"Cultural Amnesia might just be my favourite book of all time. It’s his essays and reflections on people he has been fascinated by, mainly from the 20th century, and I felt like I’d been properly woken up after reading it. A friend of mine actually walks Clive’s dog, so I wrote him a fan letter and my mate was able to pass it on. It was the first gushing fan letter I had written in a long, long time. I actually sent one to Henry Rollins many many years ago, and he wrote back to me. Fan letters are cool."

"This remarkable novel, which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize, takes place in a cemetery the evening after the burial of Lincoln’s son, Willie. The chorus of the dead, an astonishing cast of over 60 characters, are trapped in the Bardo, the state of existence between life and death. Another kind of bardo is taking place at the White House on the night before Willie dies. Historical diaries and letters written by those who attended the grand ball illustrate the struggle in Lincoln’s soul. His role is to be President, but he longs to be with his beloved son."