February 2023 Round up

One of my favourite moments here in Ireland in February is when Snowdrops start appearing. They're hardy little bulbs and the first flower brave enough to show its head before springtime.

The Snowdrop also helps me to remember the words of John Keats about the cycle of death and rebirth.

'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower.'
Keep going.

Books

I got a fair bit of reading down, helped in no doubt by some cracking titles. Readers of the blog will know Emily St. John Mandel has become a firm favourite for me. ‘Sea of tranquility’ was a mixture of historical fiction, the modern day and sci-fi. I continue to love how she links her books with recurring characters and she creates a distinctive mood. I’m still thinking about this one.

Any month I read a new Micheal Connelly is a good one and ‘Desert Star’ was a proper page turner, with Ballard and Bosch working the ‘library of lost souls’. But are we coming to the end of Harry Bosch?

I mentioned in last months round up about ‘An Cailín Ciúin,’ and ‘Foster’ by Claire Keegan was 86 pages of superb controlled storytelling. I’ve read books five times the length that didn’t have the emotional depth of this. And the ending’s just as sad.

February is still very much wintertime so I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The night man’ by Jørn Lier Horst, a nordic thriller very much up to date with human trafficking, international drug networks and migrant children.

I’d forgotten just how good of a storyteller than John Boyne was, but ‘All the broken places’ was a superb reminder. This was a sequel to the bestselling ‘the boy in the striped pyjamas’ and was an engrossing and emotional read that had Dickensian storytelling quality to it. Couldn’t put this down and you’ll ask yourself some uncomfortable questions.

Television

I’ve said it before in these round-ups but I get so tired of watching shite on tv. I keep hearing about these hyped tv shows and end up dumping them after one episode because the writing is crap or the characters as shallow as a puddle. Life’s too short.

Thankfully, I was able to watch some excellent tv. ‘The last of us’ goes from strength to strength every week. It’s about a grizzled smuggler called Joel accompanying a young teenager called Ellie across a post-pandemic American wasteland.

It’s seen as a ‘zombie’ show, but it’s really much more than that. In fact, the last episode didn’t feature one member of the undead club. (In fairness, they’re called ‘infected’ and are a sort of fungi zombie if you can imagine such a thing.) I think after ‘the walking dead’ finished after its 43rd season, (though it seems there are spinoffs in the pipeline), and countless movies, zombies have lost their power to shock.

One of the things I like about this show is that the planet seems to have recovered. Sure, there are pockets of mushroom monsters and gun-toting nut jobs, but Mother Nature seems to be flourishing. I know a show about a post-apocalyptic wasteland shouldn’t give you hope, but still. This is the sort of global post-pandemic human disaster that I can live with (or rather, not live with).

One of my favourite episodes was about two minor characters called Bill and Frank, who had established their own little haven. It was beautifully written and incredibly moving, in an episode I don’t think will be topped this year. And a word too for Bella Ramsey, who transforms from fragile child to tough young woman often in the space of a single scene.

‘Happy Valley’ was a superb final season. A tough and gritty crime drama set in the North of England, Sarah Lancashire deserves all the awards. I always enjoy a show that broadcasts once a week, and I had some great conversations with my mum about it. One phone call started with her saying ‘Well, what did you think?’ and I knew exactly what she was talking about.

I’ve been boring people with how good ‘The Bear’ was (it’s over now). It’s about a young chef called Carmy who has established a career as a chef working in some of the top fine-dining restaurants in New York. After a family tragedy, he returns to try and improve the fortunes of the family sandwich shop in Chicago. This is both a funny and moving show, and is also incredibly intense at times. There’s a scene featuring the song ‘spiders’ by Wilco…well, I’ll say no more.

I don’t have much in the way of music or podcasts to talk about this month. But ‘The bear’, being set in Chicago naturally features the music of Wilco and I’ve also just this day got a ticket to see them in Belfast in September, 11 years since they last played here. So they’re a good place to finish. Until next month, and as always any recommendations gratefully received in the comments. ‘Wherever you go, wherever you land..’