January 2018.

There are some good things that have crossed my path this month.

Tom Hanks' short stories in Uncommon Type. Ridiculously good for a second or third career; simple, gentle, elegant.

The Robin: A biography by Stephen Moss. Lovely, clever, informed.

Marc Maron interviewing Kim Deal on his WTF podcast. They barely touch on her time in Pixies but it's a good chat. Probably best to skip the first 25 minutes of the podcast where Maron addresses his relationship with Louis CK, as I am not sure that this adds a huge amount to the debate. And his interview with Macaulay Culkin is surprisingly good.

The War on Drugs. A Deeper Understanding. I am not sure that any of the proper critics agree but this is by far his/their best album. I have found it almost completely consuming. Part Dylan, part Waterboys, part Tame Impala.

Les Hommes de Feu. A deceptively simple French film. Understated, funny, very French.

Land Chocolate. Great chocolate, great branding. From London. 

Three Billboards Outside.... I get a bit Oscar weary at this time of year, but this is great, the very definition of black comedy.

Just in case you haven't been listening to Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast then I couldn't recommend this highly enough; beautifully scripted short stories.