I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it all a bit much. I liked it when we blamed January - Oh yes, that’s what it is, the arbitrarily named month we find ourselves in, that’s what the aching void is. But then when we moved into the next set of days known as February, it was still quite hard…Almost as if that’s not the problem, DON’T LOOK TOO HARD AT THE ABYSS, YOU’LL FALL IN!
I’m dealing with it by reading and watching comedy. In case you don’t know, I do a podcast called the Weirdos Book Club with comedian Sara Pascoe. We read a book each week and talk to writers and comedians about books and so we do A LOT of reading. Here’s some good books (and other nice things) I’ve enjoyed in February in case you need somewhere to shove your head. (That isn’t the ABYSS.)
Fundamentally - Nussaibah Younis
I mentioned it last week, but I wanted to give it a full trumpet. This is Younis’s debut novel, it’s a brilliant page turner, about a deeply complicated subject, told with wit and nuance. (To sound like a blurb.) It follows, Nadia, who is working for the UN in Baghdad on a programme to help rehabilitate ISIS brides, there she meets sarcastic and feisty Sara, an East London teenager, who ran away from her home and family and now finds herself in a refugee camp in Iraq, her ISIS husband dead and her prospects of getting home vanishing.
Younis actually worked for the UN, in Baghdad, in a programme to help ISIS brides for real lifes, so although the book is very much fiction, her voice has an unwavering confidence that is a delight to read. It’s also very funny and genuinely gripping.
I had never heard of this Chinese cult classic until Sara bought it for me for Christmas (yes we buy each other books too, it’s a better addiction than drugs). It’s only recently been translated, despite being a huge bestseller in China since 1992. It starts with Wang Er, a 21 year old, sent to work in a remote mountain province, who is mainly focussed on trying to lose his virginity, and follows him up until he finds himself as a 40 year old reflecting on his life (and girlfriends) living through the Cultural Revolution. It’s hard to describe the tone, but it sort of begins like a Communist Carry-on, he talks about his ‘little monk’ a lot, but then the mad irregular logic and humour in the face of hypocritical bureaucracy develops the novel into something much deeper - whilst still talking about his balls being crushed quite a lot. I really loved it, and if you like Kurt Vonnegut or Spike Milligan, or protagonists making authority look stupid whilst surviving in what seems to be improbable circumstances, you will love it too.
And yes, both of these will be discussed in upcoming Weirdos Book Club episodes, so do please subscribe in all the usual places, to hear me say this in person.
God, this is a great series. If you liked Motherland, you’ll probably love it, but even if you’ve never seen that one, watch this. The jokes are brilliant, the performances masterful (Lumley! Punch! Dunne!), it feels like a genuinely brilliant British sitcom. Six episodes, great storylines, enough silliness that you want to watch, enough plot that you want to watch the next one. Comedy is really hard, and this is an incredibly skilled group of writers, making it look easy.
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint
I like Lisa Eldridge, I like her lovely face and her perfect lipstick application. I was feeling anxious, so I did the usual thing of going into Space NK and putting things on my hand till I felt better/bought something. I walked out with this (I had £10 off so it made sense to spend £40, otherwise that’s a waste of a tenner, right?) Anyway, its lovely, light, but good coverage. I normally wear iT cosmetics, and this feels similar but more watery? If that’s helpful? I hope it is. (Pro-tip, don’t get the concealer pencil thingy, it no good.)
Well, that’s some things that are making the things better, thank you for being here on Substack with me too, it’s been very nice to have a place to take thoughts too. Let me know what books/comedy/overpriced skincare/make up are filling your eternal void at the moment.
Currently avoiding enough sleep at night and vanishing from this reality with the Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, it's SO good.
It is about a midwife in the 1780's (or something), colonizing America, and all the issues that arise there, including a murder and a very serious sexual assault she is going to investigate. And she is really strong and quite funny. I can't put it away and already feel sad for when I finished it.
Fundamentals sounds right up my alley, thans for the heads up! I'll be on the lookout for it. I hope it's reached Bulgaria 😭
To answer your question: I'm reading "A Little Life" at the moment and it's a really good book, minus some obnoxious and, IMO, unrealistic qualities of a certain character. I guess I'm fortunate enough to live in a warm place so winter here wasn't as depressing as usual.
Also: vitamin D. Lots of it. It's unreal how much it helps. Seasonal affective disorder can go F itself!