The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast

Strange. Surreal. Smart.

The uncanny world Camilla Grudova imagines across the various stories that make up The Doll’s Alphabet is one in which you’re never quite sure what’s around the corner.

Thankfully, we have Claire Carroll, another brilliant short story writer—and all-round excellent egg—to hold our hand and help us begin to unpick the intricacies of this beguiling collection.

Or not.

Maybe we don’t need to figure everything out, and maybe we don’t need to completely understand what it all means.

Who knows? But we’ll have some fun thinking about it, and some quite wonderful book chat.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest is the author of The Unreliable Nature Writer, Claire Carroll. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2017 short story collection The Doll’s Alphabet by Camila Grudova.

About Claire

Claire Carroll lives in Somerset, UK, and writes experimental fiction about the intersection of nature, technology, and desire. She is also a PhD researcher at Bath Spa and Exeter Universities, where she explores how experimental writing – particularly short stories and prose-poetry – can reimagine how humans relate to the natural and non-human world. Claire’s short stories and poetry have been published by journals including Gutter Magazine, perverse, Lunate Journal, The Oxonian Review, and Short Fiction Journal. In 2021, her short story My Brain is Boiling with Ideas was shortlisted for The White Review’s Short Story Prize, and her short story Cephalopod was the recipient of the Essex University & Short Fiction Journal Wild Writing Prize. Both pieces are taken from The Unreliable Nature Writer, Claire’s collection of linked short stories that examines the interconnection of climate anxiety, surviving late capitalism and dealing with personal loss.

About Camila

Camilla Grudova lives in Edinburgh. She holds a degree in Art History and German from McGill University, Montreal. Her fiction has appeared in The White Review and Granta. Her critically acclaimed debut collection, The Doll's Alphabet, was published in 2017. Her first novel, Children of Paradise, was longlisted for the Women's Prize. Her most recent book is a second collection, The Coiled Serpent. In 2023 she was named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists, a once-in-a-decade accolade.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The Doll's Alphabet by Camila Grudova and Claire’s The Unreliable Nature Writer from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Nick Lizard’s review I mention is available on the Guardian website here.

* Find Claire on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. If you’d like to support the library and get access to everything here, you can become a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All support goes back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel about a man who accidentally kidnaps a pig.

Find a quiet pub that hasn’t been renovated for at least twenty years, preferably longer.

Order a preposterous drink, one that involves Cinzano, and a pint of ale to wash it down.

Ask for a bag of crisps (or a more elaborate bar snack given a cigarette inside won’t be possible) and, once you’ve paid the tab (with cash rummaged from the lint-filled pocket of your crumpled, ill-fitting suit), take a seat in the corner.

Oh, and do all of this in the middle of the afternoon, so it’s light outside, and thus you’re filled with a sense of rule-breaking freedom.

Sorted?

Good. You can now join me and Richard Foster to discuss the great Kingsley Amis and one of his darkly comedic later novels, Ending Up.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest is the author of Flower Factory and The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club, Richard Foster. We discuss his pick for the library, the 1974 novel Ending Up by Kingsley Amis.

About Richard

Richard Foster is a writer and artist living in the Netherlands. Richard is best known as a writer for The Quietus and Louder than War, and for his work at the famous avant-garde cultural centre, WORM. His debut novel, Flower Factory, was published by Ortac Press in 2022, followed by The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club in 2025.

About Kingsley

Sir Kingsley William Amis CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social and literary criticism. He is best known for satirical comedies such as Lucky Jim (1954), One Fat Englishman (1963), Ending Up (1974), Jake's Thing (1978) and The Old Devils (1986). His biographer Zachary Leader called Amis "the finest English comic novelist of the second half of the twentieth century". In 2008, The Times ranked him ninth on a list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. He was the father of the novelist Martin Amis.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Ending Up by Kingsley Amis and Richard’s The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* The BBC Documentary on Amis mentioned in the conversation can be found here.

* An interview with a younger Amis can be found here.

* Find Richard on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel about a man who accidentally kidnaps a pig.

Weird.

A bit creepy.

Not quite sure what’s going on.

…but enough about me.

Let’s talk about What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron, which is weird, a bit creepy and, though it’s a fascinating and enjoyable read, you’re never quite sure what’s going on.

Thankfully, we have a fine guide to hold our hand through the twists and turns in the narrative as I’m joined by the brilliant—and Booker-nominated no less!—Sophie Mackintosh.

The blurbists say this book is Wes Anderson meets David Lynch.

But is it?

Listen in and you’ll find out.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the author of The Water Cure, Blue Ticket, and Cursed Bread, Sophie Mackintosh. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2020 novel What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron.

About Sophie

Sophie Mackintosh is the author of three novels: The Water Cure, Blue Ticket, and Cursed Bread. Her debut novel was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018 and won a Betty Trask Award 2019. Cursed Bread was longlisted for the Women's Prize 2023. She has been published in Granta, The White Review, and TANK magazine among others.

About Peter

Peter Cameron is the author of several novels, including Andorra, The Weekend, and Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Rolling Stone, and many other literary journals, and his work has been adapted for screen. Cameron divides his time between New York City and Sandgate, Vermont.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron and Sophie’s most recent novel, Cursed Bread from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Find Sophie on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel.

Just who do you think you are?Stop actin' like some kind of starJust who do you think you are?Take it like a man, baby, if that's what you are

'Cause I'm movin' on up, you're movin' on outMovin' on up, nothin' can stop meMovin' on up, you're movin' on outTime to break free, nothin' can stop me, yeah

When Heather Small of the early 90s rhythm outfit M People sang those words, I wonder if she was—in some small way—protesting the oppression of a capitalist class system that requires any attempt at social mobility to be performed individually and not as a collective?

Then I read the rest of the lyrics and understand she was likely bemoaning some shabby ex who sounds like a right weasel.

Still, we must wonder.

For certain, I know the “novel” Change by Édouard Louis is focused on social mobility and all the personal and political struggles that come with it.

I know this—in a large part—thanks to the excellent chat I had about the book with the brilliant poet and author, Keiran Goddard.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the poet and author, Keiran Goddard. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2024 novel Change by Édouard Louis.

About Keiran

Keiran Goddard is a writer and social commentator. He is the author Strings (2013), For The Chorus (2016) Votive (2019), Hourglass (2022) and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning (2024).  His books and articles have been published internationally and he is writes regularly for the Guardian.  He is represented by Clare Conville at CW. 

About Édouard

Édouard Louis is the author of The End of Eddy, History of Violence, Who Killed My Father, A Woman's Battles and Transformations, and Change, and the editor of a book on the social scientist Pierre Bourdieu. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages, making him one of the most celebrated writers of his generation worldwide.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Change by Édouard Louis and Keiran’s most recent novel, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* You can find a link to Keiran’s original review of the book for the Guardian here.

* Find Kerian on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel.

Give over, Gatsby.

Zip it, Zuckerman.

Away with you, Angstrom.

There’s a new hero in the Great American Novel…

And she goes by the name Alice Blackwell.

But wait… there’s another twist. Turns out Alice isn’t an Alice at all. She’s a Laura. Laura Bush. And wait, her husband ain’t no Charlie… it’s George damn Dubya.

What the hell is going on? Why am I imagining Blair’s old buddy having sex? Has someone slipped a Rumsfeld in my Dick Cheney?

No. When it comes to American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, it’s all true. Well, some of it is—and the other bits… it’s hard to know. Thankfully, I’m joined by a wonderful guest in the form of the brilliant writer and journalist, Hattie Crisell, to help us unpick fact from fiction and unpack one hell of a novel.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the excellent writer, journalist, and podcaster, Hattie Crisell. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2008 novel American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld.

About Hattie

Hattie Crisell is a writer, journalist, and podcaster. Alongside stints as acting fashion editor of The Times and acting features director of Grazia, she has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Elle, Vogue, and The New York Times. In 2019 she created the podcast In Writing with Hattie Crisell, on which she interviews writers of all kinds about how and where they write, and what they've learned about doing it well. Her first book, inspired by the podcast, In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration, and Creative Desperation was published in 2024 by Granta Books.

About Curtis

Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of seven novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, Eligible, Rodham, and Romantic Comedy, which was picked for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. Her first story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say It, was published in 2018 and also picked for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. Her books have been selected by The New York Times, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and People for their “Ten Best Books of the Year” lists, optioned for television and film, and translated into thirty languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Esquire, and in the Best American Short Stories anthology, of which she was the 2020 guest editor. Her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Slate, and on “This American Life.”

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* And you can order Hattie’s book In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration, and Creative Desperation here.

* Listen to Hattie's interview with Curtis Sittenfeld here.

* See some of George W. Bush’s paintings here. (I have no clue if they’re all real, but some of them are.)

* Find Hattie on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel.

Get ready to feel a new passion for life.

Get ready to notice things you’ve never noticed before…

Speak to people you’d usually pass in the street…

…and generally seek out a deeper connection to the world around you.

How come?

Because in this latest episode, not only are we talking all things Kerouac… but we’re doing so with the frankly inspiring David Keenan.

This is the “magic God stuff” as Jack has it. And it is nothing less than “magical,” as both David and I agree.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the brilliant David Keenan. We discuss his pick for the library, the 1973 novel Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac.

About David

David Keenan is the author of six critically acclaimed novels; the cult classic This is Memorial Device, which won the London Magazine Prize; For the Good Times, which won the Gordon Burn Prize and was shortlisted for the Encore Award; The Towers The Fields The Transmitters, Xstabeth, which was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, Monument Maker, which was a Rough Trade Book of the Year and Industry of Magic & Light. He is also the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a history of the UK's post-punk and Industrial music scenes. He has been writing about music since he was seventeen years old, most consistently for The Wire, and between 2004-2014 he co-ran the cult Glasgow record shop Volcanic Tongue.

About Jack

Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Perhaps his most famous work is On the Road, which has gained cult status across generations.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac and David’s incredible book This is Memorial Device from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Listen to Jack Kerouac read from Visions of Cody here.

* Find David on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel.

Can you ever paint a complete picture of a person on the page?

The often-overlooked German writer Christa Wolf figured she’d give it a damn good go.

The result?

A strange, sad, and in some ways challenging book that was “half banned” by the German Democratic Republic.

Why was it deemed so provocative? Did Wolf manage to capture the whole of someone in her book? And why did my GCSE German teacher so roundly mock me for saying castle?

These are all questions the wonderful Catherine Taylor helps me to answer in this latest episode.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is author of The Stirrings, Catherine Taylor. We discuss her pick for the library, the 1968 novel The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf.

About Catherine

Catherine Taylor was born in Waikato, New Zealand, and grew up in Sheffield, South Yorkshire from the age of three. She studied English and Philosophy at Cardiff University and has worked in the book industry since 1992, for, variously, the British Library, Microsoft Encarta, Amazon, The Folio Society, and most recently as the deputy director of English PEN. She is a book critic and features writer for Guardian Review, New Statesman, FT Life & Arts, The Economist, Times Literary Supplement, Irish Times, Prospect, and the i. She is co-founder of the Brixton Review of Books, a non-profit literary quarterly, and editor of The Book of Sheffield: A City in Short Fiction (Comma Press, 2019), which was chosen as the Big City Read 2020 by Sheffield Libraries. Catherine's first book, The Stirrings: A Memoir in Northern Time was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2023 and won the 2024 TLS Ackerley prize for memoir and life writing.

About Christa

Christa Wolf was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany. Her books include Cassandra, Model Childhood, and The Quest for Christa T.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf and Catherine’s fascinating book The Stirrings from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Learn more about Christa Wolf here.

* Find Catherine on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Write drunk, edit sober.

That was Hemingway’s formulation.

But given Patrick Hamilton is said to have been on three bottles of whisky a day by the time he wrote The Slaves of Solitude, I can’t imagine he gave much attention to the second part of Ernie’s advice.

Yet the most miraculous thing—aside from even being able to see his notebook after three bottles of the good stuff—is that Hamilton appears to have written a great work of literature.

As you’ll discover, this often-overlooked novel is a funny, frightening, and fascinatingly insightful study of the British psyche during (and after) the Second World War.

And frankly, I couldn’t have a better person to discuss the book with me—the author of an equally fascinating book (that examines the war in a new light), the brilliant writer and journalist, Luke Turner.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is journalist, author, co-founder of The Quietus, and all round very nice chap, Luke Turner. We discuss his pick for the library, the 1947 novel The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton.

About Luke

Luke Turner is a writer and editor. He co-founded the influential music website The Quietus and has contributed to the Guardian, Dazed & Confused, Vice, NME, Q, Mojo, Monocle, Nowness, Somesuch Stories and the BBC among others. His first book, Out of the Woods, was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize. His second book, Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945, was published in 2024. He lives in London.

About Patrick

Anthony Walter Patrick Hamilton was an English playwright and novelist. He was well regarded by Graham Greene and J. B. Priestley, and study of his novels has been revived because of their distinctive style, deploying a Dickensian narrative voice to convey aspects of inter-war London street culture. They display a strong sympathy for the poor, as well as an acerbic black humor. Doris Lessing wrote in The Times in 1968: "Hamilton was a marvelous novelist who's grossly neglected". His two most successful plays, Rope (1929) and Gas Light (1938), were made into famous films: Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948); the UK-made Gaslight (1940), followed by the 1944 American version.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton and Luke’s fascinating book Men at War from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* You can find The Quietus here.

* Find Luke on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

I love this book.

I love Susanna Crossman for recommending it.

And I love you, my bookish friend. Because why not?

Indeed, I’m filled with book love to have discovered both Susanna and John’s work recently and it’s a pleasure to feature them both on the podcast.

When Susanna recommended reading John D’Agata’s About A Mountain, I’d never heard of it. To my shame, I’d never heard of John D’Agata.

If you find yourself in the same situation… listen to this episode and then go buy About A Mountain.

But before you confirm your order or hand over your shillings to the bookseller, add a copy of Susanna’s fascinating memoir Home Is Where We Start too—it’s great. Susanna’s own story will amaze you as much as the story of Yucca Mountain will.

Yup. We’re piling on the non-fiction in this episode, so strap in and get ready to have some serious insight inserted into your ears as I welcome you to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

As I say, in this episode, my very special guest is the brilliant Susanna Crossman discussing her pick for the library, the 2010 essay About A Mountain by John D’Agata.

About Susanna

Susanna Crossman grew up in an international utopian community in England during the 1970s and 80s. Now based in France, she works internationally as a writer, clinical art therapist, and lecturer. Her recent writing has been featured in Aeon, the Paris Review, and Berfois. She is a published novelist in French and regularly collaborates with artists. She lives with her partner and three daughters.

About John

John D'Agata is an American essayist. He is the author or editor of six books of nonfiction, including The Next American Essay (2003), The Lost Origins of the Essay (2009) and The Making of the American Essay—all part of the trilogy of essay anthologies called "A New History of the Essay". He also wrote The Lifespan of a Fact, Halls of Fame, and About a Mountain. D'Agata has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Howard Foundation, and the Lannan Foundation. He is the M.F. Carpenter Professor of Writing in the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order About A Mountain by John D’Agata and Susanna’s fascinating book Home Is Where We Start from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* You can watch snippets of an interview with John D’Agata discussing About A Mountain here.

* Find Susanna on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

At just 176 loosely-fonted pages and ostensibly about a woman who has a holiday romance with a grizzly, you might think the appropriately titled Bear sounds somewhat “throwaway.”

A bit weird. A bit surreal. Even a bit pervy.

You probably wouldn’t think it serious literature.

But there you’d be wrong.

The book works on several levels, raising thought-provoking questions about male violence, patriarchy, and colonialism. It ain’t throwaway, my friend. It’s a potential classic.

Thankfully, I had the excellent author, translator, and publisher, Jen Calleja, to guide me through the myriad interpretations of this strange and only recently rediscovered novel.

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest is, as I say, the brilliant Jen Calleja discussing her pick for the library, the 1976 novel Bear by Marian Engel.

About Jen

Jen Calleja is the author of Goblinhood: Goblin as a Mode, Vehicle, Dust Sucker, I’m Afraid That’s All We’ve Got Time For, and Serious Justice. She is a literary translator from German and has translated the work of authors such as Wim Wenders, Marion Poschmann, Gregor Hens, and Michelle Steinbeck (who was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize). She is also a publisher at Praspar Press. You can find out more about Jen by visiting her own website at JenCalleja.com.

About Marian

Marian Engel was a Canadian novelist and a founding member of the Writers' Union of Canada. Her most famous and controversial novel was Bear (1976), a tale of erotic love between an archivist and a bear.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Bear by Marian Engel and Jen’s own most recent book Goblinhood: Goblin as a Mode from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* You can read the New Yorker article we mention in the episode by Claire Cameron here.

* You can watch an interview with Marian Engel discussing Bear here.

* Find Jen on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Strap in.

We’re leaving the known world behind to explore the strange ecstatic visions of a little-known but hugely influential French writer, a fascinating chap called Gérard de Nerval.

We’re going to the edge of perception… and we’re going to peek over it.

Will we return changed? Enlightened? Alive?

Who knows?

Welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest (and someone I’ve wanted to get on the show since its inception) is the brilliant Rob Doyle discussing his pick for the library, the 1855 novella Aurélia by Gérard de Nerval.

About Rob

Rob Doyle was born in Dublin. His first novel, Here Are the Young Men, was chosen as a book of the year by the Sunday Times, Irish Times, and Independent, and was among Hot Press magazine’s ‘20 Greatest Irish Novels 1916-2016’. Doyle adapted it for film with director Eoin Macken. Doyle also has a published collection of short stories: This is the Ritual. He is the editor of the anthology The Other Irish Tradition and In This Skull Hotel Where I Never Sleep. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Vice, TLS, Dublin Review, and many other publications, and he writes regularly for the Irish Times. His most recent book Threshold was published in 2020, followed by Autobibliography in 2021.

About Gérard

Gérard de Nerval was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of French romanticism, and is best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection Les Filles du feu (The Daughters of Fire), which included the novella Sylvie and the poem "El Desdichado". Through his translations, Nerval played a major role in introducing French readers to the works of German Romantic authors, including Klopstock, Schiller, Bürger, and Goethe. His later work merged poetry and journalism in a fictional context and influenced Marcel Proust. His last novella, Aurélia (ou le rêve et la vie), influenced André Breton and Surrealism.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Gérard de Nerval’s Selected Writings and Rob’s Threshold from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Find Rob on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Sometimes the best place to begin a story is at the end.

Sometimes, a whole story is about an end.

(That certainly seems to be the case with Lydia Davis’ only novel, The End of the Story.)

But sometimes, the end is not an end at all and is in fact the beginning of a new story.

It’s a confusing business.

Thankfully, we have the brilliant novelist and writer Olivia Sudjic on hand to help determine if we’re at the end, the beginning, or lost wandering somewhere in between.

Welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

As I say, in this sixth episode of the show, my very special guest is the superb Olivia Sudjic discussing her pick for the library, the 1995 novel The End of the Story by Lydia Davis.

Enjoy.

About Olivia

Olivia Sudjic is the author of Sympathy, which was a finalist for the Salerno European Book Award and the Collyer Bristow Prize, and Exposure, a non-fiction work named an Irish Times, Evening Standard, and White Review Book of the Year for 2018. Her second novel, Asylum Road, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for the Encore Award and the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. In 2023, she was named on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list, compiled every 10 years since 1983, identifying the 20 most significant British novelists aged under 40.

About Lydia

Lydia Davis is the author of one novel and seven short story collections, one of which was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award. She is the acclaimed translator of an edition of Swann’s Way, published by Penguin Press, and her translation of Madame Bovary was published by Viking in the US and the UK in 2010. She was awarded the Man Booker International Prize in May 2013.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The End of the Story and Olivia’s novels Sympathy and Ayslum Road from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* An interesting video of Lydia talking about shaping messy material can be watched here.

* Find Olivia Sudjic on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I’m currently working on my first novel. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Getting into someone’s mind is a dangerous business.

Consider poor Kylie Minogue who, as far as I know, has never managed to get an unnamed “Boy” out of her own. She’s tried, but she just can’t—he’s now literally all she ever thinks about.

Given the clear risks, I was worried about reading Eimear McBride’s The Lesser Bohemians, a book that attempts to get into the mind of an 18-year-old Irish girl who falls in love with an older man in 90s London.

Thankfully, I had the brilliant Rebecca Watson to guide me. She’s an expert in the process (as her first novel little scratch proves).

Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

As I say, in this fifth episode, my very special guest is celebrated author Rebecca Watson. She discusses her pick for the library, the 2016 novel The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride.

About Rebecca

Rebecca Watson is a novelist. Her first book, little scratch (2021), was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize and adapted into a play with sell-out runs at Hampstead Theatre and New Diorama. Watson was chosen as one of the Observer's 10 best debut novelists of 2021 and as a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. Her second novel, I Will Crash, was published in July 2024 to critical acclaim, with the Observer hailing her as a 'one-of-a-kind storyteller'. Her non-fiction has been published widely, including in the Guardian, the TLS, Granta, and British Vogue. In 2022, she presented a documentary for BBC Radio 4—where her short stories have also aired.

About Eimear

Eimear McBride grew up in the west of Ireland and trained at Drama Centre London. Her first novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing took nine years to find a publisher and subsequently received a number of awards, including the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, and the Goldsmiths Prize. Her second novel The Lesser Bohemians won the 2017 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. In 2017 she was awarded the inaugural Creative Fellowship of the Beckett Research Centre, University of Reading. In a 2018 Times Literary Supplement poll of 200 critics, academics, and fiction writers, McBride was named one of the ten best British and Irish novelists writing today.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The Lesser Bohemian’s and Rebecca’s latest novel I Will Crash from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* A good interview with Eimar McBride can be found on YouTube here.

* The episode about My Phantoms with special guest Aidan Cottrell-Boyce can be found here.

* Find Rebecca Watson on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean too. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Do we all go through a Will Self phase?

Maybe.

But only one writer I know turned their enjoyment of Will Self into a brilliant, mildly mind-bending, and wholly entertaining detective-ish novel.

Enter Sam Mills.

And welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark), you can become a supporter of the library.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest is the wonderful Sam Mills discussing her pick for the library: The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino.

(We had some audio problems on this one—with the recording missing some frequencies, but hopefully, you’ll be able to listen and enjoy Sam’s thoughts.)

About Sam

Sam Mills graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Language and Literature. She is the author of 3 young adult novels published by Faber & Faber, including the award-winning Blackout. Her debut novel for adults, The Quiddity of Will Self (Corsair, 2012) was described by The Sunday Times as 'an ingenious, energetic read' and The Guardian as 'an extraordinary novel of orgiastic obsession.' In 2020, Fourth Estate published her memoir about being a carer, The Fragments of my Father, which was shortlisted for the Barbellion Prize. Her most recent novel, The Watermark, was published by Granta in 2024. Sam has written for a number of publications, including The Guardian, The Independent, 3am Magazine, and The London Magazine. She is the co-founder of indie press Dodo Ink and lives in London looking after her father and cat.

About Italo

Italo Calvino was an Italian writer and journalist. His best-known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy (1952–1959), the Cosmicomics collection of short stories (1965), and the novels Invisible Cities (1972) and If on a winter's night a traveler (1979). Admired in Britain, Australia, and the United States, Calvino was the most translated contemporary Italian writer at the time of his death. He is buried in the garden cemetery of Castiglione della Pescaia in Tuscany.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order The Complete Cosmicomics and Sam’s book The Watermark from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Find Sam Mills on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in online literary journals Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

As the frontman of the band Fat White Family, you might know Lias Saoudi as an exciting, confrontational, and spanx-wearing rock phenomenon.

You might also know him as a great writer, as evidenced by Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure, which he co-authored with Adelle Stripe (news on the Stripe front coming soon).

But you probably don’t know him as a Warhammer-collecting, duck-eating, mortality-fearing handbag model.

Today, that all changes.

Welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this third episode, my very special guest is indeed the brilliant Lias Saoudi discussing his pick for the library, the 2016 memoir White Sands by Geoff Dyer.

About Lias

Lias Saoudi is a writer, artist, and musician, and the frontman of Fat White Family. Born to a British mother and Algerian father, he grew up in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, before moving to London and gaining a Fine Art degree from Slade School of Art. During the first UK lockdown, Lias began contributing a series of unflinching autobiographical pieces entitled Life Beyond the Neutral Zone to the online cultural hub, The Social Gathering. He has published in The New Frontier: Reflections From the Irish Border—an anthology of new writing from some of Ireland’s greatest contemporary authors marking the centenary of partition. He is also the debut guest editor of Ambit Pop, a new annual issue of the venerable quarterly arts magazine. His first book, Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure, co-written with Adelle Stripe, is described by Miranda Sawyer in The Observer as “the story of a band that’s always on the brink: of stardom, of madness, of brilliance, of disgrace”. It was published by White Rabbit Books in 2022.

About Geoff

Geoff Dyer is the author of Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi and three previous novels, as well as nine non-fiction books. Dyer has won the Somerset Maugham Prize, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, a Lannan Literary Award, the International Center of Photography’s 2006 Infinity Award for writing on photography, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ E.M. Forster Award. In 2009 he was named GQ’s Writer of the Year. He won a National Book Critics Circle Award in 2012 and was a finalist in 1998. In 2015 he received a Windham Campbell Prize for non-fiction. His books have been translated into twenty-four languages. He currently lives in Los Angeles where he is Writer in Residence at the University of Southern California.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order White Sands and Lias’s book (with Adelle Stripe) Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* The Hyundai advert starring Lias and narrated by Rob Doyle.

* The official video for the excellent song Feet by Fat White Family.

* Find Lias Saoudi on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

Sexy frogmen are sneaking around and clowns are being run over in Belfast.

What’s going on?

Well, you’re about to find out.

Welcome to Episode Two of The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking Bookmark), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this episode, my very special guest is the wonderful Wendy Erskine discussing her pick for the library: Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls.

It was such a pleasure talking to Wendy and I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed recording it.

About Wendy

Wendy Erskine lives in Belfast. Her debut collection, Sweet Home, was published by The Stinging Fly Press in Sept 2018 and Picador in 2019, and has been translated into Italian and Arabic and optioned for TV. It won the 2020 Butler Literary Award, was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize 2019, and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2019. The story 'Inakeen' was longlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Prize 2019. Sweet Home was Book of the Year in the Guardian, The White Review, Observer, New Statesman, and TLS. Wendy's second collection of stories, Dance Move, was published in February 2022. Her work has been published in The Stinging Fly, Winter Papers, Female Lines: New Writing from Northern Ireland, and Being Various: New Irish Short Stories (Faber) and read on BBC Radio 4.

About Rachel

Rachel Ingalls was born in Boston in 1940. She spent time in Germany before studying at Radcliffe College and moved to England in 1965, where she lived for the rest of her life. Her debut novel, Theft (1970), won the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, and her novella Mrs Caliban (1982) was named one of the 20 best American novels since World War Two by the British Book Marketing Council. Over half a century, Ingalls wrote 11 story collections and novellas—all published by Faber—to great acclaim but remains relatively unknown. She died in 2019 after a revival of interest in her work.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order Mrs Caliban and Wendy’s book Dance Move from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* Read about and see images from a play that imagined what Larry might look like here.

* Watch the OG “frogman” perform Needle in the Hay by Elliot Smith here.

* Find Wendy Erskine on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My fiction has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.

It’s here.

And you came.

Hurrah!

Imagine me, standing at an elaborate entrance to a grand hall, wearing a tuxedo, bowing deeply, and welcoming you to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast.

I’ll be your host, Glenn Fisher (though I’m going to change into something more casual now).

So—what’s it all about?

In short, it’s a new series of book-based wonder-chat.

In each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.

There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.

(You know, I thought this orange leotard and neon cravat would be more casual. I’m not so sure.)

If you enjoy the show and would like to help us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking Bookmark), you can become a supporter of the library by upgrading your subscription.

But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.

In this first episode, my very special guest is the author of The End of Nightwork, the wonderful Aidan Cottrell-Boyce. We roam far and wide around his excellent pick for the library, the 2021 novel My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley.

You can listen here on Substack, or you can find the podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

But wherever you choose to listen…

I do hope you enjoy our book-based wonder-chat.

About Aidan

Aidan Cottrell-Boyce was born in Liverpool in 1987. He completed his PhD at the Divinity Faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2018. During his doctoral studies, he ran as a Parliamentary candidate for the Green Party. He is the author of two academic books: Jewish Christians in Puritan England (2020) and Israelism in Modern Britain (2021). His short fiction has appeared in The White Review. He currently works as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at St Mary's University in London. His first novel, The End of Nightwork, was published by Granta in January 2023 and he was chosen as one of the Observer's best debut novelists of 2023.

About Gwendoline

Gwendolyn Riley was born in London in 1979. She is the author of My Phantoms, which was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize; of First Love, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for fiction, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Gordon Burn Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for fiction; and of Cold Water, Sick Notes, Joshua Spassky, and Opposed Positions. She has also won a Betty Trask Award and a Somerset Maugham Award and has been shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. In 2018, The Times Literary Supplement named her as one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.

Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode

* Order My Phantoms and Aidan’s book The End of Night Work from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.

* The Chekhov quote about presenting problems correctly here.

* Watch the interview with Gwendoline Riley I mentioned here.

* Find Aidan Cottrell-Boyce on Instagram here.

* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.

About the Library

The Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. The library is free—like all libraries should be. But if you’d like to support the library, you can make a small monthly donation by becoming a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark). All donations go back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.

About Glenn

Glenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My fiction has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and creatives here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands.