What’s on our shelves: Mince pies, canal houses, and the fallout of eternity…

🎄 A reading: Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

Unexpectedly driving home at 10:45pm in low spirits, I happened to catch ‘Mrs Winterson’s Mince Pies’, read from her new book, Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson on BBC Radio Four. It transported me into Christmas of my childhood… making mince pies with my Mum, and then preparing the sherry trifle with my Honley Granny – so called to distinguish my Yorkshire Mum’s mum from the ‘Scotland Granny’ of my Dad’s side.

Yes I am from a family that still makes mince pies using a family mincemeat recipe. What else would you do with all those windfall apples in the autumn?

Tune in… if the first nostalgic episode of this seasonal treat is matched all week, it’ll give you a warm hug at bed time, just when you need it.

Or, you could even reward Ms Winterson by buying her book! 

Andrew Auld, Commercial Director – Open Fifth

Updates from Helen

Book: The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz

I started this back in May whilst on holiday in Sicily and finally finished it this week so I could write about it in the final WOOSH of the year. Only joking! Still haven’t finished it.

I have, however, read Olga Ravn’s The Wax Child.

Set in 17th Century Denmark and based on an infamous witch trial that happened at that time, it is a dark, strange, intense read. English is not a good language for describing things that aren’t enjoyable but feel important to have experienced. Do other languages have words that describe this? If so, that’s this book. I didn’t enjoy it but I’m very glad I’ve read it. The writing is beautiful and builds this strange tension with repetition and very short sections.

Listened and rewatched as a result:

I was in Edinburgh at the start of the month and went to a concert by candlelight at St Mary’s Cathedral where the string quartet played music from The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I love those soundtracks and being in a cathedral, surrounded by candlelight was a phenomenal setting to listen to them. 

When I got home I started my first ever rewatch of Game of Thrones. As I hope everyone knows, a LOT of it was filmed in Northern Ireland, specifically, a few miles from where I currently live so seeing all those vistas filmed so spectacularly is very pleasing. 

I will admit I have been watching it thinking, I know you die and I’m kind of looking forward to it for a LOT of characters.

Helen Symington, Sales Executive – Open Fifth

Film: Eternity created by David Freyne

Released by A24, available on Apple TV

Eternity is a romantic comedy which is built on an interesting premise, a woman must decide which of her two husbands, her first or her second, to spend eternity with.  The idea maybe loaded in fantasy, but the film uses this to it’s own strength to explore different themes such as, love, loss and the way relationships shape us.  

The movie finds a way to strike a good balance between humour and heart.  There were plenty of moments that will create “laugh out loud” moments that landed quite well, especially in the cinema that I went too.  However, there were also a surprising amount of emotional weight hiding behind these moments.  At times this did move towards tear-jerker territory, especially as Joan, the main female lead, had to confront her past and what she wanted for the future.

As the story unfolded, it threw in several unexpected turns that kept everything interesting, coming together into a finale that surprised but was also highly satisfying.  Overall, it was a light, engaging watch with quite a bit of emotional depth which will leave you thinking about it afterward.

This would be especially true to the people who may find that it hits quite close to home, including myself, where a family member would be in this situation if this was factual.  Adding even further weight behind the entire movie and these tear-jerker scenes as I kept thinking about the situation they would find themselves and how they would react.

I would highly recommend this for anyone who likes romantic comedies, as it was more than worth it.

Ryan Henderson, System Administrator – Open Fifth

TV series: Fallout (season two), based on the game by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky

Released on Amazon Prime

Now if, like myself, you are a fan of this game series I would expect you have already watched this and probably love it, the number of fan trivia and Easter eggs included is brilliant. 

But this review is for folks that missed this little gem of a show, and I do have examples of people who watched series one and then went on to play the video games so I know it works for non-fans!

The show is set in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world in the states in a futuristic but weirdly 1950s nostalgic setting. It is brilliantly comedic, with our heroine being ejected from a safe “vault” where she and generations have grown up, to the harsh outer world of the above ground. The scenes are stunning (if harsh), the characters are engaging and the music is wonderful. Worth a watch!

Sam Goldsmith, Business Development Manager – Open Fifth

Video Game: Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon by Questline Games

A fantastic open world game that encompasses the age-old ‘The Elder Scrolls’ tradition of exploring and finding secrets should be just as rewarding as the main questline. In comparison with the ‘The Elder Scrolls’ though you will miss the soundtrack, but it is very beautiful to look at. The quests are interesting and immersive. Options to play at levels to suit is nice. Lots of ways to specialise your playstyle.

It’s harder to become stinking rich as crafting costs money. The main questline is very morally ambiguous which I liked as you can choose the way things turn out. I tried a couple of choices at the end though, and sad to say it doesn’t affect the post-story narrative very much at all. 

I completed it in 70 hours with a lot of extra exploring so it does not have the longevity of Skyrim, smashed through it in a week, and once you pass a certain point the game is done, but pleased to see a DLC expansion is already available. 

Sam Goldsmith, Business Development Manager – Open Fifth

Board game: Grachtenpand = Canal houses = Bellevue designed by Zach Hoekstra with illustrations by Jason Gamber

Published in English by Gigamic (Dutch and French editions also available).

Here is your chance to build some pretty houses in the Flemish style along an Amsterdam canal… Some buildings will have a cheese shop on the ground floor and flower beds on the window sills; others will have cats hanging out! 

Canal houses is a simple and quick card game. On your turn, you choose either a shop card, a storey card or a roof card to add to the three cards in your hand. You play one in front of you to build your houses – and pass the rest of the cards to the player to your left, ready for their next turn. You can play your next turn as soon as the player to your right has given you their hand of cards.

Points come from objectives marked on the shops and roofs cards, e.g., 4 points if the house has no birds flying over it and is at least 4 storeys, 6 points if there are at least three cats and two flags hanging from the windows… There is also a colour bonus which is – I speak from experience – very tricky to get!

Aude Charillon, Customer Services Consultant – Open Fifth