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nitroglycerin's reviews
864 reviews
Uprooting: From the Caribbean to the Countryside – Finding Home in an English Country Garden by Marchelle Farrell
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Will I Ever Have Sex Again? by Sofie Hagen
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Next to Nature: A Lifetime in the English Countryside by Ronald Blythe
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Too dry. Too many references to Christianity and artists and poets that I have no context for.
The Accidental Garden by Richard Mabey
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Ad/pr/gifted copy
To meddle or not to meddle?
Somehow this is my first book by Mabey, despite him being one of the stalwarts of the nature writing genre, and I can see why.
He may be of the old-white-male standard of nature writers (and I’m glad to see more and more diverse writers in this genre!), but that’s not without merit. It was a joy to read this, and I loved it.
While I’ve been reading The Accidental Garden, I was also listening to The Swimmer: The Wild Life of Roger Deakin by Patrick Barkham, who chronicles Deakins life. Deakin was good friends with Mabey, who is referenced quite a bit.
Reading the two in tandem has been an immersive experience that I’ve enjoyed. The similarities in perspectives between the two men was very obvious.
To meddle or not to meddle?
Somehow this is my first book by Mabey, despite him being one of the stalwarts of the nature writing genre, and I can see why.
He may be of the old-white-male standard of nature writers (and I’m glad to see more and more diverse writers in this genre!), but that’s not without merit. It was a joy to read this, and I loved it.
While I’ve been reading The Accidental Garden, I was also listening to The Swimmer: The Wild Life of Roger Deakin by Patrick Barkham, who chronicles Deakins life. Deakin was good friends with Mabey, who is referenced quite a bit.
Reading the two in tandem has been an immersive experience that I’ve enjoyed. The similarities in perspectives between the two men was very obvious.
My Husband by Maud Ventura
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Bellies by Nicola Dinan
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I just love a Benjamin Myers book!
Following the crop circle making antics of Calvert and Redbone while listening to folk music was definitely the best way to ride the first heatwave of summer 2024. Loved it. Absolutely gutted at the ending.
Myers using the book to point at the lack of action on the climate crisis and all it’s implications via Calvert while Redbone remained completely optimistic was so tongue in cheek as we know, sitting here in 2024, that very little has been done since 1989 when the book was set to put things on the right track. Redbones optimism seems so foolish to us, but how would he have known any better eh.
Following the crop circle making antics of Calvert and Redbone while listening to folk music was definitely the best way to ride the first heatwave of summer 2024. Loved it. Absolutely gutted at the ending.
Myers using the book to point at the lack of action on the climate crisis and all it’s implications via Calvert while Redbone remained completely optimistic was so tongue in cheek as we know, sitting here in 2024, that very little has been done since 1989 when the book was set to put things on the right track. Redbones optimism seems so foolish to us, but how would he have known any better eh.