With everything that's going on in the world, it has become a common trend for creatives to adapt their content to be relevant to the situation. I was torn whether or not this was something I wanted to do for my blog, but then I decided it's actually a good thing. Creatives are banding together to help each other and the world during this difficult time.
There is no end-date in site for this catastrophe, and still the clocks keep on ticking, and I don't know about you guys, but the past three weeks have been the longest three weeks of my life. I have so much to do, and yet it feels like time means nothing and the days are getting incredibly long. So, one day I sat down, and made a "lockdown lit" list. On this list is all the creative content I want to try and catch up with. Normally, I'm a busy student, but right now I'm a less busy student, so I want to fill that extra time with catching up on all the things I've missed. In this list I'll be talking about films, tv shows, books and podcasts I want to catch up with during this lockdown. We may be stuck inside, but that doesn't mean I can't make this lockdown "lit".
Books
In an ideal world, I would read every single unread book on my bookshelves during this lockdown, however, even with all the extra time in the world, I still won't make it through my entire TBR. I thought I'd share with you some of my top books I'm hoping to get to. I'm also going to be including some books I want to reread.
Let's start with the books I haven't read. First on my list, is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Having seen the most recent adaptation and falling in love with the story, I knew I wanted to read the book. I've had a copy for almost 4 years and I still haven't read it. It is quite a hefty book, but I have both a physical copy and a digital copy.
Next on my list is another hefty book and that is Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I remember watching the TV show when it first aired maybe four or five years ago, and really loving it. My dad very kindly bought me the book, but it is 1006 pages long, making it the longest book I would have ever read. I am planning on reading it for the O.W.L.s readathon hosted by bookroast on YouTube. Hopefully by the end of this month, I will have read it and finally ticked it off my TBR.
Finally on my "not-read" section are the second and third books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was the first ever Laini Taylor book I read, and I've spoken about my love for the Strange the Dreamer duology. I would have to reread the first book in this series as it's been about two years since I read it and I have forgotten what happens. Laini has such a beautiful writing style, I really can't wait to read more of her books.
For books I want to reread, I have just reread the first book in the Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman. I decided to pick up this series after watching the TV adaptation. I loved this series when I was younger, but I now want to read it as an adult. I gave the first book 4/5 stars and am excited to continue with this series.
With everyone banding together to try and make this time as bearable as possible, a bookstagrammer called amysbookshelf is hosting a Harry Potter Quarantine readathon, so naturally I decided to join in. I haven't read the Harry Potter books in almost two years and now more than ever, do I need a bit of magic in my life. Each book gets two weeks, with the readathon for the first one having started on March 28th. The readathon for the second book starts on April 11th.
It will probably come as no surprise, but after reading the latest book in the Shadowhunter chronicles, I am desperate to read The Infernal Devices. To this day, it remains my favourite series in the Shadowhunter chronicles. I just love Victorian era London and add some fantasy elements, and I am truly in love. I last read TID back in 2018 when preparing for the release of Queen of Air and Darkness.
Finally on this list is a book I want to give a second chance to. That book is the Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. When I first heard of this, it sounded epic. Set in 1880s Paris, it follows a group of people trying to pull of the ultimate heist. I was expecting to love it, however, it just fell really flat for me. I was so confused by what was happening, mainly due to the multiple perspectives. It is currently on my "to donate" pile, so I want to give it a second chance before I get rid off it.
Films
I've made a list of twelve films that I want to catch up on, however, in this post I will be sharing my top five.
Booksmart is the first film on my list. I missed seeing this in the cinema at the time of its release. I am a sucker for a coming of age movie, plus it has Beanie Feldstein in it, who also stared in Lady Bird (aka my favourite movie ever). I've heard lots of good things about it, and right now I need a light and fluffy movie.
Next, is Brooklyn, staring Saoirse Ronan. She is quite possibly my favourite actress and this was one of her Oscar nominated performances. I've been meaning to watch it for a few years, and while it's still on Amazon Prime, I will 100% try and watching it during lockdown.
It seems that all the movies I have chosen begin with the letter B, because the next film on my list is Beautiful Boy. I read the book after seeing trailers for it and it is one of my favourite books. It is about a fathers journey through his sons drug addiction. I started watching it, but I just wasn't in the mood, so I will be continuing with it soon.
Yet another movie that begins with the letter B is Brokeback Mountain. I am a sucker for LGBT books and movies, and Brokeback Mountain is a classic. I am aware that it is slightly problematic as neither of the leads are a part of the LGBT community. However, I still really want to watch this movie.
The final film on my list is the only one that doesn't begin with B and that is Inglorious Bastards. Having watched my first Tarantino film this year, I figured it's time to watch more as he is a well celebrated writer and director. My parents both particularly liked this one, so I added it to my list and I believe it's on Netflix in the UK.
TV Shows
Since lockdown began, I have been keeping myself sane by watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine over and over and I am in desperate need of a new TV show. I have picked three shows that I really want to watch, one of which I have watched a lot of already.
Final Space is the first on my list and the only one I have watched multiple episodes of. Several friends recommended it before Christmas and I watched all but one of season one. I love that each episodes is about 10-20 mins, making it really easy to binge. It is the lighter, fluffier option on my list today.
A show I am ashamed that I've only seen the first episode of is Peaky Blinders. Again, friends have been recommending it to me. I am sucker for historical fiction shows and the soundtrack for this one is so good. It's about time that I finally watched it.
Lastly on my list is another show I'm ashamed I haven't seen any episodes of and that is Black Mirror. I've heard lots of good things about it, so again it's about time I finally watched it and saw what all the hype was about.
Podcasts
Something I'm trying to get into it Podcasts. There are so many great ones, but again, I've picked the ones I am the most interested in listening to for this little list.
The first podcast on my list is Scriptnotes, in particular, the episode with Greta Gerwig, who is my favourite writer-director. I found out about this episode through Twitter. I am going to listen to it and try and find other episodes with creators that I know of. As someone aspiring to work in film and tv once I finish my degree, I think this is a vital podcast to listen to.
Another podcast for the film-lover in me is Kermode on Film, hosted by Mark Kermode and Jack Howard. I have been watched the BBC film review for as long as I can remember, which Mark Kermode also hosts. He is a well known British film critic and I think I can learn some interesting things about films from him.
Finally, I have a more fictitious entry and that is Welcome to Nightvale. From what I know about this podcast, it is about a fictional place and tells the story of this place. I know there is also a spinoff novel linked to it, which sounds really interesting.
Other
This is a bit of an odd category, but I wanted to mention that I am going to be trying to catch up on some back issues of some magazines I have. For a while I had a subscription to the New Yorker and I never read a single issue, so it's time I caught up on it. I also have some back issues of the Empire to read.
So that concludes my very long list of Lockdown "Lit" to catch up on. What are you hoping to catch up on during Lockdown? I hope wherever you are in the world that you are staying safe and well.
Carenza :) x
