As the end of the year approaches I thought I’d gather some things I especially enjoyed and share them with you. Cos, well, I didn’t get you an actual gift so….
Tessa Hadley reads The Maths Tutor
There are fewer things on this earth as enjoyable, as far as I’m concerned, as a Tessa Hadley short story. Here she reads an especially good one for the New Yorker.
Irish books.
Completely unintentionally irish writing has dominated my reading this year. Close to Home by Michael Magee, Trespassers by Louise Kennedy, Foster and So Late in the Day both by Claire Keegan, Dance Moves by Wendy Irskine, The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and The Forgotten Waltz and The Wren both by Ann Enright. And Open Up by Thomas Morris, who is 100% Welsh but lives in Dublin so sort of qualifies. Not a bum note amongst them.
Owen’s cooking (and, by extension, a cook book).
OK. So this one you definitely can’t experience for yourselves so you’ll have to take my word for it. Owen is great at dinner. Always has been, really, but this year he’s really been allowing himself to take his time and enjoy it. He doesn’t really use cookbooks BUT our friends did give him a copy of Cery’s Matthews’ ‘Where the wild cooks go’ for his birthday (owing to the friend, and Owen, both being, at some point, Catatonia fans) and it seems to suit his cooking really well in that the recipes are sorted by country and come with facts (and a playlist). Each one is more a simple starting point than a full meal. Which means you can adapt. Anyway it turned out to be a great gift and something that we can dip into when we fancy something new.
Water soluble graphite.
Specifically these pencils that are weirdly annoying to find online. They’re soft and creamy and really lovely to work with. I’ve ploughed through about ten of them this year. They’re Cretacolour Monolith Water Soluble pencils in 4B and I buy them in handfuls from London Graphic Centre.
Television
Obviously I’m a human being in 2023 so I enjoyed the final season of Succession and the second series of the Bear and White Lotus and all the things that you, also a human alive in 2023, probably enjoyed. However the thing that I watched that has stayed with me the longest was Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland which is on BBC iplayer. Maybe it’s not an ideal recommendation at Christmas-time. I’m sorry. It’s so good though. Good and totally unbearable.
Zadie Smith’s 2023 promotional tour- Zadie Smith is probably my all-time favourite podcast guest. I can’t resist an interview with Zadie and this year the release of The Fraud meant that I was lucky to have a glut of spikey, clever Zadie chat to catch up on. Having listened to them all I reckon this episode of the Waterstone’s Podcast might be the lightest and breeziest.
With thanks to brilliant Lisa Owens for pointing out new ones as they appeared.
Babies. Both my sister and my best friend had excellent babies this year. Obviously this might not be of note to you but I assure you that, to me, it was magical. Here’s a sister-specific alphabet I made for my nephew.
Other good things-
Donating to Medical Aid Palestine
Past Lives was one of my favourite films at the cinema this year.
Sally Rooney and Isabella Hammad having an important, clarifying discussion.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan- sometimes the thing you need is an exuberant pop record with occasionally filthy lyrics. This got me through many grey days this year.
I’m signing off for the year now. I hope the winter break is kind to you in whatever capacity you need. Thanks for being here.
Lizzy
Loved this... Zadie Smith is so kind of holistically, broadly bright and sharp, I totally agree she great in Podcasts.
This is so lovely! Your work, newsletter and book have been a highlight of my year for sure...and that Owen chap is kinda ok as well I guess 😀