Books Read 2018 (Plus more)

1. Metroland — Julian Barnes  (January)
2. All Is Silence — Manuel Rivas  (January)
3. The Bell Jar — Sylvia Plath  (January)
4. Limonov — Emmanuel Carrere  (January)
5. The Looking-Glass Sisters — Gøhril Gabrielsen  (January)
6. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning — Alan Sillitoe  (February)
7. Silence — Shusaku Endo  (February)
8. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner — Alan Sillitoe  (February)
9. Winesburg, Ohio — Sherwood Anderson  (February)
10. Fragments from My Diary — Maxim Gorky  (March)
11. The Days of Abandonment — Elena Ferrante  (March)
12. The End of the Affair — Graham Greene  (March)
13. A Scattering — Christopher Reid  (March)
14. Lost and Found — Jules Montague  (April)
15. Outline — Rachel Cusk  (April)
16. We Should All Be Feminists — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  (April)
17. The Plains — Gerard Murnane  (April)
18. Sympathy — Olivia Sudjic  (April)
19. Birthday Letters — Ted Hughes  (May)
20. Packing My Library — Alberto Manguel  (May)
21. The Nothing — Hanif Kureishi  (May)
22. My Name is Leon — Kit De Waal  (May)
23. Everyman — Philip Roth  (May) (again)
24. 12 Rules for Life — Jordan Peterson  (June)
25. Left in Dark Times — Bernard-Henri Levy  (June)
26. Transit — Rachel Cusk  (June)
27. The Plot Against America — Philip Roth  (July)
28. A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better — Benjamin Wood  (July)
29. Conversations With Friends — Sally Rooney  (July)
30. Kudos — Rachel Cusk  (July)
31. Story of the Eye — Georges Bataille  (July)
32. Crudo — Olivia Laing  (August)
33. The Double — Fyodor Dostoyevsky  (August)
34. Pitch Dark — Renata Adler  (August)
35. The Trick to Time — Kit De Waal  (September)
36. Sentenced to Life — Clive James  (September)
37. The Lost — Claire McGowan  (October)
38. Temptation — Vesna Main  (October)
39. Special Delivery — Iselin C. Hermann  (October)
40. The Only Story — Julian Barnes  (October)
41. Last Exit to Brooklyn — Hubert Selby Jr.  (October)
42. Six Foot Six — Kit De Waal  (October)
43. The Long Take — Robin Robertson  (October)
44. Everything Under — Daisy Johnson  (October)
45. The Last Wolf — Laszlo Krasznahorkai  (November)
46. Judas — Amos Oz  (November)
47. Elevation — Stephen King  (November)
48. Big Magic — Elizabeth Gilbert  (November)
49. Men Explain Things — Rebecca Solnit  (November)
50. The Outrun — Amy Liptrot  (December)
51. Boyhood Island — Karl Ove Knausgaard  (December)
52. Blue Light Yokohama 3 — Nicolas Obregon  (December)
53. The Adversary — Emmanuel Carrere  (December)
54. White Teeth — Zadie Smith  (December)
55. The Song of Lunch — Christopher Reid  (December)
56. Asymmetry — Lisa Halliday  (December)

Books in bold were particularly good.

And just to show that writers don't live in a bubble, here's some other stuff...

Films Watched 2018

1. Daphne  (2017, Dir. Peter Mackie Burns)
2. Le Mepris  (1963, Dir. Jean Luc Goddard)
3. Moonrise Kingdom  (2012, Dir. Wes Anderson)
4. Une Femme Est Une Femme  (1961, Dir. Jean-Luc Goddard)
5. Get Out  (2017, Dir. Jordan Peele)
6. The Nun  (2013, Dir. Guillaume Nicloux)
7. Husbands (1970, Dir. John Cassavetes)
8. Casino (1996, Dir. Martin Scorsese) (again)
9. A Tale of Winter  (1992, Dir. Eric Rohmer)
10. The Death of Stalin  (2017, Dir. Armando Iannucci)
11. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017, Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
12. Scenes From A Marriage  (1973, Dir. Ingmar Bergman) (again)
13. Phantom Thread  (2017, Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
14. The Structure of Crystal  (1969, Dir. Krzystof Zanussi)
15. Le Cercle Rouge (1970, Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)
16. Lady Bird (2017, Dir. Greta Gerwig)
17. J’embrasse Pas (1991, Dir. Andre Techine)
18. Certified Copy (2010, Dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
19. De Palma (2015, Dir. Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow)
20. Caramel (2007, Dir. Nadine Labaki)
21. La jalousie (2013, Dir. Phillipe Garrel)
22. L’amant d’un Jour (2017, Dir. Philippe Garrel)
23. You Were Never Really Here (2017, Dir. Lynne Ramsay)
24. Cafe de Flore (2011, Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée)
25. Blade Runner, 2049 (2017, Dir. Denis Villinue)
26. Wonder Wheel (2017, Dir. Woody Allen)
27. Let The Sunshine In (2017, Dir. Claire Denis)
28. White Heat (1949, Dir. Raoul Walsh)
29. Gholam (2017, Dir. Mitra Tabrizian)
30. Ginger & Rosa (2012, Dir. Sally Potter)
31. Ma Nuit Chez Maud (1963, Dir. Eric Rohmer)
32. Career Girls (1997, Dir. Mike Leigh)
33. Isle of Dogs (2018, Dir. Wes Anderson)
34. Death Wish (2018, Dir. Eli Roth)
35. To Rome With Love (2012, Dir. Woody Allen)
36. Stardust Memories (1980, Dir. Woody Allen)
37. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985, Dir. Woody Allen)
38. Christine (2016, Dir. Antonio Campos)
39. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969, Dir. Paul Mazurksky)
40. Baby Driver (2017, Dir. Edgar Wright)
41. Dog Day Afternoon (1975, Dir. Sydney Lumet)  (again)
42. The Touch (1971, Dir. Ingmar Bergman)
43. Cafe Society (2016, Dir. Woody Allen)
44. First Reformed (2017, Dir. Paul Schrader)
45. Bananas (1971, Dir. Woody Allen)
46. Nuts in May (1976, Dir. Mike Leigh)
47. Alice (1990, Dir. Woody Allen)
48. Mistress America (2015, Dir. Noah Baumbach)
49. Maggie’s Plan (2015, Dir. Rebecca Miller)
50. The Meyerowitz Stories (2017, Dir. Noah Baumbach)
51. Tyrannosaur (2011, Dir. Paddy Considine)
52. The King of Marvin Gardens (1972, Dir. Bob Rafelson)
53. Final Score (2018, Dir. Scott Mann)
54. The Double (2013, Dir. Richard Ayoade)
55. On Cheisel Beach (2018, Dir. Dominic Cooke)
56. Fucking in Love (2014, Dir. Justine Pluvinage)
57. Adam Resurrected (2008, Dir. Paul Schrader)
58. Where Do We Go Now? (2011, Dir. Nadine Labaki)
59. A Journey Through French Cinema (2017, Dir. Bertrand Tavernier)
60. The House That Jack Built (2018, Dir. Lars Von Trier)
61. Les Coquillettes (2012, Dir. Sophie Letourneur)
62. The Things of Life (1970, Dir. Claude Sautet)
63. Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018, Dir Michael Moore)
64. Oh Boy (2012, Dir. Jan Ole Gerster)
65. Funny Cow (2017, Dir. Adrian Shergold)
66. I, Daniel Blake (2017, Dir. Ken Loach)
67. Prick Up Your Ears (1987, Dir. Stephen Frears)
68. Love Is The Devil (1998, Dir. John Maybury)

Films in bold were particularly good.


Plays Seen 2018

1. “A Christmas Carol” by Jack Thorne at The Old Vic
2. “The Divide” by Alan Ayckbourn at The Old Vic
3. “Fanny and Alexander” by Stephen Beresford at The Old Vic
4. “Describe The Night” by Rajiv Joseph at The Hampstead Theatre
5. “Mood Music” by Joe Penhall at The Old Vic
6. “Instructions for Correct Assembly” by Thomas Eccleshare at The Royal Court
7. “Absolute Hell” by Rodney Ackland at The National Theatre
8. “Consent” by Nina Raine at The Harold Pinter Theatre
9. “Translations” by Brian Friel at The National Theatre
10. “Beirut” by Alan Bowne at The Park Theatre
11. “Genesis, Inc.” by Jemma Kennedy at The Hampstead Theatre
12. “Pinter at the Pinter # 1” by Harold Pinter at The Pinter Theatre
13. “Pinter at the Pinter # 2” by Harold Pinter at The Pinter Theatre
14. “War with the Newts” by Tyrrell Jones at The Bunker Theatre
15. “Wise Children” by Angela Carter & Emma Rice at The Old Vic
16. “A Pupil” by Jesse Briton at The Park Theatre
17. “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith at The Ambassadors Theatre
18. “White Teeth” by Stephen Sharkey at The Kiln Theatre
19. “Pinter at the Pinter # 6” by Harold Pinter at The Pinter Theatre

Plays in bold were particularly good.

Albums Heard 2018

1. “Tearing at the Seams” — Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats
2. “God Hates Us All” — Slayer
3. “Power in Numbers” — Jurassic 5
4. “Monster” — R.E.M
5. “Without a Sound” — Dinosaur Jr.
6. “Mosquito” — Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. “Marque Moon” — Television
8. “Adventure” — Television
9. “Talking Heads 77” — Talking Heads
10. “Remain in Light” — Talking Heads
11. “Speaking in Tongues” — Talking Heads
12. “Everything Now” — Arcade Fire
13. “Glasgow Walker” — John Martyn
14. “Dirty Computer” — Janelle Monae
15. “Closer” — Joy Division
16. “Night and Day” — Joe Jackson
17. “Resistance is Futile” — Manic Street Preachers
18. “Re-return to Paradise” — Sam Sparro
19. “My War” — Black Flag
20.  "The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend” — Baby Huey and The Baby Sitters
21. “Reflektor” — Arcade Fire
22. “The Suburbs” — Arcade Fire
23. “Avonmore” — Bryan Ferry
24. “Kamikaze” — Eminem
25. “Combat Sports” — The Vaccines
26. “Everything is Everything” — Donny Hathaway
27. “Live Broadcast - 18th April 1993 The Complex” — Leonard Cohen
28. “Piece by Piece” — John Martyn
29. “One World” — John Martyn
30. “Grace and Danger” — JohnMartyn
31. “Solid Air” — John Martyn
32. “Just As I Am” — Bill Withers
33. “Popular Problems” — Leonard Cohen
34. “Old Ideas” — Leonard Cohen
35. “Day Breaks” — Norah Jones
36. “Blue Alert” — Anjani Thomas
37. “The Fall” — Norah Jones
38. “Addictions Vol. 1” — Robert Palmer
39. “Well Kept Secret” — John Martyn
40. “The Old Magic” — Nick Lowe
41. “Royal Blood” — Royal Blood
42. “Alone Again, Naturally” — Esther Phillips
43. “Vol. 4” — Black Sabbath
44. “The Church With One Bell” — John Martyn
45. “Living in Extraordinary Times” — James
46. “Le Kov” — Gwenno
47. “Silver Eye” — Goldfrapp
48. “Glorious Fool” — John Martyn
49. “Pride” — Robert Palmer
50. “More Love Songs” — Loudon Wainwright III
51. “In the Blue Light” — Paul Simon
52. “Morning Phase” — Beck
53. “God’s Favourite Customer” — Father John Misty
54. “Clues” — Robert Palmer
55. “History” — Loudon Wainwright III
56. “Haven’t Got The Blues (Yet)” — Loudon Wainwright III
57. “Older Than My Old Man Now” — Loudon Wainwright III
58. “Coles Corner” — Richard Hawley
59. “Lady’s Bridge” — Richard Hawle
60. “Fear Fun” — Father John Misty
61. “Out of the Game” — Rufus Wainwright
62. “Vulnerable” — Marvin Gaye
63. “Blood on the Tracks” — Bob Dylan
64. “The White Album” — The Beatles
65. “Silence Yourself” — Savages
66. “A Little Something More” — Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats
67. “Extra Texture” — George Harrison
68.  “A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations” — Glenn Gould

You could listen to any of the above and have a good time.