The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast

What would your utopia look like?A socialist state where everyone shares the same communal underwear, and you stay in the education system until retirement age?A fascistic wonderland where you’re forced to chant the leader’s name for ten minutes, five times a day, but you do get to enjoy unlimited Aperol Spritz?Or would yours be built entirely around how, as a society, we treat Ant and Dec?It’s a tough one.In his last novel, Island, Aldous Huxley begins to paint a picture of a possible utopia as he sees it.To figure out how successful Huxley is at doing so, I’m joined by a person I’d certainly offer a leadership position in my own literary-based dictatorship—the brilliant artist, musician, and writer, Richard Phoenix.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 artist, musician, and writer Richard Phoenix, author of Do Your Own Thing, published by Rough Trade Books. We discuss his pick for the library, the 1962 novel Island by Aldous Huxley.About RichardRichard Phoenix is an artist integrating painting, writing, music, and facilitation. He creates work that explores the rhythm, harmony, and dissonance to be found in co-operation, support, and art-making, and the resulting balance between care and domination to be navigated. Arriving at painting not through formal education but through many years playing in DIY bands and working within learning disability arts as creative support, these experiences profoundly influenced the way Richard approaches making and thinking about art.About AldousAldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an English writer, philosopher, and intellectual, born into a prominent family, famous for his dystopian novel Brave New World (1932) and his explorations into mysticism and psychedelic drugs, notably in The Doors of Perception (1954). Despite near-blindness as a youth, he became a prolific author, moving to California in 1937, where he wrote screenplays, explored Eastern philosophies, and chronicled his drug-induced visions, leaving a legacy as a humanist and social commentator.  Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order Island by Aldous Huxley and Do Your Own Thing by Richard Phoenix from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Find Richard Phoenix on Instagram here.* Find out more about Richard’s art practice here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

I once saw Carey Mulligan in the bar at the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square.In my memory, it was just the two of us. Or at least, it was quiet. I seem to remember the bar was downstairs. Or it was dark.I didn’t dare speak to her or say hello. But she looked like a nice person.Reflecting on the encounter now, decades later, I don’t know why I was in the bar of the Royal Court Theatre at all, and regardless, this is all barely relevant, except that in the film adaptation of Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Mulligan plays Cathy, the novel’s narrator.And that’s really why we’re assembled here today, you and I, because my excellent guest for Episode 29 of the show, the right honorable Sam Reid, chose to discuss Ishiguro’s famous novel about three young people coming to terms with their inevitable—and somewhat unfortunate—destiny.I’m glad he did, because it makes for a fascinating chat, which I hope you enjoy.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 writer Sam Reid, author of The Pin Jar, published by Rough Trade Books. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2005 novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.About SamSam Reid is the editor of Field, a biannual literary magazine that platforms emerging voices alongside established novelists and poets. He is also the presenter of the Field Ramble podcast, a fortnightly long-form interview with some of the most exciting and innovative writers working in English today. His poetry has previously been published by Dunlin Press, and he is a graduate of the MMU creative writing MA programme. He lives in Sussex and spends as much time in its forests, hills, and sea as possible. The Pin Jar is his debut novel.About KazuoKazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His works of fiction have earned him many honours around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His books have been translated into over fifty languages, and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go were both made into acclaimed films. He received a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan. His most recent novel, Klara and the Sun, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback. Ishiguro also works occasionally as a screenwriter. His screenplay for the 2022 film Living received Academy Award (Oscar) and BAFTA nominations.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Pin Jar by Sam Reid from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Learn more about Field Zine, which Sam edits and publishes here.* Find Sam Reid on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

You could spend an entire podcast unpicking the bizarre circumstances that found a working-class kid from Grimsby on a business class flight to Las Vegas, reading a book about an American ex-marine growing up in poverty-stricken Bacon County, Georgia.But this is not that podcast.Still, 30,000 feet above the Atlantic is where I found myself recently reading Harry Crews’s fascinating memoir A Childhood: The Biography of a Place.I’d never heard of the book before, nor—to my shame—Harry Crews.Thankfully, I have now. And it’s all thanks to the brilliant writer Adelle Stripe, who picked Crews’s terribly overlooked book to discuss for the latest episode of the show.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 writer Adelle Stripe, author of several excellent books, most recently Base Notes: The Scents of a Life, published by White Rabbit Books. We discuss her pick for the library, the 1978 memoir A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews.About AdelleAdelle Stripe is an author and journalist whose writing explores working-class culture, hidden histories, popular music, and small-town life. Adelle’s debut novel, Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile, was based on the life and work of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. It was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and Portico Prize for Literature. A new edition was recently republished by Virago Press. Her second book, Ten Thousand Apologies, was shortlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize. Co-written with Lias Saoudi, the biography charts the rise, fall, and eventual salvage of one of the UK’s most controversial bands. It was a Rough Trade book of the year and a Sunday Times bestseller. Told through a prism of vintage perfumes, Base Notes is her poetic, poignant, and bleakly comic coming-of-age memoir set in the closing years of the late 20th century. It is a Telegraph book of the year. As a journalist, Adelle has contributed to The Quietus, Yorkshire Post, Tribune, Record Collector, TLS, and many more. She was a Burgess Fellow at the University of Manchester in 2023 and holds an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives in West Yorkshire, UK.About HarryHarry Crews (1935–2012) was an American novelist, essayist, and University of Florida professor known for his gritty, darkly comic portrayals of Southern life. Raised in rural poverty, he channeled hardship into raw, violent, and deeply human stories exploring obsession, survival, and the grotesque underbelly of the American South.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews and Base Notes: The Scents of a Life by Adelle Stripe from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Watch one of the documentaries—The Rough South of Harry Crews—that Adelle mentions.* Find Adelle Stripe on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Shōbōgenzō, he said.Bless you, I replied, and passed him a tissue.No, you idiot. That’s the book. I want to talk about Shōbōgenzō, The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.It’s the time of year, I said. Here, have another tissue.At this point, Litt smacked me over the head with a huge volume of Buddhist teaching, and at the same time, I heard the faint sound of a cymbal crash and the music from Benny Hill.Back in reality, I went away and began reading the teachings of Zen Master Dögen as the great writer Toby Litt suggested I should.I’m glad I did. They’re fascinating, and in this episode, I had the pleasure of quizing Toby (a writer I’ve long admired) about those very teachings.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 writer Toby Litt, author of a great many excellent books, and most recently A Writer’s Diary, published by Galley Beggar Press. We discuss his pick for the library, the 13th-century writing of Zen Master Dögen, collected as Shōbōgenzō, or The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.About TobyToby Litt is a writer, academic, and activist. He has published novels, short story collections, non-fiction, and poems. His most recent book is A Writer’s Diary (Galley Beggar, 2023), and his continuation of the diary is one of the most popular writing newsletters on Substack. His novel Patience was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Toby is a Granta Best of Young British Novelist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His story ‘The Retreat’ won the Short Fiction/University of Essex Prize. He is a member of English Pen and editor of the Writers Rebel website. The recent Netflix 8-part series Dead Boy Detectives was based on Toby’s run on the comic of the same name. The ebook of this was the #1 bestselling Comic & Graphic Novel on Amazon. When he is not writing, Toby likes sitting doing nothing. Toby is Head of Creative Writing at the University of Southampton.About DögenDōgen (1200–1253) was a Japanese Zen master, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. After studying in China, he emphasized shikantaza (“just sitting”) meditation. His masterpiece, Shōbōgenzō, explored enlightenment in everyday life, uniting profound insight with poetic expression, profoundly shaping Japanese Buddhist thought and practice.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order A Writer’s Diary by Toby Litt from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Learn more about Zen Master Dogen in this YouTube video sharing four lessons from his teaching.* Find Toby Litt on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

What if, instead of trying to date Andie MacDowell, Bill Murray had spent Groundhog Day questioning existence in Danish?Granted, it’s not a what-if you’ve probably thought about before.Yet in many ways, the first volume of Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume goes some way towards imagining it.Of course, I jest. But only a little.The basic premise of the novel is the same as Bill’s dilemma. But Balle takes the implications of being trapped in time to a whole different—and significantly more philosophical—level.Thankfully, to help me navigate such unsteady philosophical ground, I’m joined by the excellent Hannah Patterson to discuss the book and what being forced to live a single day in November over and over again would mean.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 writer Hannah Patterson, author of Ungone. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2020 novel On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J. Haveland.About HannahHannah Patterson has written for stage and screen. Recent plays include MUCH, Giving, Platinum, Eden, and Playing With Grown Ups, which was nominated for a West End Award for Best New Play. As a writer for film, she’s working on features with filmmakers such as Desperate Optimists duo Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor, Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey, and visual artist Melanie Manchot. She has won The Athena List, in association with Amazon Studios, and the Galway Film Fleadh Best Pitch Award, and is a producer of the award-winning documentary Shelter in Place. She has written extensively about cinema and culture for books and publications, including the Guardian, Time Out, and Sight & Sound, is editor of the acclaimed essay collection Poetic Visions of America: The Cinema of Terence Malick, and regularly hosts Q&As for festivals and venues such as the BFI, the Barbican, BAFTA, and Curzon. Ungone, her first novel, is published by Rough Trade Books.About SolvejSolvej Balle is a Danish writer. She is best known for her multi-volume work of fiction, On the Calculation of Volume, the first three books of which won the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the first book of which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle and pick up a copy of Ungone from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Find Hannah Patterson on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Ah, Ben Lerner.Who doesn’t love Ben Lerner?Seriously. Get in touch.That said, despite being a big fan of his work, I also find him maddening at times. Partly because I wish I could write as cleverly as he does. Partly because I hope never to write as cleverly as he does. As they say, it’s complicated.What isn’t at all maddening is talking about Ben Lerner with fellow fans, and so I was over the moon when Gurnaik Johal (a brilliant writer in his own right) chose The Topeka School as his pick for the library.We discuss bringing your own baggage to a novel, the weaponisation of language, and why Ben Lerner is such an intelligent writer.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 writer Gurnaik Johal, author of We Move and, most recently, Saraswati. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2019 novel The Topeka School by Ben Lerner.About GurnaikGurnaik Johal is a writer from West London. He was shortlisted for The Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize in 2018 and graduated from The University of Manchester in 2019. Johal’s short story collection, We Move, published by Serpent’s Tail, was the Winner of the 2023 Somerset Maugham Award, Winner of the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award, a Guardian Book of the Year and a Hindustan Times Book of the Year. Its opening story also won the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize. His debut novel, Saraswati, published in 2025 by Serpent’s Tail, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. Johal was also named an Observer Best New Novelist for 2025.About BenBen Lerner was born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1979. He has received fellowships from the Fulbright, Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations, and is the author of three internationally acclaimed novels, Leaving the Atocha Station, 10:04 and The Topeka School. He has published several poetry collections, including No Art, The Lichtenberg Figures, which won the Hayden Carruth Award, Angle of Yaw (a finalist for the National Book Award), and Mean Free Path. In 2011, he became the first American to win the Munster Prize for International Poetry. Lerner lives and teaches in Brooklyn.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order The Topeka School by Ben Lerner and pick up a copy of Saraswati from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Find Gurnaik Johal on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 delivery driver who accidentally kidnaps a pig. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

You’ve got to love Werner Herzog.Confronted with the news that his friend was dying, his reaction was to walk 500-plus miles across Europe (during Winter) to see her.He declared the world would “not permit her to die” before he had completed the journey.It’s a bold move, and one he documented in a fascinating sliver of a book called Of Walking in Ice.In researching ahead of her own ambitious trek (across the North of England, from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay), acclaimed writer—and generally lovely person—Jenn Ashworth stumbled on Herzog’s strange account and was captivated by it.Familiar with the book myself and a big fan of Herzog, it was an absolute pleasure to discuss it with her for the show.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 writer Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted and most recently The Parallel Path. We discuss her pick for the library, the 1978 memoir Of Walking in Ice by Werner Herzog.About JennJenn Ashworth’s first novel, A Kind of Intimacy, was published in 2009 and won a Betty Trask Award. On the publication of her second, Cold Light (Sceptre, 2011) she was featured on the BBC’s The Culture Show as one of the UK’s twelve best new writers. In 2019, she published a memoir-in-essays, Notes Made While Falling, which was a New Statesman Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. Her most recent novel, Ghosted: A Love Story, was shortlisted for the Portico Prize in 2022. Her memoir, The Parallel Path, was published by Sceptre in 2025. She lives in Lancashire and is a Professor of Writing at Lancaster University.About WernerWerner Herzog has produced, written and directed more than seventy features and documentary films, including the multi-award-winning Grizzly Man, Aguirre, The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, My Best Fiend, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Nosferatu, Lessons of Darkness, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Into the Inferno, Meeting Gorbachev and Encounters at the End of the World. He has also directed many operas and published more than a dozen books of prose, including Conquest of the Useless, Of Walking on Ice, The Twilight World, and, most recently, his acclaimed memoir, Every Man for Himself and God against All. In 2025, he was awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order Of Walking in Ice by Werner Herzog and pick up a copy of The Parallel Path from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Watch the greatest ever clip of Werner Herzog in the jungle here.* Find Jenn Ashworth on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 delivery driver who accidentally kidnaps a pig. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Toni Morrison wrote that you can’t understand the history of America unless you understand the history of African American women.Reading The Waterbearers by Sasha Bonét, I see why.The Toni Morrison quote acts as an epigraph for what I found to be a thoughtful, elegant, and profound memoir.It’s also an honest account of motherhood and the challenges that come with it (as well as the joys).Given my somewhat limited experience of being a mother, I thankfully had the brilliant writer Anna Whitwham to help me navigate and explore the subject, and Sasha Bonét’s often moving memoir. (Anna’s book on motherhood, Soft Tissue Damage, is also excellent, btw.)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 writer Anna Whitwham, author of Boxer Handsome and Soft Tissue Damage. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2025 memoir The Waterbearers by Sasha Bonét.About AnnaAnna Whitwham was born in 1981 in London, where she still lives. She studied Drama and English at the University of California, Los Angeles, Queens University Belfast and at Royal Holloway, London where she teaches a course called ‘Writing Men: The Burden of Masculinity’. She is the author of Boxer Handsome (Chatto & Windus), and her latest book, Soft Tissue Damage, was published by Rough Trade Books in 2025.About SashaSasha Bonét is a writer and cultural critic based in New York City. Her criticism and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Aperture, New York Magazine, Vogue, and BOMB, among other publications. Bonét is a professor of creative writing for Columbia University and Barnard College. The Waterbearers will be published in the UK by Penguin.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Pre-order The Waterbearers by Sasha Bonét and pick up a copy of Anna’s most recent book, Soft Tissue Damage, from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Find Anna Whitwham on Instagram here.* Find Sasha Bonét on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 delivery driver who accidentally kidnaps a pig. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

After he’d written Smallcreep’s Day, Peter Currell Brown never wrote another book.He disappeared from the world of literature completely and started making strange ceramic pots in the woods.I mean, we’ve all done it, right?Okay. Maybe not. And I guess to some extent, that’s what makes the book up for discussion in this latest episode of the show so interesting.Indeed, this strange and singular book was a huge influence on my very special guest—another Something Something Brown, the author of the excellent Ironopolis and Mother Naked, the wonderful Glen James Brown.We revisit Glen’s first experience of the book and discuss how he feels about it today.Plus, we of course discuss what it’s like to live your life with only one N in your name.Welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, the N-rich, 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 Glen James Brown. We discuss his pick for the library, the 1965 novel Smallcreep’s Day by Peter Currell Brown.About GlenGlen James Brown is a British author acclaimed for his portrayals of working-class life in northern England. Born in 1982 in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, he studied English at Leeds Beckett University. He earned an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester, where he received the Kate Betts Memorial Prize. His debut novel, Ironopolis (2018), was shortlisted for both the 2019 Orwell Prize and the 2020 Portico Prize. Brown's second novel, Mother Naked (2024), was inspired by a 15th-century Durham Cathedral record of a minstrel named Modyr Nakett. Currently residing in Manchester, Brown also works as a part-time university writing tutor.About PeterPeter Currell Brown, born in 1936 in Colchester, Essex, is a British author best known for his singular novel, Smallcreep's Day, published in 1965. Leaving Colchester Royal Grammar School at the age of fifteen, Brown entered the workforce, taking a factory job that would later inspire his only novel. Smallcreep's Day is a surreal satire on modern industrial life, following the character Pinquean Smallcreep as he navigates the labyrinthine corridors of a vast factory in search of meaning. The novel gained a cult following and was reissued in 2008 by Pinter & Martin. After marrying in 1962 and starting a family, Brown moved to rural Gloucestershire, where he worked various jobs, before focusing on craft pottery.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order Smallcreep’s Day by Peter Currell Brown and Glen’s most recent novel, Mother Naked, from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Read six interesting facts about Peter Currell Brown from his daughter here.* Listen to the album Smallcreep’s Day by Mike Rutherford here.* Find the artist Glenn Brown here.* Find Glen James Brown on Instagram here.* Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Brave/insane agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Do you know who designed the Twin Towers?Probably not.Chances are, you don’t know who designed most of the buildings you instantly recognize.Why is that?Well, this is one of many fascinating ideas I explore with my guest in the latest episode of the show, as we discuss a relatively little-known book called Sandfuture, by the American artist Justin Beal.Oh, and what a guest I have for you today…It was an insanely enormous pleasure to be joined from Toronto by the brilliant musician and writer, Meg Remy, who you might better know as U.S. Girls.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 support us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge in the process), you can upgrade your subscription on either a monthly or annual basis.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 musician and writer, Meg Remy. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2021 biography Sandfuture by Justin Beal.About MegMeg Remy is a multi-disciplinary artist, performer, and author. Originally from Illinois, she is established as one of the most acclaimed songwriters and performers to emerge from Toronto’s eclectic underground music scene, where she currently lives. Primarily known as the creative force behind the musical entity U.S. Girls, her celebrated discography includes three Polaris Prize-shortlisted albums: Half Free (2015), In A Poem Unlimited (2018), and Heavy Light (2020). All three albums also garnered Juno nominations for Best Alternative Album. In 2021, Remy made her authorial debut with her memoir Begin By Telling. Her most recent album, Scratch It (2025), is released by 4AD.About JustinJustin Beal is an artist with an extensive exhibition history in the United States and Europe. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in architecture and continued his studies at the Whitney Independent Study Program and the University of Southern California. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, Frieze, Art in America, and The Los Angeles Times, and is included in the permanent collections of the Albright-Knox Museum, the Hammer Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. He teaches at Hunter College and Sandfuture is his first book.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episodeOrder Sandfuture by Justin Beal from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.Listen to U.S. Girls on Spotify here.Watch Minoru Yamazaki’s Pruitt Igoe building being demolished here.Find Meg on Instagram here.Find Glenn on Instagram here.Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Brave/insane agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Elusive poemNeed help to figure you outSpend time with HelenThough technically daring each other to write a Japanese Death Haiku during our chat, I’m hoping both Helen and I have got a little longer before we need to sum up our creative lives in seventeen syllables.And besides, more pressing is my desire to learn about poetry and develop a greater understanding and appreciation for it.Instead, I offer that pithy haiku to the spirits of Bashō and Li Po, and this wonderful chat with Helen Mort to you.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 usually no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature, but on this occasion, having chatted with Helen a few times before, I did lean on her to choose one of her favourite books of poetry, as I thought it would be interesting to explore the broader concept with an accomplished poet like Helen.She kindly obliged, and the result is insanely wonderful—especially if, like me, you were previously a little shy around the form.If you enjoy the show and would like to support us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge in the process), you can upgrade your subscription on either a monthly or annual basis.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, novelist, academic (and a whole bunch of other stuff), Helen Mort. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2009 poetry collection Rain by Don Paterson.About HelenHelen Mort is a British poet, novelist, and academic. Her published poetry collections include Division Street (2013), shortlisted for both the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Costa Book Award; No Map Could Show Them (2016), inspired by pioneering female mountaineers; and The Illustrated Woman (2022), which was shortlisted for the Forward Prize. Mort's prose works encompass the novel Black Car Burning (2019), the short story collection Exire (2019), and the memoir A Line Above the Sky (2022), which won the Boardman Tasker Prize and the Banff Grand Prize for Mountain Literature. Her most recent publication, Ethel (2024), is a biography of Ethel Haythornthwaite, a pioneering environmentalist instrumental in establishing the Peak District National Park.About DonDon Paterson is the author of sixteen books of poetry, aphorism, criticism and poetic theory. His poetry has won many awards, including the Whitbread Poetry Prize, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Costa Poetry Award, and three Forward Prizes; he is the only poet to have won the T.S. Eliot Prize on two occasions. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of St Andrews and for twenty-five years was Poetry Editor at Picador Macmillan. He is a Fellow of the English Association, the Royal Society of Literature, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He received the OBE in 2008 and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2010.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order Rain by Don Paterson and Helen’s most recent book, Ethel: The Biography of Countryside Pioneer Ethel Haythornthwaite, from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Find Helen on Instagram here.* Find Glenn on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Brave/insane agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

Are you ready to get stupidly excited about maths?No?Granted—it’s not a state most of us ever find ourselves in. But trust me, it’s time to get your brainbox psyched for some equational madness.Why?Because once you’ve wandered in the mind-expanding labyrinth that is Benjamin Labatut’s When We Cease to Understand the World, you’ll be ripping down posters of Paul Mescal and pinning up hot, secretive snaps of Marcus De Sautoy.And don’t think my incredible guest for this episode will do anything to sway you against my excitement, the brilliant Joe Dunthorne is as bowled over by this book as I am.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 and poet, Joe Dunthorne. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2020 novel When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut.About JoeJoe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea. He is the author of three novels and one collection of poetry, including Submarine, which has been translated into fifteen languages and made into an acclaimed film directed by Richard Ayoade, and Wild Abandon, which won the 2012 Encore Award. Children of Radium is his first work of non-fiction. He lives in London.About BenjaminBenjamín Labatut was born in Rotterdam in 1980 and grew up in The Hague, Buenos Aires, and Lima. He has published two award-winning works of fiction prior to When We Cease to Understand the World, which is his first book to be translated into English. Labatut lives with his family in Santiago, Chile.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut and Joe’s new book Children of Radium from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Some more insight into Benjamin Labatut’s process in a Guardian interview here. * Find Joe on Instagram here.* Find Glenn on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Brave/insane agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

“A sex memoir.”“The gayest book ever written.”“Filthy.”Reading the blurbs about Edmund White’s most recent memoir, The Loves of My Life, you might think the book is going to be one thing…In reality, it’s quite another.A fascinating, tender, and ultimately universal account of life, love, and, well, yes… to top it all, there’s enough sex in there to make Hugh Hefner blush.To spare my own blushes, I’m thankful to be joined to discuss the book by a brilliant Irish writer and novelist, the quite excellent, Megan Nolan.She joined me from across the pond—where she’s currently living in New York—to explain why she loves the book and White’s writing generally, and it all makes for another great episode of the show.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 Acts of Desperation and Ordinary Human Failings, Megan Nolan. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2025 memoir The Loves of My Life by Edmund White.About MeganMegan Nolan was born in 1990 in Waterford, Ireland, and is currently based in New York. Her essays and reviews have been published by the New York Times, White Review, Guardian and Frieze amongst others. For her debut novel, Acts of Desperation, Nolan was the recipient of a Betty Trask Award, shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Ordinary Human Failings was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and shortlisted for the Nero Book Award for Fiction, the Gordon Burn Prize, and the RSL Encore Award.About EdmundEdmund White is a gay American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and essayist. He is the recipient of Lambda Literary's Visionary Award, the National Book Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction. France made him Chevalier (and later Officier) de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993. White is known as a groundbreaking writer of gay literature and a major influence on gay American literature and has been called "the first major queer novelist to champion a new generation of writers."Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode* Order The Loves of My Life by Edmund White and Megan’s novels Acts of Desperation and Ordinary Human Failings from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.* Ian Williams from Don Caballero (and now Battles) in a scene from High Fidelity.* Find Megan on Instagram here.* Find Glenn on Instagram here.* Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 ClaireClaire 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 CamilaCamilla 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 RichardRichard 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 KingsleySir 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 SophieSophie 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 PeterPeter 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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, yeahWhen 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 KeiranKeiran 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 ÉdouardÉdouard 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 HattieHattie 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 CurtisCurtis 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 DavidDavid 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 JackJean-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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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 full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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 CatherineCatherine 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 ChristaChrista 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 LibraryThe 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 GlennGlenn 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. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe