Adam’s Weekly Blog: A Couple Updates and my September Favourites!

*Insert witty greeting reference here*.

Welcome to another one of my weekly blogs- chronicling my life at About the Town, the great times, the great opportunities, and the forty five minute walks in the rain.

 This week will be a busy one. I be attending a social media management course with the lovely Rene- as a part of my kickstart placement, wherein I receive training for something- a nice shiny qualification to put on my CV should do very nicely indeed. But not only that, I will be in attendance at the Your Protection/About the Town Networking Event, held this Thursday at West Lancs College. Not only will I be meeting our brand new salesperson, Leanne, for the first time, but I’ll also have to opportunity to finally meet our local business owners in person, new and old friends to the magazine. I look forward to seeing you all there.

This week is also one of celebration. After a month or two of trying my hardest, I have successfully passed my driving theory test (on the fourth attempt, but we don’t have to talk about that). This means that soon, I won’t be haunting the bus lines going in and out of Skem, and Bev doesn’t have to drive me a bunch of places any more. I’m looking into fast-track courses, so hopefully I’ll be out driving to work in my little Vauxhall this time next month.

September is good and all, but I won’t miss it much, as October, and the promise of Halloween spook is too tantalising- see you later boring back to school vibes, hello to cheap candy and hot vampires!

Still, September has brought some great things into my world- so I thought for this last blog of the month, I’ll share some of my favourites, the books, TV shows, movies, games or anything at all I discovered this month that make me happy. Maybe I’ll inspire you to check them out too, and perhaps even make this a monthly thing? We’ll see!

The New Legends of Monkey- TV Series

The Journey to the West is one of the first recorded stories in the world, a Chinese Epic that focuses on the journey of enlightenment, with a cast of quirky characters, including Sun Wukong, the legendary monkey king. My mum always told me about the series Monkey when she was young, and recently we found its remake, The New Legends of Monkey on Netflix, a modern retelling of the classic Journey to the West Story. I, my mum and my dad have been binging the series for the past week and we can’t get enough. Epic martial arts fight scenes are coupled with hilarious absurdist comedy and really charming characters. My favourite is Sandy, a river goddess who’s awkward behaviour, punk aesthetic and away-with-the-fairies attitude make her instantly relatable, though the signature character Monkey is also a standout (and not bad looking not gonna lie.)

It’s a PG rating so safe for kids to watch along with you, and is a pretty epic tale full of whimsy and creativity. I’m going to have to track down a copy of Journey to the West after I’m finished with the second season, just to keep my fix going!

The Song of Achilles- Book

I had this book, by Madeline Miller, recommended to me by one of my friends online. I bought it last week and haven’t been able to put it down! 

I’ve been a fan of Greek mythology for many years, and have delved quite deep into the recesses of those classic tales of demigods and monsters. The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Trojan War and the life of the half-nymph hero with the weak heel, all told from the perspective of his lover and childhood playmate, Patroclus. 

The book’s atmosphere gives it such a gripping edge that I can’t get out of my mind, Miller’s gift for description and simile, and the raw visceral details of the human body make captivating and almost erotic reading experience. I’m around halfway through and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. If you love an immersive reading experience full of culture, or are just looking for book recommendations, this novel has shot up very high on my list of favourites. 

Pumpkin Heads- Graphic Novel

I was familiar with the works of Rainbow Rowell, most notably her impact alongside Alice Oseman in the realm of LGBT literature, with her works such as “Carry On.” So, I was delighted to see she has worked on a graphic novel with artist Faith Erin Hicks. 

Books of all shapes and sizes generally have a special place in my heart, but with my love of comic books as a kid, Graphic Novels have a firm place in my heart, such as the Scott Pilgrim and Heartstopper series’. I love dynamic art styles alongside fast paced and enjoyable stories. Pumpkin Heads is just that, enjoyable. It’s a light hearted romp following Josiah and Deja, two teens heading to college, and their final shift at a pumpkin patch. The whole book is filled to the brim with cosy Autumn vibes, and the blossoming romance between the two leads is endearing to see. It’s generally a feel good book- that I imagine myself pulling out and rereading on a cosy autumn day… and it makes me really hungry for pie… 

Rupaul’s Drag Race UK Season 3- TV Series

I’ve been following Drag Race for quite a while. I love the funny moments and the challenges, and it has taught me quite a lot about culture, fashion and just loving yourself. The previous two UK seasons have been amazing, so when season three dropped this month, I was ecstatic, and when I sat down to watch it, I was not disappointed. We had some heart warming moments, a bit of drama, and of course, stunning runways. I am attached to all the contestants this season, each of them bringing so much personality and charm; I don’t want any of them to go home!!

But I’m surely not the only one who fell in love with River Medway- as she shuffled about the stage with a traffic cone on her head, imitating a famous Kent statue. Her charming personality and presentation has set the internet on fire with memes and I am not immune to it. Though, at this point, I’m happy for anyone to win, I am firmly #teamriver. I can’t wait to see what else this season has in store.

Loki, Where Mischief Lies- Book

It’s become common knowledge at this point on my weekly blogs, that superheroes are my one true love. I love epic stories of teams of heroes fighting and defeating the darkness in the world and have done since I was a very young boy. Recently, with a Spiderman Omnibus, I have discovered that Marvel has a bunch of novels about their popular I.Ps, and Loki was one I found to be really enjoyable. The brother of Thor and witty antihero of the Marvel Universe has always captivated me with his charm, magical prowess, ambiguous sexuality and amazing fashion sense; he’s alongside Hulkling, Spiderman and the Guardians of the Galaxy as one of my favourite Marvel characters. So, when I found this novel, where he’s cast back into Victorian London and solving a grim murder case, I fell in love even more. With some of my favourite books being classic nineteenth century novels, Frankenstein, Dracula etc, having such an amazing character in that setting is so gratifying. The side characters, such as Theo and of course Thor, are also very charming and the read was very enjoyable, with a gripping mystery and some lovely ominous moments. 

It’s a short read, the text is pretty large and I finished it in a day or two, so this is probably more ideal for younger readers; if you know a young lover of Marvel, and want to get them reading, definitely pick this up for them.

So those are my favourites for this month. I will no doubt, with my constant media and literature consumption, have some more eventually, so if y’all enjoy this, then I’ll do some favourites for every month! I’m happy to give recommendations for any kind of text, and love sharing the things I enjoy and care about like this.

Next week, expect… something… Once again I’m not sure what but I’m sure it’ll come to me. Thanks again for supporting me and my journey here at About the Town. I’m loving that I can make a living writing and talking about the things I love every day, and that so many people love what I bring to our community. 

Until then my darlings.