These round ups are becoming a bit sporadic, so I thought I’d squeeze one in before years end. The picture above was taken on a cold Irish morning, just as the sun was coming up. There is an old saying about ‘Red sky in the morning, Shephards warning’ but I’m not sure of the science behind that. Storm Darragh did blow in later that evening and cause havoc though.

Books

I honestly can’t remember the last time I found myself in the midst of such a reading slump. I’ve been reading ‘Under the dome’ by Stephen King since the end of August. Fair enough, it’s over 1000 pages long but I honestly feel like I’m stuck in the town of Chester Mills with the rest of the townsfolk. Oddly thought, Stephen King is one of my goto authors during a slump; there’s something comforting in his writing, and it brings me back to my teenage years.

Books I have finished include ‘Oh William’ by the ever reliable Elizabeth Strout, the wonderful ‘Intermezzo’ by Sally Rooney and ‘When the Body Says No: the cost of Hidden Stress’ by Gabor Mate. That one also took me a long time to read, as I found it dense in parts.

Audiobooks are my friend, especially in the wee hours of the morning. ‘All the Colors of the Dark’ by Chris Whitaker was a long at 14 hours but no doubt will feature in the ‘best of lists’ soon to be found everywhere, whilst ‘The Waiting’ by Michael Connelly was perfect winter listening. I don’t care how shite the weather is outside - Bosch and Ballard books will make me forget the world for a few hours.

Screentime

Frequent readers of the blog will know of my appreciation for the work of Patrick Radden Keefe, so I was really looking to the Disney Adaptation of ‘Say Nothing’ which was one of my favourite works of non-fiction in recent years.

I find it easy to separate books from adaptations, so I wanted to judge the series on it’s own merits. It’s impossible to capture the complexities of those years (many of us are reluctant to even think about them) so I wanted to be fair to the series and give it a chance.

Early on, it comes across as a bit of a crime caper. It’s riveting, has great pacing and the acting is excellent, but I wasn’t sure about the tone.

Not to worry, because it’s only preparing you for the later devastation.

Dolours Price is a fascinating character, and Lola Pettigrew and later Maxine Peake do a fine job in bringing across the complexities of the woman. From her early zeal, to later regret and anger at the direction ‘The Struggle’ took, she’s at the centre of the whole series.

Ultimately, by focusing on just a couple of individuals, ‘Say nothing’ is a both complex and thought provoking. It’s raw and devastating and stands alongside the book as a powerful piece of storytelling in its own right.

A mention too for ‘My Brilliant friend’ the Neopolitan coming of age drama that finished recently. Over 6 years and four seasons I’ve been watching Lenú and Lila and it’s now come to an end. Theirs is such a complicated relationship, with it’s ebbs and flows over the years. It’s a platonic friendship, deeply felt and they know each other better than anyone else who enters their lives.

The last season moves from the seventies to the noughties, and though at times I felt it a bit rushed, it tied up beautifully. It’s also a depiction of particular place in time, Naples from the 1950’s onwards, capturing all of the upheavals in Italian society.

Complex, gripping and very moving (what a bonus to have the wonderful Max Richter composing the music) I’m at a loss as to what to watch next. Perhaps I should start the books.

Sport

For a change, I thought I’d include a rare picture of myself on these pages. Here I am holding the Sam Maguire trophy, the most famous prize in Irish sport, won by Armagh this year.

We were lucky to have a visit by Sam during some family celebrations for my Dad’s 80th, during which time my brother and sister in law were home from Australia.

Life is a series of experiences that become memories, and we made some good ones that day.

Benches

No benches this month as it’s been to wet and cold to sit down. Still doing a lot of walking, and I discovered this headstone in the local park, under an old oak tree. Peter must have been a special and much loved boy to get his own headstone. It also put me in mind of ‘Pet Cemetery’ by Stephen King.

I may finish with a yearly round up if I find the time. Until then, may you be happy, well and free of suffering. I mentioned Max Richter above, so I’ll finish with him.