May 2023
BOOKS
- The Bitch by Pilar Quintana (Colombia, 2020)
- Trespasses by Louise Kennedy (N Ireland, 2022)
- The Shelf: From LEQ to LES – Adventures in Extreme Reading by Phyllis Rose (USA, 2014)
- Pyre by Perumal Murugan, Pyre (India, 2013/16)
- The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie (2023)
FILM
- Bullet Train (USA, 2022)
- Total Recall (USA, 1990)
TV
- Beef (USA, 2023)
- Colin from Accounts (Australia, 2022)
- Eurovision (UK, 2023)
- Queen Charlotte (UK, 2023)
April 2023
BOOKS
- Standing Heavy by Gauz (Côte d’Ivoire, 2014/2022)
- The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier (France, 2021)
- History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir (Iceland, 2019/2023)
- A Guide to the Serbian Mentality (Serbia, 2006)
FILM
- Emergency (USA, 2022)
- The Menu (USA, 2022)
TV
- Rise and Fall (UK, 2023)
- Class of ’07 (Australia, 2023)
- Daisy Jones and the Six (USA, 2023)
March 2023
BOOKS
- Victory City by Salman Rushdie (UK/India, 2023)
- Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (Israel, 2016)
- Untold Story by Monica Ali (UK, 2011)
- All Adults Here by Emma Straub (USA, 2020)
- Fierce Appetites by Elizabeth Doyle (Ireland, 2022)
- Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood (Canada, 2023)
FILM
- The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (USA, 2022)
- Close (Belgium, 2022)
- Fight Club (rewatch – USA, 1999)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (rewatch – UK, 1994)
- The Big Lebowski (rewatch – USA, 1998)
- Rye Lane (UK, 2023)
TV
- Sort Your Life Out (UK, seasons 1 and 2)
February 2023
BOOKS
- Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald (Germany, 2001)
- Practicalities by Marguerite Duras
- Travelling while Black: Essays inspired by a life on the move by Nanjala Nyabola (Kenya, 2020)
- Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flynn (UK, 2021)
- Getting Better by Michael Rosen (2023)
- Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Japan, 1989)
TELEVISION
- Everybody Else Burns (UK, 2022)
- Slow Horses season 2 (UK, 2022)
- Hacks season 2 (USA, 2022)
FILM
- Triangle of Sadness (Sweden/USA, 2022)
- The Running Man (USA, 1989)
- Booksmart (USA, 2019)
- My Neighbour Totoro (Japan)
- Spirited Away (Japan)
January 2023
BOOKS
- Summertime by J. M. Coetzee (South Africa, 2009)
- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (UK, 1853 – audio book)
- The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut (South Africa, 2003)
- Dreaming the Karoo: A People Called the /Xam by Julia Blackburn (UK, 2022)
- The Faces by Tove Ditlevsen (Denmark, 1968/2021)
- Between Two Worlds by Miriam Tlali (South Africa, 1975)
- Down Second Avenue by Es’kia Mphahlele (South Africa, 1959)
- Children of the Cave by Virve Sammalkorpi (Finland, 2016/19)
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (UK, 1811)
FILMS
- White Noise (USA, 2022)
- Avatar (USA, 2009)
- A Pale Blue Eye (USA, 2022)
- Brian and Charles (UK, 2022)
- District 9 (South Africa, 2009)
TV
- The English (UK/USA, 2022)
- Stonehouse (UK, 2022)
- Marie Antoinette (UK/France, 2022)
- Extraordinary (UK, 2022)
ART EXHIBITIONS/PLACES VISITED
- British Museum – hieroglyphics exhibition
- Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz at the Tate Modern, London
- German women modernists at the Royal Academy of Art, London
- Kaffe Fassett at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London
December 2022
BOOKS
- The Trees by Percival Everett (USA, 2021)
- Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (UK)
- The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit (USA, 2013)
FILMS
- 1917 (UK, 2019)
- The Glass Onion (USA, 2022)
- Zoolander 2 (USA, 2016)
- Spirited (USA, 2022)
November 2022
BOOKS
- The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan-UK, 2022)
- Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (Germany, 1912)
- The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge (UK, 1991)
- Dust by Yvonne Adhiamobo Owuor (Kenya, 2014)
- Testament of Youth by Vera Brittan (UK, 1933)
- The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig (Lithuania, 1968)
- Paul Newman: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man (USA, 2022)
- Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera (Mexico, 2009/15)
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Ireland, 2021)
- Baron Bagge by Alexander Lernet-Holenia (Austria, 1936/2022)
FILM
- Scary Movie (USA, 2000)
- The Sound of Metal (USA, 2019)
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (UK, 1975 – watched for about the 10th time)
- Independence Day (USA, 1996)
- Living (UK, 2022)
- The Hangover (USA, 2009)
TV
- Bad Sisters (Ireland, 2022)
- The Crown Season 5 (UK, 2022)
ART EXHIBITIONS/PLACES VISITED
- Winslow Homer exhibition at the National Gallery, London (US artist)
- The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square: Antelope by Samson Kambalu (Malawi)
- Borough Market London combined with Xmas shopping at Fortnum’s
October 2022
BOOKS
- Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut (USA, 1969)
- The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins (Canada, 2022)
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (USA, 2020)
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (UK, 1886)
- A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (UK, 2005)
- Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce (UK, 2018)
FILM
- Moonage Daydream (USA, 2022)
- Ticket to Paradise (USA, 2022)
- Moonlight (USA, 2016)
- Carol (USA, 2016)
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (USA, 1986)
- All about my Mother (Spain, 1999)
- Le Havre (Finland/France, 2011)
- Pilgrims (Lithuania, 2021)
TV
- Inside Man (UK, 2022)
ART EXHIBITIONS/PLACES VISITED
- Shopping trip to Brighton
- M. K. Ciurlionis (Lithuania) at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
- Science Fiction exhibition at the Science Museum, London
September 2022
BOOKS
- Passing by Nella Larsen (USA, 1929)
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (USA, 2021)
- The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (USA, 2021)
- Body Kintsugi by Senka Maric (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2022)
FILM
- American Werewolf in London
- The Cabin in the Woods
ART/OTHER
- Venice for the Biennale plus St Mark’s Square etc
- Maria Bartuszova (Slovakia) at Tate Modern
August 2022
Books
- The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (2010)
- An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine (2014)
- Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood (1935)
- Look Here: On the Pleasures of Observing the City by Ana Kinsella (2022)
- Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews (2022)
- Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry (2019)
FILMS
- Hit the Road (Iran, 2021)
- Get Out (USA)
- Jennifer’s Body (USA, 2009)
- Nope (USA, 2022)
TV
- American Horror Stories (USA, 2021)
- The Newsreader (Australia, 2022)
- American Horror Story season 1
- Kate Bush at the BBC 1979
PLACES VISITED
- Brandenburg Gate/Berlin Wall/Reichstag
July 2022
BOOKS
- In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova (2017/21)
- We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1924/2020)
- Claudine’s House by Colette (1922)
- Your Ad Could Go Here by Oksana Zabuzhko (2020)
- They by Kay Dick (1977)
- Odd Girl Out by Laura James (2018)
- We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets (2022)
ART
- Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain
- Feminine Power at the British Museum
- Sun & Sea at the Albany Theatre
THEATRE
- Patriots at The Almeida
FILM
- Elvis (2022)
- Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022)
- Jawbreaker (1999)
- The Fly (1986)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
TV
- Severance
- The Undeclared War
- I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (seasons 1 and 2)
PODCASTS/RADIO
- Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (BBC Radio 4)
- Slow Radio, A Day in the Life of Honey the Dog (BBC Radio 3)
- The Long History of Argument (Radio 4)
June 2022
BOOKS
- Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (2016)
- Quilt on Fire by Christie Watson (2022)
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (2021)
FILM
- Everything Everywhere all at Once (2022)
- All My Friends Hate Me (2022)
ART
- The Woman in the Window exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
TV
- Pistol (2022)
May 2022
BOOKS
- The Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (2021)
- 1922: Scenes from a Turbulent Year by Nick Rennison (2021)
- Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb (1999)
FILM
- Navalny (2022)
- The Bubble (2022)
ART
- Walter Sickert and Hew Locke’s The Procession at Tate Britain
TV
- Ted Lasso (Season 2)
- Derry Girls (Season 3)
- Ten Per Cent
- Slow Horses
- Eurovision
MUSIC
- Harry’s Home by Harry Styles
- We by Arcade Fire
POCASTS/RADIO
- Lusus (Radio 4)
- Putin (Radio 4)
April 2022
BOOKS
- The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom (1991/94)
- Bonjour Tristesse by Francois Sagan (1954)
- The Story of O by Pauline Reage (1954)
FILM
- The Worst Person in the World (Norway, 2021)
March 2022
BOOKS
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It by Oliver Burkeman
- Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
- Middlemarch by George Eliot
- Cold Earth by Sarah Moss
- Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton
- Amok by Stefan Zweig
FILMS
- Ali and Ava (UK, 2021)
- Misbehaviour (UK, 2020)
- Turning Red (USA, 2021)
- Olga (Switzerland, 2021)
ART
- Louise Bourgeois, The Woven Child at the Hayward Gallery, London
TV
- Pam and Tommy (Disney Plus)
- Louis Theroux: Forbidden America (BBC)
- Stacey Dooley: Inside the Convent (BBC)
- Servant of the People (Ukraine, 2015 – via All 4)
- Chloe (BBC)
PODCASTS
- Room 5 (BBC)
- Political Animals (BBC)
February 2022
BOOKS
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)
- Free by Lea Ypi (2021)
- Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World (British Museum exhibition catalogue, 2011)
- Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (2021)
- Dancing in the Mosque by Homeira Qaderi (2021)
FILM
- Flee (Denmark, 2021)
- Dave Made a Maze (USA, 2017)
- Cyrano (USA/UK, 2021)
ART
- Francis Bacon: Man and Beast at the Royal Academy of Arts
January 2022
BOOKS
- A Moth to a Flame by Stig Dagerman (1948/1950/2019)
- Mrs March by Virginia Feito (2021)
- The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector (1977)
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (2021)
- An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley (1945)
- In Love with Hell by William Palmer (2021)
- The Foundling by Stacey Halls (2020)
- Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima
FILM
- Don’t Look Up (2021)
- Freaky (2020)
- Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Drive My Car (Japan, 2021)
- Parallel Mothers (Spain, 2021)
December 2021
BOOKS
- I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan (2019)
- The Wych Elm by Tana French (2019)
- Istanbul, Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk (2003/05)
- Better Living Through Criticism by A. O. Scott (2016)
- The Promise by Damon Galgut (2021)
- All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison (2018)
- The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Joffey (2020)
- The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura (1906)
- The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (1994/2019)
- I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue (2021)
TV
- Turkish TV show Ethos (2020)
- A Very British Scandal (2021)
- Bridgerton season 1 (2020)
- Aggretsuko season 1 (2018)
FILM
- Last Night in Soho (2021)
- Encanto (2021)
- A Star is Born (1954)
- The Meg (2018)
November 2021
BOOKS
- Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg by Emily Rapp Black
- Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (2012)
- Istanbul, Istanbul by Burhan Sönmez (2015)
- In Youth is Pleasure by Denton Welch (1945)
FILM
- Kedi (Cat) (2016)
October 2021
BOOKS
- The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe (1964)
- Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor (1976)
- The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah (2015)
- A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (2015)
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2017)
- Paula, Michael and Bob by Gerry Agar (2003)
- The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle (2006)
- The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley (2015)
FILM
- Catch Me If You Can (USA, 2003 – rewatched)
- Zombieland (USA, 2009)
- The French Dispatch (USA, 2021)
- Dune (USA, 2021)
TV
- Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
- Deutschland 1989 (Germany, 2021)
- Squid Game (South Korea, 2021)
Art Exhibitions
- Helen Frankenthaler at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
- Paula Rego at Tate Britain, London
- Turkish Art Week at the Saatchi Gallery, London
September 2021
BOOKS
- Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (1988)
- Alligator and Other Stories by Dima Alzayat (2020)
- Old Baggage by Lissa Evans (2018)
- The Pursuit of Art by Martin Gayford (2019)
FILM
- Mystify: Michael Hutchence (2019)
- Arietty (2010)
- Ex Machina (2014)
- Inglorious Basterds (2009)
TV
- Back to Life series 2
- The White Lotus
August 2021
BOOKS
- Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus, 1985/2019)
- Talk to Me by T. C. Boyle (USA, 2021)
- A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet (USA, 2020)
- Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany, 2008/10)
- Moonstone by Sjón (2013/16)
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (2007)
- How to Feed a Dictator, Witold Szablowski (2019/2020)
TV
- Ghosts (season 3)
- Pose (season 3)
ART
- Tate Britain – Rothko’s Seagram Murals
THEATRE:
- 2.22. A Ghost Story
FILM:
- Free Guy (2021)
- Souad (2021)
July 2021
BOOKS
- Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (1982)
- Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (2017/2020)
- The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion by Kei Miller (2014)
- Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto (2013)
- Golden Hill by Francis Spufford (2016)
TV
- The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018)
- Sweet Tooth (2021)
FILM
- Another Round (Denmark, 2020)
- Black Widow (USA, 2021)
ART
- Tracy Emin/Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul at the Royal Academy
June 2021
BOOKS
- The Employees by Olga Ravn (2020)
- Real Estate by Deborah Levy (2021)
- Consent by Annabel Lyon (2020)
- Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood (2017)
- The Circle by Dave Eggers (2013)
- The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (1997)
TV
- Bo Burnham’s Inside
FILM
- Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- Luca (2021)
POCASTS/RADIO
- A Somewhat Complete History of Sitting Down
May 2021
- Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (2020)
- When we Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (2020)
- Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (2016)
- Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah
- A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio
- What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
Film:
- Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
- The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
TV:
- Wellington Paranormal (New Zealand comedy series)
- Motherland (UK parenting comedy, season 3)
- Halston (Netflix fashion biopic series)
- The Pursuit of Love (BBC mini series)
April 2021
Books:
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021)
- Untraceable by Sergei Lebedev (2021)
- Wars of the Interior by Jospeh Zarate (2021)
- A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa (2020)
- Dear Life by Rachel Clarke (audio book) (2020)
- The Wild Places by Robert MacFarlane (2009)
- At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (2018/2020)
- Heavy Light by Horatio Clare (2021)
- The Sleeping Beauties by Suzanne O’Sullivan (2021)
TV:
- Stath Sells Flats (UK comedy series, Season 1)
- Deutschland 86 (German Cold War spy drama series
Films:
- Live Free or Die Hard (USA, 2007)
- Palm Springs (USA, 2020)
- Collective (Romania, 2019)
March 2021
Films:
- Iron Man III (USA, 2013)
- Die Tomorrow (Thailand, 2017)
- Thor: The Dark World (USA, 2013)
- Captain America: Winter Soldier (USA,2014)
- Bill and Ted Face the Music (USA, 2020)
Television:
- Young Offenders Season 1 (Ireland, 2018)
- The Terror Season 1 (USA, 2018)
Books:
- A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (2007)
- Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
- The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu (2010)
- Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin
- How to Live. What to Do. by Josh Cohen (2021)
- Another London (photography book)
- Christina’s World by MoMA (book on Andrew Wyeth)
- The Painting of Modern Life (art exhibition book)
- The Glass Hotel by Emily St Mandel (2020)
- A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies (2021)
- At the Existential Cafe: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell (2016)
February 2021
Films:
- Game Night (USA, 2018)
- Scott Pilgrim vs the World (USA, 2010)
- Iron Man/Iron Man II/Thor/Avengers Assemble (USA, 2008-2012)
- Easy A (USA, 2010)
- A Life in a Day 2020 (USA, 2021)
TV
- Call My Agent (French comedy drama series)
- The Great (USA)
- WandaVision (USA)
Books
- Zadie Smith, Intimations
- Patricia Highsmith, Edith’s Diary
- Tom Lubbock, Great Works
- John Guy, Henry VIII: The Quest for Fame
- Jacob Ross, The Bone Readers
- Susanna Clarke, Piranesi
- George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism
January 2021
Films:
- Diego Maradona (UK, 2019)
- Men who Stare at Goats (USA, 2009)
- Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (USA, 2019)
- Soul (USA, 2020)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (USA, 2011)
Books:
- The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
- The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha
- Art as Therapy by Alain de Botton
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
- Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
TV:
- The Queen’s Gambit (USA, Netflix)
- It’s a Sin (UK)
Audiobooks:
- The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith
- Ramble Book by Adam Buxton
December 2020
Films:
- Extra Ordinary (Ireland, 2019)
Books:
- The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
- The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
- Three Apples fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
- You Should have Left by Daniel Kehlmann
TV:
- The Disability Paradox (UK documentary)
- The Crown (UK drama, season 4)
- Love and Anarchy (Swedish comedy drama)
Podcasts:
- Where is George Gibney?
New music:
- Avalanches, We Will Always Love You
November 2020
Books:
- Lost Art, edited by Jennifer Mundy
- Weather by Jenny Offill
- A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
- A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar
- The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera
- Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys
- Ways of Looking by Ossian Ward
- Flames by Robbie Arnott
- Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (audio book)
Film:
- This is not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection (Lesotho, 2019)
- Happy Gilmore (USA, 1996)
- Kmêdeus (Cabo Verde, 2020)
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America (UK/USA, 1996 -rewatch)
- 8, or The Soul Collector (South Africa, 2019)
- Whisper of the Heart (Japan, 1995)
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (UK, 1975 – watched many times before!)
- On a le temps pour nous (Burkina Faso, 2019)
- Black Book (Netherlands, 2020)
- Without Gorky (UK, 2011)
Art
- Tate Modern, online walk-through of the Andy Warhol expedition
- Tate Liverpool, online walk-through of the Don McCullin exhibition
Television:
- The Frank Gardner Story (UK)
- Truth Seekers (UK)
- Ratched (USA)
- Bake Off (UK reality cooking competition)
- The Undoing (USA)
Radio/Podcasts:
- BBC Radio 4, Lights Out, From the Ashes of New Cross (UK)
- BBC Sounds, The Wedding Detectives
New music:
- some kind of peace, album by Olafur Arnalds
October 2020
All the books I read in October:
- Transfer Window by Maria Gerhardt
- Outside Looking In by T C Boyle
- Clothes and other things that matter by Alexandra Shulman
- The Sickness by Alberto Barrera Tyszka
- Sisters by Daisy Johnson
- When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasany
- Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink
- The Pear Field by Nana Ekvtimishvili
The films I watched in October:
- Wadjda (Saudi Arabia, 2012)
- Enola Holmes (UK, 2020)
- The Screaming Man (L’homme qui cri) (Chad, 2010)
- As I Open my Eyes (Tunisia, 2015)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (rewatch) (USA, 1975)
- Supa Modo! (Kenya, 2018)
- The Wedding Ring (Niger, 2016)
- Time (USA, 2020)
- Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (USA, 2020)
- Beetlejuice (rewatch) (USA, 1988)
- Dhalinyaro (Youth) (Djibouti, 2019)
TV I watched in October:
- Misfits season 1 (UK, 2009): obscenely funny
- Misfits season 2 (UK, 2010): plots getting sillier, but still obscene and hilarious. I love Robert Sheehan
- Ghosts season 2 (UK, 2020): gentle and funny
- The History of Writing (documentary, UK, 2020): informative and impressed with their pre-COVID travel budget
Podcast listened to:
- Futile Attempts by Kim Noble – tragicomic and surreal
September 2020
Books:
- Katherine Mansfield short stories
- Summerwater by Sarah Moss
- Negative Capability by Michele Roberts
- The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff
- The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm
- On Time and Water by Andri Snaer Magnason
Film
- Teenwolf
- Midnight Traveler
TV
- I Hate Suzie
- The Politician (season 1)
- The Art of Japanese Life
- Us
- Simon Schama on The Romantics
August 2020
Books:
- In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin by Lindsey Hilsum
- Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
- Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay
- Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg
- The Past by Tessa Hadley
- My Mansfield Project by Kirsty Gunn
- A Death in the Neighbourhood by Susannah Berne
- Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
Film:
- A Private War
- Much Much Amore
- Team America
- Burn After Reading
TV:
Mandy (comedy series)
July 2020
Books:
- When Time Stopped by Ariana Neumann
- Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
- Frank Bowling by Elena Crippa
- Harald Sohlberg: Infinite Landscapes
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
- The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
- The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
- Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Film:
- Cook Off
- The Lives of Others
- Honeyland
- Logan Lucky
TV:
- A House through Time
- Space Force
- The Crown season 3
Podcast:
- Cautionary Tales
June 2020
Books:
- Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
- Golden Child by Claire Adam
- The Discomfort of the Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
- Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana
- Holiday Heart by Margarita Garcia Robayo
- Pale Rider by Laura Spinney
- A World Gone Mad: The Wartime Diaries of Astrid Lindgren (1939-45)
Film:
- The Great Beauty (2013)
- For Sama (2019)
- Best in Show (2000)
TV
- Mallory Towers
- The Big Flower Fight
- Age of the Image
- Hollywood
- Killing Eve (rewatch)
- Staged
- What we do in the Shadows
- I May Destroy You
May 2020
Books:
- Oranges are not the only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
- The Pact We Made by Layla Alammar
- The Long Drop by Denise Mina (audio book)
- Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Restless by Kenneth Moe
- Face It by Debbie Harry (autobiography)
TV:
- Normal People
- Hospital: Coronavirus Special
- Upload
- Sewing Bee
Film:
- Gloria Bell (2018)
- Free Solo (2018)
- Loveless (2017)
- Knives Out (2019)
Podcast:
- The Last Days of August
April 2020
Books:
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (re-read)
- Actress by Anne Enright (audiobook)
- Green Smoke by Rosemary Manning (kid’s book!)
- The Wall by Marlen Haushofen
- English Monsters by James Scudamore
- The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
TV:
- Tiger King (true crime series on Netflix)
- National Theatre live, Jane Eyre
Film:
- Hairspray (2007)
- Gloria (2013)
March 2020
Books:
- Baho! by Roland Rugero
- The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
- The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (audio book)
- Loop by Brenda Lozano
- Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
- A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher (audio book)
- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Film:
- The Cat Returns (Studio Ghibli)
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (Studio Ghibli)
- Contagion
Art exhibition:
- Among the Trees at the Hayward Gallery, London
TV:
- Bonus Family (Swedish comedy drama) on Netflix UK
- Intelligence (UK comedy series on Sky)
- Breeders (UK comedy series on Sky)
February 2020
Books:
- Gill Hornby, Miss Austen (audiobook)
- Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt
- Christine Craig, Mint Tea and Other Stories
- Bernd Brunner, Winterlust: Finding Beauty in the Fiercest Season
- Yasmina Khadra, The Attack
- Deborah Levy, The Man Who Saw Everything
- Bohumil Hrabal, Too Loud a Solitude
- Deborah Orr, Motherwell
- Velibor Čolić, The Uncannily Strange and Brief Life of Amadeo Modigliani
Films:
- The Lighthouse
- Parasite
- Dolittle
Exhibition:
- Léon Spillaert at the Royal Academy of Arts, London
TV
- Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
January 2020
Books:
- Sinéad Gleeson, Constellations
- Romesh Gunesekera, Suncatcher
- Graham Greene, Brighton Rock (audio book)
- Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
- Jane Harper, Force of Nature
- Ismail Kadare, Broken April
- Michèle Gazier, Virginia Woolf
- Jamaica Kincaid, Lucy
- Ismail Kadare, The Doll
- Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman is in Trouble
- Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other
- Claudio Morandini, Snow, Dog, Foot
Film:
Exhibition:
- Troy: Myth and Reality @ The British Museum
- Dora Maar @ Tate Modern
TV/podcasts:
- Avenue 5
- The Windermere Children
December 2019
Books:
- Andrés Barba, Such Small Hands
- Frances Carey and Max Egremont, Portrait of the Artist: Käthe Kollwitz
- Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter
- William Miller, Gloucester Crescent: Me, My Dad and Other Grown-Ups
- Nathalie abi-Ezzi, A Girl Made of Dust
- Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen and other stories
- José Eduard Agualusa, A General Theory of Oblivion
- Rachel Cusk, Coventry (essay collection)
- Nora Ephron, I Feel Bad about my Neck
- Ben Lerner, The Topeka School
Film:
- Cats
Exhibitions:
- Käthe Kollwitz at the British Museum
- Nam June Paik at the Tate Modern
- Tim Walker at the V&A
- Rembrandt’s Light at Dulwich Picture Gallery
TV/podcast:
- His Dark Materials (UK TV dramatization)
- Upright (Australian comedy series)
- Pose (US series by Ryan Murphy, second season)
November 2019
Books:
- Irmgard Keun, The Artificial Silk Girl
- Robert Harris, The Second Sleep
- Tété-Michel Kpomassie, An African in Greenland
- Han Kang, Human Acts
- Hanne Ørstavik, Love
- Ahmed Saadawi, Frankenstein in Baghdad
Film:
- Non-fiction
- Spider-man: Far from Home
- Greener Grass
- The Chambermaid
Exhibition:
- Jide Odukoya, Turn it Up: On Paradoxes at the Horniman Museum
TV:
- UK TV comedy series Ghosts
- UK drama Gold Digger
October 2019
Books:
- Margaret Atwood, The Testaments
- Scholastique Mukasonga, Our Lady of the Nile
- Zadie Smith, Grand Union (short story collection)
- Emilie Pine, Notes to Self (essay collection)
- Elizabeth Taylor, Mrs Claremont at the Palfrey
- Mary Costello, The River Capture
- Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis
- Ann Patchett, The Dutch House
Films:
- Joker
- Monos
- The Guilty
- The Farewell
- Blades of Glory
Exhibition/art:
- Into the Night: Cabarets and Clubs in Modern Art, at the Barbican, London
- Kara Walker’s installation in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall
TV:
- UK comedy series Motherland
September 2019
Books:
- Salman Rushdie, Quichotte
- Tove Ditlvesen, The Copenhagen Trilogy
- Mary Beth Keane, Ask Again, Yes
- Samanta Schweblin, Fever Dream
- Peter Pomerantsev, This is not Propoganda
- Tea Obreht, Inland
- Leila Slimani, Lullaby
Films:
Exhibitions:
- Dora Maurer at Tate Modern, London
- William Blake at Tate Britain, London
- Felix Vallotton at the Royal Academy, London
- Helene Schjerkbeck at the Royal Academy, London
TV shows:
- UK comedy series State of the Union
- UK comedy series Defending the Guilty
August 2019
- Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys
- Jane Gardam, Old Filth
- Oyinkan Braithwaite, My Sister, The Serial Killer
- Hannah Rothschild, The Improbability of Love
- Mick Herron, Slow Horses (Slough House series, book 1)
- Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone
- Genki Kawamura, If Cats Disappeared from the World
- Tove Jansson, The True Deceiver
Film:
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Exhibition:
- Olafur Eliasson at Tate Modern