Odds & Sods of 2010

A lot happened this year, but I'll start with the books that I've read (placing titles in italics the ones that you should read straight away):

“Netherlands” - Joseph O’Neill

“Envy” - Kathryn Harrison

“An Education” - Lynn Barber

“The Diving-Bell & The Butterfly” - Jean-Dominique Bauby

“The Dying Animal” - Philip Roth

“Strangers” - Anita Brookner

“We Don’t Live Here Anymore” - Andre Dubus

“The Garden Of Last Days” - Andre Dubus III

“On Chesil Beach” - Ian McEwan

“The Humbling” - Philip Roth

“Must You Go?: My Life With Harold Pinter” - Antonia Fraser

“The Kiss” - Kathryn Harrison

“The Buddha Of Suburbia” - Hanif Kureishi

“The Spend Less Handbook” - Rebecca Ash

“The Reluctant Fundamentalist” - Moshin Hamid

“Death Of A Lady’s Man” - Leonard Cohen

“The Postman Always Rings Twice” - James M. Cain

“The Bridges Of Madison County” - Robert James Waller

“Homage To Catalonia” - George Orwell

“The Monk” - Matthew Lewis

“Apples” - Richard Milward

“Indignation” - Philip Roth

“Wetlands” - Charlotte Roche

“The God Delusion” - Richard Dawkins

“Exit Ghost” - Philip Roth

“A Jew Must Die” - Jacques Chessex

“The Finkler Question” - Howard Jacobson

“In Praise of Older Women” - Stephen Vizinczey

“Invisible” - Paul Auster

“Black Coffee Blues” - Henry Rollins

“American Pastoral” - Philip Roth

“No More Mr Nice Guy” - Howard Jacobson

“Intimacy” - Hanif Kureishi

“The Act of Love” - Howard Jacobson

“Room” - Emma Donoghue

“The Dwarfs” - Harold Pinter

“The Taxi Queue” - Janet Davey

“The Breast” - Philip Roth

“Becoming Strangers” - Louise Dean

“The Easter Parade” - Richard Yates

“Nemesis” - Philip Roth

“Young Hearts Crying” - Richard Yates

"The Fifth Child” - Doris Lessing

“The Prague Orgy” - Philip Roth

“Push” - Sapphire

Apart from these books read, cultural discoveries of the year included:

- Henry Rollins spoken word shows.

- Gil Scott-Heron's brilliant album "I'm New Here" which became my favourite record of the year.

- Visiting Ronnie Scott's to see Natalie Williams Soul Family, Georgie Fame and Liane Carroll

- Seeing "Manhattan" at Somerset House

- Good films: Whatever Works, Inception, Up In The Air

- TV had extremely little to offer other than a new series of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Jimmy McGovern's "Accussed". This year also introduced us to leadership TV debates which acted as more of a warning than a chance to experience something new. The riots and commotion on the streets of London were fine but not prolonged and so the turncoats helped the ubiquitious dark lords of conservatism to introduce higher rates for all. There is nothing new in any of this.

As for myself, I finished my first novel and over two thirds completed on my second. Next year and the work will start its journey to the publishers as I think of ideas and research for a third book.

All the good luck in the world for 2011 (we're all going to need it) and thank you for following this blog.