glimpses of nicer weather back in April really ramped up in May. As I write this update in the final few days of the month, we’ve been basking in over 30-degree temperatures – something of a heatwave for us here in the UK. We’ve also seen some incredible rain and thunderstorms, too. Nothing like the great British weather! And in between it all, I’ve found time to watch a lot of TV series’ and films, and a fair bit of reading, too!
Progress continues on my aforementioned writing project. It’s a short story project, and the first story is coming along nicely. It’s not finished yet, but I’m not stressing over that. I’m enjoying the odd occasions when I do dabble in writing and seeing how it progresses. I know I’ve been teasing this one for a few months now, but I’m not ready to reveal anything yet until I’ve got one or two stories done.
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Continuing on my alphabet challenge, I opted for a translated work. I had some mixed results with Japanese fiction last year, some good, some not so, but this one caught my eye. It’s a dystopian novel set on an island in Japan controlled by the Memory Police. Certain memories and their associated physical forms are decreed to be forgotten, and the police ensure that happens. It starts with small things – photos, food items and boats, entrapping the residents on the island. The story follows a young writer. Her latest novel follows a girl who loses her voice and can only communicate via a typewriter. As both stories progress, the characters all lose more and more of themselves and their worlds. It’s a wonderful, dark story with an undercurrent of hope that never truly gets realised.
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The “His Dark Materials” book series has been on my TBR for quite some time now, even before I watched the series on the BBC some years ago. While that series covered the entire series, it’s been a while now, so it was nice to listen to the audiobook, read by the fantastic Ruth Wilson. While I remembered the core elements of the story, Wilson does a fantastic job of narrating a deep story with lots of moving parts. Her portrayal of all the characters was brilliant, and the narrative itself was brilliant fun. I’ll be looking forward to reading/listening to the other books in the series.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Another classic I’d not yet read, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s is next up on my Alphabet Reading Challenge. Straight out of the gates, I’m a big fan of the first-person narration. I enjoyed the depictions of mental institutions in 1960s America and the treatment of patients at that time. With the introduction of McMurphy as the ward antagonist, the carefully curated order imposed by Nurse Ratched is thrown into disarray. He comes in to try to cause as much chaos as he can while not seeming to be as insane as he claims to be. His antics escalate in an attempt to flap the unflappable Nurse Ratched. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth power play between the two throughout. It made for a really great read despite the very sterile setting.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook of The Martian, even more than the film, so I was excited to dive into this one. Narrated by Ray Porter, the book is fantastically written and narrated. Once again, I loved the first-person narrative approach to storytelling. I also thoroughly enjoyed the split timeline format – past and present narratives being told together. Ryland Grace finds himself drafted from his life as a school science teacher into the role of saviour of Earth as a member of the Hail Mary project – one final throw of the dice. Despite the current global situation, this book projected a sense of hope. The idea of humanity coming together to save the world was nice, but the sense of hope really came from the friendship between Grace and “Rocky”, the alien. Their relationship throughout is beautiful and emotional at times, possibly the best part of a great story.
Secret Service
Secret Service is a fantastic political thriller set in a world of deep political division and the threat of foreign influence. Given the current state of the world, it’s not entirely beyond belief. It follows a team of secret service agents attempting to uncover the plot, tracking and infiltrating a group of influential Russians. They also worked to uncover the British politician in the pocket of the Russians before they found themselves in a position of power. It was somewhat predictable in places, but it was filled with twists and turns and an ending that, while it seems finished, still left some questions unanswered. It was a fun watch overall.
Prisoner
The Prisoner is a high-octane thriller that starts with the transfer of a high-profile criminal ahead of an important court trial. His testimony will make or break the case. During the transport, the convoy is hijacked, and the prisoner and one of his transfer guards go on the run to protect him. The criminal organisation he once worked for are seeking to silence him with no regard for the collateral damage that may occur. It made for an over-the-top, tense watch that was great entertainment, despite its seeming implausibility.
Swapped
Swapped is a fun, animated tale about two animals that swap bodies in the forest. It follows a period where the guardians of the land have fled, and divisions between animals have grown. In an effort to save themselves and return to their bodies, the two protagonists have to work together to save the land. It’s not a particularly deep or challenging watch, but it’s fun with plenty of ups and downs and the kind of happy ending that makes it a perfect film for a family movie evening.
Apex
Starring Taron Egerton and Charlize Theron, Apex is a tense, thrilling film set in the Australian outback. Following the loss of her partner on a tricky mountain climb, a woman heads to Australia on a solo hike. When a local helps her in the face of what she thinks is harassment, she sets off a dangerous chain of events. Her apparent rescuer first turns up at the exact place he recommended she visit, then sets off a cat-and-mouse game through the wilderness with potentially deadly consequences. While Egerton plays the villain in this, Theron’s character, as the victim, is very unlikable. Egerton played his part as a strangely endearing and yet deeply troubled individual, who made for quite an unpleasant protagonist. While not an overly cerebral film, it’s a great Saturday night thriller.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from this film when I read that it’s a story of connections and emotions narrated from the perspective of an octopus in a small-town aquarium. Lonely and tired, the octopus only reacts well to the elderly caretaker – a widow whose son died some years before. It follows her story, coming to terms with her life as it is now and the arrival of someone new in town. The narration is the octopus offering his observations on what he sees, while we get to see the wider story unfold. I thoroughly enjoyed what turned out to be a beautiful, emotional story filled with ups and downs. I’ve added the book to my Kindle, ready to enjoy soon!
Project Hail Mary
I did not expect to get so emotionally invested in the friendship between a human and a rock-based alien life form, but then I hadn’t read or watched Project Hail Mary. The audiobook, as mentioned above, is a beautiful thing, and so is the film. It’s different in places, no doubt of that. And it’s to be expected – how often are films based on books identical in every way? But this version stays close enough to get a huge thumbs up from me. The blossoming “brotherhood” between two lonely travellers is beautiful to see on screen. The dual timeline, as we see Grace remember how he came to be in space, is also wonderfully rendered on screen. All in all, a wonderful adaptation with two brilliant main characters.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Unsurprisingly, this is another film that does, in places, diverge from the book, but not too far. Jack Nicholson puts in a star turn as Randle McMurphy – he made the character very much his own. Louise Fletcher, in turn, really brought to life the controlling and manipulating nature of Nurse Mildred Ratched. The film beautifully visualises how Ratched weaponises the mental health system to feed her desire for total control and obedience. Special mentions go to Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd for their cameos, so brilliant that I almost didn’t recognise either of them!
Two Point Museum – Arty Facts DLC
The team at Two Point Studios have done it again with a new set of quirky challenges and an all-new museum to enjoy. This time around we are tasked with setting up an art museum, discovering arty exhibits from an brand new expedition map and letting new art experts create their own masterpieces while tapping into their emotions. It’s filled with all of the quirky humour I’ve now come to know and love from this studio, and it definitely keeps me wanting more from this game and whatever else they come up with in the future!
Outbound
This is a beautiful little open world cosy game. You take off into a stylised world in your campervan. You drive around the wilderness, harvesting materials and resources and upgrading your camper. You get to build and expand your home-away-from-home as you explore. While you don’t come across any other characters, you find notes and letters around the world, adding to the story as you go. It’s not a taxing game, but is brilliant for a light, easy play of an evening in front of the TV.
Kiefer Sutherland – May 12th
On May 12th 2026, Canadian-British actor Kiefer Sutherland performed his brand of country-inspired music at the stunning Union Chapel in London. I’ve been lucky enough to see Kiefer perform before, so I was really excited for this show. Not just another Hollywood celeb trying to make it as a singer, Sutherland has genuine chops as a musician. His passion for singing and songwriting comes through in his work and his performances. With a medley of songs from his first three albums and a healthy smattering of tracks off of his upcoming album, Grey, it was a fantastic show filled with catchy country and bluesy numbers with a raw energy all served up in a stunning setting. A fantastic performer on the stage, Sutherland really seems to love this part of his career.
June sees holiday time for me, with an upcoming trip to North Wales to look forward to. Hopefully, there will be more news to come on my writing, too!
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Steven Smith 