Bookish - My books of the year.

I’m not one for idoling in front of the TV, if there is a show sweeping the nation or a decent film on release, then I may be tempted to sit and watch. But after working on the laptop during the course of the day in the day job, my idea of relaxing - when I’m not taking photos - is reading a book.

Im not a prolific reader, but I do tend to get through more than 50 books, through the course of the year. 2020 was a year that I actively grew my photobook consumption and actively added to my collection, so this added a further dimension to the consumed content.

My Book of the year / Photobooks - Portrait of Britain vol3

I have just finished reading this volume of the popular series. Its an equisite book full of tender portraits and supporting narratives of 200 portraits. This has covered a very unique period in our history in 2020 and that bit more special that my kids bought it for me as a xmas gift. I love it, it’d definitely a book that can be revisited time and time again.

Honourable mentions: It simply would not be right to mention Pete Souza in this category, after his sustained activity on instagram against the Trump Administration. Souza’s book comparing the Trump and Obama presidential styles, should be a firm fixture to any coffee table - shades a tale of two presidents.

Where I find myself - Joel Meyerowitz. This is simply an essential purchase for any avid street photographer. The section on 9/11 is very moving.

Uncommon Places - Stephen Shore. This has taught me that beauty is in the banal. Very inspiring.

San Francisco Noir & Portrait of a City - Fred Lyon. Happenstance brought me to discover Fred Lyon, beautiful black and white images from this California city.

Sports Book of the year book - Angels With Dirty Faces - Jonathan Wilson.

This mustn’t be mistaken for a book about football, its more than that, it covers the political events in Argentina parallel to the rise in the beautiful game and their sporting achievements. Excellent reading.

Biggest Let Down - Ready Player Two - Ernest Cline. So disappointing. I read the first book, before the momentum gathered around the film, thoroughly enjoyed book one, book two, meh.

Biggest Surprise - Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart.

A very intimate, gritty and in parts bleak story about the tale of Shuggie Bain and his family dealing with the hardships of 1980’s life in Scotland. There is no doubt about why this novel won the Booker Prize 2020.

Comedy - Jeremy Hardy Speaks - Jeremy Hardy. A wonderful heartfelt collection of works by Hardy.

Dystopian - Qualityland - Marc-Uwe Kling.

Bizarre take on utopian consumerist society, dictated by algorithms. The protagonist is Peter Jobless, who finally hits breaking point, when ‘The Shop’ send him a pink dolphin shaped vibrator. Genius.

Fiction / Historical - World Without End - Ken Follett. This is book two in the Kingsbridge trilogy, about the construction of a cathedral and the impact it has on the community. This book is set 200 years after the first book. Follett is a master storyteller at 1014 pages, this is a complete page turner.

Mental Health - The Midnight Library - Matt Haig.

This is such a lovely tender well timed book, as we all see the challenges and pressures of Covid19, lockdown and the impact on our daily lives. I have really enjoyed Haig's books since the first time I read 'The Humans'. He has such a way writing about mental health

Mindfulness - Surrounded by Idiots - Thomas Erikson. I attended a work training course that consisted of the concepts of red, yellow green blue, which is a development on the Carl Jung introvert / extrovert theory. I was intrigued to read more and was led to this book. This is a very informative and thought provoking read, to provide a better understanding of behaviourial traits and actions.

Non Fiction / Political - White Fragility - Robin di Angelo.

I wanted to delve more into the issues of black folk after participating in three BLM marches with my kids this year. The is an excellent book dissecting the issue on race as 'white fragility'. Many many take away discussion / points. The argument in this book is so eloquently made, middle class white folk diluting established and ingrained racism experienced by black folk, by elevating their own 'issues' and problems (which on the face of it are middle class bleatings).

Non Fiction - Biography - The autobiography of Malcolm X - Maclom X and Alex Haley.

Ashamed that I do not know the full story of Malcom X, his beliefs and impact on the 1960’s civil rights movement. It’s a period of time in American history that I am intrigued by, being originally captivated by the black and white photos of the period, that in most instances, are more impactful than the written medium.

This is essential reading, the prose is consumable and the sheer drive and passion of Malcolm X is clearly outlined in the autobiography.

Non Fiction / History - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William Shirer.

I have been eyeing this 1400+ page masterpiece for years.

I have always had a fascination of WWII history, and a desire to understand the triggers and events that would provide a semblance of understanding of the horrors in this age of darkness in human history.

Shirer's book defines a herculean task of reviewing thousands of captured nazi documents to produce a quintessential tome of the Third Reich and its key figure heads. The Third Reich was supposed to last for 1,000 years, it lasted 12.

This book outlines how a despot misanthropist was able to deliver his master plan on his people and the extent of the barbaric wanton destruction of one man on this world, in his failed pyhrric crusade.

Most Polarising book - American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins. I was compelled to read this novel, following the sustained pr, leading upto the UK release on 21st January 2020. I really enjoyed this book, the tenacity of Lydia Luca and the solidarity with their comrades.

The reviews that have followed have polarised opinion on the portrayal of Mexico by a white American and I can appreciate why this may has upset some Mexican folk (writers and readers). For me, this will only lead me to read more works of this region and issue by indigenous writers, such as The House of Broken Angels or even The Devil's Highway: A True Story, as no doubt the wordplay will be more subtle and the prose more meaningful.

Well thats me completed for 2020, hopefully there are some take aways from the above list for you.

Until next time, keep snapping.

Staycation 2020

A good friend of mine made an interesting statement about Covid19, back in May 2020.

He mentioned he was calling his girlfriend’s pug 'Covid' When I asked ‘why’? I was told, ‘its simple really…… it's stopping us going on holiday, we can't go out for an evening to the pub or restaurant and it poos everywhere'!

Both funny and apt.

I’m sat here writing this blog, returning back to work after my two weeks annual leave. No sun, sea or extravagant journeys unfortunately, lockdown in COVID-19 has kiboshed that.

I had some nice plans for 2020. April 2020 was supposed to be a trip to Istanbul with the kids. It was being billed as ‘kebabs and cameras’. I have been mesmerised by the street photography there for many years, in fact the tipping point was purchasing the excellent City of a hundred names, by Alex Webb last year. But alas not to be, this year at least.

Whilst this is depressing, it is providing me with some me time, catching up on photobooks, documentaries and also afforded me the opportunity to compliment my own body of work documenting these strange times.

It also provided a more grounded break with the kids, to have a couple of day trips.

First up was Broadstairs and Margate. I have always loved the allure of the British seaside town and all its kitsch foibles.

I hadn't been to Broadstairs before, and was given the nod by a work colleague. It was a lovely place with plenty of photo opportunities of the domestic holiday maker.

I wanted to take them to the Black Lives Matters exhibition at the Turner Contemporary Gallery, this was of interest to my daughter, who has taken an interest in the three marches that have been held Brighton over the summer, since the harrowing murder of George Flloyd by a police officer.

The exhibition detailed works evidencing black folks plight in the Deep South to get work through art and craft. It also had an excellent (albeit limited) collection of black and white civil rights photography front the 1960’s.

The Turner Contemporary Gallery is a stunning building situated to the east of the seafront, which also has an Anthony Gormley statue in the sea, at the rear of the gallery.

Whilst the town has regularly been voted the best seaside town in the UK to live, the remnants of the old Margate are omnipresent.

Arlington House is a beautiful brutalist residential high rise that dominates the skyline.

First completed in 1964 the site was advertised as “Britain’s first ‘park and buy’ shopping centre with luxury flats,” and marked the beginning of Margate’s redevelopment.

Arlington was designed by Russell Diplock Associates and built by Bernard Sunley and Sons, Originally the site was made up of 52 shops, a pub, a supermarket, a coach station, a filling station, a multi-storey car park and the 18-storey, 142-flat block.

I normally take the kids up to London for a day trip, but due to the depressed tourist market, we were fortunate to be able to book a 2 night stay at the Lancaster Gate Hotel, near Hyde Park. We snagged a bargain getting the room at 50% of the normal daily rate.

First up was West London, and Notting Hill / Portobello Road.

By daughter loves to see the whitewashed London terraced houses and flower lined mews.

For dinner we headed over to Tayyabs Restaurant for the mixed grill in Whitechapel, absolutely delicious. This place never seems to disappoint. I haven’t eaten here for nearly 10 years.

Day two was a mixture of shopping and sight seeing, we ended up heading over to Soho in the evening for a bite to eat at Bibimbap and to take some night photos of the lights in China Town.

As staycations go, it wasn’t bad, the kids and I remain healthy and well, so we can’t and shouldn’t complain.

Until next time, keep snapping.

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