Friday 18th July 2025
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Review: Black Mirror Series 3

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Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology series has returned with a batch of six new realities to explore. Each episode adopts a new premise – usually centred around the dangers of a nascent technology – and follows it to its logical conclusion. Here, Brooker continues to use technological advancement to explore some of the most uncomfortable recesses of the human character, revealing how new inventions can permit us to carry out horrific crimes by abstracting us from our victims.

Shut Up and Dance is by far the most disturbing episode: set in a world that is the same as ours and featuring technology that already exists, this episode tells the tragic story of Kenny. Caught in a compromising situation by his laptop’s webcam, an anonymous harasser blackmails him into performing increasingly dangerous activities. The disturbing feasibility of its premise leads to a horrifying episode punctuated with moments of the blackest humour. The endless, slow-build of tension and the gut-wrenching final moments cement it as an episode which is deeply unpleasant and difficult to come to terms with. This is Black Mirror at its peak, an unremittingly bleak look at the way in which technology can allow us to mistreat our fellow humans. It trades on all of the show’s usual tropes: the abuse of technology, ideas of voyeurism, showing us a character’s punishment before detailing their crimes. While these elements may be familiar for fans of the show, they are put to such excellent use here that they seem completely fresh.

However, this central thematic through-line – of technological abstraction permitting inhumane cruelty – does not in itself guarantee success. Men Against Fire (an episode in which sensory augmentations facilitate a programme of ethnic cleansing) takes this idea to its extreme and yet lacks bite. It moves methodically towards its foreseeable twist, trudging through forty minutes of uninspiring, limp action and bland machismo, without ever landing an emotional beat. It is further weakened by the blandness of its visuals. While it is evidently trying to mimic the gritty style and gloomy colour palette of action horror films, the entire thing ends up being a forgettable mess. The run’s second episode, Playtest, also suffers from major issues. While better than Men Against Fire, its conclusion sacrifices narrative logic and thematic fulfilment in favour of a final shot which falsely suggests profundity.

In fact, this series’ standout episode is San Junipero, a bright, colourful instalment which categorically rejects the show’s usual message. For the first twenty minutes of its runtime, it is unclear whether the episode will even feature a technological twist. Instead, it seems to be the story of a blossoming lesbian romance in 1980s California. Had this been the sole premise, it still would have been an unmitigated success, sensitively depicting a heart-warming story with a winning visual style. Its ultimate support for technology and the good that it can do results in an uncharacteristically uplifting episode of the show.

 Black Mirror’s third outing is unarguably flawed. As Men Against Fire and Playtest demonstrate, not every episode can balance emotional resonance, biting satire and deep discomfort. Nevertheless, when the show flies, it soars: episodes like Nosedive, San Junipero and Shut Up and Dance show that Black Mirror has lost none of its edge, none of its darkness and – most importantly – none of its heart.

May must guarantee rights of EU citizens in UK, says Mansfield Principal

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A report released this week by the House of Lords EU Justice sub-committee, chaired by Mansfield College Principal Helena Kennedy, states that the British government ought to unilaterally agree to respect the rights of EU citizens resident in the UK before the Brexit vote.

The committee took evidence from a range of experts, EU ambassadors, overseas Brits and EU citizens, in order to establish whether EU citizens would hold any ‘acquired rights’ after Brexit.

The report concluded, “The evidence we received makes very clear that the doctrine of acquired rights under public international law will provide little, if any, effective protection for former EU rights once the UK withdraws from the EU.”

They have therefore advised that Theresa May has a “moral obligation” to make the first move in guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens who have lived in Britain since before the 23 June vote, irrespective of whether British citizens living in Europe are given the same protections.

Baroness Kennedy QC said, “I also believe that such a gesture will stimulate reciprocal commitments from the other EU countries where UK citizens are currently living.

“For the last six months, the lives of EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in the EU have been shrouded in anxiety. Their rights to live, work and reside in their country of choice are now so unclear that people have no idea how, or even where, they should plan their futures.”

The committee further advised that the administrative burden of assessing individual cases would be “vast”, and therefore that a single status for all EU citizens in Britain before a certain point had to be established.

Kennedy recommended in an interview with the Guardian that EU citizens living in the UK collect evidence of their residency.

The Labour peer said, “Make a file now with proof of your presence [and] supporting letters from people who’ve known you, you have taught you or who you have had business dealings with.”

Currently 2.9 million EU citizens live in the UK, while 2.1 million UK citizens live in Europe. The question of what will happen to them after Britain has left the EU has been of the most contentious debates arising from the Brexit vote.

The government’s position is that no safeguards can be given without reciprocal agreements from EU member states, but this has led to accusations that people’s lives are being treated as “bargaining chips”.

Baroness Kennedy QC is an eminent British barrister and Labour peer in the House of Lords.

In 2010 she was elected as Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford. She had previously served as the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University and as President of the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Mansfield College has been contacted for comment.

Westgate Oxford confirms five rooftop garden restaurants

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The Westgate shopping centre’s redevelopment team has confirmed the names of five new bars and restaurants in the new rooftop garden, which opens in October 2017.

Alongside The Alchemist cocktail bar, the rooftop garden will play host to Cinnamon Kitchen, Polpo, and Pizza Pilgrims which offer Indian, Venetian, and Italian food respectively.There will also be an outlet of The Breakfast Club cafe chain.

Three units remain vacant, and Leisure property agent Davis Coffer Lyons is currently conducting advanced negotiations with interested parties.

The rooftop garden promises panoramic views of Oxford city centre, a grass quadrangle, and a canopy area where live performances and cinema screenings are expected to take place.

First year historian Oliver Loeb-Mills told Cherwell, “The Westgate redevelopment may well be outside of the normal student budget and given the wide range of cheaper food options in Oxford, the ‘rooftop garden’ may not prove too popular.”

The rooftop garden is one part of an 800,000 square foot redevelopment of the Westgate centre costing a £440 million, which will open its doors in Michaelmas term next year.

It will comprise over 100 retails stores including a 100,000 square foot John Lewis, along with 25 restaurants, bars, and cafes. There will also be 61 residential units located on the site, and 1,000 new cycle spaces for Oxford residents.

The Westgate redevelopment’s other retail outlets include will Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Michael Kors. The centre will also contain Oxford’s fourth Blackwell bookshop.

The Westgate shopping centre was contacted for comment.

Nativity in art: Gaddi and Botticelli

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With Christmas just around the corner, we turn towards artistic depictions of the event that started it all. The Nativity Story has repeatedly been represented by artists and in this feature we will explore a selection of these. This week we take a look at 14th and 15th century Europe.

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Taddeo Gaddi 1332-1338

gaddi_taddeo_announcement This fresco decorates the Baroncelli Chapel of the Church of Santa Croce, Florence. Surrounded by other frescos, also painted by Taddeo Gaddi, it almost has to compete with the splendour of the other works to elevate its own. However, it does this by employing simplicity instead of gaudy opulence. Gaddi uses a sculptural landscape, inspired by the works of Giotto (1266-1337), the narratorial figures being elevated by the barren hills.

The light in this piece is relatively unique, being an experiment in night light, rare in 14th century Italy. The supernatural light that falls from the angel is realistically placed, reaching the outer canopy of the trees that crown the mortal world, indicating the all-reaching importance and beauty of this Christ-related event. Gaddi was known for his experiments with light, with the solar eclipses of the period being suggested as the reason for this fascination. An eclipse may have inspired the natural-unnatural ambiguity in the piece’s light. Interestingly, yet somewhat ironically, while studying an eclipse in 1339, Gaddi suffered serious eye damage.

Adoration of the Magi, Botticelli, 1475

Magi Botticelli

Housed in the Uffuzi, Florence, the ‘Adoration of the Magi’, is a popular part of the nativity. Botticelli was commissioned to paint at least seven other Adoration scenes (other depictions can be seen in the National Gallery, London). Initially the scene seems to create a focus on the newly born Christ, being positioned just slightly above centre in the scene, with the assembly of people gathered mostly all turned toward Mary and the child. Above the child the unusual sourceless burst of light points downward indicating the holy nature of the baby.

However, this is not all that this painting does. It gives some illumination to contemporary Florentine society. Commissioned by Guasparre di Zanobi del Lama, a wealthy banker, it features portraits of Guasaparre himself, as well as several members of the influential Medici family, most of whom had died by the time of painting. So whilst having religious meaning and intentions to honour Christ, it also honours and compliments the mortal societal power that the Medici family possessed. Interestingly the figure on the far right, almost looking at the viewer, has been suggested as a self-portrait of Botticelli—positioning himself amongst the religiously and societally powerful.

Next time: El Greco, La Tour and Rubens

Nineteen Eighty-Four in 2016

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Over the past fifteen years, the political writings of George Orwell have become increasingly relatable, and pertinent to our current situation. At the turn of the century, the relevance of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm had begun to fade in Europe and America; the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 had clearly sounded the death knell for its own oppressive brand of communism, while the elections of Blair and Clinton seemed to herald what Francis Fukuyama hoped would be the “end of history” and the transition of all societies towards liberal democracy. Since then, 9/11, Erdogan’s Turkish power grab, and Edward Snowden’s NSA revelations have all elicited comparisons with the horrors of Big Brother, Newspeak and the Ministry of Love. However, no recent event has provoked quite so much Orwellian analysis as the 2016 presidential election; the Atlantic, USA Today, and the Huffington Post have all run opinion pieces on the subject. So, why does the impending Trump presidency have so many journalists running for their copies of Nineteen Eighty-Four?
The reasons are clear: Trump, more than any American politician is the past fifty years, resembles an Orwellian caricature. The similarities between Big Brother’s government of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Donald Trump’s presidential plans are at times distressingly clear. As Bill Weld, Libertarian Gary Johnson’s running mate, noted earlier this year on American talk-show Morning Joe, Trump’s rallies resemble the Two Minutes Hate imposed by dictator Big Brother. In the novel, these gatherings serve to create national solidarity through hatred of the Other, foreign soldiers and alleged enemies of the state. Consider the following quote in Orwell’s chillingly relevant prose:
“Before the Hate had proceeded for 30 seconds, uncontrollable exclamations of rage were breaking out from half the people in the room … In its second minute the Hate rose to a frenzy. People were leaping up and down in their places and shouting at the top of their voices … The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate — that’s the name of the exercise — was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in … And yet the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp.”
When one considers the cries of “build the wall!” and “lock her up!” which echo round the walls of every Trump rally and the frequent scapegoating of Muslims and Mexicans, these gatherings seem less like Orwell’s Two Minutes Hate, and more like Trump’s Two Hours Hate.
There is also Trump’s tendency towards historical revisionism. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, protagonist Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, which ironically deals with the biased rewriting of history and Newspeak propaganda slogans. Just as the Ministry of Truth rewrite the past to accord with the predictions of Big Brother, so Donald Trump is quick to gloss over past contradictory statements on Iraq, Clinton, abortion, healthcare, Libya, immigrants etc. by flat-out denying having ever said them. Indeed, the three slogans “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” painted in great letters on the Ministry of Truth would not be totally out of place on the walls of Trump Tower. Many think that Trump’s use of such Orwellian lies heralds a new, “post-truth” era, where objective truth has become less important than strong emotion and irrational belief. In his autobiographical essay Looking Back on the Spanish War, Orwell saw this same disturbing phenomenon at work:
“I saw great battles reported where there had been no fighting, and complete silence where hundreds of men had been killed. I saw troops who had fought bravely denounced as cowards and traitors, and others who had never seen a shot fired hailed as the heroes of imaginary victories …This kind of thing is frightening to me, because it often gives me the
feeling that the very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. After all, the chances are that those lies, or at any rate similar lies, will pass into history.”
It is easy to read such a paragraph and marvel at its apparent prescience of the current post-truth, Trump era. People are often quick to hail Orwell as a prophet of the modern age, and even quicker to use Nineteen Eighty-Four in particular as a predictor of one-off events. Journalists write that Orwell “predicted” the proliferation of CCTV cameras, or the online misdemeanours of the NSA. Perhaps this is because of the title. Many people thought that Nineteen Eighty-Four was Orwell’s dramatic prediction of the state of the world in the year 1984 itself. Here, words taken down on Orwell’s deathbed by his publisher, Frederic Warburg, are the best rebuttal:
“It has been suggested by some of the reviewers of Nineteen Eighty-Four that it is the author’s view that this, or something like this, is what will happen inside the next forty years in the Western world. This is not correct. I think that, allowing for the book being after all a parody, something like Nineteen Eighty-Four could happen. This is the direction in which the world is going at the present time, and the trend lies deep in the political, social and economic foundations of the contemporary world situation.”
In other words, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a warning, a shot across the world’s bow, cautioning us to change our ways. The more relevant and relatable Orwell’s work becomes, the more apparent it should be that something is wrong. Suddenly, many people can glimpse the totalitarian shadow of Nineteen Eighty-Four looming large in Donald Trump’s imminent four year term. Much like Big Brother, his authoritarian streak is no secret, nor his nationalist leanings. Perhaps somebody should remind the president-elect that Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel, not an instruction manual.

Live review: Biffy Clyro at London’s O2 arena

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The Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro close their UK arena tour at the O2 in London, following the release of their most recent album Ellipsis. Supported respectably by New York band Brand New’s mournful vocals throughout the tour, the band showcase their polished performance- but not to the point of artificiality, instead maintaining a rawness of emotion and a huge sense of gratitude towards the spectators.

The show opens with one of Biffy Clyro’s latest singles, ‘Wolves of Winter’. Before they begin to play, the trio stand motionless and face out into the immense crowd of the O2, peacefully preparing for the task at hand. Ear-splitting screams ensue from behind us as the eerie, echoing first lines begin.

The gig doesn’t really get started, however, until the lead singer Simon Neil, smiling, begins the opening strums of ‘Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies’. Anticipation builds as these strums seem to extend eternally; the crowd is desperate for the seductive first line “Come on baby do you”, but are teased instead with yet another climax.

Following the relentless noise of ‘Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave’ Neil is handed an acoustic guitar; there is a sigh next to me as a girl states matter-of-factly “well fuck, now I’m going to cry, aren’t I”. Grinning I turn my attention back to Neil who ascends to a high point at the centre of the stage and begins ‘Medicine’, a song taken from the most recent album. The crowd is given a moment of respite from the intense energy that inhabits many of the band’s songs and it seems too that Neil settles for a moment. There is a deep sincerity that contrasts the almost manic excitement that possesses the lead singer in the upcoming ‘Animal Style’. He prowls back and forth across the stage, twisting his body around his guitar; the band’s bare skin and intensity on stage does seem to make them animalistic.

Throughout, the band accommodates the vastness of the crowd, moving across the stage and continually changing levels; whilst Ben Johnston remains central on his drum kit, Simon Neil and James Johnston move between platforms. Nearing the end of their set the two Johnston brothers leave the stage and the audience is treated to another acoustic performance from Simon alone, this time a rendition of ‘Machines’. The lead singer somehow creates the feeling of intimacy one expects from small gigs, not from an audience of 20,000, as he comes to the edge of the stage and explains that we are to “sing this next one together”.

The closing night of Biffy Clyro’s Ellipsis tour is truly spectacular. Whilst maintaining a strong set-list in terms of beloved older material (from the like of Puzzles and Only Revolutions), there is clearly a celebration of the new. The band showcases the highlights of their most recent release; and songs such as ‘Howl’ and ‘People’ fit comfortably among the likes of ‘Bubbles’ and ‘The Captain’.

Recipe: A duo of warming Christmas drinks

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This weekend, my co-editor Emily and I decided to try and make some traditional Christmas drinks. After a hectic few hours running around Sainsbury’s for ingredients and shouting at each other across a kitchen, we have distilled two great and easy drink recipes for you to enjoy this Christmas period. Remember, half the fun in these recipes is tasting them as you go.

The first recipe is Jaegertee, a warm alcoholic drink coming from Central Europe that will help keep you warm and merry over Christmas.

Ingredients:

  1. 200ml of red wine
  2. 200ml of fresh orange juice
  3. 200ml of tea
  4. 200ml of spiced rum
  5. 200ml of any liqueur to hand, we would recommend plum brandy or schnapps (optional)
  6. 3 whole cloves
  7. ¼ of cinnamon stick
  8. 2 lemon slices
  9. Sugar

This should produce around 5 glasses of Jaegertee.

Method:

1 – Measure out the orange juice, wine, rum and brandy and put these into a pan

2 – Brew the tea and then add it to the pan, best done when still hot

3 – Add the spices and lemon to the pan

4 – Let this come to a gentle simmer on medium heat and leave for about 5 minutes

5 – Remove this from the heat and sieve away the spices and lemon

6 – We would then recommend that you add sugar to sweeten the drink, but this is optional

7 – Drink

 

The second recipe is for a much-loved Christmas classic, mulled wine.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 bottle red wine
  2. 1 stick of cinnamon
  3. 1 star anise
  4. 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  5. 60g Demerara sugar
  6. 1 orange, halved

Method:

1 – Put the wine into a pan and then add the orange, sugar and other spices

2 – Bring this to a gentle heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Mull for around 5-10 minutes

3 – Taste it along the way to see if you want it sweeter and if so, add more sugar to taste

4 – Remove this from the heat and strain it

5 – Serve and drink at once

Enjoy and drink responsibly this Christmas season!

Oxford protesters gather in “Solidarity with Aleppo”

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Students, researchers and other campaigners gathered on Cornmarket Street on Tuesday evening to condemn atrocities by the Syrian regime in Aleppo and demand action from Britain and its allies to bring about a ceasefire in the city.

The Oxford protest, called by the Oxford Solidarity for Syria group, drew around 40 supporters who lit candles and displayed signs with slogans such as “Speak up for Syria” and “Syria needs food not bombs”.

Similar ‘emergency protests’ took place in cities across the UK after the UN estimated at least 82 civilians were killed in Aleppo on Monday after what one official called “a complete meltdown of humanity”.

Violence escalated yesterday as Pro-government forces continued to retake control of neighbourhoods in East Aleppo.

Peter Hill, a spokesperson for the Oxford Solidarity for Syria group, told Cherwell, “This demonstration has been called to draw attention to this critical situation, and to call for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians and for humanitarian aid to the besieged areas.”

“Assad and his Russian backers may be winning the military war, but we can and must bear witness to their atrocities and express our solidarity with their victims, who also represent the last vestiges of the Syrian Revolution.”

Suja Sawafta, a DPhil student at St Antony’s college who attended the protest, said, “We wanted to make a physical stance and be visible in the holidays so people are aware. We need to put pressure on our governments to intervene and place pressure on Russia particularly because they are the people funding the Assad regime at the moment.”

Oxford Solidarity for Syria blamed the “silent complicity of world powers including the USA and Britain” for allowing the Assad regime to carry out atrocities in Aleppo and “extinguish the last sparks of the Syrian Revolution”. On Monday, a Syrian military source warned that the last rebel pocket in Aleppo could fall “at any moment”.

Following a deal made between the Russian military and Turkish intelligence, a ceasefire came into effect in Aleppo at around 6pm local time. Residents in East Aleppo and opposition fighters can now be evacuated from besieged neighbourhoods of the city.

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is scheduled to take place on Tuesday to discuss what the French ambassador to the UN described as “the worst humanitarian tragedy of the 21st century unfolding before our eyes”.

Live review: Fickle Friends at the Bullingdon

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“I don’t really feel like we are successful,” Natassja from Fickle Friends tells me as we sit in the rather grimy upstairs of the Bullingdon, with everybody gnawing away at cheese toasties. The band, from Brighton, have been spending the autumn touring the UK after a busy summer in Los Angeles recording their upcoming debut album. On a dark and rainy evening in Oxford—the band’s first headline show in the city—the prospect of sunny Los Angeles seems a million miles away.

In a country that so often feels cold, distant and uncaring, Fickle Friends’ music appears ostensibly to offer a glimpse of a brighter world. With an airy and upbeat sound, songs such as ‘Brookyln’ and ‘Say No More’ create an impression of carefreeness that contrasts tellingly with the high-octane Oxford environment. But Fickle Friends lure you into a false sense of security: atop the dreamy synths and guitars, the lyrics portray a tale of twenty-first century incompleteness. ‘Swim,’ the 2014 single which propelled the band through the blogosphere, tells a tale of endless irreversible drift—an uneasy and bittersweet sense of finality pervades the music.

A product of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, the group first met over four years ago, but the band didn’t really begin until 2013. “We were really bad students,” I’m told, “because we were never there – they hated us.” It didn’t take long for the band to develop a loyal following, particularly after the release of ‘Swim’ and its immediate success online. The band’s ‘Inherent Vice’ aesthetic, similarly, arrived almost fully formed with the band, a combination of the group’s relaxed approach and bright, upbeat airs. There’s no overriding sense of mission here, just five Brighton millennials trying to articulate some of our generation’s angst.

The band took to the stage with fan-favourite ‘Say No More,’ the first of an hour-long set, with lead singer Natassja front and centre on stage. Though the vocals quickly hit soaring, summery heights, the night belonged to the keyboard, which particularly shone as the band moved on to ‘Cry Baby.’ Described as pop with a “slightly mental indie feel,” ‘Cry Baby’ offers a remarkably modern take on groove and pop; the synths, though clearly in charge, never become claustrophobic while the scattered beats give the audience an invitation to dance it cannot resist.

Just as the audience begins to appear in need of a break, Fickle Friends steps down a gear with ‘Paris.’ The band’s first single to move beyond playful summer energetics, ‘Paris’ provides just the breather for the moment. The vocals change direction, becoming soft and caressing, while the dreamy melody creates a sense of peace and serenity. As Natassja croons “give me everything you want to forget,” heartbeats seem to slow as the audience gently sways; the cry to “balance me out,” however, keeps the band’s existential incompleteness at the forefront of the music—even in moments of reflection, there’s self-actualisation to be done.

As the band acknowledged in the upstairs of the Bullingdon, after abandoning their cheese toasties, some songs can perfectly capture a band’s message. The group finish their set with ‘Swim,’ which the band re-released after signing with The 1975-producer Mike Crossey. The disco-tinged strut brings the audience to life, and there’s not a person to be seen with their arms crossed. It’s almost as if the bittersweet line “you are not alone” is the guiding principle of the evening. In that moment, the difficulties of life seem absorbed by the synthesiser, and the vocals evoke a seemingly unjustifiable optimism. As the song comes to a conclusion, it seems like the room is being dragged against its will back down to Earth: outside lies rainy Britain, not sunny LA, and the everyday pressures and challenges it brings. Everyone seems rather dismayed to have to return to their daily lives. The hour of respite provided by Fickle Friends’ indie pop, no matter how shallow, will not change the world, but will help make it a more tolerable place to live. fickle_friends_melt_2015_05-1

Five literary festive favourites

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1.) One Day, David Nicholls

One Day creates possibly the greatest intimacy between reader and characters of any book I’ve read. It is a beautiful and sometimes painful story about the impact that one friendship can have over a lifetime. The novel’s strict structure, showing the same day of the year of two people’s lives over a twenty-year period, allows for incredible emotional realism. Watching characters we come to love (but do not always like) experience joy and disappointment, make horrible and sometimes irrevocable mistakes, and find the entire course of their lives changed by chance occurrences or seemingly minor choices is certainly an emotional rollercoaster. Tears are to be expected. The shifts in perspective between the two protagonists can be frustrating, as we see characters damagingly misunderstand each other. However, they are also often amusing, as characters speculate on the judgments others make about them; then the perspective shifts to reveal what their companions are really thinking. A book to be read in a quiet moment, after the bustle of Christmas has died down.

2.) The Mousehole Cat, Antonia Barber and Nicola Bayley

The Mousehole Cat is a wonderful illustrated children’s book about a cat called Mowzer and her human, Tom, who bravely venture out fishing one Christmas during a period of dangerous storms, to save their village from starvation. The book is built around a vibrant contrast between warm descriptions of cosy firesides, community and companionship, and wild elemental ones of the stormy sea, personified as a hunting cat. The illustrations of the swirling sea and mottled clouds forming the pelt of the Great Storm Cat are stunning. The story is told to us through Mowzer’s eyes, which engenders endearingly comical remarks such as “sometimes Mowzer felt that her children had not trained their people properly”. Her attempts to communicate with Tom are heartwarming, “purring as if she would burst to tell him that she loved him”. The Mousehole Cat is all about the importance of community and love. This beautiful story was a big part of my childhood, and would be perfect for calming buzzing children (or adults!) before bed after an exciting Christmas Day.

 3.) And Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

A powerful collection of poetry by African American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Angelou writes about her experience as an American black woman: about work and the importance of rest, child abuse, ageing, the rhythms, scent and atmosphere of the American South, freedom and slavery. She writes about pain, and conveys a bone-deep weariness, but her poetry advances an addictive kind of unapologetic determination and love of self. You can’t help but relish her confidence, as she declares, “Phenomenal woman, that’s me” or, in the title poem, “You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise,” concluding triumphantly, “I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” Angelou does an amazing job of drawing the reader in to her experience. Definitely a book to help you retain your sanity when racist or sexist relatives start throwing their weight around over the turkey!

4.) Saffy’s Angel, Hilary McKay

The first in a wonderfully feel-good series about a messy but ultimately happy family. McKay is incredibly skilled at building complex characters, and dynamics between them, while wryly showing us their own, sometimes skewed, self-perception. Although often funny and always warm, it deals with significant issues such as adoption, belonging, disability and isolation, always in a humanising and compassionate way. My favourite character is Caddy, hamster-obsessed, fantastic big sister but terrible driver, who at one point finds herself driving across the country the day after passing her test, on a quest for an object of huge importance to her adopted sister Saffy, with her two youngest siblings in tow:”‘I can only do left turns”; “Wales is left!…It’s left all the way!” Saffy’s Angel is marketed as a children’s book, but the depth of the characters and its gentle humour make it enjoyable for all ages. Perfect to curl up with at a tired moment – perhaps while nursing a New Year’s Day hangover!

 5.) Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green and David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is remarkably fun for a novel in which one of the two protagonists has depression. We follow two teenagers who happen to have the same name as they struggle with self-understanding and awareness, managing depression and dealing with love and heartbreak, as well as conflict between the desires to fit in and to stick up for the people and issues you care about. It’s very refreshing to find a novel discussing LGBTQ issues that considers the variety of the community: we are shown an incredibly fabulous camp gay character, but also a gay character dealing with depression who despises the limelight, as well as friendly, politically active and supportive gay characters. The book’s structure, with the two authors each writing from the first person perspective of one Will Grayson and alternating each chapter, keeps the reading experience fresh, and allows for the collision of two quite different worlds. A coming-of-age story perfect for teenagers or nostalgic adults, but particularly important for any LGBTQ people struggling with unaccepting families this Christmas.