Lindsey Ford

It is BRILLIANT

“Fair” by Jen Calleja with a gin and tonic at an airport bar

Only one book to be reading on the flight to London Book Fair. Looking forward to scouring Olympia for free drinks with my fellow broke translators. Book: @prototypepubs.bsky.social Drink: Tanqueray & Fever Tree G&T

This is the hill I will die on. Clinging on to my 2022 SE because guess what! My hands do not grow bigger with each iPhone model!!

“Purity” by Andrzej Tichy, tr. Nichola Smalley, with a matcha-rimmed cocktail

A bit more masc and a bit more brutalist than I usually go for, but Nichola Smalley’s work on this translation is 🔥Book: @andotherstories.bsky.social Drink: Backward from Swim Club (superb new bar in HK)

“In the Dream House” by Carmen Maria Machado with a glass of champagne

I put off reading this for ages because, frankly, it seemed way too heavy, but now I can’t believe I waited so long to savour this incredible book. Bold and inventive and gorgeously written, I’m in love. Book: @serpents-tail.bsky.social Drink: Edouard Duval Brut d'Eulalie

always so funny to me when people are like “how am I supposed to explain Gay to my kids?” my kid asks me way harder shit all the time. “why did they build the road this way? why are some people bad?” I don’t know. please ask me about Gay

(btw Jennifer Lawrence was robbed of an Oscar nom. So was Chase Infiniti while we’re at it)

I don’t often reread books (the TBR pile is bad enough as it is) but had to make an exception before seeing the movie. It hits VERY differently after becoming a mother. Book: @charcopress.com Drink: Vinos de la Luz 2020 Cinema Ribera Del Duero

“Changing My Mind” by Julian Barnes with a glass of Chardonnay.

Julian Barnes, imo, is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and, frankly, under appreciated writers England has ever had. As I wait for his last (!) book to arrive, here’s his typically brilliant essay from last year. Book: @nottinghilleds.bsky.social Drink: 2024 Honeycomb Chardonnay

“Feeding Ghosts” by Tessa Hulls with a glass of champagne.

It’s been a while since I last read a graphic novel, and I forgot how powerful the format can be. An incredible blend of storytelling and imagery, the personal and the political , history and the present - I’m blown away. Book: MCD/ @picadorbooks.bsky.social Drink: Bollinger

Thus concludes my least prolific reading year ever (only 34 books!) - let's hope for more great books, booze and free time (lol) in 2026.

Honourable mentions: Larvas, Tamara Silva; Seismil, Laura C. Vela; El monte de las furias, Fernanda Trias; All Fours, Miranda July; Picnic at Hanging Rock, Joan Lindsay.

Orbital, Samantha Harvey. A gorgeous, gorgeous read. She does so much with so little - every image has stuck with me. I think this might have been my favourite of the year.

Alphabetical Diaries, Shiela Heti. Again, not for everyone, but I am a sucker for an alphabetised list. Loved loved loved the way this experimental text cracked the English language open.

Nightbitch, @rachelyoder.bsky.social. Motherhood is a spectrum, and the other end of that spectrum is that sometimes you just want to go absolutely fucking feral. I know this book isn't for everyone, but the mums that get it get it.

Matrescence, Lucy Jones. This was the perfect read for that postpartum stage when you feel like a completely different person - because as it turns out, you are. My favourite nonfiction book of the year.

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders. I had no idea what to expect going into this one, but my god it was fun. And beautiful, and heartbreaking, and probably not the best thing to read while nursing my newborn son, but god it was good.

Strong Female Character, Fern Brady. Honestly, I put off reading this one for ages after buying it because I was worried I might find it too relatable and… yeah. Brilliant read though.

I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman, tr. Ros Schwartz. This one really stuck with me. Beautifully eerie, plus it dares to ask the question (mild spoilers) “What if the only other person left alive was someone you found just kind of annoying?”

The Catch, @yrsadaleyward.bsky.social. God, this was so smart and twisty and engrossing. Loved the metaness, loved the spot on skewering of the book industry.

Si sintieras bajo los pies las estructuras mayores, Roberto Chuit Roganovich. My other favourite Spanish read of the year, and sure to be yours too when the English translation comes out. Staggeringly inventive and ambitious, the plot, writing, pacing, characters are just A+++. Get excited.

Comerás flores, Lucía Solla Sobral. I'm currently compiling a round up of every Spanish Best of 2025 list and they all include this debut. A raw study of grief and emotional abuse that also manages to be warm, moving and witty. INSANE that there’s no plans for an English translation yet (hint hint)

A Passage North, Anuk Arudpragasam. Brilliantly layered and meandering and thoughtful. Another one that I took my time reading because each (long) sentence was worth savouring. Shades of Julian Barnes (the highest praise from me).

State of Emergency, @jeremytiang.bsky.social. My other favourite Asian multigenerational family saga of the year, the perfect primer on Singaporean history for my first visit there.

The End of August, Yu Miri, tr. @wrongsreversed.bsky.social. It took me forever to finish this 700+ page behemoth but it was worth every minute. An amazing Korean-Japanese multilingual family saga and a towering achievement of translation.

Before we get too far into the new year, here's my list of 5 star reads of 2025! I read much less this past year (new baby sapped time, energy, brain power) but still managed to fit some bangers in there.

“State of Emergency” by Jeremy Tiang with a fancy poolside cocktail

Went to Singapore for the first time, found @jeremytiang.bsky.social in a bookshop, had to buy it. A brilliant introduction to the country’s history told in my favourite way: a juicy family saga. Book: Epigram Drink: Pepino from QT Singapore

Catching up on some of this year’s faves before my Best of 2025 list. I went into this one blind and loved it - so twisty and turny and meta, it made me want to reread it the instant I reached the last page. Book: Merky Books. Drink: some green cocktail I can’t remember the name of from Da Nang

Christmas book haul! What are you reading/drinking today? Books: @nottinghilleds.bsky.social @andotherstories.bsky.social @picadorbooks.bsky.social @prototypepubs.bsky.social Brazen, MCD, Hamish Hamilton Drink: Leon Perdigal 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape

“I am the brother of XX” by Fleur Jaeggy with a gin and tonic

While I’m still in moving hell, let’s catch up on some books from the last few months. First, the very definition of tight, terse European prose. Book: @andotherstories.bsky.social Drink: Lady Trieu Hoi An Spice Road Gin & Tonic