ECHO / January 2018

Sometimes January is about discovery. Trying new things, devising New Year's resolutions, writing goals or making plans. But it's also a month of recollection. That doesn't have to mean looking back over the previous year (though that is often the case on those cold, dark-skied days); it can mean quiet contemplation, grouping thoughts or hobbies, papers or photos. More than anything, January consisted of repetition. It saw mundane moments - slipping cold feet into fluffy socks and nestling cool hands in woolly gloves; walking briskly to work and then retracing the steps back home again. But it saw magic, too.

Curiously Cultural

Having the opportunity to listen to Les Miserables be performed live at the Queen's Theatre is a phenomenon like no other. Dulcet tones echo around the room while you're there, but the performance leaves an imprint on your brain (much like it did back in 2013 when I was lucky enough to first see the show). Though Christmas is now long gone, there were reminiscent echoes of it in seeing London lit up for Lumiere London. People marvelled at each luminous installation and instead of trees, people gathered round art, and photos were taken in place of mince pies and puddings. Carrying just a little more leftover festivity was watching discovered in watching Aladdin as a musical at the Prince Edward Theatre. Immediately it invites you to fondly think back on memories of past pantomimes, but with added charisma and choreograph (and one show-stealing Genie).

Literary Life

The books which were flicked through held echoes of the past; La Belle Sauvage brought the nostalgia of reading His Dark Materials for the first time, with the (re)discovery of Philip Pullman's magnificent writing for second time in one life. La Belle Sauvage is a most marvellous tale, capable of transporting you to a world away from the one in which you exist. It's easy to race through the pages, especially in the second half of the book, but trying to savour the experience was a welcome literary challenge. A must-read for any Philip Pullman fan and an enjoyable read for anyone with a taste for a wildly imaginative and immersive novel.

In a completely different way, reading The Diary of Lena Mukhina: A Girl's Life in the Siege of Leningrad also provided a look, or an insight, into the past. It is always strange to read the real words of someone in a time we simultaneously know so much and so little about. It was interesting to count the parallels despite the uniqueness of the situation Lena had to sustain. It was an inspirational read that serves the reader in many ways (not least that of inspiring a resurgence to journal). The entries are so detailed and descriptive that it can feel almost fictional at times, but it's so harrowing too. Remembering that this is history (and not too recent history at that) makes it a rather remarkable read. If you are at all interested in history, in diaries or just the written experience of others, then you might well enjoy this read.

With fewer days than any other, we expect February to fly right by which, after January's long-lasting hold, isn't necessarily a bad thing. We end January hoping for sun but fully expecting snow.

How did the first month of 2018 fare for you?