First of all happy St Jean-Baptiste to those of you in Quebec!  It’s the provincial holiday here today and we have great weather for it.

This week I finished Because You’ll Never Meet me by Leah Thomas.  I mentioned it in my last reading roundup – it’s the letter exchange between two young boys whose physical limitations leave them isolated.  I really loved the way their friendship was developed and a full review is coming soon.  

I know many people really enjoy the work of Guy Gavriel Kay, especially those who enjoy high fantasy.  I started reading The Summer Tree, but I just couldn’t get into it.  For some reason, the characters just didn’t click with me and I didn’t find myself drawn into the worldbuilding as I normally am.  In all fairness, I think it was probably more to do with my not really being in the mood for epic fantasy than any fault of the novel or writer.  I will likely revisit it at some point in the future.

This is borne out by the fact that the other book I read this week was Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.  This is a YA contemporary romance and is the follow up to Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door.  This is a very easy read – sometimes I became a little frustrated that there was little conflict between the two lovers at least at the beginning.  I did love the setting though – what can be more romantic than Paris? – and it was great catching up with characters from the previous two books.  They all make cameo appearances.  I gave Isla and the Happily Ever After four stars out of five.

Actually, it’s fair to say I spent more time watching movies and TV shows this week than reading.  That’s not usual for me.  I watched all four Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  Yes, I think it’s safe to assume I wasn’t in the mood for any heavy drama!  Of course it helped that Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are very easy on the eye…

I also watched Netflix’s new drama, Sense8.  This is about a group of eight strangers in eight different countries who suddenly find themselves linked with a psychic bond.  They need to work together to discover what has bound them and to ensure that they all remain free and safe.  I really enjoyed this series – it was an interesting concept with a clever script and well acted.  If you’ve not watched it yet, I can recommend it.

This week I went to see Pixar’s Inside Out.  It has been getting great reviews and so I had high expectations.  I’m happy to say it met and exceeded those expectations.  It is a wonderful, sweet movie both amusing and intelligent and should be a must see.

That’s about all I have for this week.  Talk to you soon!