Last year I managed to read 29 books, and year before 30, so my target of reading 31 books in 2025 seemed sensible.

I ended up reading 32 in the end – so another good year on the reading front.

This was made up of the usual varied selection of books and genres:

• Running books = 6
• Teenage Fiction = 10
• Thrillers = 9
• Autobiographies = 1
• Fantasy = 1
• Music = 2
• Science Fiction = 1
• Coming-of-age novel = 1
• Epic Novel = 1

A few favourites:

The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer. Top rated book of the year: 4.5 stars. Loved it.

Mind Over Miles by Russ Cook. I love a running book and this was the top rated running book of the year: 4 stars. A book about grit and determination.

His Bloody Project by Graham Mcrae Burnet. Another 4 star book. Fictional story written in a very real way. Really liked it.

Some stats…

‘A Mind of my Own’ by Kathy Burke

My first, and last, autobiography of the year. I’m not a great fan of the genre.

This book was ok. A bit too much, ‘I did this play with this person, then this person asked me to do this show’, but it was interesting enough. I didn’t know she had done so much ‘serious’ stuff!

Last book of the year done. Review of the ‘Reading Year’ to follow.

Seen a fair bit on the socials about the favourite albums of the year. So wanted to stick my oar in…

I find it really tricky to actually come up with a top ten, especially if you want me to do it in order. So I haven’t. I’ve picked six really good albums from the year. Albums I physically own and have played a fair bit. I’m not even faffing around with a ‘why I like it’.

So, in no particular order:

Divorce – ‘Drive To Goldenhammer’

Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’

Wet Leg – ‘Moisturizer’

Anthony Szmierek – ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’

Geese – ‘Getting Killed’

Olivia Dean – ‘The Art of Loving’

‘Wild Folk People’ by Beans on Toast

Beans on Toast is a folk singer that I’ve seen quite a few times. I love his music, he is a fantastic storyteller and folk singer. In this book he tells some heartwarming, rebellious and deeply human stories about various people who have inspired. They are the stories he often tells during his gigs – I’ve heard a few of these recently – they talk of connection, creativity and the beautiful mess of being alive.

People are everything, and people shape the world with the stories they tell and the songs they sing. So sing your song. Live your life. Love each other and always be wild.

The idea was to go to the theatre once a month, plus the added challenge of trying to go to different venue each month. Along the way we would, of course, rank productions.

Here are 8 thoughts after the successful completion of the challenge.

1. Ranking them is not as easy as you think. How can you compare a professional production against an amateur dramatic production? What about comparing a college theatre performance against an outdoor performance that blends theatre, outdoor and technology? We did, of course, come up with a ranked order. You’ll find it at the end.
2. We probably needed to plan slightly better, that’s another thing that we thought would be easier. We thought there would be plenty of shows and venues to pick from. It wasn’t that easy.
3. You have to be prepared to pick shows that you might not be naturally drawn to. We experienced quite a collection of shows which was great, even the really bad ones.
4. Lots of these small little theatres have exactly the same foyer and decor. Somewhere between the 1930s and 1950s.
5. Ticket prices. It is possible to get a decent night’s entertainment for a good price. You just have to look around. Rarely did we pay £20+, most ticket prices were around £12-15.
6. Solid ice cream selections at most venues during intervals.
7. Audiences vary a lot by venue. For example, white middle class at Southwold Theatre, much more arty and inclusive at Norwich’s Maddermarket Theatre.
8. These places would not remain open without some fabulous volunteers who care about the arts.

After a year of visiting various venues, we came up with this as the final ‘chart’:

1. An Inspector Calls – Theatre Royal Norwich
2. Dracula – Norwich Playhouse
3. Things We Do For Love – Southwold Theatre
4. Jekyll & Hyde – The Maddermarket Theatre
5. Charley’s Aunt – Sewell Barn
6. 1984 – Beccles Public Hall
7. Oklahoma! – Platform Theatre
8. Norwich Spooky Walk – Streets of Norwich
9. The Long Drop – Diss Corn Hall
10. Metamorphosis – The Emmerson Studio Maddermarket Theatre
11. Shakespeare Revisited – The Seagull Theatre
12. Edgeland – Sweet Briar Marsh Norwich