The opening scene of Love Actually could have worked just as well at the finish line of the London Marathon instead of Heathrow arrivals.
Running has become an enormous machine of an industry, which I sometimes find off-putting given it’s supposed to be the most natural and instinctive of all exercise / sporting pursuits. But once you get past the extortionately-priced trainers, empty gel packets and loudspeakers there’s an undercurrent of pure magic in these events.
The blending of individual missions with mass participation makes you realise — whether you have any interest in running or not — that we’re all connected by the ups and downs of human experience, even if it feels like the world is going to pieces right now.
A similar euphoria was present closer to home this month, at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. It turns out Corinne Bailey-Rae was right to be a ‘one hit wonder,’ because she’s been producing far better stuff since Put Your Records On. She’s one of the best performers I’ve seen and somehow put 2000 people — including plenty of grumpy individuals who were reluctantly dragged along — under her spell. Another win for my new year’s resolution to be part of more live audiences.
The usual push and pull of burning the candle at both ends continues, but these recent experiences are further evidence that ‘busyness’ can be just as restorative for our sense of self and creativity as resting.
In this month’s Murmurations, I’m putting my first non-fiction book in the reading spotlight, recommending Substacks about living in different countries and sharing yet another book podcast obsession.
Word of the month
I thought I’d round up some of the best vocabulary I've come across in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children so far:
Fissiparous: inclined to cause or undergo division into separate parts or groups
Nictating: blinking
Goondas (Hindi): rascals, goons
Grandiloquent: a lofty or pompous style of speech
Sperectomy: the draining of hope (I think he made this one up)
What’s on my desk?
The wedding scrapbook! I’m definitely not a natural when it comes to the visual arts, but I’m enjoying having a project that’s not reading or writing related to soothe my brain.
If you missed my recent article on lists that will actually improve your life, then here it is again:
Recommending
From page to stage
The highlight of my April was seeing the new production of Romeo and Juliet at the Harold Pinter theatre in London. If you’ve been a subscriber for a while you’ll know I’m just over 1/3 through ‘my year with Shakespeare’; my mission to read as many plays and catch as many screen and stage adaptations as time and money will allow.
This play is utterly magnificent in every sense: it’s contemporary but true, the set is innovative without being distracting, the use of music, costume and props brings new layers to the story and Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe (of Hamnet fame) are spellbinding in the titular roles. I read the play just before and found it the most accessible of the five I’ve read so far, blending lyrical speeches with easy-to-follow and often humorous dialogue. Oh and the Mercutio was brilliant. Highly, highly recommend!
A slow-read community
I am terrible at slow reads. I either can’t get into the story because I haven’t spent enough time with it early on, or I can’t curb my enthusiasm and race ahead. I’ve done it once before with Middlemarch and I decided to try again this month with Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Luckily, we are blessed with Simon Haisell’s Footnotes and Tangents, which offers a 13-week slow read of the book replete with deep dive articles that double as podcasts. I’m still ahead of schedule due to some late night reading sessions, but this is a ‘come as you are’ community; you can dip in and out as it suits you. If you want to read with Footnotes and Tangents, I have several subscriptions to gift — first come first served in the comments!
Another book podcast
Yep, it’s an obsession. My latest love is One Nightstand with Charlotte Owen, which interviews celebrities about their four favourite books. It sways quite heavily American guest-wise, but there are brilliant recent interviews with Jessie Buckley (my ultimate girl crush) and Daniel Radcliffe.
Globetrotting bloggers
As much as I love travelling, I’ve also come to terms with the fact I probably never want to live anywhere other than England with its grimy pubs and drizzly walks. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m not fascinated by those who have set up shop all over the world. Allow me to introduce you to…
Marci Cornett who moved from the US to Ireland in the name of love and writes hilarious column-style pieces about the various grievances this has caused her.
Emily Colq is, in fact, one of my best friends. So I wasn’t best pleased when she swapped living in relatively accessible Berlin for Kenya, but she’s doing very cool things with grassroots running organisations over there and writing about community.
Lauren Shimakawa moved to Japan in her early twenties and has now been there for 10 years. I loved following her ‘Reading in Kyoto’ Instagram so I’m thrilled she’s here, too — her latest piece about her hair falling out when she emigrated is funny and tender.
Reading diaries
Spotlight: Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford
If you need convincing that non-fiction can be just as colourful as fiction, then look no further than the Mitford family. I selected this on audio quite randomly, and my sum knowledge of the Mitford sisters up until now was ‘the one who writes the books I love,’ ‘the one who married a Nazi,’ ‘the one who was a Nazi,’ ‘the Communist one,’ and ‘the Devon aristocrat.’
These categories remain broadly true having read Hons and Rebels, the memoir of ‘the Communist one,’ but there’s both more nuance more explosive sub plots than I expected. The story of Jessica Mitford and Esmond Romily is the stuff of film — both have a bravery and inner fire that’s astonishing when you realise Esmond never even made it to his 24th birthday, and I grieved and celebrated with them as the tumultuous events unfolded.
Beginning with a vivid portrait of a childhood in sleepy Gloucestershire and ending in 1941, with Jessica in her early twenties, Hons and Rebels also brought both the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War to life for me in a way that only ever seems possible in a personal account rather than a dusty history book.
Briefly noted
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy: I missed my morning alarm a few times due to staying up reading this one…
The Party by Tessa Hadley: I’ve seen a few reviewers who felt underwhelmed by this, but in my opinion it’s everything a novella ought to be — subtle, surprising and leaves a taste in your mouth
Currently reading
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (50 pages to go!)
A Dill Pickle - short stories by Katherine Mansfield
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
Up next
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
NW by Zadie Smith
Glad you're enjoying Midnight's Children, I loved it, despite not being much of fan of magical realism. I gave up after 100 pages of One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Hons and Rebels is wonderful, I was sad when it ended. It almost reads like a novel at times and reminds me of Evelyn Waugh's funnier stuff, especially Vile Bodies.
Eager to hear how you get on with Heart of a Dog - I've read just about everything of Bulgakov.
Marci is a terrific writer, delighted you mentioned her - she deserves a wider audience, one of my favourite Substackers and someone I can now consider a friend.
Not long finished Midnight's Children as a book choice for the only two of us book group that my friend and I have. Was very glad to have Simon's notes to help me through. Just came across your post through Simon's mention of it and also like the description of Footnotes and Tangents being a come as your are community. I have just come back it after a wee slow read break and it helps slowme down. I think I will be reading a few of your recommendations and I like how you spoke about being grateful to live where you do and for the beautiful places you have around you.I feel the same living near the Cairngorm National Park in Angus in Scotland. Enjoyed your writing.