This month is always a drag. Last year I spent half of January in Italy, the only cure. I know that sounds awful, but let me have it. And I flew Ryanair. Once upon a time, I participated in a roundtable interview with Kelly and Sharon Osbourne to promote eyeshadow and a Russian glossy magazine journalist asked Sharon ‘What is your idea of luxury?’ and Sharon said it was flying private. Very good moment to observe.
This year, my treatment for existing in the dark afternoons is to consume media that brings me comfort. I’ve got an Anne Tyler novel in my backpack for the commute, some Mary Balogh regency romances on my Kindle, and Reacher on my laptop screen. If those avenues are not for you, here are three other things I loved lately.
The short story ‘Sparing the Heather’ by Louise Kennedy. We’ve got guns, booze, sex, nature, small fires, everything you need. Rare to read a main character called Mairéad, chic name imho. [Banshee]
This interview with an ex-nun about falling in love made me not hate being in the gym. I was grinning on the elliptical. If you like Call The Midwife, you’ll adore this. You’ll want the ITV drama of it all injected into your veins. There is a perfect scene involving a boat and a farewell. Someone should option this. It’s so lovely and the interview subject has this unpracticed genuine charm that makes me feel like I must be going to hell. If that makes any sense? She’s just so nice? [BBC]
Carrying on from my last mailer about Caedmon Records, here is Sylvia Plath reading ‘Daddy’. So great. [YouTube]
You can read some more about the poem and recording on Literary Hub. I came across the video when I was remembering that line ‘Every woman adores a Fascist’ as it is feeding into something I am working on and now I send my sister voice notes of me saying ‘dahdee’.