September favourites | Sense8 | Muji |Neopolitan Novels | Mad Max

Previously: April | May | June | July | August

It’s October! Enjoy this final selection of non-autumn/PSL/hallowe’en related things before I inevitably fall for the Fall hype of tumblr this month.

TV Series – Sense8

My friend Alice introduced me to this, and I watched the whole series in about two days. Honestly,  if you asked me, I couldn’t really tell you what happened. The plot is kind of an excuse to learn more about the 8 characters – even the sci-fi hook, of them being connected mentally in some mysterious way, is basically a sideline to exploring their lives. They are hugely diverse in every way, and all of them are lovely. Some are funny, some are terribly tragic, some are brutally cool. I want to be all of them. I can’t wait for more.

Shop – Muji

I’ve wandered around Muji a few times, and it was only very recently that the shop clicked for me. It’s a chain of Japanese shops which have the neatest little Things – like storage boxes, notebooks, stationery, make up and other stuff with slightly more mysterious purposes. It’s all very simple and plain and well made.

I use their cardboard storage boxes for manuscripts of novels, and I love their erasable gel pens (ERASABLE! GEL! PENS!). I have my eye on the storage drawers next for make up stuff.

Book – My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Ignore this truly terrible cover. This shit is the BOMB. If you’ve been reading a lot of YA recently, and you’re looking for a good Adult Literature series to sink your teeth into, this is a great one to go for. It’s about two girls from a very poor district of Naples in Italy, and the four books cover their lives and friendship in minute, incredibly attentive detail. I’m halfway through book three and they are still both eighteen. So it’s basically like YA for grown ups (or teenagers! You’ll like it too!).

The girls don’t realise they live in poverty, and they slowly come to terms with that, and fight against their upbringing to succeed in life, in whatever evolving way they define that. Often their only driving motivation is to compete against each other, and they are alternately each other’s only support and cruellest adversary. It’s fascinating reading, and I don’t think you can read the books without getting slightly obsessed with Lila and Lenu. Honestly, I could read about them forever.

Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Okay, I didn’t really understand a lot of this film. Like . . . you just have to sit back and enjoy it. I would enjoy more ‘diesel-punk’ in my fiction though, I know that much (especially the feminist kind).

To be watched with an enormous pint glass of ice cold water, because it’ll make you thirsty.

Object: THE COOLEST BOWL EVER

I just got back from holiday in South Wales, where I did such things as SWIM WITH A WILD SEAL and CARRY DOGS THROUGH CAVES.

I also bought what I’ve officially labelled ‘the coolest bowl ever’ in a little harbour village shop.

The village is now my #1 Life Goal House Ownership Location of Choice (not even kidding a little bit; did I mention the SEALS?). I’m going to support my future home by linking you to the shop’s website. They post items, so definitely get a wooden pirate if you’re into that.

Technology: Samsung Galaxy S5

I got a new phone! It’s amazing! There’s not much else to say about this, except I’m enjoying the experience of webpages being able to load before I fall asleep!

Music: Fall Out Boy

I went to see them live yesterday! They were very good. They didn’t play my favourite song though, which is this one.