Another year over, and a new one not quite begun. To continue quoting John and Yoko, I figured this was as good a time as any to ask myself 'and what have you done?'
I might not, sadly, have done much to change the world. But I did read a fair few books, watch plenty of films and, according to Spotify, racked up at least 25,000 minutes (the equivalent of 18 whole days!) listening to music. Fo realz:
Well, at least no one can say that monthly Spotify Premium bill isn't money well spent...
In an attempt to make those 18 days of my life even more vaguely worthwhile, I thought I'd share my musical and other cultural highlights of 2k15. Not an exhaustive list by any means, but here are the things that stick out from the year of Caitlyn Jenner, #PigGate, Corbyn mania and Adele's big comeback...
Albums
Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
Richard Hawley - Hollow Meadows
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Other Times I Just Sit
Jamie XX - In Colour
Laura Marling - Short Movie
Drake - If You're Reading This It's Probably Too Late
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Colour
Tame Impala - Currents
TV shows
My favourite new season:
Aziz Ansari's Master of None
Best returning TV shows: Channel 4's Catastrophe and Peep Show
Still loving:
The Mindy Project
The Mindy Project
Catching up on 'cause I was behind the times: House of Cards
The Wire
Arrested Development
Just started and enjoying so far: Narcos
Christmas TV highlight: the BBC adaptation of Agathie Christie's And Then There Were None. Aidan Turner in a towel - need I say more?
BooksChristmas TV highlight: the BBC adaptation of Agathie Christie's And Then There Were None. Aidan Turner in a towel - need I say more?
My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
Lila - Marilynne Robinson
A God In Ruins - Kate Atkinson
A Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
The Versions of Us - Laura Bennett
A Spool of Blue Thread - Anne Tyler
Podcasts
London Review of Books
(As ever) Desert Island Discs - my favourite castaways of the year include Keith Richards, Judi Dench, Mark Rylance and Noel Gallagher.
Serial - the phenomenon returned with a bit of a collective sigh really, but I've listened to the first couple of episodes and I'm still enjoying it.
Non-fiction books
Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling
My Age of Anxiety - Scott Stossel (I recommend this to anyone who has ever suffered from anxiety - it explains a lot of the science and history in a way that's understandable even for cretins like me)
My Salinger Year - Joanna Rakoff
Bedsit Disco Queen - Tracey Thorn
This New Noise - Charlotte Higgins
The Lady in the Van - Alan Bennett
Late Fragments - Kate Gross (a brilliant and life-affirming book, it would make for a really good present)
Films
Brooklyn - released at the same time as Spectre, I don't think this film got the attention it deserved. Saoirse Ronan puts in an Oscar-worthy performance as an Irish immigrant adapting to American life.
Inside Out - Amy Poehler's character Joy really is joyful, but it's the film's focus on growing up and losing your childhood innocence that made Inside Out so good.
Ex Machina - Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson really cracked Hollywood this year, appearing in this sci-fi film before another one that quite a few people seemed to have enjoyed...
Other movie highlights included:
Star Wars
Selma
Amy
Mistress America
I realise that putting a bunch of Instagram accounts into a list of cultural highlights is a little dubious, but the amount of time I spend scrolling through it has probably earned it a place in my annual round up.
I follow hundreds of people but here are some of my favourite accounts for fashion, darling:
Pandora Sykes (seen on the left here)
Katherine Ormerod
Ropes of Holland
Leandra Medine
Natalie Hughes