Well-Read: Noelle Faulkner

Humble piles and languishing lit with writer, editor and strategist, Noelle Faulkner.

Welcome to the first instalment of Well-Read; a series where I invite people I admire from far, wide and super close-by to share their book thoughts/dreams with you. First up, my friend (and the woman who encouraged me to start this newsletter), Noelle Faulkner.

But how do I describe Noelle? She’s easily one of the most knowledgeable I’ve ever met. A talented storyteller and editor, she’s able to write about her ADHD diagnosis and the “new language around beauty” for Vogue, tell me where to get the best K-beauty and then switch gears (literally, figuratively, generously) and explain what’s so cool about the new Rolls-Royce all while predicting The Future for your favourite brands. Read some of her thoughtful and wonderful words here.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you like to read.

My toxic trait is the delulu of assuming I will absorb books via osmosis. So my appetite for collating/buying/borrowing reading materials far outweighs my ability to finish them and my reading habits are all over the place. My bookshelves are toppling with unbroken or half-broken spines, mini post-it notes with scribbles on them and peeping bookmarks. I have a habit of picking up and putting down books, so I tend to gravitate towards things that are readable in moments, or else available as an audiobook. My consumption is around a 70:30 non-fiction to fiction split, which I think has a lot to do with what I do for a living. I work as a writer (print magazines, mostly) and cultural/trend researcher. Reading and understanding human behaviour and perspectives are key to my work and sometimes I need to consume all of the things, but other times, I struggle to read at all, hence the audiobooks. Granted, I consider this the big secret to my creative practice: Consume everything. 

What are your must-read books?

Crudo by Olivia Laing

Indulgent, raw, restless, anxious and hiding so many wry observations—this polarising piece of auto-fiction is so clever in its concept and captures the confronting meh-ness of adult boredom and dissatisfaction. It’s best consumed via audiobook, flatly and empathetically read by Laing herself, on a walk, when in a cloudy mood—I often refer to it as 'languishing lit’.

The Hard Crowd by Rachel Kushner 

Kushner never fails to get under my skin. Not because she necessarily tugs at my emotions, but because she makes it OK to be a risk-taker, a bit of a daredevil, a near-hedonist, to feel kind of ageless and to also be flamboyant and style-centric. And she does it while also telling stories of racing motorbikes across the Baja. I return to this essay collection often, but I will read anything Kushner writes. 

Under a Dark Angel's Eye by Patricia Highsmith

Complexity, nuance and often personal flaws make some of the best work, IMO and Highsmith is certainly this. I have always adored her glamourous macabre and dry, dark wit. We all know The Talented Mr Ripley, Carol and Strangers on a Train, but this recently published collection of Highsmith's short stories proves she only needs but a few pages to spike the heart rate and change the temperature of a room.   

Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan

I have a stack of books I refer to again and again that I call the 'humble pile'—each of them acts as a kind of moral-centring/grounding. Pale Blue Dot by astronomer Carl Sagan is an eternally relevant reminder that human existence is a privilege and of the many obligations we have on this earth, to it, to each other and to the future. Sagan writes with such clarity, heart and empathy, that it's not only a lesson about the cosmos, but humanity's place among it.    

Love Language by Linda Marigliano 

Full Disclosure: Linda and I are childhood friends, so I have a thimble of bias here. But even so, I am in awe of anyone in the public eye—especially in Australia— brave enough to peel themselves back to reveal their bones, trauma, complexities and insecurities that lay beneath the skin. Linda does this on every page. Love Language dually hits like golden hour sunshine and a punch to the gut due to its honesty, warmth, charm and joie de vivre. Pro tip: Audiobook readers, pack some tissues.

What are you reading next?

My to-read pile grows by the minute, but here are my most recent/most dying-to-read-books that I picked up recently:

• Nature is a Human Right by Ellen Miles

  A very interesting collection of writings and ideas centred around our human need for green space and access to nature.

• Rave by Rainald Goetz

  A German novel set among a scene of '90s techno-culture.

• The Blue Book by Amitava Kumar
  A pandemic-era journal marrying drawings and words. I've not read any of Kumar's work before, but I picked this up in a New Dehli bookshop recently and liked the concept. 

• Nina Simone's Gum by Warren Ellis
  As a huge fan of The Dirty Three/Bad Seeds icon Warren Ellis, I have been itching to read his memoir since I preordered it in 2021 (!) but for some reason, I haven't yet found the space to sit and absorb it fully. 

• Sadvertising by Ennis Ćehić
  A satirical, dystopian and absurdist collection of short stories, centred around the advertising industry, I mean, what a premise! 

Enjoy!