Books of 2024

At the start of the year Rachel and I decided to make this a year of more reading, less scrolling.

The end result was we ploughed through a wide range of books in-between life, probably stayed in more, definitely watched fewer TV series, but hopefully scrolled social media less.

I managed to get through 75 books. 

I do tend to binge authors once I discover them, and this was a year I really sought out the ever blooming Australian crime genre. I rinsed Patricia Wolf, Sarah Bailey and Chris Hammer and eagerly look forward to the next instalment.   

I do feel slightly bereft having binged Sarah Bailey and her creation Detective Gemma Woodstock all year, but to say it’s been a complicated rollercoaster is a vast understatement. Her last and final Book in this series, Body of Lies, is where it all comes together, a proper shocker of a story with shifting loyalties and a dark dark plot.

All of them have been so well written, it’s character driven crime fiction at its absolute best and also plugs into Australia’s shifting culture really effectively.

It's true of all three that they have all got better and better. I'm now looking forward to more from Wendy James and Candice Fox from this genre. 

The other fictional rabbit hole I loved going down was Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, which I obviously started because of the TV series starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb.

The fiction author I probably enjoyed discovering more than any other was Tim Winton. Part of me is scratching my head wondering what took me so long. He's from Perth, he writes about toxic masculinity and the environment and has a firm pulse on social trends.  I genuinely think if I had discovered him in the 1990s I might have moved back to Perth and would have understood why I was told "Perth needs people like you" in a way no-one in London every did in the 1990s. His writing is so vivid, so full of love, but tinged with a doleful fate. His sprawling Cloudstreet was even set in the same part of the city I lived in. I've got a lot of catching up to do, but as I told my literary buddy James Armstrong, Shepherd's Hut is probably my favourite of the ones I read this year, which takes nothing away from his most recent post-apocalyptic epic, Juice.

A few other fictional highlights included David Nicholls gorgeous You Are Here, Joseph Knox's edgy thriller Imposter Syndrome, and everything by Elizabeth Day, Lucy Clarke and Jordan Harper. 

The non-fiction genre I was really captivated by was the WTF shockers written by journalists who try and explain how the world really works. The stories of Global Witness and writers who poke the beasts in big banks and powerful oligarchs were not only written with the same pace and edge as the best novelists, but exuded raw bravery too. Big shouts especially to Marianna Spring, Jen McAdam, Dan McCrum, Duncan Mavin, Tracy Hall and Tom Burgis.

I tried to read a wider range of political books this year than my usual diet of centrist dads who just reinforce my world view.  Anthony Broxton, Rafael Behr, Andy Burnham, Rory Stewart and James O'Brien did that very well. I would probably have dismissed Grace Blakeley a couple of years ago as being too left wing for me, but I enjoyed her treatise on Vulture Capitalism. Same with Naomi Klein's Doppleganger. Former Tory MP Graham Brady's book was very readable, but if anything I was even less sympathetic to him than I was before.

We met a few authors at various events, which we always enjoy, and I interviewed a few too - Brian Groom, Sacha Lord and my mate Pete McKenzie Hodge who's remarkable tale of survival I read an early draft.

And yet, as I look back at this summary I've not mentioned two absolute stand out epic books of this year, Orbital by Samantha Harvey and Killing Thatcher by Rory Carroll. So different, obviously, but both took my totally by surprise.

I cried at two books - Helen Garner's remarkable true story This House of Grief, and Cheryl Strayed's Wild.

Thanks to everyone who recommended something this year. 

  

Books of 2024

1. Hope and Glory - Anthony Broxton
2. Silver - Chris Hammer
3. Trust - Chris Hammer
4. Dead Man’s Creek - Chris Hammer
5. White Riot - Joe Thomas
6. Delirium Diaries - Pete McKenzie Hodge
7. Outback - Patricia Wolf
8. Paradise - Patricia Wolf
9. Castaways - Lucy Clarke
10. How to Fail - Elizabeth Day
11. A fortnight in June - Scott Fraser
12. Last Seen - Lucy Clarke
13. Politics and how to survive it - Rafael Behr
14. The Party - Elizabeth Day
15. Money Men - Dan McCrum
16. Too big to jail - Chris Blackhurst
17. Scrublands - Chris Hammer
18. Cover the Bones - Chris Hammer
19. This is Memorial Device - David Keenan
20. Everybody knows - Jordan Harper
21. A Lesson in Violence - Jordan Harper
22. Miss Marple collection - Val McDermid etc
23. Heat 2 - Meg Gardiner and Michael Mann
24. Last king of California - Jordan Harper
25. Head North - Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram
26. Among the Trolls - Marianna Spring
27. Harry’s Kebab House - DJ Dribbler
28. Clash of the Clans - Nicola Tallant
29. Tales from the Dancefloor - Sacha Lord
30. The Business - Dick Hobbs
31. Kleptopia - Tom Burgis
32. No One Saw A Thing - Andrea Mara
33. Cuckoo land - Tom Burgis
34. You are Here - David Nicholls
35. Friendaholic - Elizabeth Day
36. The Housemate - Sarah Bailey
37. The Dark Lake - Sarah Bailey
38. Into the Night - Sarah Bailey
39. Where the Dead Go - Sarah Bailey
40. Vulture Capitalism - Grace Blakeley
41. The Turning - Tim Winton
42. The Shepherd’s Hut - Tim Winton
43. Dirt Music - Tim Winton
44. Imposter Syndrome - Joseph Knox
45. How They Broke Britain - James O’Brien
46. Made in Manchester - Brian Groom
47. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
48. The Trading Game - Gary Stevenson
49. Doppelganger - Naomi Klein
50. If I never met you - Mhairi McFarlane
51. Wild - Cheryl Strayed
52. Brave - Rose McGowan
53. Good Material - Dolly Alderton
54. An Accusation - Wendy James
55. The Fraud - Zadie Smith
56. Taxtopia - The Rebel Accountant
57. Terrible Humans - Patrick Alley
58. Devil’s Coin - Jennifer McAdam
59. Spook Street - Mick Herron
60. London Rules - Mick Herron
61. Killing Thatcher - Rory Carroll
62. The Last Victim - Tracy Hall
63. Opal - Patricia Wolf
64. The Valley - Chris Hammer
65. Gone by Midnight - Candice Fox
66. Politics on the Edge - Rory Stewart
67. This House of Grief - Helen Garner
68. Body of Lies - Sarah Bailey
69. Orbital - Samantha Harvey
70. Joe Country - Mick Herron
71. Slough House - Mick Herron
72. Bad Actors - Mick Herron
73. Kingmaker - Graham Brady
74. Led By Donkeys
75. Juice - Tim Winton

  

Working in journalism in Perth

As I splashed through the rain last night, bouncing between the Greater Manchester Mayor's Media Party and the KPMG Christmas do, I tried not to think too much about where I was this time last month.

As it happens OTD I had a really fascinating chat to a top bloke called Charles Kobelke, the CEO from Business News, a first rate regional media business in Perth, Western Australia.

More broadly, I was very impressed with the generosity of people in Perth to meet and share ideas with an outsider like me, albeit one who has lived there before and has a tremendous affection for the place.

I was very sorry I couldn't make diaries work to meet with Paula Rogers from the Committee for Perth who had also responded enthusiastically to the idea of meeting up while I was there.

But Charles really gave me lots of food for thought on how I apply myself and work to expand TheBusinessDesk.com where I can.

Journalism takes a real beasting these days, and I feel enormously privileged to be working in the thick of it again. There is still so much to do, to play our part in debates, to push and cajole, and police the boundaries of a community. It was good of Andy Burnham to acknowledge the importance of a challenging media over drinks and pizzas last night.

As an industry, we're up against so many challenges of our own, not helped by publishers who have made so many appalling strategic missteps and wrecked their businesses as a result - while I also saw plenty of that in Australia - I was also pleased to connect again with the newspaper where I started my career, X-Press Magazine is online only now, but seems to be thriving too.

But in meeting Charles it was just good to hear an optimistic view of the future from a fellow media professional, and one who also backs the values of truth, accuracy and community and never stops innovating.

A moving tribute to the great Sir Howard Bernstein

The great and the good of Manchester business, politics and public service came together at a packed Bridgwater Hall yesterday (12 November 2024) to celebrate the life and work of Sir Howard Bernstein, who passed away in June 2024.
Invited guests heard a series of impressive and compelling speeches from those who knew the former chief executive of Manchester City Council best, including his son Jonathan who concluded the service with an emotional tribute to his late father on behalf of the family, many of whom had also recorded powerful stories on video of the person they loved as their Dad, Grandpa and brother.
Eammon Boylan, interim chief executive of Manchester City Council, and a successor to “SHB” opened the speeches with a fulsome account of how Bernstein galvanised the city in the wake of the 1996 IRA bombing of the city centre, and also delivered the 2002 Commonwealth Games amongst his many achievements.
Wearing an impressive scarf in the Bernstein style, Boylan also recounted his successor’s unique way of creating wins for the city out of occasional setbacks.
Former Chancellor George Osborne described him as “the most important, influential, public official, in any city in any part of government, local or national, over the last few decades.” He also noted that the late “civic entrepreneur” gave Osborne time and support when he was sacked from the government and came to Manchester with the idea for the Northern Powerhouse Partnership – “the real measure of the man,” he said.
All the tributes noted his passion and obsession with Manchester City Football Club, notably from board director Marty Edelman, who recalled a friendship that started when his client, the Abu Dhabi ruling family, took over the club in 2008, and culminated in their embrace on the pitch in Istanbul in 2023 as they celebrated the Champions League victory together.
“He welcomed me to Manchester with no fanfare, but a pint, and a message that though it may rain, Manchester is always sunny if you know where to look,” he said.
Musical interludes from the brass section of the Halle orchestra, and video tributes from young beneficiaries of the SHB Endowment Fund to which attendees were invited to donate to.

Sliding Doors

 

Back in my early career as a journalist in Australia I was told by an entrepreneur that I had profiled that “Perth needs people like you” and that it was a shame I was returning to the UK.

I held that thought all through the boozy Britpop 1990s when literally no-one in London said anything remotely similar to me. 

Yet it was only last month that I finally returned to Western Australia for a holiday and to catch up with old friends from back in the day. 

In doing so, I need to say, I acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where Perth city is situated today, and pay my respect to Elders past and present. I never said that back then.

It’s safe to say that Perth has done quite well without me. Probably Australia’s boom town, thanks to the mining and resources industry, the skyline has notably transformed. Back then the tallest building bore the name of Bond Corporation, the plaything of Alan Bond, the man who went from hero to zero in a decade. He won the Americas Cup yacht race for Australia, overstretched himself financially, and ended up in jail before his lonely death in 2015. I would love to have written that story.

The names that dominate the skyline now are Chevron, Woodside, Rio Tinto and BHP.

I appreciated the high quality public realm, the cycle paths and the parks, the gentrification of neighbourhoods I used to consider a bit ‘daggy’, and the embrace of a more multi-ethnic city than the one I remembered. Through more experienced eyes I contemplated the ‘Sliding Doors’ moments over the years and wondered whether I would have fitted in.

On the eve of the US election we went to see British politico turned podcast sensation Rory Stewart at Perth Concert Hall (Last Night of the Poms). A reminder that the world is in fact quite small. 

But it was at the celebration of the life of Sir Howard Bernstein at the Bridgewater Hall this week where I was reminded of the community and the project that has been at the forefront of my professional life for the last 25 years.

Manchester’s renewal has provided a rich seam of stories for me, the source material for my academic thesis, but also a phenomenal network of supportive people focused on a project of regeneration. It might not be a new frontier, but it’s been incredible to raise a family in the original modern city. 

It’s good to be home.

Have a great weekend. 

I am a child of the North West

I am a child of the North West.

I was born in Lancaster, my Dad was from the bit of North Wales that Granada News always included as local news and my mum is from Penrith.

Both my Grandfathers were from the Wirral and all bar one of my kids were born in the North West too.

I only ever wanted to move to a big city when I was a teenager. The choices were Liverpool and Manchester. I have degrees from the two great universities of Manchester, in addition to an honorary award from the University of Central Lancashire.

Along with the late great Tony Wilson I was in favour of devolution for the region twenty years ago, a campaign for which his mate Peter Savile created a North West flag.

I love being the North West editor of TheBusinessDesk.com, as I’m sure you can deduce from everything I say and do.

So I was suitably appalled when I heard that the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Stockport constituency where I live made a lazy casual slur about people from Liverpool.

We’ve all been through too much together to let this sort of thing be passed off as banter or, as her leader Ed Davey described it, “a very bad joke”.

Conduct in public life is important. This election gives us the opportunity to turn the page on to a new era of government and service.

Let it be a time of seriousness, not the triviality of bad jokes and cunning stunts.

One where long term thinking to solve societal and economic problems is valued more than slogans and easy answers.

Northern Powerhouse, Brexit, and Levelling Up have failed the North West. They were slogans without strategy.

The incredible Sir Howard Bernstein, who we mourn this week, showed us the value of thinking in decades. The power of ambition, and hope, of working together, and of focus.

In that spirit, please vote for change next Thursday.

Appearing on the We Built This City podcast with Lisa Morton

“I just love telling people’s stories”

I was invited on to Lisa Morton's excellent podcast, WE BUILT THIS CITY.

Her blurb for me was lovely: "When Michael Taylor left Lancaster for university studies in Manchester, he gained more than a sociology degree - he found a city to call home, a true adopted Manc.

"Experience 1980s Manchester through Michael's memories of the clubs, relationships and a cultural vibrancy he came to embrace and love.

"What did Michael learn from being at the heart of the city’s business world as the editor of Insider, and what are the valuable lessons that have informed change in Manchester over the past 20 years?

"Michael’s career has taken him down several different avenues into politics and academia, so what led him to recently return to his first love, journalism and become editor of online magazine The Business Desk.com and what does he feel is still left to be written?

"The conversation demonstrates the power of place in shaping identity and the relationships and connections that help to build a career in Manchester."

I probably displayed more vulnerability than I usually would, and at times it felt like therapy, but that's LIsa's skill as an interviewer. 

We also recorded it before the conclusion to the rape trial of Lawrence Jones, a senior figure in the Manchester tech world, which I wrote about. Lisa also wanted to remind me of my own shortcomings during the laddish 2000s and the times when she suffered harassment. 

I've known Lisa since 2000 a few years after she started PR company Roland Dransfield in 1996, one month after the fateful IRA bomb that tore apart the city centre.  From that point, the business, and its team members, have been involved in helping to support the creation of Modern Manchester – across regeneration, business, charity, leisure and hospitality, sport and culture.

To celebrate the 26 years that Roland Dransfield has spent creating these bonds, Lisa is gathering together some of her Greater Mancunian ‘family’ and will be exploring how they have created their own purposeful relationships with the best place in the world.

How to Fail, a great read by a very successful writer

A New Year resolution was to read more. That's it. Nothing fancy, just read more.

I'll update on here with reviews, possibly clustering on a few authors that I've binged on.

I breezed through the very readable How to Fail by Elizabeth Day, whose novels Paradise City and Magpie I really enjoyed. I have listened to the podcast too, but not enough to recall it in great detail.

This is a memoir of sorts, but ever so slightly self-helpy too. It gave me flashes of Miranda Sawyer's Out of Time - Midlife If You Still Think You Are Young, and triggered similar bouts of personal self-reflection, which I won't rehash, but I splurged on that here.

By my own measures, Elizabeth Day hasn’t failed at all: I would have loved to have been a feature writer for a national newspaper like the Observer, but it's all relative. She also got to Cambridge, and is an acclaimed novelist and successful podcaster. On the surface, it's hard to see the failure, but I suppose that's the point.

But this a warm and deeply honest book that is hugely generous for the personal vulnerability she shares.

Great weekend - crap football, closing in on the 92

 

Going for the 92 has become a genuine and real possibility. I've done all the clubs in the present Championship, having reclaimed Southampton yesterday. Previous trips to The Dell were pretty mixed to be honest, but there was nothing mixed about a 4-0 defeat. 

We were well beaten, as my pal Trevor summed up much better than I could: "They were better than us from the first minute to the last. 2-0 would have flattered us and I thought we’d got away with it when they missed the penalty. Hard to think of anyone who played well - maybe the keeper even though he was the blame for the fourth goal. Hill and Moran strikingly poor. Travis and Garrett improved things a little with more energy. JDT had written off the game when he took off A Wharton and Trondstat. Our season won’t be defined by games against Leicester or Leeds or Southampton."

We went down for a weekend in the most Tory town I've ever stayed in - Winchester. They even sell those wide rimmed felt hats that Tory ladies wear with a shawl, accompanied by a fellah in red chinos.

Seriously, it was a lovely weekend away, and even the experience of the poor Rovers performance was tempered by the whole stadium experience.

It saddens me a bit how far behind Southampton we are as a club. There were 27,000 on yesterday and a tidy 1300 from Rovers, but the scale of the operation and the crowd had a Premier League feel about it. I don't get that at Ewood. 

I've been to loads of these new out-of-town bowls and this was OK. Pie was pricey, but tasty, it wasn't too far away from the station and the centre, and the stewards were some of the most polite and helpful I've witnessed. 

Anyway, it was the 79th of the current 92, completing the Championship and needing only a trip to Brentford's new stadium to sweep the current top two divisions. It was also the 172nd ground I've paid to watch football in.

I reckon I'll try and get a few more done this season and keep hoping that crap southern towns in League Two drop out and get replaced by ones I've done.