7 Ways To Entertain Yourself This Week

    What to watch, read, play, and enjoy.

    Chelsey Pippin
    by Chelsey Pippin

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

    1. Watch Outlander.

    Starz

    I should just say that love this show and I love Sam Heughan's Jamie Fraser more than life, and now that that's out of the way, let me tell you why you should love it too.

    First of all, it's got everything you look for in an hour-long fantasy drama, by which I mean sex. And, you know, some swordfights thrown in. Second of all, it's an excellent and accurate retelling of its source material (Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series). Third, it's just a really compelling historical/sci-fi drama with incredible character development and plenty of grit that takes on an extra layer of life beyond the books, which is not something a lot of adaptations can say.

    It also just wrapped its second season, so there's some prime binging potential here, especially if you've got a Game of Thrones deficiency and you're looking for your next fantasy epic.

    Find it on Amazon Prime now.

    2. Read One by Sarah Crossan.

    Bloomsbury

    This lovely book has just swept up its fourth award of the summer this week, and it's more than deserved. Crossan's book is a well-researched, heartfelt, and seriously devourable story about conjoined twin sisters Tippi and Grace, written in poems.

    I get that this sounds like a weird mix of things, but the result is amazing, and the fact that it's written in poems actually makes it a breezy, short read that you can go back to again and again. Perfect for swallowing a whole book on a lazy Sunday afternoon, or in short bursts on your commute.

    Read BuzzFeed's interview with Crossan, and pick up a copy of the book here.

    3. Listen to the Last Shadow Puppets' Spotify Sessions.

    Spotify

    Alex Turner + acoustic sets. Need I say more?

    (I will say a little more.) If you're not familiar with the Arctic Monkeys frontman's secondary project, you're missing out on some quality melancholy rock. Add in the acoustic element and you've basically got the most intense-yet-chill listening hour of your life. (OK, half-hour, making it the perfect length to enjoy a very vibe-y bath before the water gets cold.)

    NB: I may or may not have had it on loop all morning.

    Check out the session on Spotify Web Player here.

    4. Play Ingress.

    Ingress

    You've probably heard of Pokémon Go at this point. BUT HAVE YOU HEARD OF INGRESS? It's an app-based augmented reality game that predates Pokémon Go and is actually pretty awesome, especially if you, like me, have a lot of deep-seeded childhood issues related to your parents not allowing you to play good old fashioned analogue Pokémon.

    Basically Ingress is like a super-intense sci-fi capture-the-flag. It's locationally based and requires you to visit landmarks in your area in order to capture portals located there for your team.

    Granted, it loses out on the Pokémon cute factor, but when you're ready to play with the big kids, Ingress is the next level up.

    Get it for iOS and Android.

    5. Cook these cream-cheese banana muffins.

    Proper Tasty

    Nothing takes my mind off things like the ritual of preparing food, and nothing transports me to pure happiness like eating whatever delicious thing I made, so I'm going to 100% recommend treating yourself to a homemade treat.

    This particular homemade treat does double duty as a breakfast and a dessert, so you can task yourself with an hour of me time in the kitchen literally any time. Delicious and basically healthy (potassium, right?), these will warm your heart and calm your mind. They're also tasty cold!

    Get the recipe here. See more make-ahead breakfast here.

    6. Try out the new Harry Potter colouring books.

    7. Follow @me_and_orla on Instagram.