"A Damsel in Distress", by PG Wodehouse

Novel, 1919

A typical Wodehouse tale with all the stock characters and many set piece situations which appear all over the great man's work mean a thoroughly enjoyable, funny and reassuring read. This is a book relying a little more on chance than some of the others and one which also has a feel of a well-planned three act play, though in truth, little is lost as a result. Entertaining and twisting to the end, with characters more or less getting what they deserve except, possibly, a generous pay off for the main leads.

"I Capture the Castle", by Dodie Smith

Novel, 1949

A book tackling young love, a gloriously eccentric family and the very act and art of writing, which sets off at a furious pace, setting hints and hares running before settling into something more prosaic, but still pretty compulsive. The story itself is thin, but the settings, the family and the narrative are all sparkling and have a good deal of charm and originality. There's also an air of melancholy and a hint of the Empire dissolving into a new world, although the nostalgia is by no means overdone and the book not maudlin.

"Collected Ghost Stories", by MR James

Fiction, 1931

Supernatural tales, most of which stick close to established formulae (mysterious books and texts, eerie buildings) and can merge and blend a little into each other, but pepped up here and there with either humorous touches or the appearance and meta-fictional disruption of a narrator barrelling into proceedings. These are therefore stories to be enjoyed over a long period of time. More often than not, the stories are satisfying and, if a little old fashioned, can nonetheless conjure quite an atmosphere. There are, however, a few less powerful. 

"Life is a Dream", by Gyula Krúdy

Fiction, 1931

Short stories, many of which can't really be called 'stories', examining the lives of mainly working Hungarians through the food they are served and eat. The proliferation of broths, marrow bones and sour lungs give the collection a really earthy feeling, with many pieces not resolving and the imminent and sometimes actual presence of death giving the book a dreamy quality. Ten stories do give a feeling of being a 'bit samey', with the longer "The Green Ace" particularly meandering, but some lovely atmospherics along the way.

"The Babadook", directed by Jennifer Kent

Movie, 2014

A powerful atmospheric horror about a bogeyman, taking many of the genre's tropes (creepy house with a cellar, strange magical texts and a family battling good versus evil) and fits them in an Australian suburban set up, very much focusing on young mothers. This fresh approach to older, conservative forms reaps huge dividends, with the mother/son relationship swinging wildly and the absence of a male dominant figure striking. The plot swerves a little too wildly here and there, but this is a really bold, interesting and gripping horror.

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"Slouching Towards Bethlehem," by Joan Didion

Non-fiction, 1968

New Journalism without quite the crushing egotism and boorishness of either Hunter S Thompson or Tom Wolfe, focusing around a piece describing, in human terms, the human wreckage around Haight-Ashbury in the Summer of Love. This, and other pieces, are often wonderfully written, mixing an air of despair with one of nonchalance and painting an America roiling and clashing with itself and in no way showing any kind of social decorum. Refreshing change from the over-eulogising efforts of others, but still reportage of and within the moment.

"Foxcatcher," directed by Bennett Miller

Movie, 2014

Adaptation of a real life story involving an Olympic wrestler and a philanthropist whose interest in the sport bring the men and families closer together. In a film where the drama builds and fortunes interweave and develop, there's plenty to admire, even if a few bits and pieces are a little hard to get used to, mainly John DuPont's odd prosthetics and very static immobility. Still, well worth looking at and a very involving, affecting piece looking at stardom, power as a corrupting force and close familial relationships.