The latest in our irregular series of posts teeming with book, film, music and miscellaneous recommendations

Curlers and Chips, Yorkshire, 1965, Sunday Times Magazine © John Bulmer

Everything on at Somerset House at the moment is rather excellent. Hassan Hajjaj’s photoseries La Caravane is on display until 7 January, and you have until 4 February to catch North: Fashioning Identity – an exploration of truth, myth, and the spaces in-between in visual representations of the North of England.

Ernie Brooks, bassist and founding member of The Modern Lovers, talks to Legs McNeil of Please Kill Me about the origins of the band, recording their classic (and only) album, and the meanings behind some of their songs. (via Douglas MacIntyre on Twitter)

Following the success of her bestselling novel, Helen Macdonald trains a new bird and follows a wild goshawk family in beautiful and moving film H is for Hawk: A New Chapter.

Literary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in The Center Will Not Hold, a remarkable new documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne.

Over on the Isle of Dogs Life blog, Clifford. L. Evans tells the story of his grandfather, Herbert Lionel Evans, who worked as a Thames River Postman until 1952. Fascinating stuff.

Country Diary: in The Guardian, Tony Greenbank writes about the rewilding of the river Ribble, in which he fished for minnows as a child with Arthur Ransome.

This super-cool, downloadable mix has appeared from Secousse:

Friend of the River and Wildlife and Environmental Sounds Curator at the British Library Cheryl Tipp plays an hour of underwater field recordings on NTS Radio.

And last but not least is this beauty from Bibio, taken from his new album Phantom Brickworks, out now: