We saw this years ago in the cinema, so were pleased to have the DVD free from a newspaper in the UK. Michael Caine stars as Frank, a heavy drinking university lecturer, who finds his students tedious and arrogant.

Into his life comes the lively Rita, a girl with a working class background, who is determined to study for an Open University degree. Her husband disapproves, and the other students don’t know quite what to make of her. Rita goes through some very difficult patches as her marriage starts to fall apart, but through it all she is determined to keep learning about literature.

It’s a classic story on the Cinderella theme; or perhaps, as it’s usually classified, more like Pygmalion. The difference being, of course, that Rita is the one who chooses to apply herself to learning, rather than being forced into a mould by someone else.

The acting is excellent, the story entirely believable, and the ending bittersweet. It all looked rather dated; we assumed it was probably made in the 1960s, and were a bit startled to learn that it was produced as recently as 1983.

As a book, this is a delight. There are excellent photographs throughout of the most appetising looking desserts. There are also interesting explanations about why the author eats raw food, with its many health benefits, and here and there are extra hints or tips for – for instance – keeping one’s skin young, or boosting metabolism. It’s the kind of book to sit down and read pretty much cover to cover. I did that when I received it, and found it very inspiring.

Unfortunately, although Ani Phyo insists that most the ingredients she uses are easy to find, that simply isn’t the case in Cyprus. I couldn’t even find most of them in the UK, although I gather they can be ordered online. But such items as coconut oil, agave syrup, cacao nibs and mesquite powder simply aren’t in the aisles at Sainsbury’s. And unfortunately, most of the recipes use at least one of these ingredients.

Still, although I agree with the principles of raw food eating where possible, I realised that I could make substitutions. So I tried creamed coconut (in sachets intended for use in curries) instead of coconut oil, and honey instead of agave syrup. I did manage to find ‘Medjool’ dates – much juicier than regular ones, and with no sugar added, although I hadn’t previously heard of them.

I tried three of the recipes, and they were very successful. I intend to try more, although I still don’t know what I could use instead of cacao nibs or mesquite powder.

The emphasis seems to be more vegan than raw foods; for a truly healthy dessert there’s nothing to beat fresh fruit salad, after all. But these recipes make a nice change, and as far as I can tell are all fully dairy-free and wheat-free, although certainly not nut-free!

We’ve been watching the entire five series of Quantum Leap for nearly four years now – one or two at a time. It was an American TV series featuring Sam, a quantum physicist, who got caught up in a time travel experiment and finds himself leaping around from person to person in his own lifetime, ‘putting right what once went wrong’. We started watching the fifth and final series in the middle of 2008, slowing down as we reached the last DVD. We finally watched the last two episodes a few days ago. The penultimate one had Sam becoming Elvis Presley just before he was discovered; he had to help someone else, but also ensure that Elvis did not lose his chance of fame! I enjoyed that episode. However, I wasn’t so impressed by the final one which was rather confusing, and ended too abruptly. Still, well worth watching. I’m no fan of science fiction, but I love the interaction between Sam and his holographic sidekick Al. Character development is good too, and there are some very amusing moments, as well as some clever references to history, from time to time.

Classic Adrian Plass satire. He supposedly comes across a document outlining the annual report from the College of Churchmanship. The book goes, chapter by chapter, into such topics as Prayermanship, Distractmanship, Weekend Awaymanship, and much more. Advice on how to be a comfortable, even popular ‘churchman’ (or woman) without any of the discomfort of the Christian faith.

I found it amusing in places, thought-provoking, and slightly disturbing in others since – as the author intended – I recognised some of the negative traits not just in other people, but also myself. It reminded me, very slightly, of CS Lewis’s Screwtape Letters in the way it made many important points in satirical light humour.

Definitely recommended to anyone who has anything to do with the church.

Northanger Abbey is a little different from Austen’s other novels, in that it’s overtly amusing, and something of a spoof on the ‘gothic’ novels of the time. This adaptation – made originally for ITV – is fairly true to the book, with realistic characters. Cathering Morland in particular (Felicity Jones) seemed very believable. My husband watched with me and despite not having read the book, enjoyed it too. There were a couple of moments when we both laughed out loud. Four and a half stars, really.

This is a popular classic which I hadn’t seen before. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly impressed. Billy is a young man who dreams of a better life, with a fantasy world he escapes to at times. Unfortunately he has not learned to distinguish fact from fantasy, and tells stories not just to his parents but to his friends and colleagues. He’s managed to get engaged to two different young women, and is in trouble for having forgotten to post a large number of calendars some months previously.

A few amusing moments, and it was interesting to see the film that – apparently – was the first one featuring a young Julie Christie. But on the whole I thought it silly rather than humorous, and rather a sad reflection of someone living such a boring life that he never grew up. Rather a discouraging ending, too.

I’ve read a few of Catherine Cookson’s historical novels, and usually found them a bit too full of gritty reality, sometimes with rather depressing endings. So I wasn’t too sure what to expect – and, on the whole, was pleasantly surprised.

Annabella, a ten-year-old child of luxurious circumstances, doesn’t understand that her beloved father is a promiscuous, violent spendthrift. The first part of the film shows her background, and uncovers a few family secrets. Her naive innnocence gets some of the servants into trouble.

Then the plot leaps forward seven years, and Annabella’s life takes on a very different form as she learns the truth about her past, and as her father is threatened with bankruptcy.

Very well done – I was particularly impressed with the young Annabella, and also Nigel Havers as her unpleasant (but attractive) father. I could have done without one violent boxing scene – I averted my eyes – but other than that, it was, on the whole, an enjoyable film. Quite long at two and a half hours, and I was relieved that the ending was much more satisfactory than I had feared.

My negative preconceptions of books like this have been turned on their ears. Yes, it’s ‘chick-lit’. It’s also intelligent fiction, very well written, with a very believable main character.

Rebecca Bloomwood is a financial journalist, who managed to bluff her way into a high-powered job, without knowing anything much about finance. Moreover, she has a serious addiction to shopping, and no idea about budgeting. She’s scatterbrained and highly impulsive, judgemental about appearances, and thinks nothing of embroidering the truth… or even telling outright lies if it serves her purposes.

She’s also surprisingly likeable. She’s humble, she has a sense of humour, she cares genuinely about her family and friends, and she has a deep sense of integrity; a moral code that runs deeper than her frivolous nature.

I am amazed at how very enjoyable this book was, charting Rebecca’s descent into ever-increasing debt, peppered with letters form her bank manager and others. She narrates the story with frequent irony and clever self-revelation; the eventual solution to her problems arises mainly from her own abilities.

There aren’t even any detailed love-scenes, and only a few expletives. Highly recommended. Particularly if you think this kind of book is going to be dull and fluffy.

It’s a sixties style American movie about two widowed people, each with a large family, who fall in love and decide – after much indecision – to get married. Trying to blend the two families together (eighteen children in all, aged eighteen down to about two) produces significant difficulties.

There’s some humour, and some touching moments, with a fairly predictable resolution. Nothing too deep, so it makes a pleasant evening’s viewing for a couple or family, without any great mental strain.

Henri Nouwen looks at the question Jesus asked his friends shortly before his death: ‘Can you drink the cup?’

In a short book, he examines the images of holding a cup, lifting it, and then finally drinking, and uses them as a metaphor for the Christian life.

Well-written, as expected by this author, and somewhat thought-provoking, but I didn’t find it particularly inspiring or memorable. Still, I shall probably return to it in future.