John O'Connor

4 year old is adamant he wants to try the book I'm reading for his bedtime story tonight. Trying to convince him that The Wishing Chair might be a better bet for him.

Can 100% confirm, having now finished; that 2 Gwendoline Riley books read, and 2 masterpieces.

I didn't think I could love Gwendoline Riley any more than after reading My Phantoms a couple of years ago, but I started First Love today, and am convinced she may just be the greatest human in the history of civilisation.

To say that this was up my street would be an understatement. 10/10.

Friko’s new cover of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is available on digital music services: https://atorecords-ffm.com/weirdfishes Pick up Friko’s debut album ‘Where... Friko - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (Radiohead Cover)

Incredible to cover an already perfect song and do it this much justice. Following on from a brilliant debut album; hell of a band.

youtu.be/sa40868hWgc?...

I've never gone through an 800+ page book as quickly as I'm going through this.

Paul Auster, American author of The New York Trilogy, dies aged 77 The writer of The New York Trilogy, Leviathan and 4 3 2 1 – known for his stylised postmodernist fiction – has died from complications of lung cancer

Goodbye to an early literary hero of mine; The New York Trilogy and Leviathan melted my brain as a teenager.

Read Italo Calvino's 'If On a Winter's Night...' and Jean Rhys' 'Good Morning, Midnight' this week, and my head is spinning.

Agree in principle, but Nirvana's In Utero is sensational.

Just made my 4 year old bawl his eyes out because I thought it'd be nice for us to watch some Attenborough together and a baby grey whale just got absolutely mauled by a pack of killer whales. Oops.

Ignore most of that, I somehow missed the spectrality element of the question.

I'd argue that Mulholland Dr. fits the bill. I'd also nominate Hereditary, Eternal Sunshine, and Mass.

My 4 year old just described Bill Callahan's Too Many Birds as "rock n roll fun dancing music", and I have to wonder what damage has already been done to the psyche of this boy.

What an Adam Buxton podcast episode to wake up to.

A classic "32 degree day with the family by the pool" kind of book...in a way.

Just finished the audiobook, and it's no exaggeration to say that the 3 Partridge books are the 3 funniest books I've ever read/heard.

Dermot Healy - A Goat's Song

10/10

Agreed, flawless. The first Jansson I've read (excluding The Moomins as a kid), and I'm already looking at what's next.

First book of the new year finished, and it's a belter.

What a book to round off the year.

Sufjan Stevens - Shit Talk

Christmas morning when you're a complete dweeb.

Sorry to hear this Andy, Backlisted has been a wonderful companion through some difficult times for me. I hope that things improve shortly.

In Grasmere, Wordsworth land. God's country.

Of course I'm sure that I'll enjoy them all as much as I did when I was 16.

Yes, I am aware that we were at the limit of our baggage allowance, but it's summer in Australia so I don't think I do need to be taking these warm clothes back with me.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO READ ALL OF THESE AGAIN!?

Back in England for Christmas, which means it's again time for me to go through my boxes and boxes of books to convince my Mum that I will have a need for them one day.

I promise I'm not struggling with being a parent of 2.

Just done a door-to-door journey, from our house in Melbourne Australia to my in-laws' in Berkshire UK, of 36 hours, with a 4 year old and a 10 week old. When visiting family and friends,l for a month, how much of that month can acceptably be spent asleep?