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.
