My list: Artist Saba Rifat

I’m currently reading: Mirrors of the Unseen, Journeys in Iran, by Jason Elliott, chiefly because my husband Ahmed and I have recently been to that country, and we had the most amazing time. The Iranian people are often to be found, sitting up until two or three in the morning, chatting in the parks and public squares, telling stories, discussing things in their lives. Fascinating.

I’ve been listening to: During a road trip to the States, and in particular to Oregon, we listed to Clint Mansell’s Requiem for a Dream. It’s funny, isn’t it, how music can sometimes have a profound effect on a journey that it just seems to meld seamlessly into what you are witnessing? The two belonged to each other.

On TV, I’ve been watching: Not a great deal, but while I was in America I quite got into a series called Wayward Pines, which is a sort of sci-fi, time-slip, story about a secret service agent who visits a small community, and who them – very mysteriously – finds that he can’t get out of this strange town. It’s based on the book, Pines, by Blake Crouch. Oddly compelling viewing.

The film I last saw was: The Martian, with Matt Damon. Again that was in the States, and we saw it with an American audience – who seemed to pick up on the odd sense of humour that runs through it so well. It was a bit of an experience, and a comfortable and rather laid-back sort of film.

The live performance I’d recommend is: We went over to Blackburn recently, to catch Al-Fidaus, who are a group who come from Granada in Spain, but whose music has all sorts of influences, among them Celtic, Arabian and Turkish. I would urge everyone to find their CD, Safa, and listen to the richness of their music.