We finally got over January, which feels like a relief, since that’s the coldest and darkest month here in England. I don’t have much to report this week; the children are still sleeping badly, and I’m still tired as ever. Oh, and we all got sick with the seasonal illness that’s making the rounds where I live. On exhausting weeks like this, I like to reflect on stories that I’ve been able to read or watch, as a reminder to myself that, even with very small children and a very busy schedule, I’m privileged enough to still enjoy art and literature. It’s a luxury to be able to devote time to intellectual interests, and I am so grateful for it! I already occasionally recommend books, films, tv shows etc. on this substack, but I’m thinking of making it a monthly post from now on. Please let me know if you’d like that in the comments - I love to read other people’s recommendations, but I want to know what you think. Without further ado, here is the very best I’ve read and watched in January.
BEST OF THE MONTH
Non-fiction book: Stephen Tomkins, William Wilberforce: A Biography (2007)
I’ve long been fascinated by Wilberforce, a key figure in the late 18th-century and early 19th-century abolitionist movement in England. Not only did he fight to end slavery, but he was also involved in the Sunday School movement that educated thousands of children in the 19th century, as well as helping to send Christian missionaries to India and opposing animal cruelty. His favourite poet was William Cowper, a favourite of mine and also a favourite of Jane Austen’s! He was friends with John Newton, who famously wrote the lyrics to the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’, with Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, and with the (at the time extremely well-known and admired) novelist Hannah More. Tomkins’ biography does an excellent job of narrating the life of this fascinating and complex man. It is the perfect length as an introduction to Wilberforce, and is very clearly and engagingly written. Highly, highly recommended!
Article: Jessie Munton, ‘Slaves to Love’ (2023)
This essay made me cry, and if you’re pregnant with your second child, I’d recommend not reading it yet. I read just after my second, our daughter, had turned three months, and it was the perfect time to do so; I found it consoling rather than anxiety-inducing, which probably would have been the case while still pregnant. Munton draws on psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott, as well as on Hegel, to discuss the reasons why motherhood is so exhausting - at times even infuriating. She does a particularly good job of explaining how mothers suffer from a lack of recognition from their infants and small children, who are simply incapable of understanding their mums as separate persons with their own needs. It’s an honest and thoughtful essay that neither glorifies nor demonises the job of being a parent. Rather, it gives you tools to understand why it is that, as mothers, we can get so burnt out and so angry. It made me feel less alone, which is the best compliment I can pay to this kind of non-fiction writing!
Fiction book: D. L. Sayers, Murder Must Advertise (1933)
I must admit I’m still reading this one (reading whole novels in a week or two is a thing of the past in this busy season of life), but I’m really enjoying it so far! It’s the 8th Lord Peter Wimsey mystery penned by Sayers, and one of the best ones (at least for now). Set at an advertising agency at the beginning of advertising’s golden age, it reads like a mixture of an early Evelyn Waugh satire about the famous ‘Bright Young Things’ from the 20s and 30s (think Vile Bodies) and the tv show Mad Men. The only complaint I have is that Harriet Vane, Peter’s love interest and a brilliant amateur detective in her own right, is absent from this novel. I’m looking forward to finishing Murder Must Advertise and then reading The Nine Tailors, so I can finally move onto re-reading my favourite Sayers novel that includes Harriet, Gaudy Night.
Film: Max Barbakow, Palm Springs (2020)
This is a weird choice for January (it’s not a wintery film at all!) but a brilliant re-watch. There are probably 2 or 3 scenes that are too on the gross side for my taste (I think at this point, after 10 years in the UK, my sense of humour is just too British!), but other than that this is a fantastic example of how mixing two genres - the sci-fi film and the rom-com - can lend new life to both. I won’t spoil too much for you as I think this is the kind of film that’s best enjoyed with no preconceptions, but I will say that I think you’ll enjoy this if you’re interested in themes of time and love. It’s very funny, but it’s also very moving in a way that reminds me of another sci-fi rom-com, About Time (2012). The premise is that two disillusioned young-ish people get stuck in a time loop at a wedding. I won’t reveal any more. It’s a great weekend watch, and it’s short enough that you can (probably) finish it in one sitting, even with small children waking up at night and demanding attention!
Good idea, I enjoy recommendations. Many print literary magazines and smaller publications used to have annual Christmas book recs from contributors. I've lost track of that since the internet has dominated. I discovered lots of gems from those lists over the years.