2021: Best Bits

A selection of my favourite things from this year

Renoir, Girl Reading.

I almost feel like apologising for it but 2021 was kind to me. My family stayed mostly well and mostly happy; I published a new book and signed a deal for the next one; I added a paid tier to The Ruffian and many of you paid for it. I did several speaking gigs, some of them in actual places with actual people, on productive conflict and curiosity (clients included Verizon, Citywire, and House of PMO, thanks to all who invited me). I did quite a bit of consultancy on advertising and communication, interesting to me but perhaps not to you. I read some excellent books. On the macro scale Britain came out of the worst of the pandemic more quickly than we had any right to expect in early 2020. Plus there was a new Beatles movie! All in all it was a very good year.

Thanks to all of you for subscribing and reading The Ruffian. Free subscribers: please consider signing up for the paid tier, I promise to make it excellent value. One product innovation already in the works for paid subscribers is a series of dialogues with Very Clever People on complex and/or controversial topics. More on this soon.

What follows is a round-up of my favourite things from 2021 - articles, pods, music, threads - garnered from this year’s Ruffians, plus some extras for good measure. With apologies to free subscribers I’m putting this behind the paywall.

CONFLICTED is the perfect post-Christmas present to yourself. If you haven’t bought it yet, do yourself a favour. Click here for links to your favourite booksellers (UK and US).