The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast

Glenn Fisher
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In each episode, lovers of literature join host Glenn Fisher to talk about a book they'd like to put in the library, thoughtfully exploring its themes and why it inspires them. If you love books (and rambling book chat), this is the show for you. lazythinking.substack.com

  1. Jun 9

    Molly Aitken on New Yorker Short Stories

    Is it instinctive? The first time, as a young writer or reader, when you discover short stories published in The New Yorker, and you know you’ve finally stumbled across the good shit. When you realise all the greats have contributed at some point. Salinger and Saunders. Rushdie and Roth. Ernaux and Ishiguro. Not to mention Truman Capote, John Updike, and Zadie Smith. Maybe you always knew. Maybe you saw someone cool with a folded copy artfully poking out from their sports coat pocket. Maybe you heard it referenced in a film. Or maybe it’s just innate, maybe you’re just born with knowledge of The New Yorker—the literary equivalent of Maybelline. Either way, chances are you do indeed know The New Yorker, and you know that the short stories it features are pretty good. What you might not know is that my brilliant guest for this episode of the show has herself had a (very good) short story published in the prestigious pages of the magazine. So, she makes for the ideal guest to discuss New Yorker Short Stories in general. Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher. As you may 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 to a paid subscription. But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps. In this episode, my very special guest is the writer, Molly Aitken, whose most recent novel Bright I Burn is published in the UK by Canongate. We discuss her pick for the library, the short stories of The New Yorker, with a specific focus on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Leopard by Wells Tower, and In the Middle of the Fields by Mary Lavin. About Molly Molly Aitken is the author of Bright I Burn, a Royal Society of Literature Encore Prize shortlisted novel, and The Island Child. Her prize-winning short fiction has been published in The New Yorker and Ploughshares. About The New Yorker The New Yorker is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife, Jane Grant, a reporter for The New York Times. It is arguably the most prestigious publisher of short fiction in the world. Famous contributors range from legends like J.D. Salinger and Vladimir Nabokov to contemporary heavyweights like George Saunders and Jhumpa Lahiri. Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode * Order A Century of Fiction by The New Yorker and Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here. * Find Molly Aitken on Instagram here. * Read Molly’s story in The New Yorker 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. 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, The Invention of Memory, and on the eternal, soul-destroying task of finding an agent. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    34 min

  2. May 22

    Shaun Wilson on Service

    There’s a common misconception, especially in the South, that all Northern Men are bitter and grumpy, and that we generally sit around drinking too much tea. This is not true. But to prevent any members of the London elite from having their worlds shattered, in this episode, my guest and I subvert the very concept of autofiction and use various meta tactics to make you THINK we are bitter and grumpy and generally drink too much tea. Thank us later. In reality, we both ride white horses, drink only Château Margaux, and when sending our witty hand-written correspondence to French pen pals, at the local Post Office, we’ll often be heard reciting Proust. But still, to double down on the necessary illusion, in this same episode, we pretend to be bitter and grumpy men by discussing a book about a fictional man who is also bitter and grumpy, which was, in turn, written by a bitter and grumpy man who does exist. There are many layers. But I trust you, dear listener. Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher. As you may 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 to a paid subscription. But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps. In this episode, my very special guest is the writer, Shaun Wilson, whose book Malc’s Boy is published in the UK by Conduit Press. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2025 novel Service by John Tottenham. About Shaun Shaun Wilson was born in 1980 and raised in Wigton, Cumbria. He is studied autofiction as a Northern Bridge Consortium PhD candidate at Northumbria University and has been featured at various book festivals, on BBC radio, and completed a placement at Semiotext(e). His first novel, Malc’s Boy, is the first book to be published by Conduit Press. About John John Tottenham is a British-born artist and writer living in Los Angeles. He is the author of four volumes of poetry and writes a column in Artillery, and his paintings and drawings have been exhibited in solo shows in LA and New York. Service is his first novel. Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode * Order Service by John Tottenham and Malc’s Boy by Shaun Wilson from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here. * Find Shaun Wilson on Instagram here. * Find John Tottenham 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. 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, The Invention of Memory, and on the eternal, soul-destroying task of finding an agent. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    34 min

  3. May 15

    Sally O'Reilly on How to Be Animal: What It Means to Be Human

    There is a scene in Beverly Hills Cop where Axel Foley (played by Eddie Murphy) is following a lead with an art dealer. Before he can speak to the woman he’s come to see, he must converse with the assistant dealer, a strong-accented chap called Serge. During the exchange, one of Serge’s own assistants appears with a shirt open one button too many, revealing an overly hairy ‘80s chest. Serge admonishes him, tells him to cover up, and then delivers one of the greatest lines in modern cinema: “It’s not sexy; it’s animal.” As the kids say, this scene lives in my head “rent free,” and I often recall it anew whenever someone utters the word “sexy” or, indeed, “animal.” Given that the book my guest chose for this episode is called How to Be Animal, recalling the scene was inevitable. That said, the book is really about humans, and how—whether Serge likes it or not—we all are, indeed, animals. My guest for the episode is the rather brilliant Sally O’Reilly, and we had a thoroughly enjoyable and far-ranging chat live here in Sheffield, which I hope you enjoy. Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher. As you may 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 to a paid 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, Sally O’Reilly, whose most recent book Hagtale is published in the UK by Scribe. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2007 non-fiction book How to Be Animal: What It Means to Be Human by Melanie Challenger. About Sally Sally O’Reilly is a writer based in Sheffield. Her latest novel Hagtale: A Macbeth Origin Story (Scribe, 2025) is a dark fairy tale which retells Shakespeare’s play Macbeth from the perspective of a feral witch and a fourteenth-century monk who is attempting to find a document which records the Scottish king line. Her historical novel Dark Aemilia (Myriad Editions/Picador US) draws on the life of Aemilia Lanyer, one of the first women to be published professionally in England and possibly the Dark Lady who inspired Shakespeare’s later sonnets. Dark Aemilia was nominated for the Kirkus Reviews Fiction prize in the US, and the Italian translation was shortlisted for the Premio Letteraria prize and was a Finalist for the Premio Vino del Terriccio award. Sally’s contemporary novels The Best Possible Taste and You Spin Me Round, are both published by Michael Joseph. Her non-fiction guide How To Be A Writer is published by Piatkus/Little, Brown. About Melanie Melanie began her career in the creative arts, working in classical music and literature. Her first poetry collection, Galatea, won the 2005 Eric Gregory Award and was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. In 2007, she shifted her focus to intellectual history and humanity’s relationship with nature. That year, she received a Darwin Now Award for her research in the Canadian Arctic, followed by an International Fellowship with the British Antarctic Survey for her work on the history of whaling. From 2007 to 2010, she was a Fellow at the AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity at University College London. This research led to her first general trade nonfiction book, On Extinction: How We Became Estranged from Nature, published in 2011. The book was named one of Publishers Weekly’s best nonfiction books of 2012 and received the Santa Barbara Library’s Green Award for environmental writing. Most recently, she is the author of How to Be Animal: What it means to be human (2021) and the editor of Animal Dignity: Philosophical Reflections on Non-human Existence (2023) and Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World (2026). Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode * Order How to be Animal: What It Means to Be Human by Melanie Challenger and Hagtail by Sally O’Reilly from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here. * Find out more about Sally here. * You can watch the scene I reference from Beverly Hills Cop 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. 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, The Invention of Memory, and on the eternal, soul-destroying journey of finding an agent. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min

  4. Apr 23

    Stu Hennigan on The Sound Mirror

    Before we storm into this excellent new episode, a reminder that tickets for Lazy Thinking Live Vol 2 are now available. I’ll start revealing the lineup tomorrow (Friday), but I’d encourage you to grab a ticket now as they’re strictly limited and are already flying out the door. When people see who’s performing and everything I’ve got planned, I expect they’ll disappear pretty quickly. More details and the link to tickets here. That sorted, it’s time to convene the first annual meeting of the Heidi James Fan Club. I was familiar with bits of Heidi’s work, but it wasn’t until my guest suggested her 2020 novel, The Sound Mirror (published by Bluemoose), that I had the pleasure of spending time in her world for an extended period. I’m glad I did. And I’m thankful to my guest for this episode, the brilliant Stu Hennigan, for choosing it for induction into the library. Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher. As you may 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 to a paid 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, Stu Hennigan, whose book Keshed has just been published in the UK by Ortac Press. We discuss his pick for the library, the 2020 novel The Sound Mirror by Heidi James. About Stu Stu Hennigan is a writer, poet, and musician from the north of England. His book Ghost Signs (Bluemoose, 2022) was shortlisted for best non-fiction at the Books Are My Bag Awards and Best Political Book By A Non-Parliamentarian at the Parliamentary Book Awards in 2022/3. His short fiction, essays, poetry, criticism, and articles have been published widely in print and online. Keshed is his first novel. About Heidi Heidi James is the author of critically acclaimed novels Wounding, So the Doves (a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month), and The Sound Mirror. She won The Saboteur Award for her novella, The Mesmerist’s Daughter, and was a finalist in The Cinnamon Poetry Collection Prize. Her short stories, poetry, and essays have been published in various anthologies and magazines, including, among others, We’ll Never Have Paris, Somesuch, Dazed and Confused, and Galley Beggar Press. She hosts a podcast, First Graft, where she discusses writing and procrastination with other writers. Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode * Order The Sound Mirror by Heidi James and Keshed by Stu Hennigan from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here. * Find Heidi James on Instagram here. * Find Glenn Fisher on Instagram here. * Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here. * You can’t find Stu on Instagram, so don’t try — he’ll know you did. 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, The Invention of Memory, and on the eternal, soul-destroying journey of finding an agent. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min

  5. Apr 9

    Sasha Bonét on Tar Baby

    “Why are they taking pictures?” asks Sasha. “It’s supposed to be the blue door from the film Notting Hill,” I explain. “Though I’m not sure it’s the real one.” We’re just stepping out the door next to the blue one after an hour hidden away in a tiny podcast studio, where, much like in one of the scenes in the film, a stylish American woman is quizzed by a bumbling British fool. I am a bumbling British fool, for many reasons. But particularly relevant to my foolishness in this case is the fact that I’ve never read Toni Morrison. Thankfully, Sasha picked one of her books to discuss, and now I have had the pleasure. 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 journalist, critic, and author, Sasha Bonét, whose brilliant book The Waterbearers is published in the UK by Merky Books. We discuss her pick for the library, the 1981 novel Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. About Sasha Sasha Bonét is a writer, critic, and editor living in New York City. Sasha’s debut book, The Waterbearers, is a sweeping intergenerational memoir and cultural history on Black matriarchy in America. (Knopf, 2025). Her criticism and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Aperture, New York Magazine, Vogue, and BOMB, among other publications. She received her MFA from Columbia University and teaches nonfiction writing at Columbia’s School of the Arts and Barnard College. Sasha is the nonfiction editor at Apogee Journal. About Toni Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, editor, and professor renowned for her powerful, poetic prose exploring the African American experience. As the first Black female fiction editor at Random House, she shaped literary canon before achieving acclaim for novels like Beloved and The Bluest Eye. Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episode * Order Tar Baby by Toni Morrison and The Waterbearers by Sasha Bonét from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here. * Find Sasha Bonét 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. 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, The Invention of Memory. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  6. 2025-12-12

    Richard Phoenix on Island

    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 Richard Richard 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 Aldous Aldous 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 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    29 min

  7. 2025-11-27

    Sam Reid on Never Let Me Go

    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 Sam Sam 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 Kazuo Kazuo 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 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min

  8. 2025-11-07

    Adelle Stripe on A Childhood: The Biography of a Place

    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 Adelle Adelle 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 Harry Harry 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 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, Still Nothing. Brave/bold agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe

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In each episode, lovers of literature join host Glenn Fisher to talk about a book they'd like to put in the library, thoughtfully exploring its themes and why it inspires them. If you love books (and rambling book chat), this is the show for you. lazythinking.substack.com

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