Werner: as uncompromising and entertaining as you’d expect
It’s that time of year once again…
My favourite part about the Looking Sideways community? We’re a community of book nerds.
This year has been quite an unusual reading year for me. Sure, I’m still sharing every book I read in an ongoing Instagram thread here. And this habit led to an interesting gig, when I was asked to help judge the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. So I’ve spent the last few weeks reading my way through the shortlist ahead of our mid August judge’s meeting, and the prize-giving itself in September.
The Adventure Writing Prize shortlist.
With all that in mind, I thought it’d be nice to do a Thread where we share reads we’ve enjoyed so far this year, swap recommendations and inspirations, and generally carry on the geek out.
Pop your reads and recommendations in the thread below 🤙
Plus! Get acquainted with Insights, my new section exclusively for my paid subscribing community.
It’s an absolute treasure trove of the - well - insights and wisdom imparted by over 250 Looking Sideways guests; as well as from the 25 plus years I’ve been pissing about for a living as a journalist, author, podcaster, business owner, mentor and speaker. Like this new video chat with visionary French artist and creative entrepreneur Lucas Beaufort:
It’s good! It can be kinda heady and feel like a slog at times but the story is fascinating and def creates a new perspective on the history of that region, which admittedly I knew very little about to begin with. I’m only about half through. I always have several books laying around the pad that I pick up when in the mood.
I’ve been carting Desert Solitaire around in my travel backpack since April. Absolutely love The Monkey Wrench Gang but stuttering at my second Abbey for some reason. Is it worth promoting Desert Solitaire from backpack to bedside table - get the thing read?
Ya totally worth. His descriptive writing in it is amazing. The stories are so entertaining. I definitely recommend getting it read. Starts kinda slow but once you get into it it’s a page turner.
I enjoyed it a lot, I used to walk to work down Caledonian Road and cut through the squares where it’s set, which really brought it to life for me. The story is very contemporary, and having recently read Kleptopia the themes and characters feel very close to people in reality! Recommend 👍
Not sure where it popped into my head to read this. You know when a piece of art impacts you to the degree that you're still thinking about it weeks later? This book has been that for me.
I read a little about Dostoevsky prior to reading it. He did hard labour in Siberia for 5 years in his late twenties. It's pretty clear how it influenced the book. Also the tenderness and backstory of his characters Alyosha and his elder brought compassion to my thoughts immediately. I'm don't recall experiencing that before.
2024 is the year I rediscovered fiction without letting go of my penchant for the real stuff. I found Barbara Kingsolver for the first time (Demon Copperhead), which isn’t exactly a revelatory recommendation, and a bunch more.
I’m still yet to find a book on creativity that itches my scratch (or even scratches my itch) despite dipping into the world of Dave Trott momentarily.
Found myself back in the madness of Brautigan’s LSD-scoffing Trout Fishing in America for the fourth time, though, which does the “fuck it, I’m writing what I want, good luck to my publisher” I’m after very nicely.
Sleeper hit? On the fish vibe again, it’s Cod by Mark Kurlansky. HYPER niche, but the Cod Wars and politics of territorial fishing grounds have shaped the world we live in infinitely more than you could ever comprehend. Very interesting, for what essentially is a cook book with benefits.
Book with the most horrifying first chapter? The Piranhas by Roberto Saviano. Shit gets real, real quick. Pun in there fully intended.
I need to start keeping track of what I’ve read, and I’ve forgotten a good 80% of ‘em.
Also, let me know when you read my copy of Shark Drunk (yet another fishing-based book). It’s great.
Interesting on the creative stuff. I quite enjoyed the War of Art, which I read last year, but it's essentially the usual stuff about ignoring demons, sticking to routines etc etc. Cod sounds right up my watery boulevard. There was a spate of that type of thing for a few years (Nathaniel's Nutmeg springs to mind). And get on The Poisonwood Bible, I preferred it to Demon Copperhead.
On Holiday so reading The year of the Locust by Terry Hayes. Much like his debut, I am Pilgrim, it’s a proper page turning thriller. It may not be the deepest book you’ll ever read but for a pick up and put down read it’s doing a grand job
Eric Newby is one of those canonical travel writers I've never quite got round to reading. He's also A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush right? In my mind he's aligned with somebody like, say, Robert Byron. Can you recommend an entry point? (And if you haven't read Byron's Road to Oxiana I cannot recommend it highly enough)
I’m currently thoroughly enjoying Animal House by James Brown. Have you read it Matt? I’d be interested to hear what you thought being a fellow journalist and all.
No but he’s my algorithm sweet spot (not sure what that says lol) so I get all this posts and know it. Also tbh it’s probably not that fashionable to say at this point but Loaded was definitely a big influence on the Whitelines team at the time. Just that you could go so unapologetically geeky on the stuff that influenced you. So yeah maybe I’ll check it out
I like to have one fiction and one nonfiction on the go simultaneously. I've just finished The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Alan Sillitoe) which, as a lifelong runner, I felt was long overdue. Hadn't realised it was just one of a number of short stories in the collection (none of the others are about running/runners) though it is the longest. And it is utterly brilliant.
I have not yet finished, though I am enjoying, Why Mortality Makes Us Free by Martin Hagglund. It's an argument against the yearning for eternity encapsulated in religious faith.
Other works of fiction I loved, Pond by Claire Louise Bennett and Emergency by Daisy Hildyard, and on the nonfiction side, Between Light and Storm by Esther Woolfson and Footmarks by Jim Leary.
Great to see others' recommendations. I too read Desert Solitaire recently - having lapped up the Monkey Wrench Gang (having watched How to Blow Up a Pipeline!)
I'm reading both in french and english and try to alternate but here are a few of my latests favorites to contribute to this great thread
I had a sudden apetite for biographies last year and went through a few great ones that I definitely recommend : Tyson, Open (Agassi) and Anna (by Amy Odell). The Art of Shralpinism, by Jeremy Jones is definitely a great read too, even if you are not a snowboarder. Tried to dive into Tyson Fury's Behind the mask but was not drawn as much as into Mike's or Agassi's compelling life stories... I think I'll go for Herzog's memoir next :)
James Lee Burke - The neon rain was good thriller (I'm still craving for something as good as Kem Nunn's Dogs of Winter but maybe it's because I read it a long time ago)
I would also add Serena (Ron Rash) to that list.
Classics I (re)read recently : Gatsby (3d time and I'll read it again in a decade or two), The Hobbit (1st time in english but I came out disappointed), To Kill a Mockingbird (1st time and I loved it). I never read The lord of the flies in english and it's on my list.
A couple French ones : Joel Dicker is better than I thought (The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair - you should be able to read it in french Matt), anything by Alain Damasio (one of the great SF writers, with a touch of leftist politics and philosophy).
(also, I never finished «Desert Solitaire» and Muir's «My first Summer in the Sierra», which I'll bring on holidays next week, he really has a way to describe his natural surroundings... Also still need to get back to The Value of a Whale from Adrienne Buller and The Go Between by LT Hartley)
(I've read every single book by Murakami in english as his translator Alfred Birnbaum is much better and accurate than in french)
Ha my French is worse than you think! What a list! So many I'd like to check out here, and Dogs of Winter! Recommend? Have you read Breath by Tim Winton. I can also recommend The Snow Was Dirty by Georges Simenon
Breath is by far the best novel ever written about surfing I think. You know they made a film about it, but I don't think it got release beyond Australia, and I can't find it anywhere
Agreed. It came out in paperback just as I moved to WA and it was the talk of every party...You're right about the film too - not sure it ever made it over here.
I've been coming back to this (predictably excellent) thread and want to mention McMurtry’s Lonesone Dove which may be the best summer read of all times (too gloomy for winter? ;), and my top 3 books ever : Master and Marguerite (Bulgakov), The Art of Joy (Sapienza) and The Way of the World (Bouvier).
Dang, I guess it is time to read Murakami in English and not French then! My wife has been enjoying that exact book by Joel Dicker. Guess our shared library will make me read it too.
Well the books on your reading list 😂😂. At the risk of sounding a little shippish or like I have no imagination of my own 🤪 but I know beter.
I loved the bee sting. Anyway currently finishing Every man for himself and god against all. And just started Salt blood and here it comes something not om your list and that you might enjoy: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness. It is a great book and beautifully written
Nothing makes me happier than people digging those book recommendations. Saltblood was a great summer read. And yes to the Bee Sting! So great, and probably the novel I have enjoyed the most this year,
The most wonderful book I've read recently is Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Ronan Hession. It's unlike anything I've read before and is indescribably good. Highly recommend.
Cheers for this thread Matt and all, always really useful.
Revisited Barbarian Days by William Finnegan recently, a beautifully written semi-autobiographical surfing sort of travel memoir. Terrific.
In the more WHSmith ‘buy one, get one half price’ airport seam, was really taken by Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a moving novel primarily about family relationships. Much less impressed with You Are Here by David Nicholls, liked the idea of the coast-to-coast walk backdrop but found the characters a bit annoying and the plot really basic.
Early on in the year, Jeremy Jones’ ‘Shralpinism’ - fascinating insight into what goes into managing risk in the winter backcountry.
‘The Darkest White’ (Eric Blehm) as a direct result of ‘Looking Sideways’.
I very rarely pick up paperback second-hand non-fiction but I spotted and was intrigued by ‘Flashpoint Trieste’ by Christian Jennings when I saw it in my local bookshop. Always interested in lesser-known stories of WW2; here I’m learning a lot about the messy conclusion of the war where conflicting local & geopolitical interests converged.
Loved it! I really liked the way it was put together; the picture of Craig growing up and moving through his career. Then the detail Eric went into to try to get inside the heads of those involved near the end, especially the account of the day before. It read a bit like a mystery novel, even though you knew where it was headed. I might be tempted to try a couple of his other books. I also need to re-listen to the podcast!
It's my favourite book in a long time. The writing is stunning and there's one line in particular that has stuck with me. Look forward to hearing your views and I really hope you like it!
have been delving into a bunch of non-fiction wrt the evangelical movement in the US and its interplay with politics, etc. Fascinating but troubling. (The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory; The Exvangelicals; a book by one of the Duggars who escaped)
I enjoyed The Ministry of Time, Kristin Hannah's The Women, and Peng Shepherd's The Cartographers - but Paul Lynch's Prophet Song has to be my call out - read it and you wont sleep for a long time. It ramped my anxiety about the upcoming elections to such a degree that I am now in a news moratorium for the moment until i can regain my equilibrium.
Desert Solitaire - Edward Abby
Quiet; The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking - Susan Cain
Shadows at Dawn; An Apache Massacre and the
Violence of History -Karl Jacoby
Currently reading:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle- Murakami
Shadows at Dawn is on the list! How is it? Can recommend Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick if you haven’t read
It’s good! It can be kinda heady and feel like a slog at times but the story is fascinating and def creates a new perspective on the history of that region, which admittedly I knew very little about to begin with. I’m only about half through. I always have several books laying around the pad that I pick up when in the mood.
Abby & Murakami and Quiet in one list is a very strong recommendation.
This is my first time reading Murakami and what have I been doing!? Haha. The book is incredible!
I’ve been carting Desert Solitaire around in my travel backpack since April. Absolutely love The Monkey Wrench Gang but stuttering at my second Abbey for some reason. Is it worth promoting Desert Solitaire from backpack to bedside table - get the thing read?
Ya totally worth. His descriptive writing in it is amazing. The stories are so entertaining. I definitely recommend getting it read. Starts kinda slow but once you get into it it’s a page turner.
Caledonian Road - Andrew O’Hagan
How is it? He just narrated a great podcast called The Belgrano Diary which I really enjoyed
I enjoyed it a lot, I used to walk to work down Caledonian Road and cut through the squares where it’s set, which really brought it to life for me. The story is very contemporary, and having recently read Kleptopia the themes and characters feel very close to people in reality! Recommend 👍
Nice it’s going on the list
The Karamazov Brothers - Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Not sure where it popped into my head to read this. You know when a piece of art impacts you to the degree that you're still thinking about it weeks later? This book has been that for me.
Haven’t read it. And haven’t read any Dostoevsky in decades tbh. Wonder if it’s time to go again?
I read a little about Dostoevsky prior to reading it. He did hard labour in Siberia for 5 years in his late twenties. It's pretty clear how it influenced the book. Also the tenderness and backstory of his characters Alyosha and his elder brought compassion to my thoughts immediately. I'm don't recall experiencing that before.
2024 is the year I rediscovered fiction without letting go of my penchant for the real stuff. I found Barbara Kingsolver for the first time (Demon Copperhead), which isn’t exactly a revelatory recommendation, and a bunch more.
I’m still yet to find a book on creativity that itches my scratch (or even scratches my itch) despite dipping into the world of Dave Trott momentarily.
Found myself back in the madness of Brautigan’s LSD-scoffing Trout Fishing in America for the fourth time, though, which does the “fuck it, I’m writing what I want, good luck to my publisher” I’m after very nicely.
Sleeper hit? On the fish vibe again, it’s Cod by Mark Kurlansky. HYPER niche, but the Cod Wars and politics of territorial fishing grounds have shaped the world we live in infinitely more than you could ever comprehend. Very interesting, for what essentially is a cook book with benefits.
Book with the most horrifying first chapter? The Piranhas by Roberto Saviano. Shit gets real, real quick. Pun in there fully intended.
I need to start keeping track of what I’ve read, and I’ve forgotten a good 80% of ‘em.
Also, let me know when you read my copy of Shark Drunk (yet another fishing-based book). It’s great.
Interesting on the creative stuff. I quite enjoyed the War of Art, which I read last year, but it's essentially the usual stuff about ignoring demons, sticking to routines etc etc. Cod sounds right up my watery boulevard. There was a spate of that type of thing for a few years (Nathaniel's Nutmeg springs to mind). And get on The Poisonwood Bible, I preferred it to Demon Copperhead.
Trout Fishing in America blew open a whole new chamber of my brain when I read it at uni. Been meaning to revisit it - thanks for the reminder!
(Re)Spoiler: mayonnaise
On Holiday so reading The year of the Locust by Terry Hayes. Much like his debut, I am Pilgrim, it’s a proper page turning thriller. It may not be the deepest book you’ll ever read but for a pick up and put down read it’s doing a grand job
Sounds like the perfect holiday read to me
Currently: Love and War in the Apennines, Eric Newby
Eric Newby is one of those canonical travel writers I've never quite got round to reading. He's also A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush right? In my mind he's aligned with somebody like, say, Robert Byron. Can you recommend an entry point? (And if you haven't read Byron's Road to Oxiana I cannot recommend it highly enough)
I loved Love and War - every time I travel through Italy I think of it, can totally recommend
Yep, same author! Hindu Kush is one of my faves, but Love and War is fantastic so far. I’d say that either would be a great intro to his work.
I’m currently thoroughly enjoying Animal House by James Brown. Have you read it Matt? I’d be interested to hear what you thought being a fellow journalist and all.
No but he’s my algorithm sweet spot (not sure what that says lol) so I get all this posts and know it. Also tbh it’s probably not that fashionable to say at this point but Loaded was definitely a big influence on the Whitelines team at the time. Just that you could go so unapologetically geeky on the stuff that influenced you. So yeah maybe I’ll check it out
You are here-David Nicholls-Finished this Romcom last night.
Mythos-Steven Fry
The invention of Angela Carter-excellent biography of one of my very favourite authors
Siverview-John LaCarre
Blue Machine-Helen Czerski-an explanation of the oceans beyond the shore pond
The Western Wind-Samantha Harvey
Big blond-Dorothy Parker
Heartburn-Nora Nephron
Struggling to read as much as I would like this year but on the plus side my tastes get more catholic with age.
How's the Nora Ephron? been meaning to look at that one
Very funny. Just what you would expect from the script writer of When Harry met Sally
Great, that's going on the list
Pretty sure you'll love Heartburn. Nora Ephron is a brilliant writer.
I like to have one fiction and one nonfiction on the go simultaneously. I've just finished The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Alan Sillitoe) which, as a lifelong runner, I felt was long overdue. Hadn't realised it was just one of a number of short stories in the collection (none of the others are about running/runners) though it is the longest. And it is utterly brilliant.
I have not yet finished, though I am enjoying, Why Mortality Makes Us Free by Martin Hagglund. It's an argument against the yearning for eternity encapsulated in religious faith.
Other works of fiction I loved, Pond by Claire Louise Bennett and Emergency by Daisy Hildyard, and on the nonfiction side, Between Light and Storm by Esther Woolfson and Footmarks by Jim Leary.
Great to see others' recommendations. I too read Desert Solitaire recently - having lapped up the Monkey Wrench Gang (having watched How to Blow Up a Pipeline!)
Oooh Between Light and Storm looks right up my street
I'm reading both in french and english and try to alternate but here are a few of my latests favorites to contribute to this great thread
I had a sudden apetite for biographies last year and went through a few great ones that I definitely recommend : Tyson, Open (Agassi) and Anna (by Amy Odell). The Art of Shralpinism, by Jeremy Jones is definitely a great read too, even if you are not a snowboarder. Tried to dive into Tyson Fury's Behind the mask but was not drawn as much as into Mike's or Agassi's compelling life stories... I think I'll go for Herzog's memoir next :)
James Lee Burke - The neon rain was good thriller (I'm still craving for something as good as Kem Nunn's Dogs of Winter but maybe it's because I read it a long time ago)
I would also add Serena (Ron Rash) to that list.
Classics I (re)read recently : Gatsby (3d time and I'll read it again in a decade or two), The Hobbit (1st time in english but I came out disappointed), To Kill a Mockingbird (1st time and I loved it). I never read The lord of the flies in english and it's on my list.
A couple French ones : Joel Dicker is better than I thought (The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair - you should be able to read it in french Matt), anything by Alain Damasio (one of the great SF writers, with a touch of leftist politics and philosophy).
(also, I never finished «Desert Solitaire» and Muir's «My first Summer in the Sierra», which I'll bring on holidays next week, he really has a way to describe his natural surroundings... Also still need to get back to The Value of a Whale from Adrienne Buller and The Go Between by LT Hartley)
(I've read every single book by Murakami in english as his translator Alfred Birnbaum is much better and accurate than in french)
Ha my French is worse than you think! What a list! So many I'd like to check out here, and Dogs of Winter! Recommend? Have you read Breath by Tim Winton. I can also recommend The Snow Was Dirty by Georges Simenon
Adding Winton and Simenon (« la neige était sale ») to my list - though I've never been a huge fan of the belgium
The Dogs of Winter = *must* read for any « looking sideways » listener (and any Kem Nunn really)
Breath by Tim Winton was a book that I couldn't stop thinking about for ages afterwards. Ditto Cloudstreet. Masterful writing.
Breath is by far the best novel ever written about surfing I think. You know they made a film about it, but I don't think it got release beyond Australia, and I can't find it anywhere
Agreed. It came out in paperback just as I moved to WA and it was the talk of every party...You're right about the film too - not sure it ever made it over here.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/03/breath-review-profound-tim-winton-adaptation-swirls-with-soul-and-beauty
I've been coming back to this (predictably excellent) thread and want to mention McMurtry’s Lonesone Dove which may be the best summer read of all times (too gloomy for winter? ;), and my top 3 books ever : Master and Marguerite (Bulgakov), The Art of Joy (Sapienza) and The Way of the World (Bouvier).
The Lonesome Dove books are so good. I was bereft when I finished them. If Cormac McCarthy was readable 😃
Dang, I guess it is time to read Murakami in English and not French then! My wife has been enjoying that exact book by Joel Dicker. Guess our shared library will make me read it too.
Well the books on your reading list 😂😂. At the risk of sounding a little shippish or like I have no imagination of my own 🤪 but I know beter.
I loved the bee sting. Anyway currently finishing Every man for himself and god against all. And just started Salt blood and here it comes something not om your list and that you might enjoy: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness. It is a great book and beautifully written
Nothing makes me happier than people digging those book recommendations. Saltblood was a great summer read. And yes to the Bee Sting! So great, and probably the novel I have enjoyed the most this year,
The most wonderful book I've read recently is Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Ronan Hession. It's unlike anything I've read before and is indescribably good. Highly recommend.
High praise!
Proof that gentle can be funny!
Cheers for this thread Matt and all, always really useful.
Revisited Barbarian Days by William Finnegan recently, a beautifully written semi-autobiographical surfing sort of travel memoir. Terrific.
In the more WHSmith ‘buy one, get one half price’ airport seam, was really taken by Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a moving novel primarily about family relationships. Much less impressed with You Are Here by David Nicholls, liked the idea of the coast-to-coast walk backdrop but found the characters a bit annoying and the plot really basic.
Barbarian Days is such a classic
Early on in the year, Jeremy Jones’ ‘Shralpinism’ - fascinating insight into what goes into managing risk in the winter backcountry.
‘The Darkest White’ (Eric Blehm) as a direct result of ‘Looking Sideways’.
I very rarely pick up paperback second-hand non-fiction but I spotted and was intrigued by ‘Flashpoint Trieste’ by Christian Jennings when I saw it in my local bookshop. Always interested in lesser-known stories of WW2; here I’m learning a lot about the messy conclusion of the war where conflicting local & geopolitical interests converged.
Second shout for Jeremy's book, I might have to read that. What did you think go the Darkest White?
Loved it! I really liked the way it was put together; the picture of Craig growing up and moving through his career. Then the detail Eric went into to try to get inside the heads of those involved near the end, especially the account of the day before. It read a bit like a mystery novel, even though you knew where it was headed. I might be tempted to try a couple of his other books. I also need to re-listen to the podcast!
Love this thread Matt - so much inspiration here.
Favourite book of the year:
- Still Life - Sarah Winman
Also nods to a couple of classics that need no introduction:
- Hotel du Lac - Anita Brookner
- To The Lighthouse - Virgina Woolf
Absolutely loved:
- Life Between The Tides - Adam Nicholson (which I think might be popular with Looking Sideways folks)
Just about to start:
- Tracks - Robyn Davidson
Still Life is on my book pile once I finish this Wilbur Smith shortlist! Excited to hear you enjoyed it so much
It's my favourite book in a long time. The writing is stunning and there's one line in particular that has stuck with me. Look forward to hearing your views and I really hope you like it!
have been delving into a bunch of non-fiction wrt the evangelical movement in the US and its interplay with politics, etc. Fascinating but troubling. (The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory; The Exvangelicals; a book by one of the Duggars who escaped)
I enjoyed The Ministry of Time, Kristin Hannah's The Women, and Peng Shepherd's The Cartographers - but Paul Lynch's Prophet Song has to be my call out - read it and you wont sleep for a long time. It ramped my anxiety about the upcoming elections to such a degree that I am now in a news moratorium for the moment until i can regain my equilibrium.
Yes Prophet Song is really remarkable…