Perfect listening for a cup of tea and watching the rain come down outside.

It’s not that I can’t go; it’s just that it gets quite expensive when you’re paying a babysitter. So I have to rely on long-haul flights or DVDs to catch up on the latest releases or recommendations from friends and family.

My father-in-law, for instance, is retired and, without the responsibility of work or children, is now a good source of what’s on and what’s good. Which is how we came across The Ides Of March, a political thriller directed and starring George Clooney.

I tend to work on the theory that if you haven’t ever heard of a film with a big star name, then there’s probably a reason for it – but in this case the film about a charismatic senator running for the Democratic presidential nomination disproves that theory.

Not that the film says anything particularly original – one critic said it was wrung through with post-Obama disillusionment and it certainly taps into the current antipathy towards politics and politicians.

Ryan Gosling plays an idealistic young staffer who believes his candidate (Clooney) is “the real deal”, only to discover as the movie goes on that he is as flawed and as compromised as anyone else in his position.

I’m not sure this should come as a surprise to any of us: we ask far too much of our public figures and then damn the whole breed when someone doesn’t live up to our unreasonable expectations.

But it makes for a good film while we wait for that real-life Jed Bartlett to come along…

That’s because it’s not until the final pages that you can make sense of what’s gone before – or at least the twist at the end causes you to reassess everything you’ve read up to that point.

It is a fitting end to a book that is to a great extent about the unreliability of memory and how events are moulded by our individual interpretation.

In this instance, we read the story through the narrative of Tony Webster, now retired with a successful career and failed marriage behind him.

The first part looks back to the 1960s when he and a group of similarly precocious schoolboys met and befriended Adrian Finn. Finn later commits suicide, seemingly after a dispute over a girl called Veronica, who had previously gone out with our narrator.

The second half of the book begins with the arrival of a lawyer’s letter informing Webster that Veronica’s mother has left him a small bequest in her will, as well as two documents – news that causes him to re-establish contact with the erstwhile girlfriend and re-examine his role in his friend’s suicide.

The book is definitely a slow burner, but an interesting one that demands reading to the end, if only to make sense of what you have just read…

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How does ixxi work?
Ixxi is a decorative wall system that allows you to create your very own piece of wall art. By connecting the ixxi x’s and i’s, you can create your own interior product in any size possible. Follow our easy online module to create your own collage or select an inspiring image from the ixxi image bank.

How do you relax/switch off?
I like to run, to watch movies, to visit good restaurants with friends, browse magazines, clicking ixxi’s, de-clicking ixxi’s…

Favourite film?
Donnie Darko

Favourite blog/website?
Online desktop www.nalden.net, and image bookmarking sites www.thefancy.com, and www.ffffound.com

What’s your guilty pleasure?
It’s a cliché but I am addicted to chocolate (this means a lot of running during the week…)

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
I was told to become an independent designer after I graduated from art school.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Graffiti6 – Colours

What’s on your ixxi?
The ixxi special Girl With A Pearl Earring is still my favourite. I like pixels and I like the work of Vermeer. I think we created a new version of an icon. I also have the work of The Threatened Swan of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in my bedroom.

Roel Vaessen is one of the founders of ixxi, a modular hanging system that joins cards together in a pattern to create wall art.

Numbers:
Eight to twelve guests. That way everyone gets to yell at each other around one big table and there’s no need for name cards.

Create instant atmosphere:
Music is critical. We love a Vintage Cafe CD before dinner, maybe Sade while dinner is served, then during dessert, Motown, the Temptations, and Gladys Knight. And use candlelight only.

Décor:
May is the best time to get beautiful branches of sweet lilacs, mix with hydrangeas. A linen table-runner looks great too, and use tapered candles to add height and elegance.

Cocktails:
Funkin Juice advertises itself as the 10-second cocktail. With mixes ranging from Mojito to Margarita and Bellini, just add the relevant alcohol for a no fuss cocktail.

Ingredients:
Make a trip to your local farmers market. Good, seasonal ingredients give you an edge in the flavour department—even if you don’t make any elaborate recipes, your food will still be packed with flavour.

Dessert:
Prepare our summer pudding (click here) in advance.

Each set consists of a hush jersey bag, a copy of one of our favourite books ‘The Best of Everything’ (to read our review of the book click here) and a gorgeous hush beach cover–up.

Simply fill in your details below to enter.*
 

*This competition closes on 10th June and no entries will be accepted after this date.