Blake Friedmann's Cultural Highlights 2023

It’s that time of year again where we reveal what books, films, TV programs, plays, places and pleasures the Blake Friedmann team have been hooked on outside of the BFLA-bubble over the past twelve months: our annual cultural highlights. Check out previous years here!

Ane reason

Art: The Modern Art Museum in Stockholm

I loved roaming through Moderna Museet with an old friend this autumn. The museum is located in a former navy drill hall on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm and contains a wide range of modern and contemporary art in various media. I didn’t manage to see the entire collection, so I hope I get a chance to revisit the museum again soon! 

Podcast: New York City Ballet’s Podcast

This year, I discovered the joy of listening to podcasts while going for long walks and travelling by train. I especially enjoyed the segment of the New York City Ballet’s podcast called New Combinations with Wendy Whelan in which the Associate Artistic Director speaks to the choreographers behind upcoming new works. It’s a great behind-the-scenes sneak peek and it always leaves me feeling inspired even on the greyest of days. 

Book: NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley

I know I’m late in discovering this book and that one of my colleagues already wrote about it last year, but I’m giving it another mention here, as – of all the books I read this year – this is the one that stayed with me long after I’d put it down. Many months after reading it, I’m still haunted by Kiara’s fight for survival in the underbelly of Oakland and the hypnotic musicality of her voice. It’s chilling and heartwarming in equal measure and I can’t recommend it enough. 

Anna myrmus

Play: PATRIOTS, Noël Coward Theatre.

One of my highlights this year was Patriots by Peter Morgan, which tells the story of the tragic rise and fall of Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, played by Tom Hollander. I loved that the play was more Shakespearean than political, and was really about Berezovsky’s fatal flaw, underestimating the wrong man (the wrong man being Vladimir Putin). It felt timeless while being about a specific historical moment.

Film: OPPENHEIMER

I didn’t do Barbenheimer in one day, but I hate to admit that I preferred Oppenheimer to Barbie. It was just an epic story which surprisingly I found most interesting in the third act, after the bomb went off. It is mostly men talking, which isn’t usually my thing, but it was this time.

Travel: Malta

This year I went to Malta for the first time and had the best time. There was a lot of hiking, swimming, and eating, which I loved. The landscapes are stunning, so I would recommend it if you’re into hiking, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the food, unless you stick to the Maltese delicacies, which it’s often hard to do (I got served a pizza with a pile of tinned tuna and boiled egg on top). The people are also very friendly and love the English, which feels bizarre. My highlight was ending up in a bar full of Maltese old men who gave us free drinks and sang along to Robbie Williams and Queen all night.

Conrad williams

Magazine: International Piano Magazine

I cannot think of any other magazine I read cover to cover.  A new generation of classical pianists is coming to the ascendant, and IP has steered me towards recordings (and live performances) by the wonderful Lukas Geniušas, Saskia Giorgini, Paul Wee, Beatrice Rana and others. The legendary Bryce Morrison’s articles on controversial great pianists are a treat. The recent articles on music by Alkan have been literally snorted off the page. There are welcome sections on piano technique, interviews, and other morsels and delectables that send you waltzing to the piano for a bash or off in search of new CDs/sheet music.  This is my world, my tribe, and I am at home in its glorious pages like nowhere else.

Music: Concerto for Solo Piano by Charles Alkan

This epic masterpiece of the piano repertoire has been in my system since the 1970s when I first heard Ronald Smith’s HMV recording and was smitten. Mark Andre Hamelin’s gargantuan recording of 2006 I heard one evening this summer and was so cosmically excited by its superhuman pianism that I decided to learn the first movement (72 pages) for a second time.  I had a preliminary encounter with this movement in the 1990s, not unlike Caesar’s first invasion of Britain. Since then, I have been in thrall to its urgent, propulsive drama and forcing myself to go mano a mano with its Grendel-like technical terrors. Anyone intrigued by the sound of this Faustian masterpiece should listen to recordings by John Ogdon, Paul Wee, Hamelin or Smith.

Book: GHOSTED by Mark McCrum

This recent publication by a very old friend of mine is a slyly amusing read indeed. Within the conventions of cosy crime McCrum has insinuated a gift for humorously disobliging observation that has ever been his trademark. The voice is that of a maiden aunt of a certain age, beadily alive to the pretensions of her milieu.  The voice is channelled through the ghost of a man attending a funeral that he is shocked to discover is his own.  Did he really commit suicide? Not his style, surely!  The funeral speeches grate on his nerves: the posturing, insincerity, and flatulence.  He floats home for the wake and is none too pleased to see his business partner putting one over on his widow.  What the hell’s been going on, and why is he dead, dammit?
A forbidden treat for those of a certain world view and generation.

Daisy way

Television: COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS, BBC iPlayer

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show, but I ended up binge watching it in two sittings. Lead characters Ashley and Gordon are strangers who are unexpectedly brought together by a minor car accident and an injured dog, who they name Colin. Clever, charming and funny in equal measure, it was a delight from start to finish.

Theatre: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Almeida Theatre

My first visit to the Almeida was an excellent one! Paul Mescal as Stanley was brilliant as always, but it was Patsy Ferran as Blanche who stole the show for me. A phenomenal performance ­– I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage even for a moment.

Book: THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES by Elif Shafak

A magical, moving novel set between 1970s Cyprus and 2010s London, capturing the forbidden young love between teenagers, one a Greek Cypriot and the other a Turkish Cypriot, with the two timelines tied together by narrative from the unique perspective of a fig tree. Lyrical, enchanting and moving, this novel is a heartbreaking reminder of how the terrible effects of war can reverberate down generations.

Finlay charlesworth

Theatre: A MIRROR, Almeida Theatre

I was once again spoiled by the quality of the London theatre scene this year, and honourable mentions must go to Guys and Dolls at The Bridge, The Kiln’s Wife of Willesden and The Old Vic’s Pygmalion – but A Mirror takes the nod as the most surprising, intelligent and unexpected piece of theatre I saw last year, bolstered by an outstanding cast of Jonny Lee Miller, Tanya Reynolds, Micheal Ward and Geoffrey Streatfield. It's about a wedding. Don’t ask any more questions, it’s pointless knowing any more. Just go see it – it’s coming to the West End in 2024.

Music: Spotify Wrapped

An outrageous quantity of superb music was released in 2023 and I really, seriously couldn’t narrow it down. How can you even try to compare Young Fathers’ Heavy Heavy to Kokoroko’s Could We Be More, or Feist’s Multitudes to Ben Howard’s Is It? So this pick goes out to Ezra Collective and to Elephant Sessions, and Lana Del Rey, and Self Esteem, and The National, and Maribou State, and Breabach, and Fionn Regan, and Explosions in the Sky and many others – and to Spotify for chewing up my data and having the cheek to make me feel grateful for it.

Book: POOR THINGS by Alasdair Gray

The simple recycled description of ‘Frankenstein meets Pygmalion” does little justice to this wicked, hilarious book from 1992: a truly radical and unique piece of writing that combines unexpected warmth, humour and humanity with the shocking and grotesque and bracing, boundless feminist and socialist undercurrents. Gray’s characters are unlike any I have read before, and he brings Victorian Europe to life – in particular his beloved Glasgow – in vivid detail, supported on both fronts by his exceptional, meticulous illustrations that pepper the book.

I also caught a preview of next year’s Poor Things film adaptation – a hilarious, outrageous take on the book that both honours and reinvents the source material, stunningly realised for the screen and anchored by Emma Stone’s incredible performance – but for the full visceral, unbelievable experience, start with Gray’s masterpiece.

Isobel dixon

Book: THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN by Thomas Mann

My Very-Long-Book Book Group has inspired me to tackle (and thoroughly enjoy) some monumental tomes over the last year – helped along by lively dinner discussions and some excellent audiobooks (though with manuscript reading to juggle as well, I’m still the slowcoach of the crew). My favourite so far is the third we read: Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, which held me in its grip over many weeks – a slow ascent and lingering sojourn which has stayed with me very vividly, helped on by the echoes of David Rintoul’s excellent narration.

Festival: Crossing Border

Crossing Border Festival in The Hague, coming hot on the heels of Frankfurt Book Fair, is always a very special music and literature gathering. This year I was especially struck by thought-provoking events with Teju Cole, Adania Shibli, Max Porter and Zadie Smith, but also grateful for deep, challenging and sustaining conversations with writers and international publishing friends, away from the auditoria - and some late-night dancing for the soul as well.

A joyful televisual double: Strictly Come Dancing & the Rugby World Cup Final

In a harsh and distressing season, there was intermittent consolation to be found in the non-verbal world: Strictly Come Dancing is always a joyful antidote to the shorter, darker, wintry days, and this year more than ever. I was very glad to be back from a family trip to South Africa in time to catch the spectacular final. But another, earlier final was even more heart-lifting – the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup, after putting supporters through the mill three times in a row, with narrow, nailbiting wins. It was worth every nerve-shredding moment, especially with captain Siya Kolisi’s inspiring leadership, a powerful reminder of past peace-making and the ongoing work of hope.

James pusey

Travel: Camino de Santiago

A long walk from La Coruña to Santiago de Compostela in early summer loosened the ligaments and blew away some cobwebs. The route took me and five fellow pilgrims through Galicia’s green countryside and dropped us off in front of the stunning cathedral of St James.

Book: THUNDERCLAP by Laura Cumming

The most memorable book I read this year. Intertwining the stories of Carel Fabritius (painter of ‘The Goldfinch’) and the author’s own artist father, the book made substantive use of the slim archival record to produce an illuminating and moving narrative of the conditions in which art was made in 17th-century Holland.

TV: Picasso: The Beauty and the Beast, BBC

The BBC2 documentary series viewed the artist’s achievements alongside his troubling relationships with women. Although we perhaps don’t need reminding that great artists are not always good people, the series seemed to me to handle a great deal of source material, and a wide range of interviewees, in a judicious and even-handed way. Thoughtful and thought provoking.

Julian friedmann

TV: SLOW HORSES        

This is actually from the end of last year but it was the first TV series I ever binge-watched (4 episodes a night over 3 nights). Brilliant casting and a wonderfully nuanced riff on a slightly tired spy-thriller genre. Am planning to binge watch again this Christmas when there is a new season – I might have to start at the beginning, however.

Recipe: Confit of Duck

Decades ago, Carole Blake and I spent every summer in S W France where confit was a speciality. Ken Hom taught me to cook it, but I had not done so for years until it was my turn to decide what to cook as my contribution for the large family gatherings this Christmas (12 grandkids and 12 adults: not all at once this year; instead over several meals). So I found a simpler recipe and tried it: worked a treat. You cook them ahead of the day and freeze them; on the day thaw and put in the oven for 10 mins in foil and 5 mins uncovered.

Book: THE COMING WAVE by Mustafa Suleyman

This is about AI and describes it as “the 21st Century’s greatest dilemma”. I did a workshop on using ChatGPT to write a TV series pitch document and found it fascinating. I use it more than I use Google. But, like so many, the implications for the world at large are very two-sided: if it can be used for good it can also be used for bad. Am halfway through reading this book and while I don't think we need to panic, we cannot be complacent. And that is quite apart from training the AI by scraping copyright material. I don't believe there is a breach of copyright, but we don't even have the words to describe some of this new stuff. However the OED has, I believe, accepted the use of the word ‘hallucinating’ for when AI just makes stuff up because it doesn’t know what to say!

Juliet pickering

Book: MAPS OF OUR SPECTACULAR BODIES by Maddie Mortimer

I was recommended this book ages ago and then, predictably, completely forgot about it and re-discovered it when browsing my local bookshop. Had I remembered that it was a story of mothers and daughters where cancer is also a character I may have been scared off, but as it was I went into the novel with no particular expectations, and fell headlong into this clever, sharp, devastating story. The characters are spiky and surprising, and feeling what they’re going through in the most authentic (it seemed to me) ways. There’s so much packed in here, and yet it’s light and playful as well as heavy and dark. A stunning piece of writing and completely consuming read.

Music: City of Bristol Brass Band

I recently went to see the City of Bristol Brass Band playing Christmas tunes (including the soundtrack to The Snowman alongside screening the film) and I’ve never seen such unrestrained dancing and joyful flinging-limbs-about from my 4-year-old. It was a really special event, and the band were so friendly, fun and festive.

Book: WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS by Catherine Newman

The New York Times described this book as ‘excruciatingly heartbreaking’ and it really is, but it is also deeply, darkly funny in the absurd and painful ways that only real life can be. It’s the story of best-friendship that I’ve been looking for, for a long time, and it absolutely nails what it is to know your best friend in a bone-deep sense, and see all your best and worst traits in each other. Like Maps… above, it deals with huge love and loss, but it’s done so exquisitely and humorously that I gladly devoured every word and emotion. I can’t recommend it enough, but find a place to read it where you can cry your eyes out and no one will interrupt you.

Special mention to Adventuremice, the gorgeously illustrated books by Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve; they have such an innocent sense of adventure and amazement at the world, and are perfect for reading aloud.

Kate burke

TV: THE LAST OF US, HBO

I love it when a random (well, to me, anyway – I wasn’t aware of the game it’s based on!) TV show pops up and is just excellent from the outset. While I’m always a fan of a post-apocalyptic story, The Last of Us felt more character-driven to me and unpredictable plot-wise, and I loved everyone in it. Episode Three was particularly brilliant, in that it sort of stood apart from the first two and was its own mini story, and a tragic one at that. I definitely had tears in my eyes…

Theatre: CABARET, The KitKat Club  

I adore Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s music and have seen her sing live before, but went to see Cabaret with some trepidation (not being a big musical fan and not knowing that she could act!). She was fantastic – as was the whole cast – and this was a fun and hectic yet also poignant show to see in the theatre. I didn’t really know the story or the songs but loved it from start to finish! It felt like a bit of a cultural moment to see Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) and Jake Shears together on stage for this limited run.

Film: ANATOMY OF A FALL 

I found a lot of films (and cinema experiences) this year over-hyped and disappointing, but I went to see Anatomy of a Fall with no preconceived notions, and not knowing much about it. It’s a slow burn sort of family drama type of thriller with no real conclusion but it’s engaging and tense the whole way through, particularly in the courtroom scenes. It felt fresh and different, and I loved the constant switch from French to English and back again. Would highly recommend!

Nicole etherington

Exhibition: DAVID HOCKNEY: DRAWING FROM LIFE

I recently went to the National Portrait Gallery’s Hockney exhibition, which had initially been on show in 2020 but was cut short by the Covid Pandemic. NPG restaged the show and included Hockney’s more recent Normandy paintings. I’m a longtime admirer of Hockney’s work – his paintings and later iPad drawings are so vibrant and have always been incredibly joyful to me – but it was interesting to see how prolific he was with a sketchbook during the pandemic years and also to see his monochrome works.

Book: IN MEMORIAM by Alice Winn

I have been a slow reader this year, but I devoured most of In Memoriam in one sitting. I was struck by how young and painfully naïve the characters are at the start of the novel and how this is eroded, spending their formative years in the trenches, confronted daily by the realities of war.

Trip: Buje/Piran

Summer took me to Buje, a Croatian town on the border with Slovenia. Istria is renowned for its truffles (of which I ate many) and its picturesque towns and landscapes. Highlights of my stay included a visit to the hilltop town of Motovun and a day trip to the Slovenian port town Piran where I had some of the best pasta I’ve ever eaten (in a restaurant called Rostelin).

Sian ellis-martin

Book: REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY BY MONICA HEISEY

This book sat on my shelf for a while after I received it in a book subscription box; I’d read so many novels narrated by anxious or depressed millennial women trying to find themselves and felt disappointed by most of them. So even when I did pick this up to read, I was sceptical about whether I’d actually like it. But I really couldn’t put it down. Heisey approaches the topic of a marriage breakup with the perfect balance of humour and stark honesty, and I often found myself in awe of the way she could take me from laughter on one page to tears on the next. If you’re a Nora Ephron fan, this book is for you!

TV: THE LAST OF US, HBO

The Last of Us is the perfect blend of gory horror and harrowing, emotional scenes. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are both amazing and the development of their relationship throughout the episodes is finely crafted and extremely moving. The big zombie moments are impactful, but it’s the humanity at the heart of the show that did it for me.

TV: TOP BOY, Channel 4/Netflix

I hadn’t seen Top Boy until this year when I binged it from start to finish in an embarrassingly short amount of time. There are some scenes that I can still see so vividly in my mind (the fire, Jaq and Lauryn fighting in the bedroom, Jamie…) because of the stellar cast and acting and the authenticity of the writing. One of the best watches this year for sure, but also probably one of my all-time favourites.

In 2024 I’m looking forward to seeing Ryan Calais Cameron’s For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at the Garrick Theatre next year. I’ve heard really good things and was so pleased that it’s coming back for a limited run in 2024.

Susie bloor

Book: THE CELESTINE PROPHECY by James Redfield

An adventure of self-discovery through the sequential unfolding of 9 key insights, discovered in an ancient manuscript in Peru, which were banned by the Church, and kept secretly.  My father handed me this book which I read as a younger woman, and I found the story to be captivating, exploring the unknown questions in life: why are we here? what’s our purpose? 

Now as an older woman and re-reading this book, I found a deeper connection and understanding of how it allows you to make sense of synchronicities that happen in life. No such thing as coincidence.

TV: NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)

This year I have enjoyed watching the series NCIS. A crime drama based around the deaths of US Naval personnel, both myself and my partner love to hazard a guess as to ‘whodunnit’. As with all, getting to know the characters is paramount to the enjoyment:  Abby, the eccentric Goth and animal loving Forensic Scientist; Ziva, the Israeli Assassin on loan from Mossad; Special Agent McGee, the computer whizz kid; Gibbs, Lead Agent, ex-marine sniper and father to all; and my favourite, Tony De DiNozzo – a fierce film buff who is always referencing lines from famous films.

Place: Benidorm

Benidorm is an ever-capturing beautiful stretch of sand, sea, and sky in Spain. Staying in Canfelli, situated at the top of the hill in the Old Town, next to the Castle Viewpoint, also known as ‘The Balcony of the Mediterranean', and next to San Jamie Church, built in the 18th Century, provided a beautiful and tranquil setting, to not only have fun, but to relax and re-charge, all in a matter of just a few days which felt more like a few weeks, finding myself getting lost amongst the crooked lanes, filled with shops, tapas bars and restaurants.

Tabitha topping

Book: BIOGRAPHY OF X by Catherine Lacey

I found it very difficult to just pick one book here (and spent a lot of time dithering over other, equally worthy titles) but eventually landed on Biography of X by Catherine Lacey – a novel that I haven’t been able to shake since reading in the Spring.  In an alternative America, a widow writes a biography of her recently deceased artist wife. But what is true and what is not?  Many have commented on its formal innovation, the way it interrogates the nature of biography, love and grief – and yes, while all that is true, it is also just a really enjoyable read.

Podcast: YOU ARE GOOD

Initially conceived as a way to talk about their complicated relationships with their fathers and men in general via the medium of film, You Are Good has since broadened their mandate and they are now a ‘feelings podcast about movies’. The concept is simple: a guest will bring their favourite film to the podcast and then they talk about why they love it – feelings and all. It’s really truly lovely – no snobbery or pretension – and when a film touches on a sensitive topic they discuss it with such empathy and thoughtfulness I often cry.  Warm, funny and extremely comforting. A hug in podcast form.

Film: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

I cannot believe I got through 26 years without having seen this (family ­– friends – how could you do this to me?). An almost perfect musical. An awkward bespectacled man makes a Faustian bargain with a carnivorous plant bent on world domination so he can win the girl of his dreams? Sign me up! It also happens to have an excellent soundtrack and Steve Martin (in perhaps his greatest ever role) playing a sadistic dentist.

In 2024 I’m looking forward to books! So many books! In particular Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson. Like many, I was thrilled by the way her memoir The Argonauts dismantled binaries, exploring ideas of love, language and family making, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the latest collection of her essays – out May 2024 from Fern Press.

BFLA Staff’s Cultural Highlights of 2022

LIZZY ATTREE

THINGS THEY LOST - Okwiri Oduor (Oneworld, 2022)

Photograph by Lizzy Attree

This is my first pick and I wrote a full review in the Guardian earlier this year: It’s worth repeating here that Oduor is an extraordinary writer, and her debut novel is packed with magic.

GLORY – No Violet Bulawayo (Chatto, 2022)

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year, Bulawayo’s second novel GLORY focuses on the “Crocodile” that has stalked Zimbabwe since the end of the 15-year war of independence in 1979 and the rise of the dominant political party, ZANU–PF (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front). Robert Mugabe is, for Bulawayo, the crocodile who ate the sun — as Peter Godwin described him in his 2006 book — yet the presence of other villains nurtured during ZANU–PF’s long stranglehold on power means that the current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, presents an even greater danger to Zimbabwe today. Shocking, funny and lyrical it’s worth the read.

THE FURROWS – Namwali Serpell (Hogarth, 2022)

My first thought on reading THE FURROWS is that the book is just devastating. The descriptions of simple tragedies are emotionally overwhelming. Completely different from her debut novel THE OLD DRIFT, Serpell declares on the cover that she doesn’t want to tell a story of what happened, but how it felt, which is an unusual mode to select, but makes sense when it comes to the subject of grief, which is a difficult emotion to navigate. The story that unfolds describes the recovery of a sibling whose lost brother haunts her dreams and puts her on a collision course with a doppleganger who isn’t quite who he seems to be.

Next year I’m looking forward to: DAZZLING – Chikodili Emelumadu (Headline, 2023)

KATE BURKE

TV series: THE WILDS

Having binge-watched most of the big and buzzy TV series of the year, I came across this Amazon Prime series, recommended by an author on Twitter, and I absolutely inhaled the two series (sadly, it was cancelled after that). It's about a group of teenagers who survive a plane crash so it's a bit like LOST meets YELLOW JACKETS but there's more to it than that (no spoilers!) and I found it to be really gripping fun. Definitely one of the best things I've seen this year. So, here's my plug for this lesser-known gem! 

Film: TOP GUN: MAVERICK

My film of the year! Such great entertainment - amazing stunts, great action and just enough nods back to the (far inferior, in my opinion) original. It surpassed my expectations and while I know it would sound much cooler to say that EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE was probably the best film of the year (!), for me, it was MAVERICK. 

Live music: PET SHOP BOYS

It had been a couple of years since I had been to a gig and this one-off charity show at Camden's Electric Ballroom was an absolute treat! A surprise gift from my other half, I only found out I was going just days before the concert. It was so nice to be back in a room with a slightly sticky floor, plastic cups of beer and a crowd that knew every single word to their songs. 

FINLAY CHARLESWORTH

Book: TRESPASSES by Louise Kennedy (Bloomsbury)

A lucky friend from the North of Ireland managed to get hold of a proof of this way back in 2021, and until it had come out in the UK and she had sold every last person in our social circle a copy, she did not pipe down about it once. Thankfully, it was worth the noise.

A staggering, heart-breaking read about love and fear in 1970s Belfast that never raises its voice, undermines or mistreats the reader – just laying bare the tender-menacing reality as it plays out.

Photograph by Finlay Charlesworth

Play: CYRANO DE BERGERAC at the Harold Pinter Theatre, dir. Jamie Lloyd, freely adapted by Martin Crimp

I’ve been fortunate enough to see some amazing actors on stage this year – Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, Simon Russell Beale and Emma Corrin to name a few – but James McAvoy’s CYRANO stands out, a supreme performance combining muscular wit and cunning with a genuine soft, caring affection.

The new version of Edmund de Rostand’s play by Martin Crimp and Jamie Lloyd set him free with their mercurial script and staging – fast, irreverent, intricate, and never less than totally captivating.

Series: BAD SISTERS (Apple TV+)

Do I think watching and reading things about immensely silly murders make it less likely I’ll be bumped off? Possibly. For the likes of FARGO, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and BAD SISTERS, I’m happy to keep testing the theory.

BAD SISTERS keeps things fresh by telling you right at the start exactly who did it – but bouncing between the before and after to leave us asking how did they do it and will they get away with it?

Regularly took me from side-splitting laughter to jaw-dropping horror in seconds – fantastic.

Next year I’m looking forward to: THE MOON IS TRENDING by Clare Fisher (Salt, out 15th June). Clare was my very first guest lecturer as a fresh-faced create writing undergrad back in Leeds, and the first person I ever really associated with the short story – and since their last short story collection, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN (Influx) came out in 2018, I’ve re-read it about four times and gifted fresh copies twice. To say I’m excited about THE MOON IS TRENDING, their new collection, would be an understatement.

Photograph by Isobel Dixon

ISOBEL DIXON

Travel: NEW MEXICO

Six years ago, my Picks of the Year included the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition at Tate Modern, an agency summer outing which spoke to my long fascination with O’Keeffe’s paintings and her love of the New Mexico landscape – so reminiscent of the expanses of the Karoo where I grew up. A work not in that exhibition was The Lawrence Tree her striking image of the large ponderosa pine D.H. Lawrence sat and wrote under during his time in in New Mexico. One day, I thought, I’d see it – the painting and the tree itself. Late in that 2016 summer I’d also read and loved Out of Sheer Rage, Geoff Dyer’s wonderful, artful wrestle with Lawrence, himself, writing and not writing. This year saw a confluence of these two streams as (after pandemic postponements) I finally made it to the 15TH INTERNATIONAL D.H. LAWRENCE CONFERENCE in Taos, fell in love with the landscapes of New Mexico and sat happily a while under that ‘overshadowing’, ‘guardian angel’ tree. A week in Taos, walking among the pines on the D. H. Lawrence Ranch and learning more about New Mexico’s Native American communities was book-ended by two visits to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe and a trip out to her homes at Ghost Ranch and Abiquiú. All this, with the friends I made along the way, made for a major memorable journey of the last few years. A Santa Fe poem about apricots and Georgia O’Keeffe fell into my lap as a result.

Events: BOOK FAIRS

It was a year of slow revival, and the return of other Covid-suspended festivals and book fairs suspended made for many significant reunions – I appreciated a return to a fuller FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR, a first trip to Gothenburg Book Fair with several authors, and being in Glasgow and Edinburgh again around the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Book: WEST by Carys Davies

For more interior journeys, the novel that struck me most in its humanity, beauty and quiet power was Carys Davies’ WEST.

SIAN ELLIS- MARTIN

Event: WOMEN’S EURO 2022

I loved watching the Women’s Euro tournament this year. It was really inspiring to watch women from around the world play on an international stage and to finally get the screen time they deserve. And… it finally came home!

Book: PLAIN BAD HEROINES by Emily M. Danforth

A gothic, queer, cleverly written story with a haunting mystery at its heart. It was addictive reading and I couldn’t put it down.

TV: DEAD TO ME

I was a bit slow off the mark with this one and didn’t start season one until season three had come out. What a ride! Dead to Me is the perfect combination of funny, poignant and dramatic. Despite the absolute insanity of it, I binged the whole thing (and cried for the entirety of the last episode). The intricacies of Jen and Judy’s relationship are beautiful to watch, and Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are amazing throughout all three seasons.

JULIAN FRIEDMANN

TV: BIG OIL VS THE WORLD, BBC TV (3 parts)

I started researching the anti-climate change lobby as part of the research for Dr Stephen Oppenheimer’s next book THE FOURTH FLOOD and was shocked at how blatant the lobby has been. This is nowhere better shown than in the three-part BBC documentary series BIG OIL vs THE WORLD. “The age of fossil fuels is far from over.” “What climate change means to me is looking in the eyes of my grandchildren, and wondering what kind of hell they’re going to pay?” Jane McMullen’s trilogy on the fossil fuel lobby deserves the Nobel Prize, such is the urgency of the issue, yet we are sleepwalking towards a global disaster.

Object: A HEATED COFFEE MUG WARMER

This really come into its own this December. It was given to me as a Christmas present last year: research shows that the USB warmers do not get hot enough. This one runs from mains and has three temperature settings. Highly recommended.

Photograph by Julian Friedmann

Travel: ICELAND

A bucket-list holiday to see volcanoes, geysers, the aurora, glaciers and ice caves (deep underneath glaciers) curated by New Scientist magazine (who knew they did holidays?) was a spectacular success.

SAMUEL HODDER

Book: WHY YOU LIKE THIS PHOTO: THE SCIENCE OF PERCEPTION by Brian Dilg (Ilex Press)

I devour photography books, but this little book was still full of revelations. Brian Dilg is a celebrated cinematographer and photographer, and here he uses discoveries in psychology and neuroscience to explain how perception works and the ways in which the human eye differs from a camera and its processes. It’s a fascinating subject and this short book is packed full of information that photographers can use to make their own work stronger.

Place: THE RUINS OF XANTHOS (Turkey)

Photograph by Samuel Hodder

I’m drawn to ruins – the older the better – like a cat is to catnip, and it was a delight to explore this ancient site in the countryside in the south of Turkey. I’d been intrigued by Xanthos, once a major Lycian city, since I first saw some of its treasures in the British Museum, including the glorious Nereid Monument. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dating to the 8th century BC, Xanthos was almost deserted when I visited, and I could explore its remarkably well-preserved ruins in silence without any distraction. Below is a photo of the entrance to the amphitheatre. Xanthos is the site of the first recorded mass suicide in history: in 540 BC almost all the city’s population took their own lives when the city was about to fall to an invading Persian army.

Book: THE FIVE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER by Hallie Rubenhold (Black Swan)

I came to this a little late, picking up the book after hearing Hallie Rubenhold talk at an event at the British Library this summer, and it became one of my favourite books of the year. It centres the victims of Jack the Ripper, correcting the marginalising and dismissive narratives that were placed upon them at the time. Despite being rigorously researched it has the pace of a thriller and it is deeply moving, too.

In 2023 I’m looking forward to: DUNE 2 directed by Denis Villeneuve! Earlier this year, I had been looking forward to DUNE so much that I was a little worried I would be disappointed. But I loved it: epic, sumptuous cinematography; exciting storytelling, and a brilliant cast including Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac and Charlotte Rampling.

Photograph by Hana Murrell

HANA MURRELL

VILLA CARMIGNAC on Porquerolles Island

The island itself is a jewel off the Provençal coast – protected by National Park status, where cars and new builds aren’t allowed, and everyone walks or cycles between the charming village centre and beautiful beaches, passing by vineyards. I particularly enjoyed visiting the Villa Carmignac, a contemporary art gallery set in sprawling gardens, where you’ll find striking sculptures hidden behind gnarly old olive trees.

KAWANABE KYŌSA exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts

My mum and I really enjoyed this exhibition of Japanese painter Kawanabe Kyōsai’s work from the 19th century. Exquisitely wrought landscapes and animals were more familiar to me and reminiscent of other famous Japanese painters’ work, but the traditional scroll paintings depicting western visitors to Japan going around in top hats were a revelation. His fantastical, otherworldly creatures were also an arresting sight.

VORTEX JAZZ CLUB in Dalston

Local to me and to the office, I discovered their late-night Saturday jam session recently, and highly recommend it to anyone who fancies listening to a bunch of very talented jazz musicians for a great-value £5, in a causal and friendly space.

ANNA MYRMUS

Film: BONES AND ALL

I think surprise is something that always makes a film, or a book stick out for me and BONES AND ALL did nothing but surprise me. I went in not knowing anything about the film, specifically not knowing the two main characters were cannibals, so you can imagine my shock when Taylor Russell gnawed down on her classmate’s finger about five minutes in. But more than that I spent the whole film in awe of Luca Guadagnino, who left me similarly amazed by CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, because he managed to make a film that was thrilling, beautiful, disgusting, and romantic all at the same time.

Travel: CUBA

Photograph by Anna Myrmus

One of the highlights of my year was going to Cuba in July. Cuba is a beautiful country, and the landscape was breathtaking. We particularly enjoyed our time spent in the rural town of Viñales, where we went horse-riding twice, once at sunrise. The silence was astounding, especially having come from London. Cuba wasn’t the easiest place to travel but everyone was very warm and welcoming, and I really treasured our conversations with our hosts, taxi drivers and tour guides, who were always so open to chatting about everything from their life during covid to football.

JULIET PICKERING

Book: BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry

I’m sure nearly everyone has heard of TikTok sensation Emily Henry; I picked up BOOK LOVERS to see what the fuss was about, and to my great delight/horror discovered that the main character was a literary agent. Literary agent characters are NEVER glam and usually pretty boring, but this one was quick and funny, and even I could suspend the disbelief at her falling for a moody, handsome publishing editor… Definitely fiction, but sexy, romantic and a joyful escape. Loved it!

TV: COUPLES THERAPY (BBC iPlayer)

I’m nosy, and always fascinated by the emotional dynamics between two people, so this documentary/reality show about real couples in counselling in New York, had me completely hooked. The second series was particularly absorbing as the covid pandemic hit, and forced everyone into lockdown, both bringing people together and forcing them apart. Soooo much better than Love Island - this is love in its grittiest form!

TV: THE MOLE AGENT (Storyville, BBC iPlayer)

I’m still an emotional wreck after watching this a few weeks ago. I don’t want to give away too much except to say that this starts out by being about an 83 year-old man sent into a Chilean nursing home as a mole, reporting on what he witnesses there via a succession of clumsy voice notes and videos, and then becomes a film about remarkable kindness. Devastating in the best (happy/sad) ways. 

In 2023 I’m looking forward to ROMANTIC COMEDY from Curtis Sittenfeld. ELIGIBLE was a lot of fun, so I’m very hopeful about this novel and all the title promises.

JAMES PUSEY

Art: EDVARD MUNCH: MASTERPIECES FROM BERGEN at the Courtauld. Small, powerful exhibition of 18 paintings rarely seen together outside Norway.

Sport: ICC Men’s T20 WORLD CUP CRICKET. Great England win Down Under.

TV: CANAL BOAT DIARIES. Adventures along Britain's waterways with film-maker and musician Robbie Cumming aboard his narrowboat, The Naughty Lass.

ANE REASON

Dance and music: FLIGHT PATTERN

Earlier this year, I signed up to the Royal Opera House’s new streaming service, which offers a large number of ballet and opera performances and behind-the-scenes features. It’s a brilliant way to access footage during my few fleeting moments of free time. Although the service doesn’t replace the experience of attending live performances, it does offer some unique advantages, such as being able to rewatch favourite moments and catch nuances that would have been lost without the aid of close-ups. It’s difficult to choose a favourite from such an extensive archive, but I particularly enjoyed Flight Pattern, a contemporary ballet by Crystal Pite, about the refugee crisis. 

Photograph by Ane Reason

Art: ASHMOLEUM MUSEUM
It has been a while since I went to a museum in person, so I loved visiting the Ashmolean Museum and seeing their Pre-Raphaelite exhibition. There were some spectacular large paintings on display and I enjoyed seeing some of the well-known masterpieces in real life, but the highlights for me were the small drawings, such as the intimate portraits the Pre-Raphaelites made of each other and their studies for paintings. 

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Growing up in Norway, most of my books were written by Scandinavian authors. It has therefore been exciting to discover a wider range of children’s literature while reading to my daughter in the evenings. Our current household favourites include Frog and Toad, Daddy Lost His Head, The Enormous Crocodile, The Gruffalo’s Child and The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear. 

ROYA SARRAFI-GOHAR

Book: FREE by Lea Ypi (Allen Lane)

A memoir about the author’s childhood in Albania: first we see the anxious, paranoid atmosphere under the Hoxha regime through the eyes of a child who is quick to believe her teachers, and a little more curious than her parents would like. Then, when the regime falls, and political freedom arrives, we see the real human cost of the economic ‘shock therapy’ that followed: unemployment, bankruptcies, a civil war and refugee crisis.

Event: OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL

I loved how the Open House festival allowed me to see the city I’ve lived in for so long with fresh eyes. A highlight for me was the derelict waterworks at New River Head, soon to be the new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. It featured an exhibition of imagined histories of people who lived around the New River, based on found objects, by Laura Copsey and Philip Crewe, with photos ‘taken’ by the New River itself (photographic film left in the river). I learned that the history of water infrastructure in the city is much more interesting than I’d realised.

Film: THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (Joachim Trier)

A film about the mundane crises around turning thirty, which I also did this year -- it’s playful, fun, and almost corny. But it captures the doubt, anxiety and longing so well that it feels very compellingly human.

TABITHA TOPPING

Novel: MAPS OF OUR SPECTACULAR BODIES by Maddie Mortimer (Picador)

I really loved the way this novel played with form and language and am excited to see what Maddie writes next.

Poetry: AMNION by Stephanie Sy-Quia (Granta)

The kind of work that as soon as I finished it I wanted to go back to the beginning and read all over again.

Extra-curricular: EVENING ART CLASS

Signing up for a beginner’s art class was a spur-of-the-moment decision but one I’m so glad I did. Initially apprehensive (I hadn’t done any art since school), it quickly became the highlight of my week – and though not every one of my creations was successful (my cloud sculpture made of chicken wire and plaster apparently resembled a ‘sea-slug or a dead animal… but in a good way’), I had so much fun that I am seriously considering signing up for another class next year!

2023 Pick: ARRANGEMENTS IN BLUE by Amy Key (Jonathan Cape)

I really enjoyed Amy’s collection ISN’T FOREVER and am looking forward to picking up her memoir which is shaped around Joni Mitchell’s album ‘Blue’. While I have a soft spot for blue-themed books (e.g. BLUETS by Maggie Nelson), the fact that pretty much everyone I follow on social media is raving about how moving and beautiful ARRANGEMENTS IN BLUE is, has made me even more excited to read it.

DAISY WAY

Book: NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley

An incredible debut written when Mottley was still a teenager, making her the youngest author to ever be longlisted for the Booker Prize – and with good reason. It’s a heartbreaking story of neglect, poverty and exploitation which follows 17 year old Kiara who is left to fend for herself and finds herself pulled into the darkest side of the adult world. Gripping, gut-wrenching, powerful. This novel stayed with me long after I’d finished reading.

TV Series: BAD SISTERS

Sharon Horgan never disappoints and this is no exception. The dark comedy, which follows five Irish sisters as they deal with the fall out of their abusive brother-in-law's unexpected death, is just superb – wickedly funny, perfectly cast, and so well-written with twists and turns where you least expect them. Wonderful to have the backdrop of the beautiful Irish scenery too!

Film: EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE

Michelle Yeoh is brilliant as the film’s unlikely hero, an ageing laundromat-owner trying to stop her life, business and family from falling apart, who is unexpectedly sucked into a trippy multiverse rift. A true rollercoaster of a film which seems to have a bit of everything – action, comedy, drama, love, martial arts, family, sci-fi… the list goes on. The frenetic energy of the film makes it fly past despite the long running time, and proves that the multiverse isn’t only for superheroes! It is completely bonkers and I loved it.

Blake Friedmann Cultural Highlights in 2021

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.