Four more books I recommend for a light read (and very amusing too). True Brits is what you get when an American tries to make sense of the wonderfully eccentric range of sports we Brits engage in, from Cornish Hurling (The only rule is 'No Weapons') to Bog Snorkelling and Mob Football.
Meanwhile Fox-Tossing takes a global and historical view of bonkers sports and pastimes, such as holding duels in hot aitr balloons to, yes, octopus wrestling. It was written by friend and former colleague at QI, Ed Brooke-Hitching who has since gone on to write some cracking bestsellers such as The Golden Atlas and The Madman's Library. He's a terrific wordsmith.
I've always enjoyed reading The Idler magazine because it employs some wonderful writers. One such is Ian Vince and The Lie of the Land is his lay-person's introduction to the landscape of Britain, both above and below. I'd also recommend his book Three Men in a Float in which he and two friends crossed the UK at its widest point while riding in an electric milk float with a top speed of around 4mph. It was an adventure with a purpose, however, as it forced him and his fellow 'idlers' to slow down and truly appreciate the countryside and the towns and villages they passed through.
Then there's How to be Idle by the brains behind the magazine, Tom Hodgkinson. Tom is a man out of time. His busy life in the city was making him feel ill. Social media was making him antisocial. So he packed it all in and fled to the country and found a myriad ways to be self-sustaining and free from the aspects of modern life that didn't bring him joy. He's written a series of books on the theme of escaping the Rat Race, including How to be Free, The Idle Parent and How to live in the Country. But the book that started it all was How to be Idle and it's marvelous.
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