This Valentine’s Day, I think it’s important that we remember that love comes in all different shapes and flavours, and just because it doesn’t look how you expect, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Heated Rivalry is fab, but, have you seen these two? The love that truly dares not speak its name.

Absolute car crash collapse. Embarrassing batting, to be honest. This is the test, if not the whole series. Humiliating.

God the cricket is depressing. Might go back to CBeebies bedtime stories. 😬

Jonathan Bailey doing Room on the Broom has both me and the toddler equally transfixed. Perfect Saturday morning viewing. Excellent work from the Beeb.

Is there anything that feels more decadent and soothing than a bath in the middle of the afternoon?

I hope I shuffle off after the kind of life Jilly Cooper had, and I hope my pals on the internet talk about me like they're talking about Jilly (this is not going to happen). Still, at least I've always got this:

My godmother just messaged me while I was wrestling Sybil at the vet - couldn’t be a more appropriate scenario to find out that heavenly Jilly Cooper has died. The JCBC went for lunch with her again this year and she met (and loved) Sybil.

The world has lost some of its sparkle without Jilly in it. Not only have her books brought joy to millions, but she was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, with her time, her stories, her champagne. She will be so missed. My life would’ve been very different without the JC book club.

I’m not saying my cats are insane, but please Gods what is happening here?

I’m late to the party on this one, but what an absolute corker of a novel. Sensational writing from Oyin Braithwaite and now I must guy everything else she’s written immediately. It’s quick as well, I gulped it down in one go. Really original story. Well worth a read if you haven’t already.

I’ve played a lot of good board games recently, but I’m afraid to say Boop has taken over my life. Productivity through the floor. Who needs novels, TV, family time, when you can push adorable little cats across a board?

10 authors I love so much that I auto-buy anything they write, no questions asked. Christopher Brookmyre @naominovik.bsky.social Stephanie Garber @jasperfforde.bsky.social @mariankeyes.bsky.social Fredrik Backman R. F. Kuang @janecasey.bsky.social David Nicholls @beafitzgerald.bsky.social

This book is an absolute banger. To the point where you should definitely be paying more than 99p for it. Nonetheless - what a bargain. Buy buy buy!

Alice Slater@aliceslater.bsky.social · last yr.

Guess which horrible little book is 99p for the whole of September? 👁️🫦👁️ bit.ly/428p9OK

The thing that no one warns you about parenthood is how much it messes up your Spotify algorithm. Can already tell that this year’s wrapped will be wild, just eleven thousand “potty songs”, Let It Go, and the Six soundtrack.

On the one hand: I’m a terrible parent because we’re on our second watch of the Little Mermaid (today). On the other… my three year old now knows the word cecaelia and what it means…

Me at 11pm: yeah sure I can play board games. But only for an hour. Me at 4am: trying to explain that EVERYONE fancied the Disney fox version of Robin Hood

There is no better example of the beauty of female friendships than this: I just complained about having no Diet Coke in the group chat and someone has immediately Deliveroo-d me some. Women are incredible. Always.

Hmmm. Which lovely editor can I convince to commission me to write about how board games generally, social deduction games in particular, and #bloodontheclocktower specifically - um, completely saved / saves my mental health in the aftermath of having a child… (a thread).

Set up this account months ago - and then did precisely nothing with it. I guess a bank hol is as good a time as any - & what better content than my top 5 book discoveries in 2025 so far. So: 1) Dungeon Crawler Carl by @mattdinniman.bsky.social - no exaggeration the best series I have EVER read.