#12 Things I’m curious about

All the books, podcasts, articles and substacks that have kept me curious this week

Welcome to my new subscribers this month. I hope you will find something interesting and perhaps inspiring in all the things I have this week. This is where I share the books, articles, podcasts and of course substacks that have kept me curious.

Hello old friends, to those that join me week after week (even though my publishing schedule has been less predictable of late). I love writing for you!

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I find there are times when I write and then times where I fill my mind with new words and ideas and that’s what September and October has been, a time of discovery. New writers, new books and of course brilliant substacks. Here’s what has kept me curious.

I’ve been listening to…

• This episode of How to Fail with Gillian Anderson I loved her rebelliousness and can definitely relate to her not wanting to do things just because she had been told to.

I’ve been reading these substacks…

• How Vegetables Saved My Life: How I discovered that growing veg was a powerful restorative, and grisly tale of why I needed restoring in the first place. On

  Tales from the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack
  I saw so much of my own story in Kathy’s account of Burnout, from spending late nights wasting time on pointless PowerPoint slides to finding peace in connection with the soil.

• Now the clocks have changed and the nights draw in quicker it can be hard to see the light in the darker months. I loved this post How to light the dark months - A manifesto for winter light on

  The Clearing by Katherine May
  Some great tips on embracing all that winter brings.

• Looking for a more creative way of saying you’re out of office? I loved Out of office in a few haiku on

  The Wondering

• When you’re working hard on something and nothing seems to be happening it’s hard to know if you should carry on or cut and run. I loved this post on

  Brass Ring Daily
  How to tell if it’s worth it

I’m reading these books…

• I love reading Nick Cave’s newsletter The Red Hand Files The way he answers each email he receives with honesty and compassion is beautiful, so while in visiting the lovely Rossiter Books in Cheltenham I purchased a copy of Faith, Hope and Carnage essentially a transcript of an interview with Nick Cave by Sean O’Hagan. Nick Cave famously never gives interviews so I can’t wait to see what unfolds.

• Why Women Grow by Alice Vincent full of beautiful stories of different women Alice met when trying to answer the question for herself. I loved hearing Alice speak about the journey of writing the book at Wimbledon BookFest last month

• I’ve also added another to my reading pile from that event Unearthed by Claire Ratinon subtitled: On Race Roots and How the Soil Taught Me I Belong. Her observation of the inequality of the simple act of tending the soil was eye opening. I’m looking forward to reading her story.

• I’ve just finished Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh. Loved the twists and turns and how she captured the wild beauty of the Northumbrian coast.

I’m watching…

• Like everyone else I’ve watched Beckham on Netflix (in it’s entirety on a rainy Saturday afternoon) I found it brilliantly produced. The shots of David Beckham looking into the camera as he relived some of his most famous success and failures was captivating. However, I was slightly shocked to realise I am much closer to David Beckhams age than Brooklyn Beckhams!

• On Wednesday I tuned into a live stream of An Audience with Dolly Alderton at the Barbican ahead of the release of her new book Good Material. She was as hilariously honest and funny as always. I can’t wait to read her new book!

I visited…

• The Cheltenham Literary Festival for a beautifully sunny Autumnal weekend in October. My highlights were:

  • Watching Charlie Mackesy draw his characters live on an iPad while it was projected on the big screen behind where he sat being interviewed with his dog Barney by his side

  • Richard E Grant letting it slip live on stage while being interviewed by Emma Freud that she and Richard Curtis had finally married 2 weeks previously! He was also a brilliant storyteller

  • Hearing the always brilliant Elizabeth Day be interviewed about friendship for her book Friendaholic by one of her friends was equal parts funny and touching

If you’ve got any recommendations I’d love to hear them.