Deborah’s Monthly Inspirations for April 24 – Let Me Entertain You
Seeing as I am still technically on my Easter break which mainly involves reading, running/walking by the sea on the North Coast of Ireland, enjoying (half-pints of) Guinness, constantly eating (must be the sea air), afternoon baths and sunset negronis, and rather than send you two emails in one week, I have decided to collate the monthly inspirations I send out at the start of each month as your Friday afternoon email.
When I get a pause/break from normal routine and have time to play around with, I tend to up my ‘cultural’ ambitions and gather a few things I want to watch, read and listen to, so there are a few more recommendations than usual but hopefully there’s something that whets your appetite and you can squeeze in this weekend before the Easter holidays officially end and the countdown to summer officially begins.
Things to watch…
Due to being on flights and staying in a hotel (which seems to allow much more opportunity for personal fulfilment - perhaps it’s the lack of endlessly loading the washing machine and endlessly brushing floors and endlessly tidying worktops), and making a conscious effort to use my time well rather than mindlessly stroll Instagram (although you can find me there), I have watched quite a few films recently. I caught up on Poor Things (which I am still processing. It featured in my most recent piece on emancipation called ‘Money, Money, Money’) and I re-watched American Fiction which I enjoyed even more second time round. There are some fantastic quotes in it like “Potential is what people see when they think what's in front of them isn't good enough” and “Hard work doesn't demand respect. People worked hard on the Third Reich”. It’s about a frustrated writer who discovers that the best way to achieve success is not to write good literature that tastes like expensive whiskey because that’s just too complicated for most people, but instead accept that people want to get drunk quickly and give them the cheap, easy airport stuff.
Three other films I would recommend are Nyad (about not giving up and not being defined by age. It features two wonderfully normal, un-botoxed actresses, Jodie Foster and Annette Bening), One Fine Morning (French sub-titled and highlights the challenges of finding yourself when you are caring for both elderly parents and young children) and How To Have Sex (one of the most disturbing and devastatingly sad films I have watched about the realities of what young girls face and how rites-of-passage teenage clubbing holidays have a dark and seedy side. Watch this for insights into toxic female friendship, peer pressure and as a reminder to always stick together when on a night out).
Things to read…
In the first quarter of this year, I read thirty books. I will be honest and say that if I am not enjoying a book, I will not take my time over it. I speed up my reading, skim past paragraphs, flick to the end to see how much more I have to endure. But here are two books which I took my time over this week, read every word and which I couldn’t wait to get back to each time I put them down which in my opinion is always the test of a good book….
Pineapple Street (this is very much a beach read about wealthy New Yorkers which will probably be made into a Netflix drama, and I don’t think we are meant to like any of the characters).
As It Is In Heaven by one of my favourite Irish writers, Niall Williams. It is hard to explain Niall’s style. He writes a lot about the painfulness of love infused with a bit of magic and mystery.
Here are a couple of additional articles I read recently which gave me food for thought…
Why aren’t British women having babies anymore?
22 of the Funniest Novels since ‘Catch-22’
Things to listen to…
Walking whilst listening to episodes of Desert Island Discs is one of my favourite things to do. Here are a couple of recent episodes I’d recommend.
Theatre Director, Jenny Sealey, who lost her hearing age seven, following a fall at school.
Judge, Lady Rita Rae, who battled her way through the male-dominated legal world.
I also enjoy listening to any podcasts that feature books…
Here’s the New York Times podcast that accompanies the article above - Our Critics Talk About The Novels That Make Them Laugh.
This is Madeleine Gray talking about her new novel Green Dot which I’m looking forward to reading and which was recently enthusiastically shared as a great read by Nigella Lawson!
A Good Read is always interesting as it’s introduced me to random books I had never thought about reading. This episode features Christopher Eccleston who shares quite openly about his experience of depression.
My latest travels… Prague
When I left my job a couple of years. I decided I wanted to see much more of the world. I wanted to enjoy new experiences rather than know exactly where I was going to be and what I was going to do every day. There is something about travel that makes you feel much more alive, that sense of leaving the familiar to embrace the unknown, but with the comfort of knowing it is temporary, that you also have a home to return to.
On Palm Sunday, we headed to Prague for three nights, all six of us. As per usual, I, “Mummeeee”, had planned the itinerary. I always include a free walking tour and a food tour, which is best to do early in a trip so you can go back and eat in some of the places or try some of the foods again that you enjoyed most.
Here are some photos.
My top tips for Prague are:
The Klementinum Library (you need to book a guided tour to see it but both the Library and the views from the top of the building are magnificent).
The Foto Automat (Photo Booth) (which was our most visited site in Prague).
The Infinity Book Tower.
The Lennon Wall started in 1988 for people to express frustration with Communism.
Charles Bridge at sunset or by moonlight. We managed to enjoy both!
We did this food tour, ate here and here and stayed here (where my room had a lovely little garden).
What’s coming up? Pop-Up Book Club…
I will be hosting another Pop-Up Book Club on Thursday 30 May (7.30pm) and if it’s a remotely decent evening, we’ll sit round a table outside and enjoy a glass of something and a few nibbles while we discuss the book. We’ll be discussing Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy. This is a very interesting conversation with Colm Tóibín and Claire.
These Pop-Up Book Clubs have become a wonderful way to meet new people. There are different faces every time I run one and it’s been a joy to see how quickly women can fall into conversation with each other and find shared experiences. No men have come along yet… but maybe book clubs are a women thing?
So, what have I been writing about recently?
In case you missed any of these, here’s a round-up of what I wrote over the last month:
You may also notice that I usually include a song at the end of each piece of writing. Do listen to these as they are not recent hits and may take you to a nostalgic place. Music is very important when it comes to my writing. Before I write anything, I have to find the inspiration and I always blast a few things in my ears as I search for ideas and words and sentences.
Extra stuff you can listen to…
More Than This (with Deborah Sloan) Podcast
Since the last newsletter, I have produced another podcast episode. In this latest episode, I talk about Can You Have It All?
I have also recorded a few more ‘Thoughts For The Day’. Here are the two that are available so far:
What am I planning to do in April?
In my next Friday piece (released Friday 12 April), I will tell you a bit more about my plans to retreat in April to focus on writing enough material for a book all about leaving… If you have left anything (a relationship, job, home, situation) and would like to get in touch to talk about it, let me know as I will be weaving in not just my story but the story of others.
Thank you for reading this and I hope you got some inspiration! You can get in touch with me at contact@deborahsloan.co.uk.
Deborah