From Peiro Newsletter #53
Good Afternoon and Happy New Year from Valencia.
2023 has been a great year of fun, travelling and friendship. Here are my favourite things of the year that have obsessed me for weeks and sometimes months. These things have complemented and elevated my year.
Books
The Romanovs by Simon Seabag-Montefiore
The Romanov period has slowly become my Roman Empire, as anyone who has spent time with me over the last few months knows. The Romanovs even took over last week’s Christmas Newsletters. The book has a depth of detail that gives a voice to even the smallest players in the Russian Game of Thrones. The period has everything you can expect from the rise and decline of an empire that spans eleven time zones with its internal differences and the plays for the power of the prized Monomakh’s Cap that crowns the tsar. You get war, love, political schemes, lies and torture in great and varied quantities. You also get to meet some of history’s most eccentric and interesting rulers, with their quirks and addictions described in full.
Even if this period of history doesn’t interest you at first glance, give it a chance; it is well worth the time investment.
The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis.
Before starting this book, my knowledge of the Cold War was mainly centred around Germany and the Big Events. The book opened my eyes to a global conflict with the intrigues of espionage and the stakes of nuclear war. I loved learning about the small conflicts in Africa and the Arab Cold War, which were completely new to me.
A year of Brandon Sanderson
My other obsession this year has been Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy novels. I binged the whole Mistborn series in a couple of months, in a period that wrecked my sleep cycle and left me jet-lagged. The Mistborn universe sucked me in and I had that first-world problem where you binge too fast and have to part with the characters too soon because of that. I just couldn’t stop reading. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next turn and to see how all of the mysteries of the universe unravel.
I love how the book is simple and accessible, where the magic is easily understandable, the characters are straightforward and reduced in number, and the story is driven by the unravelling of mysteries that only bring deeper questions. I recommend trying the first book, even though it is long, because it certainly doesn’t feel like a big book. The other day I bought it for a friend and having read it on Kindle I was surprised at how big the book is in print. I have gifted this book twice this Christmas.
I have also recently read Warbreaker from Brandon Sanderson, the next book on the recommended in-universe reading list. The book is less straightforward than Mistborn, although this is done by design. In this new world within the universe, less is known about the magic systems, and unravelling them becomes the journey for the characters and the reader. The book is also a page-turner packed with great secondary characters like a God who doesn’t believe in his religion, giving very interesting dialogue between characters. Right now, this is a standalone book with plans for a sequel.
I have already eyed my next Sanderson book, and I will try to wait a bit until I pick it up, but I don’t know how much I will be able to.
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
I have been a fan of Isaac Asimov for years, and I believe this is his best book. The book is unlike any other science fiction book I have ever read. The book is written in three interwoven parts and showcases Asimov’s ability to create civilisations and universes that are original and unparalleled. The book explores the themes of humanity and sacrifice in depth through the prism of different civilisations in different universes. I can’t talk much more about the book without giving away the plot.
The book was written in 1972, and unlike most science fiction from that time, it reads like a contemporary novel. I’m sure if the book were to come out today, in a couple of years, we would have a movie starring Matt Damon.
Movies
My favourite movies I have seen this year, in no particular order, are.
- Gladiator – Epic movie with a heavenly soundtrack. I’m not sure why I had never watched it before.
- Blood Diamond – I loved the character development and the cinematic shots of Africa.
- Oppenheimer – I went to watch it twice at the cinema. The soundtrack is awesome and has now entered the culture through memes. The visuals and storytelling are exquisite. It is the only great cinema experience I have had this year.
TV
A couple of newsletters ago, I talked about Succession, which is the best thing I have watched this year. It is up there with the first seasons of Game of Thrones in terms of writing and attention to detail. It has been a thought-provoking show, and I loved every second. There is a pattern here, but the soundtrack is also something unique. If you only watch a TV series in 2024, watch this.
Music
It has been a weird year in terms of music for me, I have been playing guitar a lot so I have had a resurgence of classic rock and acoustic covers. I have also been listening to lots of Spanish guitar music from the early 2000s.
However, 3 songs have stood out from the rest.
- Mood Ring by Lorde – A song that goes for the mid-nineties pop singer vibe. Think Alanis Morrissette meets Anastasia with a production that sounds gigantic. The song is so good it feels like what you expect an AI model to return when prompted with “make a 90s pop record with a female singer.”
- In My Life by The Beatles – I have had the melody in my head for months now, I learned it on guitar and I can’t get rid of that guitar riff. The lyrics are pretty good too. Rubber Soul is the Dylan-inspired Beatles Album and I think it has the songs I most enjoy playing on guitar. There is also a Johnny Cash version with his haunting voice that is also a masterpiece, especially with the change of tone.
- Hunger by Florence and The Machine – This song has been in all of my running playlists and has been a companion on the majority of runs I have gone alone this year. The minimalist piano crescendo allows Florence to showcase her voice and the only moment that the piano outshines her for 5 seconds, it changes the whole tone of the song for a final crescendo. The production of this is just perfect and it is a great motivator to run up the final hill in my running route.