I was flicking back through this newsletter and I read the post from this time last year. We’d lost my mom and, a year on, it seems like both a lifetime ago and yesterday. I spent the weekend celebrating her with my family back home, and it was a really lovely excuse to talk about her lots and think about the love she left behind.
A year into grief, the biggest thing I’ve learned is to not tiptoe around people who have lost someone. I love talking about my mom, and bring her up all the time, as my long-suffering loved ones know. Yes, it’s painful, but pretending it hasn’t happened is way worse. Celebrate those we’ve lost. It’s how we keep them alive.
Onto May’s books and music!
First Love by Gwendoline Riley
This was our book club pick for May and it was a bruiser. I’d never read any of Riley’s work before, but I loved it, despite it being difficult reading. She’s from The Wirral, and a lot of the book was based around Liverpool, which was fun. It tells the story of Neve while she navigates difficult familial relationships along with a marriage to Edwyn, who is one of the most repulsive characters ever committed to fiction. Her writing is so incredible that I felt literal rage at the things that came out of Edwyn’s mouth to denegrate and demean Neve. The disdain that so many southerners feel for people from the north! The bile that older men direct at younger women. Beyond piggish, but a really great read.
The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates
I listened to this and it’s so depressing. I don’t even have words for how depressing it is. Laura Bates lays out all of the ways in which big tech are allowing women to be abused both online and in real life. There’s no solution because violence against women is so baked into the fabric of our society that it’s just not a priority to fix in this brave new world. Essential reading for everyone!
Famesick by Lena Dunham
When I was in my twenties, nothing was more important than the TV series Girls. It was as seminal in portraying the millennial female experience as Sex and the City was for Gen X. I inhaled every season, debated which character I was with friends, and listened to the soundtrack. As I, and Lena Dunham got older, she went through several “cancellations” and she became a bit of a figure of embarrassment for our generation. But Girls never stopped being important to me, which is why I picked up this memoir about her time making the show. What I wasn’t expecting was a frustrating story about how the medical system continually fails women, even those with access to the highest echelons of healthcare. Whatever you think about her, Lena Dunham is a compelling writer and a vital cultural figure.
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
I really do try not to buy hardbacks but my friend Sara hosted an interview with this author and I couldn’t resist. Before we get onto the book, let’s talk about him. What a gorgeous, warm and authentic author! A mental health nurse in recovery who’s also really witty, intelligent and thoughtful. His chemistry with Sara was perfect, so no wonder I bought the book! I’m glad I did because it’s such a weird and original story. Mallory wrote a hit book a decade ago and has struggled with writer’s block ever since. So, she does the logical thing and Googles “how to write a hit book” and is told to lean into gay trauma. For inspiration, she uploads her husband’s torso to Grindr and ends up meeting Leo, a troubled addict whose life she mines for material. The characters are incredible and the narrative is so compelling. I’d literally recommend this to anyone.
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
I listened to this one as well, and it is so gripping! I love Patrick Radden Keefe, even more so since his Industry cameo. His latest book delves into London’s underworld after he’s asked to investigate the death of Zac Brettler by his parents. What follows is an unbelievable tale of fantasy, crime and a normal family caught up in the whirlwind of their son’s lies. I even ended up buying the hard copy cos I enjoyed it so much.
Rivals by Jilly Cooper
If I’m guilty of anything, it’s of the overuse of the word “romp” in this blog, but if one person deserves that title, it’s Dame Jilly. Season two of the TV adaptation of this book has just dropped so I felt it was the perfect time to read this. Wow. It’s truly perfect. We revisit Rupert Campbell-Black and the world of local television in the Cotswolds. It’s completely politically incorrect but SO much fun. I also read this while in the Algarve for my friend Kaitlin’s wedding, so it really was perfect timing.
