"The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library"

So said Albert Einstein - and from what I hear, he was pretty smart. I spent a glorious Monday in Manchester exploring some of the city's most impressive reading-nooks.

Brandon Flowers - A long time coming

Typical isn't it, you wait five years for a new Brandon Flowers track and he releases two at once! I'll forgive him the agonising wait though, as I'm told he's been quite busy with some band called The Killers in between times. King B's been dropping cryptic hints about his upcoming solo album The Desired Effect on Twitter since last September though and now, with the release date just weeks away, we're finally getting to revel in its gloriousness. Here are the new videos for your audio/visual pleasure.

Just a friendly reminder ...

Pride gets its DVD and download release in the UK today. If you saw it at the cinema, I expect you've had it on pre-order for months, if you didn't, read The Optimist's recommendation here then head down to your local VHS retailer and get yourself a copy. Like I said back then, you HAVE to see it. It's wonderful.

Upcoming Costume Dramas

The start of British Springtime may only be three weeks away but I think we can all agree that at the moment, it's still #nippy. So, while we wait for beer-garden season to re-commence, let's savour the last bit of Winter by making a vat of hot chocolate, pulling on a pair of bed socks and settling down to watch a costume drama or two - there's plenty on ...

The Theory of Everything

It was back in early August that the trailer for The Theory of Everything first appeared and The Optimist got terribly over excited about it. The wait has been long and at times testing but rejoice, for the film has finally been released in cinemas. So, does it live up to the expectation? Read on ...

The Best TV Dramas of 2014

Christmas is but 6 days away and I can smell the panic in the air. Need some last minute gift ideas? Well roll up roll up for I, a recognised television connoisseur have drawn up a list of 2014's best British dramas. Head on down to your local Woolworths Megastores and pick up a boxset or five.

Out of The Blue - Christmas Single

Fancy an early Christmas present? Feast your eyes and ears on this - It's the annual festive cover version from The Optimist's favourite Oxford based acapella group Out of the Blue. The boys received some high praise earlier this year when their mash-up of Shakira songs went viral and got the seal of approval from the woman herself. Now they've tackled Mariah Carey's festive classic ' All I want for Christmas is you' and accompanied it with a suitably charming video filmed on location at their University.

It's for Charidee so if you want to download it you can, here

Check out OOTB's 2013 effort in the Optimist's advent calendar