Since lockdown began, the 2011 film Contagion has become one of the most watched films online. This is hardly surprising, given that it's about a global pandemic, but it's also very surprising because who in their right mind would watch a film about that right now, while we're actually living it? Well, apparently I would. I… Continue reading I watched ‘Contagion’ during lockdown so you don’t have to
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How to work from home (and actually work)
As the coronavirus pandemic ramps up, more and more people are thinking about self-isolating, and as of today, Boris Johnson has asked that everyone who can should work from home. As a freelancer, I am very lucky that my job is location-independent, and I have been working from home for more than 8 years now.… Continue reading How to work from home (and actually work)
On reading slowly
I realised recently that, when I'm looking forward to reading a book, I tell myself that I'm going to 'blast through it'. I picture a feverish few days (or less) where I'm sitting in my chair, unable to put the book down because I'm so absorbed in the story. For some reason, I seem to… Continue reading On reading slowly
How Greta Gerwig adapted ‘Little Women’ for a modern feminist audience
Picture this: me as a child, walking into a old-fashioned sunlit room in a little brown house in America. In front of me, fixed to the wall between two windows, is a cream-coloured semicircle of wood. There's an inkwell standing on it, and a sheet of paper covered in neat handwriting. The child-me looks so… Continue reading How Greta Gerwig adapted ‘Little Women’ for a modern feminist audience
My year in books
I am firmly in end-of-year mode, which mostly involves wrapping up everything I haven't quite finished yet - work jobs, craft projects, books, TV series - in order to get ready for the mental reset of a new year. It's like eating up the leftovers in your fridge, but for everything in your life. Does… Continue reading My year in books
How the BBC is nailing (and failing) His Dark Materials
For the past month or so, my Sunday evenings have revolved around watching the new TV adaptation of His Dark Materials on the BBC. This has meant that I've discovered previously unknown levels of cosiness - sofa, blanket, cup of tea, and a pre-teen girl riding a polar bear across a snowy wasteland - and… Continue reading How the BBC is nailing (and failing) His Dark Materials
How to view the transit of Mercury
On Monday 11th November, something exciting will happen: Mercury will pass between Earth and the Sun. This is known as 'transit' and it is exciting for two reasons. First, the planet will be visible for about 5 ½ hours against the backdrop of the Sun. Second, this sort of event is rare: the last time… Continue reading How to view the transit of Mercury
7 recommendations for Non-Fiction November
If you follow any book lovers on social media, you've probably already heard about Non-Fiction November. The idea is pretty self-explanatory: for the month of November, read only non-fiction! For many people, this is nothing new, but if you're usually a fiction fiend then this is a great challenge to get you reading something different.… Continue reading 7 recommendations for Non-Fiction November
The science of Ad Astra
It'll come as no surprise that I love sci-fi movies, especially if they're set in a near future where humanity has managed to colonise the rest of our solar system. Ad Astra, released in the UK just last month, fits the bill perfectly. Brad Pitt stars as astronaut Roy McBride, who is brought in by US… Continue reading The science of Ad Astra
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s grammar rules
I have been a professional proofreader for 8 years, so when I heard that Jacob Rees-Mogg had released a list of grammar rules for his staff, I was pretty interested. Discovering whether someone is an en-dash or an em-dash person, or a lover or hater of the serial comma, is the kind of thing that… Continue reading Jacob Rees-Mogg’s grammar rules
Clare Diston 