Hi, all, and happy new year! It’s been a while. My full-time gig got a little hectic over the past few months, but I’m hoping to keep up the bimonthly cadence for these letters in 2023 (or at least regular intervals), and to write more, too. I hope your new year brings lots of good books and positive changes. And I’d love to hear any recs about what I should be reading in return.
Love Marriage, Monica Ali
Short summary: the knots and tangles in the relationships between two London families become even harder to unpick as they plan a wedding. While some of the twists are predictable, Monica Ali always writes rich interior lives for her characters that keep you interested to the end. She captures the shortsightedness people sometimes develop in their closest relationships, and the importance of not taking those bonds for granted.
If you like it
One Fine Day is another portrait of a marriage and family in the rapidly changing landscape of postwar England. I’ve probably said it before but I’ll say it again: Mollie Panter-Downes’ work is truly exquisite and underappreciated.
If you don’t
If you’re more comfortable in the realms of nonfiction, Christopher de Hamel’s Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is a fascinating read that provides deft characterizations of each book and its history (with thanks to ZJ for the loan!).
Things I’ve written lately:
The Fantasy of the Middle Ages, Hyperallergic - which I also got to talk about on Radio New Zealand(!)
Visible and Invisible: Visions of Domestic Service, ArtUK
The Many Faces of Oscar Wilde, ArtUK
Park City’s Best Cross-Country Ski Trails, Park City Magazine
Skiing in Color: A Profile of Artist Lamont Joseph White, Park City Magazine