LIZZY ATTREE
Khadija Abdalla Bajabar THE HOUSE OF RUST (Greywolf Press, 2021)
This novel won the inaugural Graywolf Press Africa Prize ($12,000) in 2018 which was judged by A. Igoni Barrett. The Kenyan author is of Hadrami descent, born and still living in Mombasa. The story follows a young girl who goes to the sea to search for her fisherman father, accompanied by a scholar’s cat. Bajaber blends the folk stories of post-independence Mombasa with a coming-of-age tale, as her protagonist faces the monsters ahead and the demons of her past. A magical realist debut exploring selfishness, independence, family loyalty and individuality.
DISRUPTION – new short fiction from Africa (Catalyst Press, 2021)
I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Short Story Day Africa to get this book published, so a bit biased, but I really do think it’s an excellent collection of short stories. A genre-spanning anthology exploring the many ways that we grow, adapt, and survive in the face of our ever-changing global realities. These evocative, often prescient, stories showcase new and emerging writers from across Africa to investigate many of the pressing issues of our time: climate change, pandemics, social upheaval, surveillance, and more. Authors from across Africa use their stories to explore the concept of change--environmental, political, and physical--and the power or impotence of the human race to innovate our way through it.
OUR GHOSTS WERE ONCE PEOPLE ed. Bongani Kona (Jonathan Ball, 2021)
This poignant and thought-provoking anthology gives us portraits of grief as seen through the eyes of writers and poets such as Sisonke Msimang, Dawn Garisch, Lidudumalingani, Mary Watson, Ishtiyaq Shukri, Hedley Twidle, Karin Schimke, Khadija Patel, Shubnum Khan and many others. Bongani Kona has expertly edited this unique collection so that we can consider the pain of death as transformative, finding beauty in the stories so that we can find ways to live with loss.
Next year: Looking forward to Yomi Sode’s MANNORISM out in May 2022 with Penguin.
KATE BURKE
TV: MARE OF EASTTOWN (created by Brad Ingelsby)
The always-excellent Kate Winslet was particularly brilliant and complex in this crime series about the impact of a young mother’s murder on a small, dysfunctional, American town. Wrestling with her own demons, she shone in an understated way as a dogged detective who would stop at nothing until she solved the crime. Dark, atmospheric, and full of great twists and turns - I loved it!
Book: THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Having read and enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six last year, I picked up one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s earlier books, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, and read it in two sittings! This is rare for me – I have picked up and put down so many books this year – but something about the glamour of 1950s Hollywood sucked me right in and I just couldn’t put this down. It’s a light, entertaining and absorbing read, and quite a poignant story about a talented woman in a (then) male-dominated industry.
Film: CANDYMAN (written and directed by Brandon Rose, 1992)
Ahead of the release of the remake/reimagining in September, I watched horror film CANDYMAN for the first time since the early 90s (when I was far too young to have been watching it – saw it at a friend’s sleepover without my parents knowing!) and it was much better and more thriller-ish than I remembered. I have always thought of it as a gruesome slasher but it had much more depth and plot than I remember, commenting on American society at the time and covering issues such as race, class and religion. That said, it still gave me the heebie-jeebies and you’ll never catch me saying ‘Candyman’ five times while staring in a mirror! And, having watched this again, I was then too scared to go and watch the remake…
ANTONIA COKER
Books: GROWN: THE BLACK GIRLS’ GUIDE TO GLOWING UP by Melissa Cummings-Quarry (Author), Natalie A Carter (Author), Dorcas Magbadelo (Illustrator) (Bloomsbury, 2021)
I got sent this book by a PR company out of the blue, and I’m so glad it reached me. Though meant for younger readers, I think GROWN is essential reading for every black girl in the UK and beyond. It teaches valuable life lessons on health, finance and ultimately growing up. I learned a few things from it myself! It’s the guide I wish I had when I was young, and one that I’m thrilled to have now. I can’t wait to see how the black girl book club progresses after this.
TV: THE LAST DANCE (ESPN, Netflix)
As an avid basketball fan, I’m ashamed to admit I missed the initial showing of this series when it was premiering on Netflix last year, but I am glad to have discovered it this year! The rise and journey of the famous basketball player Michael Jordan was equal parts insightful and entertaining, and I found myself fully engrossed in his journey to win a ring for the Chicago Bulls. The documentary series contains never before seen footage of the ‘97/‘98 Bulls team, and though I’m not a Bulls’ fan myself, I found myself rooting for them to win anyway.
Music: AALIYAH by Aaliyah
I was almost four when the news that Aaliyah Haughton had passed away in a plane crash shook the world, so other than her icon status and role as Akasha in The Queen of the Damned, I’ve never really known much about her. Early this year, I listened to her final album AALIYAH and pretty much fell in love. It’s still in my heavy rotations now. To me, it’s one of the best R&B albums I’ve ever heard, and it’s easy now for me to understand her place as a pop legend.
Next year: Next year I’m looking forward to THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH. I’m a major Shakespeare dweeb and can still recite most of his soliloquy from act 2 scene 1 from memory. I’m excited to see how the latest adaptation plays out!
ISOBEL DIXON
I know I’m not alone in finding it hard to believe that 2021 is nearing its end… I’m thinking back over this surreal year, feeling that complex seam between the still-virtual and the just-out-in-the-world, with flashes of wonderful online events and poetry readings, including ones featuring two Ireland-linked publications, Martina Evans’s American Mules (Carcanet) and Simon Barraclough’s Iarnród Éireann (Broken Sleep). Also the first chance in two years to read In Real Life myself, with other poets, outdoors on a beautiful sunny afternoon in Lewes, for Finished Creatures Issue Five – a blessing of a day.
In my publishing life there were happy reunions with authors and book trade comrades at Harrogate Crime Festival, Frankfurt Book Fair and Crossing Border Festival in The Hague. Each epic in its own way, and never to be taken for granted again.
Three events were particular highlights and feel somehow linked, calling for special mention:
Karoo violet, Aptosimum indivisum
Isobel Dixon
1. The London Review of Books’ online festival SUBJECT/OBJECT: THE BIRDS. Thoughtfully curated, beautifully executed, I learned so much and revelled in being so immersed in avian life, over a week in May, while at my desk.
2. What a joy it was to return to live theatre in June, after so long. For years I’ve had a Faber CD of T.S. Eliot’s FOUR QUARTETS read by Ralph Fiennes, and think he renders the poem superbly. I leaped at the chance to go to his one-man show at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and loved it.
3. Then, out in the wide, bright open, the D.H. LAWRENCE SOCIETY’S FESTIVAL WALK on a glorious blue-gold September day, from Greasley Church near Nottingham, and through the surrounding fields. All the more resonant as it’s the setting of a striking D.H. Lawrence short story, ‘Love Among the Haystacks’.
The most joyful return of all was to see my beloved sisters and in-laws in South Africa this month, albeit for a trip far too short, and somewhat fraught due to the UK’s precipitous travel ‘red-listing’. What I look forward to most in 2022 is to do again what I and my sisters and young nephew did together last week – walking in the veld above Nieu Bethesda, spotting Karoo flowers that had emerged after the welcome recent rain. A different world. I’ll return with this wonderful gem of a book in hand – KAROO: SOUTH AFRICAN WILD FLOWER GUIDE, text by David Shearing, illustrations by Katryn van Heerden.
SIAN ELLIS-MARTIN
Book: I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN by Jacqueline Harpman (translated by Ros Schwartz)
I’m not usually a big fan of dystopian fiction but a friend sent me this book and I couldn’t put it down or stop thinking about it when I finished. The story centres on one woman who is trapped in a bunker with 39 older women until one day, something unexpected happens and everything changes. A haunting and compelling read that I’ve recommended to absolutely everyone.
Music: 30 – Adele
I spent most of the pandemic telling everyone that I was sure Adele was going to help us through it and, better late than never, here she is.
TV: MAID (created by Molly Smith Metzler, Netflix)
Based on the book by Stephanie Land, MAID follows Alex, a single mother working as a maid to keep a roof over her daughter’s head. It’s a stark exploration of the poverty that still exists in countries as developed as America, and the ridiculously complicated systems that people must navigate to receive very basic support. Stellar acting from everyone involved but I was especially blown away by real-life mother-daughter duo Margaret Qualley and Andie Macdowell.
Looking forward to in 2022:
TO PARADISE by Hanya Yanagihara, of course.
JULIAN FRIEDMANN
Footwear: SKECHERS
I have been a life-long wearer of Timberland shoes; with TLC and hide food they almost never wore out. But I had to buy a pair of red shoes for a 60th birthday party: my friend Thomas Spieker thought red shoes were less onerous than full fancy dress. So, complaining a lot, I bought my first pain of SKECHERS shoes. What a revelation! It was like wearing cotton wool around one’s feet. I did need some kind of arch support and mirabile dictu, you can get that as standard. The older I get the more I appreciate comfort.
Book: HUANDUJ: BRUGMANSIA by Alistair Hay, Monika Gottschalk and Adolfo Holguin (Kew Press, 2012)
For years I have grown beautiful plants I believed were called datura. Carole and I first saw them in Masai Mara on safari: magnificent lily-like flowers with amazing scent at night (propagated by moths). I saw a book at the RHS Wisley bookshop which was so expensive that I decided I would find a cheaper book on the plant, which I did (2nd hand). Then I was given a big book token, so on my next visit to Wisley purchased HUANDUJ: BRUGMANSIA and discovered that my plants were brugmansia not datura.
Carole Drinkwater’s books and TV series
The latter is called A YEAR IN PROVENCE. The books start with AN OLIVE FARM. Since we have access to a family villa in the South of France that has over 30 olive trees, my interest was piqued as the subject of this documentary series is very close to where we stay. I remember Carole and her film and TV producer husband Michel from heady days on the Croisette in Cannes. The series is easy on the eye, full of memories and insights into how to make a baguette, harvest lavender, make cheese. Not high culture (I am sure my colleagues will keep the side up) but delicious nevertheless.
SAMUEL HODDER
TV: IT’S A SIN (Russell T Davies)
This unforgettable, deeply humane short series warms your heart only to break it, as we fall in love with a group of gay friends in 1980s London while the AIDS epidemic is beginning to take its terrible toll. The series is brilliant at capturing the confusion of the time, as wild rumours swirl amidst the general panic and near-silence from the authorities. It’s outrageous to see how the early sufferers were treated. Despite this, the characters are never reduced to being only victims. They are full of life and wit and humour, and there is much joy – and much to be thankful for, especially friendship – among the sadness.
Film: THE POWER OF THE DOG (written and directed by Jane Campion. Adapted from the novel by Thomas Savage)
I’m so glad I stumbled across this on Netflix! It’s a modern Western, richly complicating the stereotype of the rugged rancher who colonised the American West. Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brutish rancher in Montana, close only to his brother George, who he nevertheless bullies. When George abruptly marries the widowed Rose (the marvellous Kirsten Dunst) and brings her to the ranch, Phil’s psychological bullying drives Rose to drink. But Phil has underestimated Rose’s delicate teenage son, and how Phil’s own secrets and needs might make him vulnerable. This Western becomes an uneasy, unpredictable slow-burn thriller. After watching the film, I immediately sought out the novel (published 1967) by Thomas Savage, which is a joy.
Book: ON PHOTOGRAPHS by David Campany (Thames & Hudson, 2021)
My interest in photography first grew from using Instagram (I guess social media isn’t always bad!) and it quickly became my favourite pastime, helping me to relax, to be a little creative and use a non-verbal part of my brain. Another pleasure has been learning about the history of photography and the work of master photographers. On Photographs (the title is an allusion to Susan Sontag’s On Photography) has been my favourite photography book of the year – erudite, thoughtful but accessible, as it explores photography and what the medium is capable of from many different perspectives, each illustrated by a celebrated photograph.
And in 2022: YOUNG MUNGO by Douglas Stuart (Picador)
Douglas Stuart is such an exciting talent and his debut Shuggie Bain was my favourite novel of 2020 – I was delighted when it won the Booker Prize. I cannot wait for YOUNG MUNGO, published Picador in April 2022. And I was excited to see the cover features an iconic photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans, the first photographer to win the Turner Prize.
LOUISA MINGHELLA
TV: WE ARE LADY PARTS (Nida Manzoor)
It’s rare that you come across a piece of media that gives you everything you want. I watched the whole of WE ARE LADY PARTS in one night, and have been talking about it ever since. There’s something uniquely bold about how quietly revolutionary this show is. Nida Manzoor has created an authentic and gently progressive British comedy, but it’s also a primal scream (literally) in the face of whitewashing and western ideals of representation. Punky in all its forms, I have nothing but good things to say about this show. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, run as fast as you can to All4 and check it out. Absolutely - unbelievably, unapologetically - brilliant.
TV: NEVER HAVE I EVER (Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher)
2021 has given me a lot more time to enjoy the juicier of Netflix’ series, and I put on NEVER HAVE I EVER thinking it would be a silly comedy about teens in America, which was what I fancied at the time. But it wasn’t what I got. Sure, it’s funny and light, but it’s also a masterclass in the modern comedy-drama. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan shines in the role of Devi, as she weaves through the insecurities of high school while trying to process the traumatic death of her father. It’s relatable. It’s heart-breaking. It’s hilarious. And it faithfully represents modern Indian-American culture while navigating universal themes like grief and teen angst and parenthood and sex. Who knew, Hollywood, that you could do both? (We all did.)
Film: ROCKS (Sarah Gavron, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson)
I watched ROCKS when it first came out as part of a film festival, but I needed to revisit it because I cried so much that most of it was blurry the first time. Honestly, this is a masterpiece of British film-making. I probably can’t say anything more meaningful than just find it and watch it and do it as fast as you can. The actors are beautiful and natural, and since they’re all non-professional young women, Gavron did a fantastic job capturing the feel of their easy inter-personal relationships. Rocks is a wonderful character, and you feel for her the moment you lay eyes on her. There is such an innate sense of love in this film, every moment is soaked in goodness. I’m crying writing this. Go watch it.
HANA MURRELL
Opera: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Rossini, performed by the Welsh National Opera.
I’m slowly being converted into an opera-goer, thanks to a dear family friend who was the stellar female lead in this entertaining, delightful production. She assured me that it sounds even more beautiful sung in Italian, but hearing it in English makes it so brilliantly accessible, in my humble opinion.
Podcast: Movie Therapy
I’ve loved listening to this podcast over the last year, and although I’m feeling bereft now that the hosts have brought it to an end, there are hundreds of episodes for you to enjoy. Kristen and Rafer are film and TV critics who offer compassionate, often very witty advice on listeners’ personal dilemmas, and prescribe films and TV shows that might help the listener find a solution or at least see that they’re not alone in their situation. A brilliant mix of high- and low-brow recommendations.
Book: QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN’T STOP TALKING by Susan Cain
Not a new book (published in 2012), but new to me. It’s a really compelling read, narrated by Cain’s curious, empathetic and authoritative voice. It’s given me a greater understanding of my own (introvert-leaning) personality and those of the people around me.
JULIET PICKERING
Book: SORROW AND BLISS by Meg Mason
I came to this novel expecting it to be the story of one woman’s breakdown and its repercussions, but it was SO much more. It’s a rich, insightful, quick-witted and deeply enjoyable book about family, and the complexities and nuances of behaviour that make you realise a person is not one thing, but many very different things to many, different people – and to themselves. It’s such a good conversation about the ways that we get older and grow together, as families, and how tiny slights become huge fallouts, which can be deflated again with the exposure of a sharp truth. I loved it so much that I’m going to take the exceedingly rare move of re-reading SORROW AND BLISS over the holidays, as a treat.
Film: ROBIN, ROBIN (Aardman Animations)
I love a festive film, and this short animation about a robin who believes he’s a mouse is not only perfect entertainment for my young son, but also fills me with Christmassy warmth, even on the 19th re-watch. Recommended!
Book: HOW TO EAT by Nigella Lawson (audiobook)
I’m still slow to enjoy audiobooks properly – I listen at bedtime and have a great knack for dropping off 5 mins in, and remembering nothing about what I’ve ‘heard’ the next day – but I saw someone online recommend comfort-listening to HOW TO EAT. I was intrigued by the idea of listening to recipes in audio, but the main appeal is really Nigella’s tips and tricks, which offer up some real gems. It’s easy and soothing to listen to her talk about what kind of olive oil to use for hollandaise (mine: Sainsbury’s own brand; hers: Ligurian), and fancy that one day you might be able to live the kind of life that features many exquisite olive oils, the best dark chocolate and organic-only meat. One can dream…
JAMES PUSEY
Theatre: THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH by William Shakespeare (Almeida Theatre)
Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle excelled in Yaël Farber’s haunting production.
Art: JOHN NASH: THE LANDSCAPE OF LOVE AND SOLACE (Towner Gallery, Eastbourne)
A major exhibition of the visionary artist’s oil paintings, watercolours, wood engravings and lithographs, depicting the British landscape.
Cinema: THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS (Dir: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw)
Deep in the forests of Piedmont the hunt for the white truffle is on! Charming, quirky, moving and timeless.
TABITHA TOPPING
Film: EMMA (dir. By Autumn de Wilde)
Not being exactly enamoured with the novel or its heroine, I didn’t seek out the 2020 adaptation of Jane Austen’s EMMA (starring Anya Taylor-Joy) despite the acclaim it received. However, when I finally got round to watching it, I was shocked by how much I loved it. Emma still aggravates me no end, but the combination of the acting, aesthetics and sharp, witty script had me spellbound and I even cried at the end! I may even pick the novel up again…
Poetry: HONORIFICS by Cynthia Miller
A stunning collection. I read it sat by a lake on one of the last scorching days of the year. I had just swum for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic hit and this collection kept me rapt as I slowly dried in the sun. It was shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and is truly astonishing, with poems on subjects as wide-ranging as family, immigration and jellyfish. One I’m sure I will continue to revisit in the years to come.
Non-fiction: WHO OWNS ENGLAND? by Guy Shrubsole
A fascinating look at the unequal distribution of land ownership across England and how it perpetuates wealth and class inequality. Sobering and necessary.
2022 pick: OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA by Julia Armfield
Having adored her short story collection SALT SLOW, I am desperately excited for Julia Armfield’s debut novel, OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA, which is due to be published by Picador on the 3rd of March. Love, grief, loss and the deep, deep sea – what more could you want?!
DAISY WAY
Podcast: SENTIMENTAL IN THE CITY (Caroline O’Donoghue and Dolly Alderton)
I’ve listened to and enjoyed several episodes of Caroline O’Donoghue’s books podcast, Sentimental Garbage, over the last few years, and I absolutely loved revisiting Sex and the City through her mini-series, SENTIMENTAL IN THE CITY, which she co-hosted earlier this year with Dolly Alderton. Across 8 episodes, they took a deep dive into each season as well as the films (yes, even the second one) and their witty, silly conversations just gave me all the warm, happy vibes I needed during my many rainy walks of lockdown number three. An honourable mention must also go to Drama Queens, another rewatch podcast for noughties American teen drama One Tree Hill – clearly this year I’ve been feeling nostalgic..!
Book: HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell
I read HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell at the start of the year and within the opening chapters knew it’d be one of my top picks for 2021, though I don’t think there’s much I can say that hasn’t already been said. Haunting and beautiful, it’s a heart-wrenching, unputdownable read which will stay with me for a long time. Standing ovation!
TV: SWEET TOOTH (created by Jim Mickle)
Like most, I have without a doubt watched more TV this year than ever before and it’s hard to pick a favourite now, but one series that stands out is SWEET TOOTH (Netflix). I didn’t expect to enjoy a fantasy series set ten years after a virus changed the world forever (ahem), nor did I expect to find the half-deer, half-boy protagonist so endearing, but I did. As you see a frightening world through Gus’ innocent eyes, what could have been a somewhat gloomy dystopian nightmare is actually quite charming, hopeful almost. An unexpected treat.