We Are Here - David Nicholls
David Nicholls’s latest book ‘We Are Here’ came out on 23rd April and of course, I had it pre-ordered and read it within the week it arrived. David writes and captures slow-burn love in ways I’ve never seen before. The last few chapters of this book moved me to tears. Two lonely people who have suffered from their own rocky past experiences are encouraged together through a mutual friend to do a coast-to-coast walk and along the way begin to open up to one another. I completely adore the quote I’ve included below. Because isn’t it just so true? Falling in love doesn’t happen with a big grand gesture like it does in the movies. You don’t notice it happening on the journey but one day realise you’re deep in it. As always, a book full of gorgeous observations on being human.
“She’d have been hard-pushed to find it on the map but there must have been a point where she thought she was falling in love, somewhere between Marrick and Marske perhaps, in an area of woodland, shady, damp and pungent with wild garlic, where the path had started to rise once more above the river. No majestic vista, just a steep, muddy incline, dim and chilly on an overcast day.”
COWBOY CARTER
After spending the last two years listening to RENAISSANCE, I had my slight doubts about how Beyonce could release an album that could come even close to reaching those levels of greatness - especially when I found out her latest album COWBOY CARTER was going to be a country album (really not a genre of music I’ve explored much). However, I was of course proven wrong and COWBOY CARTER has been on my constant rotation throughout April and will continue to be for probably my entire life. She’s breathed new life into a genre that I could never have imagined coming across this way. I do have my reservations with the amount of 30-second interludes and the recent phenomenon of artists bringing out albums that are close to 90 minutes long (what is wrong with a 45-minute-long album?! Some of my favourite albums have just 10 songs on - maybe this topic deserves a full post?). Anyway that aside, any album that can sample Nancy Sinatra and The Beach Boys on one song has got my love and attention. I have included my monthly playlist below as I always do on these posts if you want to listen to my favourites from the album.
Amy Winehouse
It’s had its bad reviews by the bucketload, and so I went into the Amy Winehouse biopic ‘Back to Black’ expecting it to be a second-hand embarrassment type viewing experience, however, I disagree with the critics about this film. I also thought Marisa Abela did a great job at playing Amy who was of course such a big personality. I understand that there are inaccuracies in the storytelling and I have since gone away and watched Amy (2015), and gotten more context and information on the complexities of her life - however, this film still made me feel a lot. I watched it sat next to my Dad who’s a huge fan of Amy’s music and on the day she died played her entire discography on the journey down to Devon for our family holiday, continued to play it for the entire week, and then still had it on during the journey home. I was only 11 when she died and missed out on most of the media attention she had throughout her fame so the film opened my eyes hugely to that. I sobbed at the end which is rare for me and just shows the impact it had. I’ve always listened to Amy’s music, but I’ve gone back and listened to her album Frank on repeat for the past few weeks. I’m glad her music continues to live on and feed so many people.
Monthly playlist