Anyone who knows me reasonably well knows I read – a lot. So, the finer details of read books get lost in the chaos quickly and, since all save the best don’t get reread, I’m left with a vague, overall impression to convey when someone asks me if I liked it. Nevertheless, I found myself picking up The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller again (and if I did so because it was required summer reading, well, that’s for me to know and for you to ignore for the sake of a narratively pleasing introduction). I read TSOA about two years ago and loved it – but now I can’t say the same. I still enjoyed the book but, having read some fantastic queer literature and classical adaptations since, some of TSOA’s shine has rubbed off, and I’m left with more complicated feelings towards it.

Spring is my favourite time of the year, without a doubt. Watching the world come back to life, leaf by leaf, is a truly magical experience. I will never (and I mean never) get tired of seeing new plants emerge from a seemingly dormant earth, and in celebration of that I thought I’d put together a ranking of my top ten spring flowers.

The question of the BBC’s legitimacy as a tax-funded, public broadcasting service has been frequently asked over the past few years, especially by this government. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, considering that it is us, the British people, who pay for it. Yet, I think the government has got it wrong regarding their treatment of the BBC, with worrying implications. On 18th January, Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary, announced that the BBC’s licence fee will be frozen over the next two years – meaning it will not rise with inflation. With inflation at a 6 year high of 6% or more, this leaves a £285 million funding gap for the BBC, which is huge. Her argument was that the raise in licence fee could not be justified due to the cost-of-living crisis, yet the government’s rhetoric (which should not be underestimated in importance) also very much portrays a distaste for this sacred institution.