Hello friends,
Merry Merry Christmas. It’s been a funny ole few weeks, eh? Funny being used slightly out of context here and instead triggering when considering the memories of 2020’s festive period, but sure, it’s been… funny.
I hope that you are able to have a day that brings you moments of joy, whether often or sparse, I hope the moments make it a day that is good. I have spent the last few days reading and napping at my parents home after a week or so of not being sure if I’d ever make it here. With a parent who is shielding and needing to get out of London, it wasn’t clear if it would be safe enough to do so. Instead a Christmas miracle consisting of an incredibly kind partner and the offer of being driven home, meant that we made it here virus free and absolutely shattered.
I will talk about Wintering later on, but it’s a book that has taught me to relax and unwind. To listen to my body, notice my surroundings and do what feels right, rather than seeking an outcome, achieving a goal. I am certainly living and breathing that this Christmas, simply existing and observing (with naps in between) and reading. It’s simple pleasures but as an old bean, I am realising how wonderful they truly are.
After a strange year, I give you Joan Didion and her wise words…
“In time of trouble, I had been trained since childhood, read, learn, work it up, go to the literature. Information was control.”
So go to the books (not be confused with going to the mattresses - thank you Nora Ephron).
Em x
✨Book of the month✨
Nobody Panic - Tessa Coates, Stevie Martin
I listened to this rather than read it, and I cannot recommend it more. For those older millennials amongst us, you may remember Tessa and Stevie from their podcast on The Debrief, before going solo (Rest in Peace, The Debrief). They read this book like their podcast and it is utter joy hopping into your ears, every single minute they both speak. I imagine, should I feel not scared about entering shops, that you would find this book in the spiritual section because it will change your ruddy life. Or at least help you to use the oven correctly (an actual chapter and actually helpful). It covers everything from keeping a plant alive, to nursing a broken heart (perhaps because of your houseplant death); from asking for a payrise, to leaving a Whatsapp group… all shared with humour, excellent life experiences and common sense which isn’t always that common; essentially I mean it to be helpful.
I loved it and think you will to, so if you want to give have a chance of getting your hands on a freebie, just comment below 👇
Other cracking reads…
Consumed - Aja Barber
An apt read at Christmas as we consider what we consume vs what we need. Aja came into my awareness after listening to a Insta Live in the early stages of the pandemic, where she talked knowledgeably about those working to produce fast fashion and the issues within the industry. My ears were pricked - it had been something I was aware of but not something I had heard someone describe in such detail and with such eloquence - and I have followed Aja’s work ever since.
This book is a perfect example of Aja’s commitment to sustainability and education - she speaks from a place of expertise and where she doesn’t have it, she searches for it. She holds no prisoners - she is here to be real and confront the reader in the best possible way when trying to enact change. From fast fashion, to our relationship with stuff, she perfectly balances research with her own experiences, not being shy about the reality of the journey she herself has been on.
If you are new to Aja, try her Instagram and listen to her talk to Layla F. Saad on her podcast, Good Ancestor, here.
Wintering - Katherine May
I had read all about Wintering in the first winter of the pandemic (isn’t it wild to say that?!) and as someone always late to jump on the fan train, I didn’t read it until the beginning of the dark nights, cold days this year. To say it changed how I viewed my relationship with the changing seasons would be an understatement and without a doubt am convinced that it helped me to manage how I felt about Omnicrom and it’s ability to force us back indoors. Wintering talks about rest, related to the seasons, through the experience of May’s. It explores how other people live and the lesson May learnt through understanding. She talks about the body and it’s needs in the winter, why our minds think and behave in certain ways as it gets darker and what we should seek to achieve or rather how we should take ‘outcomes’ out of the equation.
I have already gone back to it again since I first read it, dipping in and out when I need to think about something differently or seek solace. You can listen to an extract below.
The Book of Trespass - Nick Hayes
In England we are forbidden from 92% of our land and 97% of our rivers, banned from nature by the law of trespass. Did you know that? Hayes takes us through the history of trespassing and all its forms whilst he tells us tales of his escapades across England and Wales, exploring spaces and the people who occupy them. I walk around my local park now with new eyes, exploring the countryside with new interest in the boundaries and the freedom that lacks for those of us simply seeking space. Hayes clearly feels deeply about access to space and equity and equality in society - he talks not just about land, but the boundaries set for women, for People of Colour and Black people, those with less financial wealth and privilege - and argues his points both eloquently and passionately.
Our connection to land vs the overwhelming desire to own and conquer is at the core of this book and it’s entirely changed my outlook at the world around me. It’s an absolute belter and I couldn’t recommend it enough as a new year read.
Read more about Trespass in the Big Issue here.
My Body - Emily Ratajkowski
One of the most discussed set of essays of the year, Emily Ratajkowski of ‘Blurred Lines’ initial fame, shares musings and experiences from her life whether it be her early modelling days, her experience with her mother or her more recent life in the public eye. What often happens with people who are otherworldly attractive and who talk about difficulties; it can often be seen as indulgent or dismissed simply because… how could they possibly understand hardship? What I found fascinating reading these essays was the commonalities between young women regardless of their looks, opportunities, appeal etc. The same desire to please exists, the same insecurities when looking at yourself through other people’s eyes, the same quietness in the face of bad behaviour.
Yes at times, it is a little self indulgent. But there are some pieces that really challenge how we treat people like Ratajkowski, how we treat her mind vs. her body. There is some beautiful prose and whilst this may not have been printed without her juggernaught following, the piece about Robin Thicke alone is worth it. She fiercely challenges the behaviour she experiences, recognises her own naivety and confronts something that has clearly sat with her for some time.
If you want a taster of what the book will give you, read this Time Magazine piece here.
My Mess is a Bit of a Life - Georgia Pritchett
I embaressingly didn’t know much about Georgia Pritchett until recently, discovering she had written The Shrink Next Door, and then learning that she was a writer on Succession. This is her memoir, in short essays and notes, and it is truly brilliant. I listened to it. read by Katherine Parkinson (an utter babe and born with a voice for audiobooks) as I walked around the park, travelled to work, hoovered the flat and it entirely caught me unawares. One minute I would be howling at stories of monsters under the bed and her childhood worries of whether they were comfy enough, to the rendition of Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by her neurodiverse son that made me ugly cry as I walked Geoff the dog.
The stories are short, snappy, poignant and perfectly written because of course they are and I cannot recommend it enough. Dip in and out, read in one go, it really doesn’t matter. It’ll make you feel all of the things. All of them.
Read more about Pritchett and her work here.
The Audacity - Katherine Ryan
I adore Katherine Ryan. From her rendition of Hamilton and her description of how she reacted to the live show (PLEASE WATCH IMMEDIATELY), to her honesty and humility in talking about baby loss during the pandemic, it’s sort of impossible to not be drawn in and enamoured by Ryan.
Her memoir, The Audacity, is a truth bomb covering her life growing up in Canada with her sisters and divorced parents; to her life now in London with Bobby and her daughter Violet (and since her new addition, her son). She takes on tricky subjects around harassment, discrimination, sexism with panache and makes it accessible, fury-inducing and snort-laughing funny. What I loved about this book was Ryan’s ability to own her personal flaws, her mistakes, and show how people can change and learn - something we so often shun.
If you can listen to it, it’s narrated by Ryan herself and having her in your ear as you do your day to day thing, is the best accompaniment you could ask for.
Read more brilliant words from Ryan in an interview last month here.
I have been scrolling, reading, scrolling, and here are the month’s highlights:
An extract from the book A Single Revolution from Shani Silver
Why people are leaving their shitty jobs and why it’s good news from VICE
The hotly anticipated Katie Couric memoir and why you should read it
And in memory of Joan…
Joan Didion Chronicled American Disorder With Her Own Unmistakable Style from The New York Times
Happy Didion Day (for her 87th Birthday from Jessie Williams
Joan Didion Wrote About Grief Like No One Else Could from Time Magazine
Joan Didion, The Art of Fiction No. 71 from The Paris Review
And bell hooks…
On bell hooks and the Solace of Ritual from The New York Times
bell hooks remembered: ‘She embodied everything I wanted to be’ from The Guardian
bell hooks, Renowned Author, Activist and Educator, Dies at 69 from Time Magazine
Somewhere good to go…
Should you be looking for something to listen to during this festive break, here are a few podcast faves to allow you to switch off and tune into the dulcet sounds of others…
Fancy sharing this to a pal to keep them busy this Christmas? Know someone who loves to read and needs some new recommendations? Then what are you waiting for?! I’d adore you if you could pass the baton (or breadstick, it’s beige food season after all) and share away.