Charlie's reading list - February, 2025
Not much reading on the reading list this month. Due to the nature of ghostwriting, I can’t always share what I’m reading for work because I might tip my hand as to the subject I’m working on or the author I’m working with.
When that work reading load is heavy, this list may be light. My apologies.
This month on the podcast
Paul E. Martin - Activist, founder of United Against Fentanyl
Marie Ellis - Bestselling ghostwriter
Rachel Lance - Author, dive scientist, ADHDer
Jeanette Smith - Copyeditor (copy editor?) and mermaid
Training updates from The Lap
"Hard routine"
”If you let the air out of your Thermarest when your alarm goes off, you have to get up. That satisfying psssssttttttt as you sink into the hard ground is the sound of commitment.”
Answering an FAQ about distance on the water
What I’m reading
Any Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Prostitution in Ireland by Mia Döring
A chilling, first-hand look at how human trafficking and sex-buying lurk right below the surface in Irish cities and towns. This is a case-study in “the banality of evil” and an indictment of silence.
Lighthouse: An Illuminating History of the World's Coastal Sentinels by R.G. Grant
A gorgeous coffee table book and a palate cleanse after a year of reading about cancer, terrorism, and toxic dust. Lighthouses are amazing.
Articles & Blogs
“The Man in the Bomb Suit” - the Playboy feature that inspired The Hurt Locker (same author). The PDF is freely available online because it was an exhibit in a lawsuit against the writer Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow brought by the sergeant who claims they ripped off his life story and the phrase “the hurt locker” which he claims to have come up with. The lawsuit was thrown out.
I’m reading the script for The Hurt Locker as research on the phenomenon of “dislocation” as it relates to post-expedition blues. The film depicts this brilliantly in the cereal aisle scene at the end.
You can now buy ebooks through local bookstores through bookshop.org.
The geography and history of how gulfs and channels get named.
General Mike Lehnert (USMC), a family friend and friend of this newsletter, on “the cruelty and staggering cost” of expanding Guantánamo.
Jon Krakauer is going demon-mode on a YouTuber who’s determined to discredit Into Thin Air.
What I’m watching & Listening to
The “squirrel question” from Werner Herzog’s documentary on the death penalty (which we talked about on my podcast with Bridget Gormley) is a 5-minute masterclass in active listening how to get something real out of a difficult interview subject.
The Rest is History has a brutal and brilliant four-part series, “Horror in the Congo” on King Leopold and The Heart of Darkness.
Dominque and I are rewatching Twin Peaks. RIP David Lynch.
Do you or someone you know have an epic story or a great book idea? I’d love to help you make it happen. Reach out through DalyProse.
Note: This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, which supports indie bookstores.