What I read this month...

It is that time of the month of again where I delve into some stuff I have been reading throughout the month. This month has seen me read a nice range of stuff. Some of it has been some regular stuff that I always read, some not so regular. Let us get into it...


1: My French...

As per the reading challenges in my French lessons are occurrences that I do as part of my plan to learn French. I am slowly but surely on my way to seven hundred days! I am continuing this for as long as I can. I said many, many weeks ago that I planned to get to one thousand days! I know, it is a big task. However, I have no plan not to make it. I take each day as it comes, make it through a week and hope I can reach the next one hundred milestone. You get two streak freezes which means if you accidentally miss a day then you get our streak saved! I once missed two days without realising because life was hectic then.


2: My chess...

I recently started learning and have been doing well with it the past few weeks. What I like about it is how the instructions I read are often short, making it easy to follow. I actually have some big resin figurines from the DC Chess set with a chess board. I got most of them online at a reduced price. This is because when they first came out, they started cheap at £1.99, then £4.99 or £5.99 but then shot up a lot. After all, it all adds up. A couple are broken but I hope to get replacements in the future maybe.


3: Owners (1972) by Caryl Churchill.

This possessive and twisted play had me engaged from start to finish. I had a few Caryl Churchill plays in a book and as she was author of them month, I chose to read them all. I started with this one because chronologically, it came first. Also the name was one of her plays that seemed to pique my interest.


4: Oedipus Rex (C.429 BC) by Sophocles.

I was re-reading bits of this in preparation for reviewing it on my blog. You can read the review to see what I thought of this Greek tragedy.


5: Vinegar Tom (1976) by Caryl Churchill.

The next Caryl Churchill play was Vinegar Tom, with another title piquing my interest. As I became aware at university, Vinegar Tom is also the name of a infamous witch's familiar.


6: Hotel information.

I have been looking at hotel information for going away to see some family. I always look for key words or pieces of information before picking somewhere to stay. One play I looked at was not a hotel as such but reading horrific reviews mentioning cockroaches and another mentioning curtains falling down, it was an immediate no! One bad review could be an exception, but not mentioning bugs of any kind or having multiple unpleasant reviews. Still, it is a good job that some websites offer a numerical rating out of either five stars or a scoring out of ten.


7: Book titles, authors book blurbs.

The amount of times I have picked up a book in a shop to read the blurb after the reading the titles/authors and having that one stand out. I went out one day and visited a few charity shops and second hand book shops. I do love a second hand bookshop.


8: Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976) by Caryl Churchill.

Continuing my read through of some of Caryl Churchill's plays, next up was meeting Oliver Cromwell in Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. I reviewed this play on my blog which is different to the others I had reviewed. Have a look if you are curious to know what I thought.


9: Recipes, that's all.

I have been reading recipes because I am looking to cook more. I want food and recipes to inspire me to eat healthier dishes that I can enjoy with others, even if anyone is fussy.


10: Traps (1978) by Caryl Churchill.

Moving on and I have not yet given up reading Caryl Churchill's plays. I realised I could fit more in so that is what I decided to do! Again, Caryl Churchill keeps her same sense of style but offers a new idea to her work. You can check my review I published to get my insights into her play as with any that I read and reviewed.


11: Menus, more menus and even more menus.

As I am looking to go away to see family, I have been looking online at a wide range of menus for different restaurants, pubs and other eateries for what they offer. This includes the general menu items along with any deals they are running. Everyone loves a deal, am I right?


12: An Inspector Calls (1945) by J. B. Priestly.

I went back over this play to find a quote I want to mention in my blog post of which I reviewed the play. You can find the review published on my blog in the middle of this month.


13: Cloud 9 (1979) by Caryl Churchill.

You might be surprised to discover that I managed to read five plays by Caryl Churchill. Well don't! I read this at university and forgot most of what happened. Now I thought would be an excellent opportunity to re-read the play as it was included in my little book of her plays. Again, there is a review on my blog which you can read.


14: Facebook and Instagram.

I have been keeping myself updated with stuff I want to be in the know about. From hunger strikers protesting for Palestine to corrupt politicians trying to cover up the truth, I want to know about it. There is people I know who will try to say how great someone who is famous is, even when they have done bad things. Just because some people choose not be aware or do not want to hear the truth about their favourite corrupt politician, it does not mean that I will sit back silently.


15: Top Girls (1982) by Caryl Churchill.

This is the last play of Caryl Churchill that I read. I already had this as a seperate book, but got another book containing a mix of her plays as I knew reviewing one play would seem not enough.


That is my list of some things I have read this month.  Do check back in December to see what I have been reading throughout the month.


Until next time,


Thomas.

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