Wolf Hall and Wolf Hall 2: Bring Up The Bodies are two of the best books ever. Hilary Mantel delivers a stunning portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the understated but supremely talented āblacksmithās boyā turned Secretary to Henry VIII. All sorts of things happen in these two books as he (Thomas Cromwell) navigates his way around a large cast of cunning characters and through a number of sticky situations. There is a third and final book (Wolf Hall 3: The Mirror and the Light) that I imagine is also one of the best books of all time but I havenāt read it yet but I did get it for Christmas so can look forward to reading it soon! -Charlie
Great high fantasy series. Does such a good job world building and putting characters in genuinely interesting circumstances. Plus, thereās like 20 books so you can stay in the world.
With your interest in whimsy and YA fiction I would highly recommend Shepherd King Duology by Rachel Gillig. I flew through these books they were so engaging and had a really interesting magic system and a plot that doesnāt follow the standard āchosen oneā you see in a lot of fantasy.
Iāve been hanging out a lot with my best friendās grandma. Sheās really great. She lets me come to her church and play the organ there. We have coffee, and she recently showed me all her textile art pieces. We listened to the Beethoven cello sonataĀ (A major) she is requesting for her funeral. Sheās strong, creative, quick witted and stands up for me when other members of the congregation donāt want me to play the organ. -May
This object recently came into my life. I found it on my dadās shelf and had a listen through. It was a āconversationā between my dad and my (then) baby sister, learning to speak. Iād never been transported to another time like that before, it was like I was in the room, a feeling no photo or video had ever given me. In that moment I realised the importance of audio documentation. Iāve made a decision to record interactions on this device for the foreseeable - until it dies I suppose. -Tyler
This band is called the Siesta Singers. I collected them from the insides of chocolate eggs from 2004-2005, but lost contact with them in the years since. Recently, I decided to track them down and found they could be sent to my door for a reasonable Ā£6.20. I canāt tell if they are exactly the same guys, but they still play in time when you press down on their hats. I heartily recommend reconnecting with old gizmos and friends. -Luke
