Wonderful winter reading

Well, the evenings are drawing in and thoughts are turning to Christmas and what to get for those special people in your life. Over lockdown with more time on my hands, I’ve found several new books that I’ve really enjoyed and would make wonderful presents for those who love adventure, nature and the outdoors. I can thoroughly recommend them all.

Shackleton by Ranulph Fiennes

I love stories of the polar explorers and have read lots about Scott, Wilson and Oates, but I hadn't really turned to Shackleton. I was in a book shop when this caught my eye, especially as it was by Ranulph Fiennes who is a real hero of mine, and it was a signed copy. It was such an absorbing read. I've read most of Ranulph Fiennes' books and he writes in a wonderfully engaging and interesting way, so I really couldn't put it down. Shackleton emerged from the pages as a thoroughly likeable, genial, optimistic raconteur and a wonderful leader, loved by his men, but who was also a little disorganised and not terribly good with money. Most of his endeavours failed, but the story of the heroic, determined journey to rescue his stranded men must rate as one of the greatest of all. I ended up desperately wishing I could have heard him tell some of his stories. Ranulph Fiennes intersperses the story with comparisons and experiences of his own in the Antarctic, all of which enriched the story. A fantastic book about one heroic explorer by another. It inspired me to go on and read South by Shackleton himself, which details the expeditions first hand and is also a fascinating read.

Wild Isles compiled by Patrick Barkham

I've read a lot of nature writings recently, but this satisfyingly thick and heavy book is really beautiful. It's one that I dip in and out of as it's a compendium of lots of different authors; everyone from Dorothy Wordsworth to James Rebanks, There are just a few pages from each author from classic writings, both older and modern, which are divided under headings such as birds, urban nature, islands and coastlines, woodland and farming amongst many others, so you can pick and choose to read about a wide range of rural subjects and it’s a lovely way to experience a broad range of authors and their writings. It also has a wonderful cover by Angela Harding whose work I adore, so it looks tempting before you even open it!

A Year Unfolding: A printmaker's view by Angela Harding

Talking of Angela Harding, her newly published book is absolutely stunning. It's a compilation of all her prints divided seasonally with a little autobiographical paragraph every so often. It's a delightful journey through the year, accompanied by her wonderful depictions of land and seascapes, plants, birds and animals. Just lovely and if you're a fan of her work and a real treat to have all her prints together in one collection. 

Rewild Your Life: Reconnect to Nature over 52 Seasonal Projects by Sarah Stirling

There's a lot of talk and writing about rewilding at the moment, even more so after our long lockdowns and this little book is lovely. It's beautifully, graphically illustrated with lots of ideas, suggestions, projects and practical ideas to reconnect with nature; something I've been really into over the last 18 months and in fact wrote my own book about my nature observations whilst on furlough. Great for engaging kids, but adults are catered for as well.

A Spotter's Guide to Countryside Mysteries by John Wright

I've got a couple of John Wright's books; The Forager's Calendar and A Natural History of the Hedgerow and I really like the way he writes; very chatty and informative but funny too. This book is fascinating and explains all those oddities you might, but probably haven’t, noticed on your walks in all types of environments - woodland, moorland, heath and hill. What are those ridges and furrows in the fields, that clump of twigs in the trees, that odd plant that looks like a cooked prawn? Well, wonder no more. There is a lot of information about fungi as he is a real expert and, as someone who spends a lot of time looking for mushrooms, that was fascinating. It will certainly make me walk with my eyes open a little more in the future, or spout knowledgeably to friends and family.

The Barn by Sally Coulthard

This book has a lovely evocative cover which drew me to it initially, but I do like anything about the history of somewhere or something, and this time it’s a barn in North Yorkshire. Having moved to what is now a smallholding on what was once a larger working farm, she goes back over the history of the farm and its inhabitants whilst always keeping the barn as the focus; its uses, changes, neglect and re-purposing through the decades. She weaves in the history of the people of the area, in particular one family from the nineteenth century who were the farm’s tenants, but also picks out snippets of local news such as the death of a young girl who worked at the farm, goings on at the hiring fairs, changes in the landscape and farming practices, the care of livestock and crops and interestingly about the labourers of those lost or dying skills such as well digging, lime producing, bone crushing and threshing. She also goes into some of the bigger changes and issues of the day that affected everyone and farming irrevocably; the mechanisation of farming chores, the building of the railways, tourism, education and so much more. It’s a little microcosm of social history centred around an ancient barn in North Yorkshire and it’s fascinating.

oOo

It just remains to say that I hope everyone has a wonderful healthy and happy Christmas and let’s hope 2022 is a better one for all of us. Heaven knows we deserve it.