Once again, it’s that time. People have been running after me in the street shouting “where’s the recommendation article?” So here it is. No documentary this month, I haven’t seen anything worth your time. If you have, tell me, and I’ll pass it on.
A quick heads up: I use AI for editing, proofing and brainstorming. That said, every recommendation here is mine, and I’ve read, watched or listened to everything I put in front of you.
Media
With so much pessimism in the media industry, what I like to do in this newsletter is highlight some of the more positive things happening.
Another great episode from the OpenTab series from Substack is an interview with Joanna Coles. Joanna’s professional life in the media business extends from Fleet Street to Chief Creative Officer of the Daily Beast.
It’s fair to say she’s seen it all and through that still remains positive about modern media. She’s a champion of people finding their voice and taking it independent.
Book
Thirst by John Robins
I love a good recovery story, and if you’ve followed me for any length of time you’ll know my fondness for British comics. John Robins ticks both boxes. You might know him as one half of the Elis and John podcast, or the funny, slightly frazzled one off Taskmaster. Thirst is the other side of that. He tells the story of his drinking through twelve specific drinks, from the first one as a kid to the last one in 2022, the year it got bad enough that stopping stopped being optional. It isn’t the breezy comedian’s memoir you might expect. It’s honest to the point of being uncomfortable, funnier in places than a book this bleak has any right to be, and clear-eyed about the childhood stuff sitting underneath it all. Worth reading whether or not drink is your particular thing, because the real subject is what we reach for, and why.
Thirst: Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life, John Robins (Viking, May 2026)
Ryan Holiday’s Reading List
You’ll know Ryan Holiday from his stoicism books, Ego Is the Enemy, Courage Is Calling and plenty more. He also owns the Painted Porch Bookshop in Texas, and runs a reading list that lands in your inbox about once a month. I always come away with something worth chasing down. Have a look.
Podcast
This one’s from the same John Robins. It’s an episode of his podcast How Do You Cope?, and the guest is comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri. Fatiha grew up in Hackney, one of thirteen children in a British-Moroccan Muslim family. She’s insightful on how both that upbringing and comedy became the things that keep her steady, and she takes apart a fair few of the assumptions you might have about her.
Travel- Albania from our man in the field aka my daughter Scarlett.
After taking a wrong turn on the Velbonë–Theth hike last year and somehow ending up in Montenegro 🫣, I decided to give it another shot with my best friends Elise and Josh!
We started in Shkodër and booked a three-day adventure through a hostel — kicking things off with a bus and boat to the Shala River, followed by a night in a local guesthouse in Velbonë. We ate delicious local food, played cards and had an early night before the big hike.
We set off at 8am, stopping for plenty of snacks along the way and, thankfully, making it past the infamous Montenegro turn-off this time! After summiting the mountain, we headed downhill, playing games to pass the time until we discovered a mini-mart selling one-litre beers. We ended up sprawled beside the ice-cold river, eating chip sandwiches and feeling very pleased with ourselves.
The next day, we took a short hike to stretch out our legs and discovered the Blue Eye — a spectacularly clear, turquoise swimming hole that genuinely lives up to its name. 💙 A pretty perfect way to finish the adventure!
Moment of Zen
Sometimes a new take brings the right artist and the right song together and you hear the thing afresh. This month it’s a pop princess doing a punk queen. Heart of Glass, sung by Miley Cyrus, is a reminder of how good the song is, and if you didn’t already know, proof of what a voice she’s got. Turn it up loud.
That’s a wrap for this month. Got something I should be reading, watching or listening to? Send it my way and I’ll feature it next month.