Well, it is now mid November and Christmas (yes, I said it) is a few weeks away. But you know, still enough weeks away that I find the adverts on television mildly nauseating and the shop windows irritating rather than exciting. Come stir-up Sunday, I will be all for it but until then, can’t I just have a few non-themed weeks this year? Anyway, here is this week’s reading list!

Some advice on cold-water swimming.

Understanding stress hormones and genes. I am totally fascinated by this work. And relatedly, when evolution happens quickly.

Photographs of rescue animals. Tears.

New podcasts that at some point in the near future I will listen to.

The Brontes, and history.

‘Life is a mess of cornmeal dumplings.’

The Bake-off in other countries. (Thanks Jen for sending me this!)

‘“We were really hoping for something Asian” — or Asian-ish: Anything with soy, apparently, will do.’ The complexities of cooking in the USA as an Asian-American.

“Radical creativity”