2018 Contributor Round-up

Our contributors got in touch with their favourite book, TV, film, music and podcast outputs from 2018. We hope it encourages you to reflect on and celebrate the year that's passed, before moving full-steam ahead into the New Year.

Books

• 'Normal People' by Sally Rooney

A unanimous favourite amongst The Book Club contributors, this should be on your reading list if it isn't already. Twenty-seven year old Rooney has been dubbed Ireland's rising literary voice. Her debut novel Conversations With Friends, released in 2017, is just as powerful.

• 'Poverty Safari' by Darren McGarvey

McGarvey (aka the Glaswegian rapper Loki) explains why people from deprived communities around Britain feel misunderstood and misheard, using some of his own lived experiences to challenge the 'poverty industry' and how it perpetuates social tensions. This year's winner of the Orwell Prize.

• 'The Cost of Living' by Deborah Levy

This is the second instalment of Levy's 'living memoir', where each book is published as she enters a new decade. In her 50's and newly divorced, Levy writes with warmness and elegance as she cycles her way through the struggles and joys of finding a "new way of living".

TV

• The Marvellous Mrs Maisel

Set in 1950's New York, Myriam Maisel is an aspiring comedian who juggles a double-life between the familial conventions of an Upper East Side Jewish mother and the nightclubs of Greenwich. Alex Borstein plays Myriam's agent and provides an amazing comic foil, for which she won an Emmy award. Season 2 was released on Amazon on December 5th.

• Killing Eve

Developed for television by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (of Fleabag fame), 'Killing Eve' was one of the most talked about programmes of 2018. A feminine take on the traditionally masculine spy-world, Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer have already returned to filming Eve and Villanelle in a hotly-anticipated Season 2.

• Bojack Horseman

Some critics have called this the 'best Netflix series of all time'. Bojack Horseman offers adult comedy, political satire and has been praised for its realistic depiction of mental health and social injustices. The fifth season aired in September 2018 and a six season has already been confirmed.

Film

• 'Roma' by Alfonso Cuarón

Written and directed by Cuarón, the film is a moving semi-autobiographical account of his own upbringing in Mexico City in the 1970's. It stars Yalitza Aparicio, a Mexican actress and teacher who has won a number of best actress nominations for this debut performance.

• 'Sorry to Bother You' by Boots Riley

A sci-fi and comedy pastiche, this has been described as a 'hilarious satire' that contains 'urgently necessary ideas'. In an alternate present-day Oakland, Lakeith Stansfield's character discovers a macabre way to succeed in his telecommunications job.

• 'Cold War' by Pawel Pawlikowski

A historical period drama set during the Cold War years, Pawel Pawlikowski (who won the Academy Award for his 2015 film Ida) loosely re-creates his parents love story. It's filming in black-and-white gives this passionate yet wistful film a delightfully elegant aesthetic.

Music

• 'Room 25' by Noname

This second album by American poet and hip-hop artist Noname is smart, funny and powerful. It has been described as 'the stylistic lovechild of Common’s Like Water for Chocolate and Erykah Badu’s Mama's Gun' but the honesty of her writing is second-to-none.

• 'Daytona' by Pusha T

Depicting Witney Houston's drug-strewn bathroom, Pusha T's album cover encouraged controversy as soon as it was released. However, the music has been described as 'Pusha's best work as a solo artist'. Produced entirely by Kanye West, 'Daytona' has lived up to its long-awaited hype.

• 'Cocoa Sugar' by Young Fathers

The third studio album from this Scottish group continues to push the boundaries of rap into a range of hybrid genre tags, has cemented their 'experimental style' which has been celebrated ever since their 2014 Mercury Prize.

Podcasts

• The Cut On Tuesdays

Brings you women's voices on culture, style, sex, politics and people in a weekly round-up of discussions, obsessions and reflections led by Molly Fischer.

• How To Fail

Each week, Elizabeth Day discusses failure with a chosen interviewee. The podcast is a humorous and reflective celebration on things that haven't gone right and considers how major failures have, in fact, helped people succeed.

• The New Yorker Fiction

Every month, renowned artists pick a story from the magazine's archives to read aloud and discuss. One of our favourite's have been David Sedaris reading Miranda July.

Stage

• Jessie Cave's comedy performance 'Sunrise'

Jessie Cave's stand-up is brave: she hangs her personal life on the line for all to see. It is her emotionally intelligent and matter-of-fact delivery which captivates her audiences and her tour has been such a success that she's gained a book-deal. You can find 'Sunrise' on shelves now.