Day 16 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book, a Song and now a TV Show

It's been a miserable day so far, windy and rainy. Jo and I had a productive meeting with our financial adviser and bought a nice lunch at the Cafe at the Base CANEX (Canadian Exchange Store). I finished another book today but I'll update that in my next Reading Update. For now, it's time to move into my Top 10 books and songs of the year. I'm going to add TV shows as well. Now please remember that they probably weren't made in 2019, just enjoyed by me in 2019. So with that reminder, let's get a move on.

Book 10

Jan Struther

1. Jan Struther - Mrs. Miniver.

Jan Struther was the pen name for Joyce Anstruther and later, Joyce Maxtone Graham. She lived from 1901 - 1953. She was most known for the character she created, Mrs. Miniver and for a number of hymns, especially 'Lord of All Hopefulness'. Her final years were marked by severe depression, including a stay in a mental institution and she eventually died of cancer. In the 1930's she began to write for Punch Magazine and the publisher asked her to write a series of columns about an ordinary sort of woman who lived an ordinary sort of life. That's how Mrs. Miniver came to into being. The book, published in 1939, was a collection of these columns. The character created by Jan Struther was the basis for the patriotic American film starring Greer Garson. My review is below.

"I've seen Mrs. Miniver, the movie starring Greer Garson, many times. So when I saw the book by Jan Struther I thought it might be worthwhile comparing the two. Well, there is no comparison because the book is totally different from the movie. However, both are excellent.

The book, as I understand it, was originally a series of columns that she wrote for the Times newspaper about 'an ordinary sort of woman who leads an ordinary sort of life - like yourself'. The movie, for those who might not have seen it, is about an ordinary English family living life during the initial parts of WWII. The book is set before the world, with the last chapter ending "Christmas 1939".

Each chapter presents a vignette as described by Mrs. Miniver, featuring her life and those of her husband, Clem and her three children, Vin, Judy and Toby. It presents her thoughts and observations about trips, events and sundry other items of their lives. It's very matter of fact in many ways but also very thoughtful. There were some chapters that I preferred more than others, some that stood out for me. Even one where she is deciding what new engagement book she wants to buy to record the events of the upcoming year struck a chord with me. Probably a personal one as I know how much my wife loves wandering through proper stationary stores. The last chapter where Mrs. Miniver is making her Christmas shopping list for her family and looks back over the last 17 years' lists and how her family has changed when she made up her lists was especially poignant.

In many ways, each chapter is a simple little story but some will definitely strike a chord with you and when you put them all together, it's a wonderful, rich story. I don't know how William Wyler came up with the idea to transition this book into a movie but he seems to have and made it just as rich and wonderful as this little book. You should try it. (4.5 stars)"

Song 10

Becky Hill & Weiss

Becky Hill / Weiss - I Could Get Used to This.

I've featured Becky Hill earlier in my Top 25 songs, back on Day 16, with Sigala and the song Wish You Well. I don't have a lot of information on Weiss, except to say that he was an apprentice to Massive Attack's James Day.Weiss embodies the spirit of Classic House. I Could Get Used to This was released in early 2019.

TV Show 10
My TV list may be a bit more haphazard. Jo and I do watch a lot of TV so I'm sure I missed some from earlier in the year. But the list I'll are all shows I've enjoyed immensely.

Shetland Season 4

Shetland Season 4 

This series is a favorite of both Jo and I. In fact, this year we've watched both Season 4 and a reissue of Season 3. Season 4 actually came out in 2018 but we do tend to get them a bit later here. The show stars Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez, Alison O'Donnell as DS 'Tosh' McIntosh, Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson, Mark Bonnar as Duncan and Julie Graham as Rhona Kelly, the procurator fiscal. The series is set on the Shetland Islands, so besides excellent stories, you get to enjoy the rugged islands themselves. In this series, Jimmy and Tosh have to go to Norway as part of the investigation. The case involves reopening of the 1994 death of a local teenager. The series is based on the Shetland series written by Ann Cleeves, who also writes the Vera mystery series. If you've never seen before, start at season one and enjoy this series as much as we do.