Well, happy New Year’s Eve folks. I hope those of you who get a few days off at this time of year have enjoyed them. We had a very lovely small Christmas, and an even quieter few days of Twixtmas.

I was lucky enough to get my usual stack of books from friends and family. And more than a week of quiet time to largely devote to reading. My TBR may be roughly the same size as this time last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, but its composition does change. I’ve stopped feeling guilty about owning so many unread books. If nothing else I’m supporting writers financially by continuing to buy their work/ask for books to constitute the majority of my presents.

I’ve also watched an inordinate number of films this month. Top ranking among them are The Holdovers, Feast of Seven Fishes, Wake Up Dead Man and Night Moves. Oh, and yesterday we finally watched Double Indemnity, which is just as good as you might expect of a screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder.

I’ve spent this afternoon curled up reading Arsène Lupin short stories but now it’s time to make dinner, drink wine, watch Jools Holland and see in 2026. Happiest of new years to all of you.

Books read

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
This novel is set in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, in 1974, at the outset of revolution. An elderly Haile Selassie is losing the unquestioning faith of his people. The country descends into paranoia and violence as different factions take control. The story is told through the lens of one ordinary middle-class family. It’s tense and densely plotted and very good.

Winter by Ali Smith
When reading Smith’s seasonal quartet, I somehow skipped this volume initially. December seemed like the right time to pick it up. Art has broken up with his long-term girlfriend but doesn’t want to tell his mother, so he persuades a young woman he meets at the library to pretend to be her for Christmas at his mother’s. Nothing goes right from the start. Truths are revealed and life choices questioned, all with the backdrop of Brexit and the (first) election of Donald Trump.

The Book of Ramallah: a City in Short Fiction ed. by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat
Translated from Arabic
The Comma Press series of short stories set in a particular cities by writers living in/from that city is brilliant. The types of story vary but all are insightful about life there – now and in the past. This volume is no different. I learned about Ramallah’s history and present, but mostly I tasted the lives of a variety of characters.

Sure of You by Armistead Maupin
This sixth volume of Tales of the City was originally the last in the series. It has a different energy from the books that came before it. There’s no overarching mystery to solve, no ridiculous crime committed. Mary Ann gets an irresistible job offer; Michael Tolliver’s life is dominated by the Aids crisis; Mrs Madrigal goes to Greece to spend some time with Mona; Brian wants nothing more than the life he has to remain exactly as it is – even though he knows all is not right. Through these regular characters, Maupin calls out the hypocrisy and privilege of fairweather allies – people who were willing to be vocal in the 1970s when it was the cool new thing, who got noticeably quieter as the 1980s progressed. It’s a more sobering volume even though no main character dies in this one.

The Bicyclist’s Guide to the Galaxy ed. by Elly Blue
In this volume of the excellent series of feminist SF short stories, the theme is books. So that’s bicycles, books, science fiction and a whole slew of awesome (mostly queer) women and non-binary characters. You could hardly get more perfect for me. The stories are mostly positive in outlook but a few of them lean more heavily on the negatives of the times we are living through and can’t therefore help but be a little more serious in tone.

The Stories of English by David Crystal
This book tracks the history of English from the origins of the language right up to the Internet age. As the title suggests, Crystal posits that this history is not a single narrative, but a collection of hundreds of overlapping stories. I found this book fascinating but so information-dense I could often only read a few pages at a time. Definitely a resource to keep for frequent reference.

Want ed. by Gillian Anderson
As part of her preparation for playing Dr Jean Milburn on Sex Education, Gillian Anderson read the legendary 1973 book My Secret Garden. This collection of sexual fantasies submitted by anonymous women to Nancy Friday was revolutionary in its time. Anderson suggested to her agent that she could preside over a sequel of sorts. This is the result. Sorted into loose categories, each section begins with an essay by Anderson. The fantasies vary from a couple of lines to 3 or 4 pages long; from brief sketch to detailed erotica; from simple desires for safety to kinks, BDSM and even SF-infused desires. Definitely NSFW.

Meatspace by Nikesh Shukla
Kitab is a writer, in theory, but he’s floundering after his first novel failed to take the world by storm. His girlfriend Rach dumped him for being too online, not present enough in real life. And it’s true that his days are spent on Facebook, Twitter and message boards, Googling nonsense and watching porn. Then his one and only namesake turns up and turns his life upside down. Kitab 2 has come over from Bangalore and well, that’s almost the only thing he’s honest about. This is a funny book that also manages to be touching and insightful.