Dear Readers, just because I’m submerged in Stem Cells (metaphorically) during my revision doesn’t mean I haven’t found a little bit of time to do some reading, so here are my current three tomes. When I’m on the tube, I’m reading James Canton’s ‘Renaturing’ and very interesting it is too – it’s in the form of a diary (my favourite kind of non-fiction) and outlines his year trying to ‘re-wild’ a field that he owns. En route, he discusses everything from ponds to the whole concept of ‘re-wilding’, and meets some very interesting people, including some people working on flooding in the Hebden Bridge area, and some people involved in a beaver re-introduction project. He makes some interesting points about how beavers re-engineer the land, and can help to prevent flooding and increase biodiversity. A gentle read that I’ve found it very relaxing to dip into.
Slightly less relaxing is ‘How to Survive a Bear Attack – A Memoir’ by Canadian author Claire Cameron. I picked this up when I was in Toronto earlier this month, and I’m finding it fascinating – it interweaves Cameron’s story with that of a couple killed by a black bear when camping in Algonquin National Park back in 1991. I’m only about half way through, and so haven’t yet discovered why Cameron has scars that she mentions in the first chapter, though i suspect they aren’t bear-related. I don’t think this is out in the Uk yet, but it is keeping me thoroughly engaged, even at the end of a long day of looking at different kinds of cell death (apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy in case you wanted to know).
And finally, this.
I love William Blake. I’ve loved Hoare’s great meandering tomes, such as his previous book about Albrecht Durer ‘Albert and the Whale’. Hoare has such a passion for art, and for the sea, and this book loops through Derek Jarman, Paul Nash, T.E. Lawrence, Oscar Wilde and a whole host of other characters who have been influenced by Blake, without ever losing sight of Blake himself. It’s felt like being on a literary rollercoaster, but I was definitely along for the ride. An idiosyncratic book, but if you like it, you’ll love it. What a writer. And it’s made me want to re-visit Blake’s drawings, and maybe even go and visit the grave marker in Bunhill Fields, which is probably not at all where he was buried.
So, what are you lovely people reading? Fire away!
Thank you for recommending the Blake book. I hadn’t heard of it and it sounds right up my street. I loved Hoare’s book Leviathan, and I see there are more books by him I have missed. So much joy in store!
I was going to recommend also visiting the Blake mosaics in the tunnels by Waterloo station, but a quick search shows they are no longer in situ, but are being restored for eventual installation at Surbiton station. I used to enjoy visiting those of a lunchtime when I worked near there.
Ah thanks for the heads-up that the mosaics have moved, I was thinking of moseying along to have a look once the exam is over…
I am reading “How to Read Water” by Tristan Gooley, a present from my husband. There is a lot of detail so I am taking it quite slowly in the hope that I will remember more of it.
Yesterday I was listening to Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4 which had been recorded at the Chelsea Flower Show. It included a feature on the Songbird garden and an interview with the designer Nicola Oakey.
Goodness, there are a lot of Tristan Gooley readers about at the moment! Maybe it’s the sunshine making everyone want to step outside. And thanks for the heads-up about Nicola Oakey, I shall have a look on I-Player…
In between several novels, I am thoroughly enjoying “Between Two Rivers: ancient Mesopotamia snd the birth of history” by Moudhy Al-Rashid – it is absolutely fascinating!
Interesting choices, but some might be a bit heavy for me right now. I’m reading two novels (one light modern romance by Katie Fforde and one slightly meatier family saga by Kate Long) and also ‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree. I suspect that you may already have read that one, but if not, you’d like it I think!
Nothing wrong with a Katie Fforde for sure! I have read ‘Wilding’, you’re right – I liked bits, but found the whole thing a bit heavy going. Maybe I need to pick it up again – sometimes I’m just not in the right mood for a book…
It is dense. It’s worth it I think, but right at the moment you’re doing the heavy ready for your course and probably need some lighter recreational stuff. Kate Long is a little bit like Marion Keyes in that she writes about real family problems, and people messing up, but in an extremely readable and entertaining way. Take a look at ‘The Bad Mothers Handbook’ if you fancy trying her.
I’m also reading a book by Tristan Gooley (which I found in a charity shop), ‘How to Read a Tree’. Hopefully it will improve my knowledge and I’ll be able to answer confidently when asked questions by younger children in my family!
Tristan Gooley too! Outdoor tracks and signs…Great to have all these suggestions
Ooh, that wilding book sounds interesting. Wilding is not so much of a thing in the pacific northwest. If I were to “wild” my garden, it would have to be a full-on evergreen forest!
I am plowing happily through Elizabeth Fairfield’s novels. In her day, she was compared to Trollope and Austen, but she has been out of print for years. Fortunately, Dean Street Press has reissued all six of her books. I love her keen and witty observations of human interaction and her way of pointing out her characters’ foibles while still being kind. And in these times, I very much enjoy reading stories in which people disagree and have conflict, but manage to rub along together, by being tolerant, forgiving, and kind.
Elizabeth *Fair,* not Fairfield!
I love them too! Especially Landscape in Sunlight..recommended for entertaining escapism
The ‘bear’ book sounds interesting in particular….I’m currently reading ‘The Book of Trespass’ by Nick Hayes, which is interesting on how the land in the UK has been parcelled up and made off limits over the years. Also Glyn Maxwell’s ‘Drinks with Dead Poets’ – not sure of that one yet, it may be too ‘clever’. And a book about women artists in Britain….