Welcome to Substack & this is a very enjoyable selection. Hardy at Christmas is the perfect antidote to all that manufactured cheer, and very pleased that you liked The Enchanted April. There's a lot more to it than the film suggests. Here's my recent introduction:
Very excellent recommended reading here and no I haven’t read them all and yes I am definitely getting stupider every day. I know James Marriott wasn’t saying it about individuals, but I can remember feeling clever - and frankly never feel clever any more - mind you, I had no instagram feed with Sylvanian’s shooting one another and taking crack to distract me back when I felt clever. Anyway FOLLOW here for brain boosting writing.
Oh fantastic, looking forward to reading many more of these.
Do you know the excellent blog History for Atheists? He was entertainingly sceptical about Catherine Nixey's earlier book The Darkening Age, so I was hoping he'd also review Heresy. Sure enough:
Fucking oath Greer was (is?) charismatic. She famously once made the ever so unflappable William f Buckley jnr blush, apparently the only one to do so in many peoples memory…
Loved your post, James Marriott. While I am definitely more stupid than I was 60+ years ago, your brilliant and engaging discussions of your favorite books of 2024 made me feel smarter and hopeful that I might redress the deficit—before it’s too late (I’m 84!)—by reading, thinking, and writing more in 2025. Thank you, and please keep at it.
Alison Uttley recalls the same Christmas superstition in her gorgeous memoir A Country Child, and describes her solemn belief in it as a child. First-footing, too, I think.
Loved Arlington Park, and so much more than the Trilogy, except maybe the Outline. Outline was quite enough, no need for the other two, but that's publishing for you.
Doing my own Best of 2024 list soon... and I'm noticing much more nonfiction than fiction. Dangerously more. I don't like it.
Happened to read Koestler's Sleepwalkers too this year. I was astounded by the combination of deep research and deft narrative stringing. It's so easy for this type of expansive, paradigm-defining (snubb to Kuhn intended) work to lose a sense of style. Not in Koestler's case. It's a masterclass in signposting - and the ringing, clinching, resounding phrase.
Don’t expect too many comments from me: first of all; happy to redouble your recommendations; now then, I am looking forward to reading your thoughts on The Drama of Being a Child. Congratulations on this first stack.
Welcome to Substack & this is a very enjoyable selection. Hardy at Christmas is the perfect antidote to all that manufactured cheer, and very pleased that you liked The Enchanted April. There's a lot more to it than the film suggests. Here's my recent introduction:
https://akennedysmith.substack.com/p/to-those-who-appreciate-wistaria
Lovely first post, thank you James. Would be delighted to indulge a future one about your all-time favourite reads!
Very excellent recommended reading here and no I haven’t read them all and yes I am definitely getting stupider every day. I know James Marriott wasn’t saying it about individuals, but I can remember feeling clever - and frankly never feel clever any more - mind you, I had no instagram feed with Sylvanian’s shooting one another and taking crack to distract me back when I felt clever. Anyway FOLLOW here for brain boosting writing.
Oh fantastic, looking forward to reading many more of these.
Do you know the excellent blog History for Atheists? He was entertainingly sceptical about Catherine Nixey's earlier book The Darkening Age, so I was hoping he'd also review Heresy. Sure enough:
https://historyforatheists.com/2024/05/review-catherine-nixey-heresy-jesus-christ-and-other-sons-of-god/
https://historyforatheists.com/2017/11/review-catherine-nixey-the-darkening-age/
Fucking oath Greer was (is?) charismatic. She famously once made the ever so unflappable William f Buckley jnr blush, apparently the only one to do so in many peoples memory…
I love The Enchanted April. Reading that book is like going on holiday.
This is such an exciting pool of recommendationst! Thank you!
Loved your post, James Marriott. While I am definitely more stupid than I was 60+ years ago, your brilliant and engaging discussions of your favorite books of 2024 made me feel smarter and hopeful that I might redress the deficit—before it’s too late (I’m 84!)—by reading, thinking, and writing more in 2025. Thank you, and please keep at it.
Very glad to see you're on Substack - and really enjoyed the first piece. Lots of things to add to the 2025 reading list.
(I actually published my own 'top 10 of 2024' today, although no overlap with yours I'm afraid: https://tmbtp.substack.com/p/reading-list)
Alison Uttley recalls the same Christmas superstition in her gorgeous memoir A Country Child, and describes her solemn belief in it as a child. First-footing, too, I think.
Loved Arlington Park, and so much more than the Trilogy, except maybe the Outline. Outline was quite enough, no need for the other two, but that's publishing for you.
Doing my own Best of 2024 list soon... and I'm noticing much more nonfiction than fiction. Dangerously more. I don't like it.
This is great! Please keep it up. Interested in your thoughts on Hrabal. Svevo not quite so much.
Happened to read Koestler's Sleepwalkers too this year. I was astounded by the combination of deep research and deft narrative stringing. It's so easy for this type of expansive, paradigm-defining (snubb to Kuhn intended) work to lose a sense of style. Not in Koestler's case. It's a masterclass in signposting - and the ringing, clinching, resounding phrase.
Don’t expect too many comments from me: first of all; happy to redouble your recommendations; now then, I am looking forward to reading your thoughts on The Drama of Being a Child. Congratulations on this first stack.
Greer, of course, was Romaine Rand in James's peerlessly entertaining memoirs.
Thanks - lots to enjoy here.
Great idea James, and I appreciate a poem being included !