Dear John and Fran,

I am happy. I am tired. I have just arrived at a place by the sea and I am officially on holiday! Once I have finished this letter, I will be switching off my laptop and my phone, and going totally offline for a few weeks. My plan is to just eat, swim, read and hang out with my wife.

I grabbed a bunch of books before Susie whisked me away –

The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère – recommended to me by someone on The Red Hand Files, I don’t have your name to hand, but thank you.

So What by Frederick Seidel – an advance copy of the new collection by my favourite living poet.

Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson – very excited to start this!

Clete by James Lee Burke – the latest book by the greatest crime writer of them all.

Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair by Christian Wiman – Christian’s book, My Bright Abyss was, for me, a literal Godsend.

See you all back here on The Red Hand Files in a few weeks!

Love, Nick

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