Hello friends
Autumn is my season for enacting change but this January has felt, already, more reflective with a side of hibernation. Rumination, walks, baths ~ hello winter, I love you. 2022 was a ride and this, my beloved, took a backseat. I lost my reading mojo, I listened mostly to My Therapist Ghosted Me (no regrets, Joanne is my spirit wife) and struggled to pay attention to anything other than Selling Sunset on loop.
The winter and a work break lit a fire (not near the books, thank christ) and I was back to guzzling books whole, listening to Nick Grimshaw (‘Soft Lad’ is a triumph, truly) and Rob Delaney (talking about Henry in ‘A Heart That Works’ Kintsugi’s your heart back together) on walks, on the beach with the dogs. I sat next to the fire, flames flickering against new, old, uncovered books and suddenly, I missed chatting about words on the page.
Three’s are the theme and we’ll talk best 3 of the month and the most exciting 3 sat by the bed, waiting to be read. I can’t wait to tell you about the most fresh or those hidden at the back of the shelf.
Let’s begin with January (even if we’ve nearly finished it)…
Best three reads from this month…
The Cellist ~ Jennifer Atkins
A beautifully written novel about Luc, a solo cellist, and her relationship with her instrument, herself and a previous lover Billy, a sculptor. It begins at the end, where she is reminded of Billy, before taking us back to the beginning of their relationship and the journey they go on together. The flow of the book feels like a piece of music - it can be erratic, smooth, peaks and troughs - leaning into the underpinning of the book - the cello.
It asks us - what does love and companionship cost us? What do we have to lose, whether within ourselves or our lives? When sharing the light, how distorted does it become when shared? And I love these questions - this book reflects deep fears back to the reader that almost makes you stop in your tracks, take a deep breath and reflect. It made me dig deeper than perhaps I had expected, and even when not reading it, I was thinking about the past few pages I had read.
I was fortunate to receive this as part of my Pages of Hackney book subscription and without them sending it, I wonder if I’d ever have found it. Thank goodness eh.
Women in the Picture ~ Catherine McCormack
“Who tells the story gets to decide who the monster is” says historian Miriam Dexter, a reminder to look at history, specifically art history, with a critical focus on the patriarchal cultures that create the demonic female for the safety of men. Catherine McCormack dives into the role of women and those non-conforming to the binary in art, from the creation of it, their role within it and how it has been used in modern society and culture. From Titian and Cezanne to WAP and Clinton, Catherine takes you through Greek mythology and the modern day and the relationship between women and art from voice, positioning, status and more.
Catherine wrote this during a lockdown whilst juggling childcare and managing the challenges of the pandemic and you feel her urgency in shifting the dial, in changing how we view women’s bodies, rights, and value. I listened to Catherine on daily walks, going home to make notes of artists to research, pieces of art to re-examine. An important read for anyone who wants to see in art more of how they see the world.
Cat Lady ~ Dawn O’Porter
I love cringe and grot. Give me max-White-Lotus-observational-holy-moly-cringe and I am living a good life. Dawn is one of the best writers to take topics that are often shrouded in shame and push them to the surface in a novel. She’s done it in her previous novels, my fave being The Cows, and she’s back for more.
Mia has a cat called Pigeon. Mia’s life is manicured, precise and ordered. She is in firm control of things and yet all things are about to unravel. Mia attends a pet bereavement group, a central anchor of the book, a group of people in grief and yet… Pigeon is alive and well. It is the beginning of Mia’s shift away from perfection and into a cascade of change, pushing her towards a life of ease and enabling her to be more… her.
Dawn writes fully rounded and considered characters brilliantly, especially characters that aren’t always easy to like, which I value - it feels more reflective of life; we aren’t always likeable, we all do things that can be troublesome, we can make mistakes. It’s an easy read, a page turner in a traditional lighter novel way and keeps things light during those darker winter months.
Dawn talks about her desire to write about being a cat lady with Fearne Cotton, a fellow cat lover on Happy Place and it’s worth a moment in your ears.
Top three reads to be read this month…
really good, actually ~ Monica Heisey
Oof this book has been doing the rounds and for good reason. Monica was a writer on Schitt’s Creek (oof) and has cut her teeth on the screen before penning fiction and boy, it’s good she is here.
It’s the story of Maggie, and her life following her marriage breakdown in her late 20’s, navigating her PhD which is so obscure it’s unlikely to be translatable into… anything… and finding ways to afford to live and do things and be a part of a world, in a city, friends and… everyone else. I am beyond excited to dive into this one, as it’s less about ‘transformation and meaning’ and more about navigation and the madness that follows life changes and the murkiness you wade through. It’s not tidy and funny, belly laugh funny, and relevant to younger people living in this less easy world.
I’ve started, I’ve already bought copies for friends, I’m excited friends. For a taste of her style, listen to Monica with Caroline O’Donoghue on Sentimental Garbage here.
In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial ~ Mona Chollet
The paperback of Mona’s book is now out in the world and after backpacking to the North (London, lolz), I nabbed my copy from BookBar. It’s a book that reframes the role of the witch, turning it towards being an emblem of strength, a way to live outside of the boundaries that exist, allowing us to be free.
This book takes three archetypes from historic witch hunts - independent women, women who avoid having children and women who embrace ageing - and explores how this plays into modern society with the same charges being levelled at women who lean towards this way of living now. It’s a call to action and has fire in its belly which I am delighted about and I can’t wait to come away from finishing it and being utterly buoyed and cross (in a helpful way) as well as feeling a little seen for some of my own life choices and decisions.
It’s a belter and I can’t wait for us to chat about it next month.
Women’s Work: From Feminine Arts to Feminist Art ~ Ferren Gipson
From the outset, a truly beautiful book with woven binding on the edges that reflect the book externally before you enter it’s bright, visually appealing, pages. I have fallen in love with weaving and the art the comes from previously described ‘women’s work’ whether that be knitting, crocheting, mending, needlepoint, pottery and ceramics. This book showcases women from around the world, across the ages, spanning a range of disciplines; bringing these women to the forefront as we see and hear their artistic journeys.
I recently saw the utterly brilliant Magdalena Abakanowicz at Tate Modern, a Polish artist who created huge, radical installations in woven fibre. They are breathtaking, powerful and dominating, whilst being beautiful, intricate and gentle. Her work pokes at political structures, the gender binary and women’s reproductive rights through fabric and weaving. Magdalena is one of the artists platformed in this book and seeing her work live in front of my eyes further encouraged me to dive into the pages of Ferren’s heavily researched coffee table book. And I can’t implore your more to do the same.
It’s going to be good year for books and I can’t wait to share it with you.
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You’re a delight, wishing you the best of the last of January.
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