Not really a best of the year with salt

This is not really one of those end of year best lists as it relies solely upon my rubbish ability to recall what I have watched, read, listened to and thought for a whole year. So, instead I'll call it a "thing" - tada:

Keith Ridgway's Hawthorn and Child is my most memorable read of 2012. My review is here and I love that despite reading it in August I am still thinking about it in January.

Honourable mentions to Kerry Hudson's Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma which fair fizzes off the page, and Jenni Fagan's superb The Panopticon (review here).

2012 began with me adoring Nicki Minaj. She seemed poised to be the smartest, coolest rapper/singer/hip-hopper in the universe. But then… that didn't happen.

I don't know what I did before Spotify, making my own playlists makes me so damn happy. I surprised myself by listening to my "Beans. Cheese. Toast." playlist far more than "Hip Hop Happiness" or "Goodness". Turns out you can't beat damn fine pop. I did really like Mark Lanegan's "Blues Funeral" - it sounded proper. And I rediscovered my love of Pearl Jam.

Telly was Elementary, The Mentalist, Chicago Fire, Home and Away and Neighbours (always) and my absolute fave - Sons of Anarchy. Edit - Oh, and Homeland of course. I am ever so slightly obsessed  with how awesome Clare Dane's nose is.

I took these snaps on New Years Day when I went for a walk on Littlehampton Beach - it was a day bright with possibility and made me feel entirely content. I wish you all a wonderful 2013.

End of year thing

I feel like there should be an end of the year post but I have such a lousy memory I can't recall all the things I liked best. I listened to Nicki Minaj a lot  and I have much love for her. "Did it on 'em" was a song that actually made me go "What the fuck is this? What is she saying?" and then "Oh my god, it's amazing. She's amazing. This is perfect." I'm so glad there is a woman more than equal to the top guys in the field, and that she is recognised as such.

I have sadness that there's still "top guys in the field" instead of top people. It's true all over - TV, comedy, writing, whatever. There are the successful men and then the select women who are deemed of rare enough quality that they get to hang there too. Even on twitter amongst the people who tweet about lit stuff it seems there's a boys club (with separate UK and US branches of these in the blog world too) and only a few honorary women. Anyway, a massive cheer for Caitlin Moran who somehow managed to write a clever, funny, brilliant, best selling (number one on the list for weeks and weeks) book about feminism (even if it is mainly a biography) How To Be a Woman.

Favourite novels of the year are The Canal by Lee Rourke and The Coward's Tale by Vanessa Gebbie. Fave short story collections are Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower and Ayiti by Roxane Gay. Speaking of Roxane Gay, it's been a pleasure to read her intelligent, articulate thoughts online in a wide variety of places (HTML Giant, The Rumpus, and her own blog to name a few.)

Fave TV show was Sons of Anarchy. Compelling viewing that just kept relentlessly building. We're a season behind the US here and I am so looking forward to watching Season 4 when it airs. I also loved The Mentalist. I want to be Patrick Jane, and date Cho.

Film of the year? No idea. I saw Thor yesterday though and really enjoyed it. Home and Away boy has done good! And learned how to open his eyes. How buff? More fun than I expected too. I appreciated the Shakespearean swagger and am really looking forward to Whedon's Avengers.

Scent of the year - Amazing Grace by Philosophy. Absolutely gorgeous. Fresh, clean, non-cloying.

Meal of the year was in the Fork and Field where I tasted the best pasta I have ever had. Seriously so good that I couldn't stop smiling. It was Gratin of Macaroni with spinach, parmesan and fresh truffle and was perfection.

Book-selling hurrahs were realising we'd sold over 100 copies of Janice Galloway's Collected Stories, and selling out of Kuzhali Manickavel's Insects Are Just Like You and Me Only Some of Them Have Wings yet again, selling heaps of The Best British Short Stories, and ordering in goodies like Roxane Gay's Ayiti and Breece D'J Pancake's Collected Stories. I get a real thrill introducing people to damn good writing and I've never had anyone come back and complain about a recommendation I've given so I hope that's a good sign.

More personally, my family have struggled through hellish times this year but emerged stronger. I pack the sad, angry, bitterness down inside me and carry on. What else to do? One of my boys made up a song - "I've got an arch of love for you" - and he sings it, complete with arm gestures, to me. I congratulated my other son on how well he dealt with an awkward situation - "I model myself on you," he said. There is nothing more precious, more wonderful, than my twins. My resolution for 2012 is the same as the advice I give to my beautiful boys - "Be the best you that you can be."

Happy new year y'all.

Salted 2010 - more random than ever.

I do this annual best of the year with salt thing. Well I did. It's a random collection of good things from the year and I think I've written one the last five years maybe. This blog is my writer/reader/reviewer/lit blog. I no longer keep a personal journal though I hand-wrote a diary from 11 until 31ish. I like to get my old diaries out of the cupboard occasionally and re-read. There are some familiar passages, many deeply cringey parts, and some unexpected forgotten details that suddenly blaze a path to my past self. This blog will never be like that; I am myself here, only I rarely discuss truly personal things. That's why this year I have been so quiet.

My role as mummy has dominated a year of crisis. I've had people I thought were friends drop me and my family from their lives. I've been stung by judgemental attitudes and ignorant assumptions. I've had to prove myself over and over. I've lost heart, faith and patience. I've been told I'm not alone and then been left alone. I've been told help was coming only for it never to arrive. I've watched those I love fall apart and break. I've tried to patch them together. I've been ill and been told that stress won’t help. Ha! At one truly dark point I lost hope. Oh, there were several truly dark points actually.

In the midst of this turdy year there have been flashes of shine. Old friends have reappeared, new ones have been made. Unexpected people calmly accept situations and apparently see it as no big thing to offer friendship and support. Out of the blue an email arrives and sparkles. A phone call, a smile, a text, a blog comment - these things matter when you're hanging on by a thread. Thank you to all who have helped get me through. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Time for writing has been rare but some words have been written. I am most proud of being published in PANK, wigleaf and Neon this year. I made the final 10 in The Glass Woman Prize. I was on a few longlists/shortlists.

Other good things include being a first reader for PANK - something I view as a privilege and invaluable learning experience -  and working in a fantastic online writers group.

So, bests of the year? I really have no idea as the year is one big mash in my noggin. I've loved the Mumford and Sons album, and Eminem's Recovery. I've enjoyed watching Sherlock but can't remember much other TV. I've read thousands of short stories. Stand outs are from Kirsty Logan, Roxane Gay and Susannah Rickards. I discovered Breece D'J Pancake (and named my rescue kitty after him.) I bought the much fetéd Lydia Davis collection but have yet to crack its spine.

I had to cancel my Arvon trip and in the whole year I doubt I wrote a single word of the novel. In my mind it twists and changes. It can't have the ending I originally planned, can it? Short stories swim and blur. Flash fiction became a necessity. I need to write to stay sane but I have no time.

I wish for 2011 to be a year of kindness. I hope to write. I readjust my goals with the reality of my life. I wish you well.

Best of the year with salt 2009

I used to do this best of the year thing and then Matt died and nothing felt best. I suppose it's a good sign that I feel a little like doing a sort of a best of the year thingybob. My main problem is that I can barely remember what happened this morning let alone twelve months ago, so it's more a snapshot of things I think are rather splendid on the 30th December 2009.

Arms of the year award.

MELT!


Novel of the year

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout was my most enjoyable read of the year. I loved the writing, the stories and the character of Olive. Such a beautiful book.

However my novel of the year is Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs. It was an exciting event to have a new Moore book to read, and she did not disappoint with her hugely ambitious novel.

My WBQ review:

Tassie Keltjin leaves her rural home to study in liberal, artsy Troy. She takes a job as a part-time nanny for a white couple and their adopted ‘biracial’ daughter, then she falls in love and becomes increasingly distant from her own family.

Fans of Lorrie Moore should rest assured that this long-awaited novel is chock-full of her customary word play, the sugar with which she coats her biting social commentary. Her appraisal of post-9/11 America is engaging, witty and quietly devastating; this story follows characters who are distorted, as though in a house of mirrors, by the trials of life and time.

Short Story Collection of the year


My runner up is A.L Kennedy's What Becomes which is an impeccable collection from one of the most talented writers around. These are stories that ache and resonate as Kennedy’s stylistic scalpel reveals the pain and truth inside each of her characters. Highly recommended. But not my winner.

You all can guess my winner right?

Janice Galloway's Collected Stories brings together stories from "Blood" and "Where You Find It" and is a masterclass on writing. In my opinion there is no finer writer around. All this judgement, all these "best of's" are nonsensical, it's all subjective. And yet, for me, Galloway picks the perfect words each time. Bloody marvellous!

Album of the year

Jay-Z Blueprint 3

What a record! Empire State of Mind and Run This Town are both so, so, so fabulous.

Lesson of the year

You know that sometimes people say that writing is all about who you know. Cliques and in peeps, blah bah blah. I have observed some of that myself actually, occasionally. But sometimes you can write something and it will be good, and that's all that is needed. Funny that, eh? All you actually need do is write good words!


So - here's to good words.