Pre-Christmas e-book release for Blackstone fans- GATE OF THE DEAD out now!

David Gilman, author of ‘historical fiction at its best’ (Historical Novel Society) delivers a pre-Christmas treat for readers with the ebook release of GATE OF THE DEAD, the third instalment of his action-packed MASTER OF WAR series. The gripping series, which began with Amazon #1 bestseller MASTER OF WAR, follows the adventures of Thomas Blackstone, a stonemason-turned-archer during the Hundred Years' War.

Tuscany, 1358: Thomas Blackstone has built a formidable reputation in exile, fighting as a mercenary amid the ceaseless internecine warring of Italy's City States. Success has bred many enemies, who will seize any opportunity to destroy the man they cannot overcome on the field. So when a dying man delivers a message recalling Blackstone to England, it seems almost certain to be a trap. Yet Blackstone cannot decline – the summons is apparently from the Queen.

Blackstone will brave the terrors of the High Alps in winter, face the Black Prince in tournament in Windsor, confront the bloody anarchy of a popular revolt in northern France and submit to trial by combat. And every step of the way, he will be shadowed by a notorious assassin, a killer who has been instructed to inflict the maximum pain on his target before he despatches him to hell.

The MASTER OF WAR series has been sold in Brazil, Hungary, Spain and the Czech Republic and more offers are pending. GATE OF THE DEAD will be published in hardback in the UK in February 2016 and David is currently writing the fourth Thomas Blackstone novel. His stunning Boer War novel THE LAST HORSEMAN will also be published by Head of Zeus, in Summer 2016.

Praise for the MASTER OF WAR series:

‘Move over Bernard Cornwell!  Historical fiction at its best’ – Historical Novel Society

‘If you only read one historical debut this year, make it this one. The prose is sharper than a bodkin arrow, the pace faster than thought and to be honest it was a book that I just couldn’t put down. Great stuff.’ – Gareth Wilson, Falcata Times

 ‘A violent, tempestuous, glorious novel. I was gripped from the very beginning and the book never once let go of me until its end, by which point I was exhausted by its intensity, thrills and trauma. Among my top historical fiction reads of 2015.' – For Winter Nights

 ‘See-saw drama at its best… so many reasons why, when life tried to encourage me to put the book down, I resisted stridently. This is writing that twists around seldom seen hist-fict depth.’ – Ani Johnson, The Bookbag

 Visit David’s Website

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BFLA Authors in best of 2015 lists

It’s that time of year again when everyone's sharing their ‘Best of’ lists, and we’re extremely proud that our authors have been included in many of them. Below is a summary of the great places they were included and the great quotes that accompanied their pick.

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER by Sally Andrew

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015:
"A delightful debut, tender and funny. The mystery takes on the worldwide problem of abused women while revealing both the beauties and problems of South Africa. And the recipes will make you want to drop everything and start cooking."

Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book of 2015:
“The exotic locale, the lovely patois and the heroine’s unique sensibility make Ms. Andrew’s “Recipes” a blue-ribbon winner.”

Samantha Gibb, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
“The quintessential feel-good SA whodunit, complete with recipes and advice. A must read.”

LUNGDON by Edward Carey

NPR Guide to 2015’s Great Reads:
“A magnificently engrossing indictment of our late capitalist modernity.”

THE FETCH by Finuala Dowling

Margaret von Klemperer, Fiona Snyckers & Helené Prinsloo, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘A sparkling comedy of manners, but under the froth there are serious issues, and it is Dowling’s sensitive handling of them that makes this such a lovely book’ – Margaret von Klemperer

‘Comparisons with Jane Austen are not misplaced.’ – Fiona Snyckers

‘The characters from THE FETCH by Finuala Dowling haunted my dreams. The story led me to a garden cottage in the deep south where I kept waiting to happen upon someone like William.’ – Helené Prinsloo

THE DARKEST HOUR by Barbara Erskine

Books Covered, Favourite Book Covers of 2015:
‘Tender, romantic, and earnest, just like the brilliant story within. The gold foil adds a luxuriousness without being flashy and the whole designs speaks of the era so perfectly. This is a standout cover in this area of the market.’

JELLYFISH by Janice Galloway

Zoe Strachan, The Herald:
‘Janice Galloway prefaces her new collection of stories, JELLYFISH (Freight, £12.99), with a quote from David Lodge: “Literature is mostly about having sex and not much about having children; life’s the other way round.” In fact she gives us plenty of both, but it’s the stories about mothers and children that really cut to the quick.’

Sara Crowley and Kaite Welsh, Bristol Prize Best Short Story Reads of 2015:
‘My most eagerly awaited publication of 2015 was Janice Galloway’s JELLYFISH (Freight) which I am reading very slowly so as to savour each brilliant word.’ – Sara Crowley

‘Galloway has hit a rich seam of imagination as she returns to the short story as a form. It’s perfect for her style – wry, slightly off-kilter and always returning to the theme of parent and child, the kind of subject matter that offers Galloway the chance to delve once more into the murky depths of human relationships.’ – Kaite Welsh

Scots Whay Hae! Best Books of 2015:
‘Janice Galloway has always been an innovative and playful writer, but never to the detriment of her prose… JELLYFISH is a timely reminder that she is one of the finest writers around. Each story, each sentence, is beautifully crafted by someone who cares enough to take such care… If you read a better book than Jellyfish this year you are a very lucky person indeed.’

THE NEED FOR BETTER REGULATION OF OUTER SPACE by Pippa Goldschmidt

Alice Thompson, The Herald:
‘In these stories, the powerful juxtaposition of scientific intellect and emotional frailty is played out engagingly. The stories also imply no matter how objective scientific genius is, the scientists themselves, like the rest of us, are subject to moral failings.’

YOU ARE DEAD by Peter James

Guardian Best Crime and Thriller books of 2015:
‘Peter James showed that a diversion this year into ghost stories with THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL had not diverted energy from his consistently impressive sequence of DS Roy Grace policiers, the 11th of which, YOU ARE DEAD (Macmillan), confidently combines a cold case with a very hot one.’

THE LAST PILOT by Benjamin Johncock

Isabella Costello Literary Sofa ‘My Year in Books’:
‘Ben Johncock’s debut has all the things I love about American fiction and he’s not even American. Gorgeous spare prose, authentic sense of time and place, a poignant story told with sensitivity and restraint – I have raved about this book so much it’s embarrassing.’

Reading Groups’ Staff Picks for 2015:
‘With echoes of Tom Wolfe’s THE RIGHT STUFF and Richard Yates’ REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE LAST PILOT re-ignites the thrill and excitement of the space race through the story of one man’s courage in the face of unthinkable loss.’

Ian Rankin’s End of Year Roundup

Utter Biblio, Top 10 of 2015

ICARUS by Deon Meyer

Financial Times’ Crime Books of the Year

Boston Globe's Best Mystery Books of 2015:
‘An ashleymadison.com-style website-related murder and a parallel plot that delves into the dregs of South Africa’s wine industry keep Benny Griessel and his cadre of Cape Town coppers on their toes.’

GREEN LION by Henrietta Rose-Innes

Ben Williams, Fiona Snyckers & Jennifer Malec, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘And if readers missed Henrietta Rose-Innes’s GREEN LION (Umuzi) … they’d best not let 2015 expire without acquainting themselves’ – Ben Williams

‘Rose-Innes goes from strength to strength, refining her craft with each new book.’ – Fiona Snyckers

‘Masterful’ – Jennifer Malec

THE FOLLY by Ivan Vladislavic

Flavorwire’s 15 Worthwhile Books You Might Have Missed in 2015:
‘Praised by the likes of Coetzee and others — it’s not hard to see why…’

101 DETECTIVES by Ivan Vladislavic

Michelle Magwood, Jennifer Malec & Sophie Kohler Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘Mordantly funny, acutely perceptive and exquisitely styled, this collection of short stories is a definitive showcase of Vladislavic’s talents.’ – Michelle Magwood

‘Witty, enthralling and pleasurably disorientating.’ – Jennifer Malec

‘The stories are bewildering in their refusal to provide a clear resolution, but this is to their credit, in that each leaves a mystery to be solved.’ – Sophie Kohler

THE A WONG COOKBOOK by Andrew Wong

 Rose Prince, Spectator Best New Cookery Books 2015:
‘There is food in A Wong: The Cookbook (Mitchell Beazley, £25) for home cooks, but it is also a chef’s book. May every aspiring one buy it. If they did, Chinese food in Britain would go through a true revolution.’

Observer 25 best food books 2015:
‘At his Pimlico restaurant, Wong is keen to prove that Chinese food can be just as considered as other, more revered cuisines.’

Joseph O'Connor's radio play THE VAMPYRE MAN longlisted for the Society of Authors Tinniswood Award 2016

THE VAMPYRE MAN by Joseph O’Connor is one of five radio plays on the prestigious Tinniswood Award longlist.

Joe’s play explores the relationship between Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, and Henry Irving, the famous actor and manager of the Lyceum Theatre. Before he was an author, Stoker managed the books to Irving’s recklessly run Lyceum. Many posit that Irving was the archetype for Stoker’s most famous creation, Count Dracula. THE VAMPYRE MAN was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3, directed by Stephen Wright and Jenny Thompson and produced by Gemma McMullen.

Joe’s dramatic work encompasses radio, film and stage work. His novels include COWBOYS AND INDIANS (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize), THE SALESMAN (in development with Tiger Aspect for ITV) and STAR OF THE SEA (currently being developed as a feature by Parallel Films).

The Tinniswood Award was established by the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain in memory of Peter Tinniswood and to celebrate high standards in radio drama. Previous winners include Stephen Wyatt, Murray Gold, Morwenna Banks and Christopher William Hill. The other nominations are: FAR SIDE OF THE MOORE by Sean Grundy, DREAM OF WHITE HORSES by Linda Marshall Griffiths, FUGUE STATE by Julian Simpson and TOMMIES: 14th October 1914 by Nick Warburton.

The shortlist is announced on 5th January 2016.

BFLA Staff Top Picks of the Year 2015

As we all head out to our Office Christmas Party, we thought we'd continue last year's tradition and share our staff cultural highlights of 2015 - enjoy!

Rachel Alvarez

Book: EAT THAT FROG! by Brian Tracy

If there’s one thing people know about me, it’s that I’m an organisation freak. I started reading this book because I’m giving it to a friend and had no idea it would end up changing my own life.

It gives you 21 tips on how to stop procrastinating and balance your work and personal life.

Because the book is aimed at people who are, in fact, not organised, it’s a very short read.

Read it by the end of 2015 so you can set your goals for 2016.

TV & Film: How to Get Away with Murder

This show came out in 2014 but it didn’t appeal to me. However, a friend recently convinced me by saying it was too good to miss and I don’t regret watching it for a minute. It’s a smart script, with strong characters and a plot full of twists. I honestly haven’t watched a TV show quite as good in a long time.

Music: Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

I have to say, it’s been a while since I’ve heard music as beautiful and as strong as in Florence’s new album. Released in May 2015, this is the band’s third album and, unlike Ceremonials and Lungs, this album is a wave of reality. The songs feel much more personal, almost as if Florence is learning & teaching how to live and love in a world that doesn’t make sense. I highly recommend it!

Emanuela Anechoum

Book: THE USELESS SEX by Oriana Fallaci (original title IL SESSO INUTILE)

Oriana Fallaci was an amazing Italian journalist, who covered many war conflicts in Asia and the Middle East for the Corriere della Sera during the 60s and 70s. It was a time when a woman wasn’t considered suited for that kind of job – THE USELESS SEX is a memoir of her experience in those countries, meeting journalists and politicians, being looked at because of her appearance, being able to do a ‘man’s job’ better than most men thanks to her sensibility and wit.

Youtube Channel: BUTTON POETRY

It’s a poetry slam channel full of amazing poets and performers. My favourite lately is a poem by Brenna Twohy, ANXIETY: A GHOST STORY. You can find it here .

Music: BUILT ON GLASS by Chet Faker

It’s from 2014, but of course everything arrives in Italy after English-speaking cool kids decide it’s worth spreading. I just love this album, his voice and most of all his beard. Here’s my favourite single, Talk Is Cheap.

Cara Armstrong

Exhibition: egon schiele: the radical nude at the courthauld institute

Schiele’s technical virtuosity and unashamed confrontation of the naked form distinguishes these works as being amongst his most significant contributions to the development of modern art and Austrian Expressionism. Not only was Schiele remarkable for the manner in which he was able to confront and deconstruct the classical nude in art, his revolutionary flair enabled him to expose the sordid underworld of the early 20th century.

Television: FARGO, series 2

Executive produced by the Coen Brothers, this American black comedy/crime drama follows an anthology format with each season set in a different era along with a different story, cast and set of characters. FARGO provides the stand-alone pleasure that can give a show texture without seeming like a detour, for fans of brilliant storytelling and obscure humour. Those who pledge allegiance to the original film should not be put off.

Music:  KENDRICK LAMAR: ‘ALRIGHT’ VIDEO FROM THE ALBUM ‘TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY’

The black and white images of Kendrick Lamar’s journey through California will leave you haunted by its seven minutes of exhausting visual metaphor. In 2015, several youth lead protests against police brutality across the country were heard chanting the chorus to 'Alright.' Critic Ben Beaumont-Thomas has described Lamar’s album as ‘the definitive black American statement of the year’; the music may not be to everyone taste but it is without a doubt a cultural and artistic statement worth watching.

Carole Blake:

Book: THE LAST ACT OF LOVE by Cathy Rentzenbrink

Achingly sad, but uplifting memoir.  Sobbed my way through it and even embarrassed myself by crying when I asked her a question during her event at Foyles.

Exhibition: Inventing Impressionism at The National Gallery.

Although I find much Impressionist art too ‘pretty’, the story of the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel and the way he devotedly bank-rolled the artists was quite new to me and fascinating.

Performance:  Willard White with Julius Drake at the piano in the Middle Temple Hall

Sitting just 3 metres from him,  the sheer power of his voice and personality  was extraordinary.  Such presence, and in an awe-inspiring setting.

Louise Brice:

Book: WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES by Karen Joy Fowler

My top read of 2015: hugely original, thought-provoking and painful, this book took me places I really didn’t expect to go..

Book: MY BRILLIANT FRIEND by Elena Ferrante

Now I’ve read the first of these Neapolitan novels, I see what all the fuss was about! A startlingly honest and riveting story of friendship – it gave me the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES tingle and I can’t wait to read on.

TV: Orange is the New Black (Net Flicks TV series)

A bit of a curve ball as I’m not a massive TV watcher but I really love this series, clever and compelling and again, all about the relationships…

Isobel Dixon

My culture/nature experience of 2015 was a walking holiday in Italy’s southern lake’s region. A flight to Rome, train to Viterbo, then daily walks from town to town – Montefiascone, Bolsenaand spectacular hilltop Orvieto – with our luggage conveniently ferried to the next hotel by the good people of ATG.

The route (unguided, apart from our detailed map) took in Roman thermal baths, Etruscan tombs, spectacular views and beautiful churches (of course – this is Italy, after all). After five hours of vigorous walking (at peak August heat, mad South Africans!) you can eat an enormous plate of pasta and still feel virtuous. And put your feet up and sink into a good book … I read my two favourite non-agency books of the year in this happy recovery time – Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven, so imaginative and humane, and the short, yet astonishingly powerful Closely Observed Trains by Bohumil Hrabal. Both had me in tears and missing the characters when, reluctantly, I reached the end. Young Milos Hrma is my fictional hero of the year and now I look forward to watching the film.

If that journey counts as one choice, then there’s my musical discovery of the year at Cambridge Folk Fest, where the blazing talent of Rhiannon Giddens blew me away. And my pre- Frankfurt New York trip the Knopf centenary party gave me the extraordinary thrill of hearing three literary heroines – Toni Morrison, Sharon Olds and Patti Smith – at a gathering of publishing and literary greats. Joy!

Julian Friedmann

Book: SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

Vivacious descriptions of life and politics in Ancient Rome. Makes you feel you are there. Should be filed under ‘Time Travel”.

Book: RHS Handbook: Propagation Techniques

A must for any greenhouse owner (which I am now). Beautifully illustrated and seriously simple guidance. My rose cuttings are coming on brilliantly.

Book: Rick Stein's India

Having cooked curries for nearly 50 years I was given this book and have realised that I could do better. Brilliant recipes. The food tastes like the best Indian restaurant food. 

Ellen Gallagher

I’ve been to the cinema 30ish times this year (all hail the Cineworld Unlimited programme), plus the four-or-so movies I consume at home each week, so this was not an easy choice, constant reader!

Film: Mad Max Fury Road

Stunningly shot and tightly paced. Tom Hardy played the title role stoically but with resevoirs of hidden depth, and Charlize Theron’s tough, complex Furiosa was so awesome I briefly considered shaving my head in tribute.

Film: Inside Out (wr. A LOT OF PEOPLE, dir. Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen. Disney, Pixar Animation Studios)

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Pixar fan (they had me at ‘sentient lamp’), and this one didn’t disappoint. Bags of charm plus gut-wrenching tragedy and their usual uncanny ability to plug into the experience of childhood. I was devastated when Bingbong… no wait, that’d be a spoiler. Also, Amy Poehler’s in it, so that’s a seal of quality right there.

Film: Unfriended (wr. Nelson Greaves, dir. Leo Gabriadze. Bazelevs Production, Blumhouse Productions)

At first glance, I noted some over-used and tired modern horror tropes: angsty teenagers, ‘found footage’ etc. BUT overall I was pleasantly surprised. The plotline isn’t terribly original, but this grounded the film in familiarity while taking the risky decision to set it entirely on Skype. Thus, it played like a proper horror film while being visually distinctive. The slowly teased out conflict between the teens felt viscerally honest (rather than trivial), and I was left feeling entertained and spooked.

Honourable mentions: Sicario, The Martian, Bill, Legend, Amy, Ant Man.

Catherine Goldstone

Theatre: TREE – Daniel Kitson

Starring the rarely spotted Kitson (who appeared predominantly hidden in the titular Tree throughout the play) and Tim Key, this was a hilarious and meandering two-hander about the conversation between one man in a tree, one man on the ground, and how they got there.  Comedic dialogue at its brilliant, naturally bizarre best.

Film: AMY – Asif Kapadia

Aside from being obviously heart-breaking, the film for made me feel completely maddened. It very powerfully conveyed the tragic waste of talent that was the end of her life. I think what made it work for me was the candid nature of the footage Kapadia used: home videos filmed by friends and family. We viewed her through their eyes, our friend. When Amy Winehouse died it felt like something inevitable that we were all expecting. What I wasn’t expecting, after watching this film, was just how much I should have felt for that loss.

Book: THE BELL JAR - Sylvia Plath

I feel like it might be unforgivable that this only hit my radar this year – but I got there eventually! So beautifully written and not over-hyped.  It defied my expectations and portrayed depression in a very real and non-melodramatic way. It immersed me in a dull grey funk – depicting depression as a kind of inescapable insomnia, which was even more profound for me in the in coming-of-age context. I wish I’d read this 5 years ago – where on earth have I been?

Hattie Grunewald:

Book: LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE by Jessica Knoll

This was pitched to me as GONE GIRL meets DEVIL WEARS PRADA which already had me sold, but I was absolutely blown away. What seems like a standard psychological thriller is actually an incredibly compelling exploration of gender roles, consumer culture and trauma. Absolutely unputdownable.

TV: Sense8

I’m not normally a big science fiction fan but this new Netflix show took me completely by surprise with its warmth and humanity. Eight characters from around the globe find they have an odd psychic connection. Incredible writing, beautifully shot with a wonderful and diverse cast make this a complete winner in my book.

Blog: Ella Risbridger’s column in The Pool

In 2015, I really got into beauty blogging. This is often perceived as shallow and superifical, but I think Ella’s column demonstrates that beauty can be about so much more than this. Ella’s boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer this year and her column tells how sometimes it’s the little things – like lipstick – that can pull you through. Her writing is beautiful, moving, funny, infused with grief and hope – and her lipstick recommendations are always on point. In general, I just love The Pool which I think is publishing some really great writing by women, for women right now.

Samuel Hodder

Book: THE LONEY by Andrew Michael Hurley

The story of a pilgrimage, as a zealously Catholic London family sets off for a remote holy well, hoping to cure the muteness of the oldest son. A young parish priest comes with them, the last priest having never recovered from an earlier failed attempt. As the tension builds a mother’s love has rarely been less comforting and just wait till you see the locals – and the basement. It’s thrillingly gothic with a brilliantly accomplished sense of place.

Music: TWENTY ONE PILOTS

How to describe the sound of this American duo, who formed in 2009 but hit the big time in 2015 with the release of BLURRYFACE? Critics call it schizoid pop, as it shifts unpredictably from the bombastic to the low key, with reggae, hip hop and electronic influences. Billboard said BLURRYFACE was a ‘hot mess’ but I found a song for any mood. Tyler Joseph’s lyrics express a questing but ultimately positive outlook on life.

Television drama: LONDON SPY

Dark, sensual, paranoid, surreal at times and always tense, this has me glued; when I’m not hiding behind a cushion! Ben Whishaw delivers a transfixing performance as Danny, a lost romantic who believes that enigmatic Alex could be his answer to everything. Danny’s hopes are scotched in the first episode of course, in one long and terrifying scene, and from there on in it only gets more disturbing. Lesson learned: avoid pop producers’ ‘parties’.

Sian Jenkins

Book: THE CABARET OF PLANTS by Richard Mabey (Profile Books)

Fascinating stories about all kinds of weird & wonderful plants.  A personal and idiosyncratic ramble through the mysteries of the plant world & its relation to artists, writers & the imagination. A beautifully produced book too with heavy gloss pages & gorgeous illustrations, I want to pick it up & fondle it often.

Film: SALT OF THE EARTH dir. Wim Wenders and Julian Ribeiro Salgado

A couple of years ago I saw Sebastião Salgado's GENESIS exhibition & his incredible huge black & white photographs have stuck in my mind long afterwards.  This film, made by Wim Wenders with Salgado’s son, explores Salgado’s life & work.  After decades of witnessing & documenting some of the world’s most devastating events – wars, famines, and ecological disasters - he has somehow decided to embrace optimism instead of despair.

Exhibition: LEE MILLER: A WOMAN’S WAR photography exhibition @ Imperial War Museum

Lee Miller had a varied life, from Vogue model & muse to the surrealists to war photographer to surrealist cook.  This exhibition focuses on her photographs from the WW2 period.  The notes include tantalisingly brief accounts of the stories behind the photos of Polish female spitfire pilots, WRENS, factory workers and aristocrats suddenly left to manage huge estates.  The exhibition also has artefacts illustrating the life of the artist herself and ends with a final huge colour photograph of Lee in later life in her country kitchen, sadly not displaying any of her surrealist culinary creations.

Resham Naqvi

Theatre: HAMLET – Barbican production, directed by Lyndsey Turner starring Benedict Cumberbatch

I didn’t know what to expect - the hype surrounding this production meant that it had to exceed expectations, or it was never going to deliver. Benedict Cumberbatch’s masterful Hamlet ensured that it did indeed deliver. Elsinore’s claustrophobic feel was heightened by the ambitious and elaborate set – the subdued dark blue hues of the grand palace to the war torn rubble slag heap piles in the latter half of the play lent an eerie and tense feel to the inevitable impending doom, but it was Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance which left the hairs standing on the back of your neck.

Film: THE MARTIAN – film, dir. Ridley Scott starring Matt Damon

Not your typical science fiction blockbuster. A Robinson Crusoe stranded on Mars, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) has to survive until his fellow compatriots rescue him. The ‘best botanist on the planet’ who has to ‘science the shit’ out of his situation in order to survive. Edge of the seat thriller, which had you captivated from the first moment.

Book: THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANISING by Marie Kondo.

This is a book that has changed my life. Literally. Going through regular cycles of tidying up but never really getting anywhere, I thought I was doomed. But Marie’s frank and engaging writing style made me realise I wasn’t alone, and that this is something which can be tackled once and for all. This is the book which will make you feel like a heavy weight has been lifted from your shoulders for good!

Juliet Pickering

Film: FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

It was an impulsive ‘let’s go and see whatever’s on at the cinema’ kind of Sunday afternoon choice, and it turned out to be a lush, romantic film led by the impressive Carey Mulligan. And who doesn’t love a breathy ménage à quatre with a sheep farmer, a soldier and a rich widower?

Book: THE LIGHT YEARS by Elizabeth Jane Howard

I’ll mention once again, despite everyone being sick of hearing it, how much I LOVED the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard (except the 5th book, which should never have been encouraged). This series tells the story of the big, complicated but utterly fascinating Cazalet family, before, during and after the Second World War, focusing particularly on the women and their experiences as wives, mothers, workers, lovers, feminists… I’m pretty sure I’ll never read anything like this series again, so I’ll simply re-read every few years and savour it afresh. Start with THE LIGHT YEARS. (Repeat: DO NOT READ BOOK FIVE. You were warned.)

Book: AMERICANAH by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Lastly, I’d choose AMERICANAH as a real stand-out read of 2015. Stories like this one are not read (or published) enough; Ifemelu (the central character) is smart and full of vigour, yet struggling to maintain an identity true to her Nigerian upbringing in an America that wants to box her into a catch-all black category. AMERICANAH is not only completely illuminating on race and self, it also has a deeply absorbing love story at its heart. I’d recommend this to everyone. 

Tom Witcomb

TV: Mr Robot

One of the most accomplished thrillers I’ve seen. Part Palahniuk-esque satire, part Anarchist manifesto, it deals with questions of youth & sub culture, mental health and global socioeconomic crises. If you do one thing this Christmas, watch this show. I accept no liability for anyone smashing the system as a result.

Book: Little Sister Death by William Gay

2015 was my Year for Fear: so many great movies (Babadook), games (Alien: Isolation – still not finished due to shot nerves) and, for the first time ever, not even my bookshelf escaped. A writer takes his family to a house with history to get inspiration for a new novel. But as he becomes tangled in his book, in the house, and its previous residents; and as the interminable summer heat settles, the house breathes sinister life and - through Gay’s sparse, detached prose - we have to question everything. Do not read at night.

Exhibition: Alexander McQueen at V&A

Despite having impeccable style & a fashion designer girlfriend, I just don’t get fashion. So I wasn’t particularly moved to see this but man am I glad I did. The exhibit was impeccable, something I can only describe (sadly, given the circumstances) as like being inside the designer’s head as his life flashed before his eyes. A frenetic assault on the senses; a hazy junkie trip through the mind of a tortured genius. The level of love, care and passion that was poured into, and consequently emanated from each stitch, feather, crocodile head is something I’ll never forget. I still don’t get fashion, but I do get Lee.

Extra special mention: Catastrophe

Honourable mentions to: Bioshock: Infinite, Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy, Primer, and Match of the Day.