Reading as I said from January to June, has been a lot slower this year, and that did not change – in fact I read less in this second of the year than I did in the first half , but it was quality reading. Highlights include Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy (Outline, Transit, Kudos) with Transit being my favourite of the three, Flesh by David Szalay (I still don’t understand how a book so simply written could be so effective and emotive but it was and is), The Fall by Albert Camus (which has heavily influenced my second book) The Scrapbook by Heather Clark (such an informative and compulsive read), Strangerland by Monica Radojevic (I’m still thinking about these characters) and Honey by Imani Thompson (prepare to be both educated and entertained). There are also a number of books coming out next year by authors I love that I read this year, including At Sea by Y.M. Abdel-Magied, Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard and Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin. I would highly recommend them all.
Watching has also been slower in the latter half of the year TV wise, though I did watch all of The Last Frontier which was… okay. On the film front I went to BFI London Film Festival and saw The Mastermind, Sentimental Value, No Other Choice, The Secret Agent and a short film called Mad Bills to Pay. No Other Choice and The Secret Agent were personal favourites, as was One Battle After Another. I rewatched Sinners at BFI Imax with an intro with Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton which was an 11/10 experience. I also watched A House of Dynamite, Jay Kelly and Frankenstein on what was clearly a Netflix binge. I have nothing to say about the first two, but the last was good. The week of writing this I also saw Cannes winning film It Was Just An Accident (filmed in secret) which I enjoyed, but it needs a rewatchn before I can share any real opinions.
Listened to the same album we’ve all been listening to: Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, a playlist I put together featuring some of Kamasi Washington’s music – my favourite song by him is Truth – and some film and awards related podcasts, The Big Picture and Next Best Picture. My new music discovery has been essentially non-existent this year, given that I have spent most of it writing and rewriting and writing and rewriting and writing, and therefore only really listening to Tourist’s entire catalogue which has accompanied me over the last few years. I am also yet to put on a Christmas song – I think until I get to my parents’ place it’s not yet Christmas. In the meantime here are the songs I’ve been listening to this month. Enjoy.