My Year in Lists

Books read from around the world

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would attempt to read a book from every nation in the world. There was no way I was going to complete it in one year - it’s more of a ten-year challenge - but I’ve made a steady start. If you fancy reading any of them, Embers was beautiful; Wolf Totem was wonderful; Shantaram was so rich and so full and Germinal was bleak and brilliant.

Nostalgia by Mircea Cartarescu (Romania)

An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)

Jock of the Bushveld by Jaroslav Hasek (Czech Republic)

Embers by Sandor Marai (Hungary)

A Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt (Netherlands)

Germinal by Emile Zola (France)

The Eternal Son by Cristavao Tezza (Brazil)

Madame by Antoni Libera (Poland)

Milkman by Anna Burns (Northern Ireland)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Nigeria)

I Bought a Mountain by Thomas Firbank (Wales)

If This is a Man by Primo Levi (Italy)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russia)

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass (Germany)

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (England)

Petals of Blood by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Kenya)

Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong (China)

The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher by Ahn Do-hyun (South Korea)

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson (America)

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (Australia)

Green Days by the River by Michael Anthony (Trinidad and Tobago)

Saturday Bloody Saturday by Alastair Campbell (Scotland)

The Castle of my Skin by George Lamming (Barbados)

Small Island by Andrea Levy (Jamaica)

Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb (Belgium)

Books about Christian Theology

Shortly before lockdown, I went to a discussion group at my church that inspired me to take more time with books about God, so most mornings, I’ve read a chapter of one of these and been encouraged and got my day off to a good start. I particularly recommend Looking for God Knows What, Think Again and 7 Women. 

Looking for God Knows What by Donald Miller

To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller

Think Again by Jared Melinger

Rooted by Edward Rhodes

Prayer by Tim Keller

Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Crossing the Divide by Owen Hylton

The Beauty of Jesus by Clifford Pond

None Like You by Jen Wilkin

The Circle-Maker by Mark Batterson

King’s Cross by Tim Keller

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

7 Women by Eric Metals

Can I Really Trust the Bible? by Barry Cooper

A Year with C.S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis

Is This It? by Rachel Jones

The God Who is There by Francis Shaeffer

Books read to my children

I started reading chapter-books to my boys when they were four or five I think and thought that at some stage, it would peter out. They’re twelve now and we still enjoy sitting and reading together, setting up their dreams with adventures. What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible has been the highlight and has inspired me to start writing again.

Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz

A Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

The Secrets of the Wild Wood by Tonke Dragt

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz

Incomparable by Andrew Wilson

A Boy and a Bear on a Boat by Dave Shelton

What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible by Ross Welford 

The Person Controller by David Baddiel

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar

Graphic Novels

I love graphic novels and Gene Luen Yang is my absolute favourite. I read the autobiographical Dragon Hoops and within it, he was given the role to be the writer for Superman and so I followed him there and wasn’t disappointed.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Rusty Brown by Chris Ware

Superman Smashes the Clan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

Other Books

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Station Zero by Philip Reeve

Board Games

Lockdown meant the Board Game World Cup in my house and these were the games that featured. Agricola is the greatest by far, but if you want something simpler, Camel Up and Colt Express and really fun games.

Agricola

Bookcase

BN1

Camel Up

Carcassonne

Careers

Codenames

Colt Express

Dominion

Monopoly

Powergrid

Qwirkle

The Really Nasty Horse-Racing Game

Risk

Scrabble

Settlers of Catan

Stone Age

Ticket to Ride

Tsuro

On the Underground

Card/Dice Games

Cards Against Humanity (Family Edition)

Hearts

Ligretto 

Monopoly Deal 

Perudo 

Pit 

Qwixx 

6 Nimmit

Sky Jo

Skull King

Sushi Go

Throw, Throw Burito 

You’ve Got Crabs

Films watched with my family

During lockdown, my boys and I treated ourselves to a Marvel film each Friday, so they dominate the early list. Antman is my favourite of the Marvel characters and Dangal, a Bollywood film about wrestling, is superb.

Ironman 2

The Lion King

Thor

Avengers Assemble

Iron Man 3

Thor: The Dark World

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Antman

Captain America: Civil War

Doctor Strange

Spiderman: Homecoming

Thor: Ragnarok

Avengers: Infinity War

Antman and the Wasp

Captain Marvel

Avengers: End Game

Spiderman: Far From Home

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Dangal

Coin Heist

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Zikkomon

Jumanji: The Next Level

Enola Holmes

Happy Gilmore

Home Alone

Ready, Player One

TV Series watched with my family

Race Across the World

Alex Rider: Point Blanc

Gladiators (1997)

The Letter for the King

Task Master

Red Dwarf

Films I’ve watched

Creating this list made me realise that I watch very few films on my own, but the limitations of not being able to leave my classroom during lunchtime at school and a friend’s recommendation of Bollywood films means that four of the five films I’ve watched have all been Bollywood. If you’re going to watch one, go for Lagaan (or Dangal).

Lagaan

Yesterday

Pahuna

Haider

Three Idiots 

TV Series I’ve watched

Gavin and Stacey

Extras

Alan Partridge: Mid-Morning Matters

Liar

Noughts and Crosses

The Nest

Quiz

Kenny

The Last Dance

The Stranger

Sunderland ’Til I Die

The Tiger King

Safe

The English Game

Anthony

Peter Kay’s Car Share

Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

Motherland

Life

The Salisbury Poisonings

Friday Night Dinner

Running

Lockdown and limitations of many activities meant I ran a lot more this year, topping 800 miles. Next year, I’d love to hit 1,000.

January: 39.2 miles

February: 39.4 miles

March: 60.9 miles

April: 84.5 miles

May: 116.5 miles

June: 109.9 miles

July: 117 miles

August: 82.7 miles

September: 36.2 miles

October: 26.9 miles

November: 64.9 miles

December: 31.7 miles (so far)

Football matches attended

Three draws and then a depressing defeat to Palace started the year off and then Brighton matches were behind closed doors, so I went down the road to Saltdean and have enjoyed their excellent start to the season.

Brighton 1-1 Chelsea

Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa

Brighton 1-1 Watford

Brighton 0-1 Crystal Palace

Saltdean United 1-3 Eastbourne Town

Steyning Town 1-0 Saltdean United

Saltdean United 2-2 Pagham

East Preston 0-8 Saltdean United

Wick 0-2 Saltdean United

Saltdean United 2-1 Broadbridge Heath

Little Common 1-5 Saltdean United

Saltdean United 3-1 Epsom and Ewell

Saltdean United 2-2 Deal Town (2-3 on penalties)

Saltdean United 2-2 Eastbourne Town 

Brighton 1-2 Southampton