Books of 2025

 

Books of 2025.

Really enjoyed every book I’ve read this year. All 67 of them.

I’ve dipped into a few biographies and more hard hitting journalism this year, but my go-to is still cleverly written fast-paced smart fiction.

Recommedations welcome for 2026.

Not necessarily crime either, but a few regulars certainly delivered.

1. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

2. Land’s Edge - Tim Winton

3. The Secret Hours - Mick Herron

4. Humankind - Rutger Bregman

5. The Last Dance - Mark Billingham

6. The Wrong Hands - Mark Billingham

7. Bold Lies - Rachel Lynch

8. That Night - Gillian McAllister

9. I’m never drinking again - Dominic McGregor

10. Penance - Eliza Clark

11. Big Sky - Kate Atkinson

12. You don’t have to have a dream - Tim Minchin

13. Minority Rule - Ash Sarkar

14. The Rumour - Lesley Kara

15. Brand Warfare - Julian Kynaston

16. A Little Bird - Wendy James

17. The Lost - Mari Hannah

18. The Insider - Mari Hannah

19. No Comment - Jess McDonald

20. The Scandal - Mari Hannah

21. Black Fell - Mari Hannah

22. The Accidental Footballer - Pat Nevin

23. Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent

24. Rogues - Patrick Radden Keefe

25. Somebody Feed Phil - Phil Rosenthal

26. Taste - Stanley Tucci

27. The Family Remains - Lisa Jewell

28. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan

29. Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe

30. Bedsit Disco Queen - Tracey Thorn

31. The Cracked Mirror - Chris Brookmyre

32. A history of the world in 72 borders - Jonn Elledge

33. Brat: an 80s story - Andrew McCarthy

34. Uncommon People - Miranda Sawyer

35. Just another missing person - Gillian McAllister

36. The Fathers - John Niven

37. Don’t Let Go - Harlan Coben

38. The Hunter - Tana French

39. Cardinal - Louise Milligan

40. Everything I know about love - Dolly Alderton

41. Feel Good Club - Aimie and Kiera Lawlor-Skillen

42. Nemesis - Patricia Wolf

43. This Bird Has Flown - Susanna Hoffs

44. Do Disrupt - Mark Shayler

45. Do you believe in the power of rock n roll? - John Robb

46. I Will Find You - Harlan Coben

47. Eyrie - Tim Winton

48. Koba the Dread - Martin Amis

49. Rough Beast - Mairia Cahill

50. Butler to the world - Oliver Bullough

51. Rinsed - Geoff White

52. Grave Regret - Fiona Tarr

53. If Russia wins - Carlo Masala

54. Red Star Paris: More than just a football club - Simon Binns

55. Clown Town - Mick Herron

56. Billion dollar whale - Tom Wright and Bradley Hope

57. None of this is true - Lisa Jewell

58. Meltdown - Duncan Mavin

59. Trespasses - Louise Kennedy

60. Win - Harlan Coben

61. In The Woods - Tana French

62. Pheasants Nest - Louise Milligan

63. Legacy - Chris Hammer

64. Last one out - Jane Harper

65. Zine Age Kicks - James Brown

66. The proof of my innocence - Jonathan Coe

67. What have I done? Ben Elton

Mani, the Mayor, and the rhythm of a city

At our lunch event with Fieldfisher yesterday the MIDAS managing director Joe Manning explained how Manchester’s global brand, the ability to project cultural power was absolutely integral to its success.

So it was that as Andy Burnham wrapped up the media interviews at Stockport’s Stockroom, after his major speech on the economy, people were visibly rocked as news flew around the room that Gary Mounfield had died.

The bassline from Stone Roses Fool’s Gold, amongst the many, many incredible sounds he created, feels like it’s part of the very rhythm of the city. But Mani also represented a hard working, good humoured, big hearted approach to life, doing so much for cancer charities with his late wife Imelda, which is probably why my Instagram has been full of such warm tributes from far and wide.

That particular tragedy bookended a week that started with the sad news that Mark Fuller, another great bloke in his early sixties, had left us too. Mark was a huge help to me in my early career in the North West, and as the tributes made clear, his generosity and intellect was respected and valued by many.

Andy Burnham’s speech yesterday saw the Mayor back on form, unwilling to be drawn on the Westminster circus, and fully focused on pushing the devolution ambitions ever further.

The build up to next week’s Budget has been a shambles. The expectations are low.

But Burnham not only warned that more dithering on rail investment would be an “intentional anti-growth policy,” and he demanded we stop having to beg for scraps.

“After a decade of doing more for ourselves than they ever did for us, you would think the system would stop behaving as if it knows best?” he said.

He’s right. The begging bowl culture has harmed the North over the last thirty years. The broken promises and shallow gimmicks have made fools of us.

Simon Binns, his new book, and loving football as we do

For 18 years Simon Binns is someone I have known and respected. First as a business journalist, more recently a generous walking companion, consistently as a fellow middle-aged media operator, wherever jobs we did, and also as a profoundly inspirational advocate for mental health self-care.

The banter boy in me would at this stage make an awkward link to his support, like me, of a perennially disappointing northern working class football club. But I won’t. I have been given the honour of an early draft of Red Star Paris, Simon’s book, which we are here to talk about tonight.

It’s brave, revelatory, funny and strikes home to anyone who loves football as we do.

Ladies and gentlemen, Simon Binns.

That was my intro to Simon at the event at George Street Books in Glossop last week.

And here’s what I said to Simon in a message after I’d read his book:

Mate, I loved the book. 

I mean really loved it. 

I think it’s because I’m terribly fond of you and you hold nothing back. 

More than the football, which you joined up so skilfully with your own quest for belonging. 

I’d love to explore that with you at the event, but obviously balance with pale ale, ultra culture, David Bellion and Habib Beye anecdotes for the football hipster element. ❤

https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/red-star-paris-more-just-football-club

Closing in on the 92

We went to watch a cracking cup tie at Salford City's Peninsula Stadium today. It had it all. The true magic of the FA Cup.

Salford City FC of League 2 beat League One Lincoln City on pens, and they deserved it too.

It was my 81st ground of the current 92, following earlier day trips this season to Harrogate and Barnet. The quest to complete the 92 before my significant birthday next year is very much on.

It was a very similar sized ground to Harrogate, but not too easy to get to by public transport.

Gary Neville tried to move them to Salford Community Stadium, which also has its own shortcomings, but if he had succeeded it would have saved me the bother as I saw them play a game there.

I just mapped it out. Two Premier League ones are the trickiest because of tickets - Brentford and Everton.

Then Lincoln, Wimbledon and Stevenage in L1, and Barrow, Bromley, Cheltenham, Colchester, Crawley and Newport in L2.

As it stands, I could skip the current bottom two because if they go, then they'll likely be replaced from the promoted teams from National League by two that I've been to. Which would mean that at the start of next season I will have done the 92.

Manchester faces terrorism, again

 

At the Business of Greater Manchester conference I hosted our guests were treated to a powerful eulogy to the late great Sir Howard Bernstein, whose family had built a life in Manchester after escaping pogroms in Russia. 

It was delivered by Mike Emmerich, who is writing a book about the life and times of Howard, as the incredibly humble former chief executive of Manchester city council always preferred to be called.

His legacy was felt in the energetic discussions that coursed through our conference.

Everyone spoke proudly of an inclusive, dynamic and welcoming city. One that opened its arms to businesses looking to locate here, and to attract the talent to come and work for them.

They are the “dreamers and schemers” evoked by the poet Tony Walsh in his epic tome, This Is The Place, who have been “drawn here” collaborating with those who are “born here”. 

It’s a verse that touched my heart when I stood in Albert Square in May 2017, the day after a previous monstrous attack on our city, our place and who we are. Or who we like to think we are.

But a dark side pervades. That Jewish friends of mine now feel they have to wear flat caps to hide their yarmulkes in the city centre is shameful. It is also appalling that places of worship, supposedly a peaceful sanctuary for prayer, have to have private security. But yesterday, thank God they did. 

I’m also calling out the tatty flags and racist graffiti which seek to intimidate communities made up of people who don’t look like me. We have to be better than this. 

Our first responders, especially the armed police, deserve our thanks for what they had to do, but also members of the public we reacted bravely and quickly in the face of terror. 

Manchester has defied those who have sought to divide the city with hate and terror before. In 1996, in 2017 and now, tragically, we will have to do so again in 2025.

Ricky Hatton RIP

What a week.

It started in such a sad way with the tragic news that Ricky Hatton had died at home in Gee Cross on Sunday. Just over the hill from where I live, the news rippled out when we were on a country walk with friends.

The Hitman wasn’t just an elite sporting hero, but a local champion too. It took a tribute from his local MP Jonny Reynolds, the former Business Secretary, to remind us that he was also a businessman who had re-invest the money he made in boxing to his local area.

On Tuesday I heard with my own ears the claims of Andy Burnham that you don’t need to go south to advance your career. He was speaking as Zopa Bank outlined how they are creating 500 jobs in Manchester as the fintech neo-bank continue their quest to become the “home of money”.

I watched the Starmer - Trump love-in at Chequers yesterday and wondered how Andy Burnham would have handled some of the outrageous things the US President was saying, and the loopy questions his client media were asking to provoke our PM. 

Our Mayor is charming and authentic, and on the occasions when I’ve had my turn at chairing his Mayor’s Question Time he’s faced down hostile questions very effectively. He’s at his best when he’s taking on bullies and using his power to stand up for those that don’t have it. The very opposite of the blustering orange monster. 

But he also has people pleasing tendencies, and it would take a particular skill - to come out with your domestic credibility intact.

The rise of the creative class

There’s been a debate raging amongst city leaders for the last two decades about how to become a city that attracts “the creative class” that propels a city into the global fast lane.

Name drop alert, but it was Tony Wilson who was the first person to tell me to read The Rise of the Creative Class by American urbanist Richard Florida, back in 2003.

Wilson, who sadly passed in 2007, was always a strong advocate for Manchester’s cultural capital being an important plank for the city’s economy.

Florida’s central argument was that civic leaders make their cities as attractive as possible to this so-called creative class. Economic development will naturally flow if they do.

You see evidence of this throughout modern Manchester. The rich Kuwaitis playing Padel, the expansion of global brands like Booking.com and BNY Mellon in the city and this week, a great party to launch iconic Swedish denim brand Nudie Jeans.

The signing of a special relationship between the Mayors of Greater Manchester and Japan’s second city Osaka today is just the latest in a series of high profile relationships that stimulate not just tourism, but hard business investment between city regions.

But some people are left behind by this hipster influx, or priced out, making once cool places one-dimensional and boring. Even Richard Florida has also been rethinking his original idea. More recently he has spoken of “a deep and dark side” to urbanism and regeneration that we are all too familiar with.

It’s important then that any economic vision is inclusive. That’s what has shaped the agenda of our Business of Greater Manchester conference on the 1st of October, where we will plenty of vision, and lots of business, but also a real focus on cultural opportunities. 

There are also some “international” investors you probably don’t want. 

The absolute fiasco at Salford Red Devils Rugby League club looks likely to drag on after legal tactics bought the “owners” some time before HMRC next presents a winding up petition in October. In the meantime, the squad depletes, the debts pile up, and the pipe dream of a sports and entertainment complex at the Salford Community Stadium fades even further into fantasy.

I’ve been feeling bleak recently, watching the unchallenged hate spilling onto our streets, and hearing too many stories of bad guys getting away with it. 

I feel we have a responsibility to balance our news with stories of achievements, as well as to tell it like it is.

On balance there is still much to be optimistic about, I think coming to the events I put on are as good a place as any to plug into that positive energy..