March consumption diary

MUSIC

I went to see MJ Lenderman and the Wind at The Loons in Lyttleton at the end of March. 

It was really great. The last 20 minutes of the set (before the encore) got a bit ambient/dragging on for my old, out-of-practice standing for four hours self. But either side of that: magic. 

Opening act, Wurld Series, was also pretty good. Lenderman described them as weird. My wife said they looked like accountants who were also in a band. I think both descriptions are slightly unfair. They were more like if Midlake was a Flying Nun band (okay, maybe not as amazing as that sounds).

The thing I forget about concerts until I am back at one is how great they are for finding solutions to writing problems or coming up with new ideas. Something about being around all those other people - strangers mostly - but so much of the experience is personal and interior. Anyway, the novel I worked on last year and I thought needed to get much fatter and overtly "important"... well, I decided during the gig that maybe it would work as a novel-in-stories, and all the "fat" might be unnecessary.

READING

Stoner by John Williams (audiobook, novel, US, 1965) -  A little late to the revival, or maybe I'm the start of the 3rd wave, but v v v v v good.

Gliff by Ali Smith (audiobook, 2024, novel, UK) - Triggering (not just in the title's similarity to my name) in the way Ali Smith can be: the slide to techno-authoritarianism shown from the other side, clear-eyed and pun-filled.

The reluctant fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (audiobook, novel, Pakistan/UK, 2007) - four hour audiobooks for the win. Any longer and the narrator addressing his American interlocutor framing may've become annoying. As is: great.

Several short sentences about writing by Evelyn Klinkenborg (audiobook, non-fiction, US, 2012). Loved the final section where VK dissects subpar sentences.

Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit by Emma Neale (physical book, poetry, NZ, 2024). My daughter's class had to memorise a sonnet by Shakespeare (each choosing a different one), so I learnt one of Neale's poems...The young house surgeon / jogs the tree canopied avenue (etc). I could feel my brain working in ways it hasn't for YEARS. So good.

Juice by Tim Winton (audiobook, novel, Australia, 2024). A good book in the end, marred by the fact the narrator said "cachet" instead of "cache" 90% of the time (post-apocalptic, so lots of caching)... Couldn't even be consistently wrong. (There were other mispronounciations, too. Tagging this for next time someone asks what my pet peeve is).

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten (audiobook, novel, NZ, 2023) - felt like it should have been a TV series, but also understandable why it wasn't. 

Everything I know about love by Dolly Alderton (audiobook, non-fiction, UK, 2018) - I preferred the Alderton novel I read last year. This felt a bit random brain splurge. Sucker for structure, me.

The extraordinary disappointments of Leopold Berry, Sunderworld v-01, by Ransom Riggs (audiobook, novel, US, 2024) - Not really my thing.

(For those counting along, that's 9 books, which is what I averaged in Jan/Feb... so still on pace for 108).

MOVIES & TV

Adolescence - worthy of the buzz

White Lotus - Season 3 (okay, there's still one episode to go, but)

Paradise - Season 1

Severance - Season 2

Dune Part 2

(And my daughter finished all seasons of Gilmore Girls, include A Year in the Life... She got annoyed when I fangirled over the scene where Rory is at a Shins concert. Oh that we could live in 2000-2007 again (when many would have longed for an even earlier time)).

January-Februrary 2025 Consumption Diary

MUSIC - JAN

READING

18 books so far this year. On pace for 108 (yeah, but, holiday reading... but also, no poetry collections yet...)

The Islanders by Christopher Priest (novel, physical book, UK, 2011) 

Classic Priest tropes (twins, theatre, unreliable narrator) in his fantasy world that feel like Earth if only Europeans existed (so, kinda ick). More interesting conceptually than in execution.

The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong (novel, physical book, Aus, 2016) 

Imagine Mark Waugh bloodied & stuffed in a car boot, reflecting on life. Loved all the backyard cricket stuff, brotherly tensions & dependency, the rise through to state cricket legend... The crime framing and twists felt less vital.

Funny Story by Emily Henry (novel, audiobook, US, 2024) 

As if reader notes from Henry's last book (Happy Place) said, "We want the exact same setup, but give him tattoos and spend longer on the sex scenes"... Elevated by the GOAT narrator (Goatarrator?) Julia Whelan.

Doxology by Nell Zink (novel, physical book, audiobook, US, 2019) 

Picked up on the promise of the elusive GOOD rock'n'roll novel. Starts by diagnosing a character with high-functioning Williams syndrome, which is unknown to all characters, and we keep this level of remove from most characters throughout. Oh well.

Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret (novel, audiobook, US, 1970)

Simultaneously an artifact of its era, a blueprint for others to follow (even picked up some resonances in Doxology, which I read concurrently) and an engaging yarn. Now to see what my 12y.o. daughter thinks 🤔

The Survivors by Steve Braunias (non-fiction, audiobook, NZ, 2024) 

The alleged final book in a true crime trilogy. Much like Palmerston North pathologist Cynric Temple-Camp's trilogy-capping The Final Diagnosis, which I read last month, there's great moments, but it lacks the cohesion of earlier books.

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann (novel, Ireland, 2013) 

Had a couple solo South Island car trips tin Jan to churn through the audiobooks. Listening to this in transit felt apt, and the slow accumulation of detail, meaning and connection paid off...

Orbital by Samantha Harvey (novel, UK, 2024) 

...unlike this one, which felt like an extended creative writing exercise. No liftoff, no new layers exposed, dead on arrival.

Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands (non-fiction, physical book, NZ, 2024) 

The author's Instagram is full of quirky finds & unique dishes, but this is more of a straightlaced field guide. Kinda wished the book had more personality, & maybe a few place-based 2 page spreads (foraging at the beach, etc)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (novel, audiobook, US, 2023) 

Game of Thrones meets Harry Potter "romantasy" that was apparently big on BookTok (shrug) & people took the day off work to read the 3rd book when it came out last month. The engine runs but no need to ride again.

Magic Pill by Johann Hari (non-fiction, audiobook, UK, 2024) 

Hari both sides the Ozempic debate, with a heavy dose of Supersize Me-style autoethnography.

When it All Went to Custard by Danielle Hawkins (novel, audiobook, NZ, 2019) 

I was once on a panel with Hawkins & Lloyd Jones (who demonstrated zero curiosity in commercial fiction/romance). Turns out, Hawkins is just as interested in the economics of farming as affairs of the heart. Time for Take 2.

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials book 1) by Philip Pullman (novel, audiobook, UK, 1995)

Thought I should check out what all the fuss is (was) about. Twas good. Not sure my kids are fantasy kids, so may not every go any further in this series.

The Colour of Magic (Discworld Book 1) by Terry Pratchett (novel, audiobook, UK, 1983)

Thought I should check out what all the fuss is (was) about. Twas okay. I'm not a fantasy guy (nor a this whole scene/character is a set up for a joke guy), so may not go any further with TP, though Pratchett heads may twist my arm.

Twist by Colum McCann (novel, physical book, Ireland, 2025) 

Reviewed this one for The Listener...

Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah (novel, physical book, Tanzania/UK, 2025)

...and this one.

Total F*cking Godhead: The Biography of Chris Cornell by Corbin Reiff (non-fiction, audiobook, US, 2020)

Reiff didn't get access to interview anyone in Cornell's inner circle, so relied on previously published interviews and articles. That distance is felt throughout, as is the fact there can't be any new revelations.

Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins (novel, audiobook, US, 2003)

Hadn't read Robbins (RIP) before. Still not sure how representative this one was. Sooo many references to scrotums.

MOVIES & TV

Rogue Heroes (of the SAS) - Seasons 1 & 2

The Jackal - Season 1

Black Doves - Season 1

Ludwig - Season 1

The Kins of Tupelo - Season 1

Win or Lose - eps 1-4 (me and my son are really enjoying this)

The Lost Children

Night Bitch

Speed*

Mrs Doubtfire* (umm...)

MUSIC - FEB