This year has been the fewest number of books I’ve read since I began tracking my reading in 2017. Four five-star reads out of 26 though, all of which I’d happily recommend. 12 four-star reads too. Hoping to get back to reading more next year.

January

1. The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction by Robert Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Geneva by Richard Armitage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Snap by Belinda Bauer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ⭐️⭐️⭐️

February

7. First Lie Wins by Ashley Epstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8. I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel ⭐️⭐️
9. Bittersweet by Susan Cain ⭐️⭐️⭐️

March

10. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
11. Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
12. Hidden Potential by Adam Grant ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

April

13. What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hanson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. Slow Productivity by Cal Newport ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
16. Master of Change by Brad Stulberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️

May

17. Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
18. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy ⭐️⭐️⭐️
19. Death in a Lonely Place by Stig Abel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

June

20. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July

21. Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet ⭐️⭐️⭐️

September

22. The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
23. The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️

October

24. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
25. Fourteen Days by Various Authors (DNF) ⭐️

November

26. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s taken me nearly two months, but I’ve finally finished book seven in the Cormoran Strike detective series by Robert Galbraith.

Don’t let that length of time make you think I didn’t enjoy it. I did. I really did. It’s just that it was super long. As all these novels by Robert Galbraith are.

It’s worth saying that, in case you are not aware, Robert Galbraith is a pen name. The author is J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame.

I’ve enjoyed the entire series to date, but this latest has been my favourite. I nearly didn’t start it as, though I enjoyed the last two, the sheer length of the last two made me weary just thinking about starting this latest novel! I’m glad I did, though.

For this book, private detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the Norfolk countryside. In the hope of extracting Will, Robin Ellacott – Strike’s business partner – infiltrates the cult. But the enormity of the danger she faces, and the challenge of exposing the true nature of the cult, becomes increasingly apparent.

It’s a gripping storyline brilliantly told. The core, recurring characters have real depth to them that continues to emerge with each novel. The pacing of the story develops perfectly. And though I’m not the biggest fan of huge books, the length of this allows for a level of slow-building and backstory that makes the end result truly worth it.

I have just two episodes to go of the new ten-part Apple TV+ drama called ’Sunny’. It’s been great, and I am excited to finish it over the weekend. With so much high quality TV around nowadays, much of which is quite samey, I’ve enjoyed that this has felt quite distinctive.

Here’s how Apple describes the show:

“Sunny” stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship. Together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family and become dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.

One of the most intriguing segments was in episode eight, talking about Suzie’s husband, Masa:

Masa wasn’t like any roboticist I’d met.

It wasn’t an interest in robots that led him to the field.

His goal wasn’t in teaching robots to discover their humanity.

What excited him was realising how they could help us discover ours.

This chimes with my own feelings around AI. The key question we should be asking ourselves is this: How can AI help us become more human? Everything else is secondary.

But, back to the show, it’s a fun, engaging watch, full of mystery and suspense. The extent of the integration of robots and technology into everyday life makes for a compelling backdrop.

I don’t listen to every episode of the podcast Smartless, but I do dip in every now and then. And I’m glad I listened to the recent episode with Rashida Jones. In particular, it was fascinating to hear the discussion about questions of life and purpose and ego as they transition to the second half of their lives. 

Here’s what Rashida had to say:

Most people I talk to who are 50, just turned 50, have this thing where they’re like, who am I? There’s like this full rebirth. Who do I want to be for the next 50 years if we’re lucky? What does my back half look like? What’s actually fulfilling? What does my ego want? Do I need to fulfill my ego? Do I need to fulfill a deeper soul purpose? Like so much is coming up.

The conversation then continued with Will Arnett adding:

I think at this stage of your life, you’ve done stuff like you’ve had like this huge first couple chapters of your life and you have the work stuff and you have the adolescence and then the work stuff and then the kid stuff and then the work with kids stuff and blah, blah, blah. And you get to this point, you’re like, okay, now what?

To which Rashida responded:

Right. And also that’s all that stuff that you thought for your entire life was going to fill the gap. You’re like, wait, it doesn’t quite fill that gap. There’s still a little piece missing. And what is that piece like? And we’re privileged enough to have succeeded in a way. But I think for everybody, they’re like, wait a second, it’s just going to be this forever? Like all the firsts are gone.

It’s easy to look at celebrities and famous people and think they have it all. But, truth told, we’re all grappling with the same questions and issues.

Day three in London was the official reason for heading here this summer.

Our two daughters were desperate to see Taylor Swift and sadly (for the state of my bank balance), we managed to get tickets!

But what an experience.

It was an amazing night. The crowd was incredible. Truth told, I felt like a fraud. Seemed like I was the only one who didn’t know every single lyric to every single song!

As the above paragraph will have confirmed, I wouldn’t describe myself as a Swiftie. But there was something special about being in the crowd amongst them. There was such joy! It was wonderful to see. Not a night I’ll be forgetting any time soon.

(My girls enjoyed it too!)

Day 1 | Day 2

Day two of our family mini-break in London was all about a visit to Regent’s Park outdoor theatre. The venue is stunning!

We were there to see Fiddler on the Roof.

This is one of those productions I feel like I should know about. But, in truth, I knew nothing.

It is a great story and truly moving. The staging was brilliant, and a strong cast too.

Despite a little bit of rain, it was a fabulous evening.

Day 1 | Day 3

On a mini-break to London with the family. Went to see HADESTOWN this afternoon. It was incredible!

Great music. Amazing cast. One to see if you haven’t already.

Felt lucky to experience the performances by Dónal Finn and Grace Hodgett Young. Outstanding.

Day 2 | Day 3

I remember sitting on a train, coming back from Manchester, reading the final pages of ‘The Fault in our Stars’ by John Green. I couldn’t hold back the tears. They trickled, somewhat ashamedly, down my cheeks. But there was no stopping them. The movie adaptation was equally moving.

I’ve never read or watched anything of Green’s since though. Until this weekend, when I watched ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ with my fifteen year-old daughter.

And it was delightful! Funny, moving, tragic, heart-warming, and more. Then, this morning, I read this review by Petrana Radulovic. It’s a great read – delving into why Green has become a bit of a love-to-hate figure, while pointing out what a triumph this film is.

The article is well worth a read, and the film is a fantastic watch.