October Edition
Hey friends,
Hope you’re all surviving the clocks change - as I’m writing this in the late afternoon it’s getting pretty gloomy outside. And sorry this is slightly later that usual!
It’s been a mixed bag of reading this month - quite a few duds (including the Ministry of Time which was particularly disappointing given how hyped it’s been) but these three I really enjoyed.
Also, I’m going to Paris at the end of this month so would love any recommendations you have - especially on the food front!
Lots of love,
Izz
Books
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
This is on the Booker Prize shortlist and it’s van der Wouden’s first novel. I absolutely loved it. It’s set in post-WW2 Netherlands and follows Isa - unmarried, uptight and desperately lonely - who lives alone in her childhood home. I don’t want to say much more - I went into it not knowing much about the storyline and I’m glad I did because as the truth unravelled I really couldn’t put it down.
I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani
Another debut, this is an incredibly beautiful short novel about identity and belonging. The narrator, K, is a young Iranian-American boy growing up in LA with his parents and two brothers, until his father kidnaps his sons and attempts to resettle them in Iran.
Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto
A good old-fashioned murder mystery. It’s really well-paced while showing the more administrative side of detective work. On paper that sounds incredibly boring, but Matsumoto somehow makes it interesting!
Podcast
How Trump Won the White House, mini-series from The Rest Is Politics US
This mini-series gives a fascinating insight into the Trump campaign during the 2016 election. My colleague recommended this, and I will say I went in pretty sceptical about Antony Scaramucci - the host alongside BBC political journalist Katty Kay - who is a life-long Republican, former Goldman Sachs financier and part of the team that helped get Trump elected. But with him comes some unbelievable Trump anecdotes and very detailed, interesting analysis of what led to Trump becoming President. Depending on the outcome in next week’s election, might be worth delaying listening to this…
Watch
Alexei Navalny was the opposition leader in Russia who became a political prisoner in 2021 and was killed earlier this year The filmmakers follow Navalny closely for years, and the centre of this documentary is his attempted murder in 2020 by the Kremlin through Novichok poisoning. There’s a real eeriness when watching it, given we know what happens to him, but that only helps the storytelling and adds to the impact.
Seat 31, The New Yorker
This short doc is only 15 minutes and follows Montana state representative Zooey Zephyr as she works to protect trans rights in a staunchly Republican state.
Nobody Wants This, Netflix
I’m sure most of you have watched this by now, but if you haven’t it’s some very watchable rom-com nonsense.
Article
Pandora Sykes interviewing Vanessa Kisuule
Vanessa Kisuule’s new book deals with the question of what do we do when we love and enjoy someone’s art, but the person who made it has done (or said) reprehensible things. And on a similar topic, last night I watched Giant at the Royal Court, which prompts this very question about Roald Dahl and his work.
