The Booker Prize longlist will be released this Tuesday, and while I'd never be so bold as to make predictions about a notoriously hard-to-predict award, today I'll share some books I think are worthy of the honour. But first, the roundup. Roundup Music Last week saw the release of three great albums, from artists at … Continue reading Culture Roundup (July 25, 2026): A Booker Longlist Wish List
Last time, I did my mid-year music check-in. Today it's time to look back at the first six months of my bookish life. But first, the roundup for the past two weeks: Roundup Music Last week's new releases were quiet since they fell over a long weekend in the US. The biggest release by far … Continue reading Culture Roundup (July 11, 2026): My Bookish Mid-Year Check in
Wow! I'm pretty sure it was just the start of April, but here we are at the end of June, and therefore the midway point of the year. Already! This week I'll go over my thoughts and feelings and preliminary rankings for this year in music, so far. In two weeks, I'll return with my bookish … Continue reading Culture Roundup (June 27, 2026): My Musical Mid-Year Check in
No preliminaries today; let's just jump in. Roundup Music With the most interesting new album last week being by '00s indie act Death Cab for Cutie, the week was all about the singles. This was led by the new Taylor Swift single, "I Knew It I Knew You," from the soundtrack of Toy Story 5. After … Continue reading Culture Roundup (June 12, 2026): Initial Thoughts on ‘You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’
I was away for about ten days (more on that in the focus on section), meaning I skipped last week's culture roundup. So I have three weeks of books and music to talk about today. Roundup Music As is probably apparent by now, I've been struggling to figure out the rhythms of 2026's music release … Continue reading Culture Roundup (May 30, 2026): Revisiting Very Old Stories
Matthew Root 