Two excellent books which the lovely Elliot & Thompson Books have been kind enough to send me to review for Shiny New Books. Here are some of my more personal thoughts about them with links to the longer reviews. I will say right out here that both of these would make excellent Christmas presents for the booky or nature-loving person in your life.
Stephen Rutt – “Wintering”
This book about geese made me a bit obsessed with geese. In fact, around reading it, I both spotted a fairly rare goose (a bar-headed) in one of our local parks and got excited by the tall, muscular-necked white geese in another park before realising they were … farmyard geese. To be fair, I don’t go to many farmyards.
Anyway, this book concentrates on the migrants who spent part of their time in the UK and Rutt goes around the country to see them all, ranging around different topics as he goes through each bird in its chapter. He’s also settling in to a new life in Scotland, helped by these great creatures.
On seeing his first skein whipping across the sky, Rutt adds these large and not always elegant birds to his totems – including the first chiffchaff of spring and the final swift of summer’s end. Each chapter after the introduction is named after one of the breeds he looks into, but roams around the topic. At the end of the book, the spring comes back round, and once he hears the chiffchaff he knows that the geese will be leaving – although of course they’ll be back, living long lives and enjoying returning to the same spots.
Read my full review here.
Tom Mole – “The Secret Life of Books”
Out now in paperback, this attractive book will be getting a new set of fans. Essays on the book as an object rather than its contents delve into all sorts of areas.
I felt seen on p.3 when I came across a reference, in the chapter Book/Book, in a section about the way people shelve their books, to “the ones [the professor] had finished reading but not yet shelved somewhere,” as I have only just the other week cleared down four tall piles of books in this category from my own desk! There are many other little chimes of recognition for the booky person in the book, even though we’re only talking about books as objects here.
Like “Wintering” we get a lot of different topics covered in each section and there’s much to enjoy and think about, especially around the longevity of the printed page, even in a digital age.
Read my full review here.
Nov 12, 2020 @ 11:32:48
Both of those sound lovely – off to check out your reviews!
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:09:34
Both excellent reads I was lucky to receive!
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 12:43:37
These both sound really interesting, and I love the cover of Wintering!
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:09:49
It’s gorgeous, isn’t it!
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 13:05:11
Wintering sounds very timely, particularly as so many us are finding solace in the natural world right now. One of the things that lockdown has highlighted is a greater appreciation of things that surround us, the sense of wonder in the everyday.
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:10:25
Yes, completely agree, and the lake full of (non migrating) geese close to me has been a brilliant resource.
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 13:10:21
I have been trying to find Wintering in our library system and can’t! I have a feeling that I will be buying it. 🙂
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:10:45
Oh, that’s a shame, it is quite new out, though.
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 22:14:58
It looks like a keeper, so I am good with buying it. I am excited to read it.
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 13:23:59
The Secret Life of Books sounds great!
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:11:07
It’s a bit more substantial than many gifty books-about-books.
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 20:07:28
Wintering sounds lovely, I can understand the goose obsession. The Secret Life of Books is one I read, a good gift for book lovers indeed.
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:11:27
Yes, I remember you had the hardback and enjoyed it.
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Nov 12, 2020 @ 21:14:34
I have to quit reading here–I add too many to my more-than-a-lifetime-long TBR lol. Good reviews.
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 10:12:06
We obviously share a lot of interests, I’m glad I can give you some good recommendations! You know you want to keep reading really!
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 17:49:54
My state may go back to lock down so, yes, I DO want to keep reading!!
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Nov 13, 2020 @ 14:51:35
Oh that Tom Mole sounds wonderful. In fact, I have a suspicion I was sent a copy and forgot about it…
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Nov 14, 2020 @ 17:18:48
Oh-oh!
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Nov 14, 2020 @ 02:41:14
I’ve added Wintering and Secret Life of Books to my wish list.
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Nov 14, 2020 @ 17:19:12
Both good choices!
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State of the TBR January 2021 and reading stats / best books of 2020 #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jan 01, 2021 @ 20:58:47