Book Club: Read all about it....
I read a lot of different genre’s from the
classics to the dark and edgy Scandi crime drama’s. But you probably won’t be
surprised to learn that I also love to read about the great outdoors. So I
thought I’d put out a slightly different blog and offer up some of my favourite
outdoorsy books. So let's get straight into it:
The Wood: The Life and Times of Cockshutt
Wood, by John Lewis-Stempel
I absolutely love John Lewis-Stempel’s
almost poetic writing style. This is a man who seems to have a deep
understanding of nature and his passion shines through in his writing. ‘The
Wood’ documents a year of his time managing a very typical English wood. You
learn about how the wood changes through the seasons as well as the coming and
goings of the local wildlife. John writes about some of the traditional
techniques that he uses to manage the land and delves into some of the history
and folklore behind those traditions. As you read through the book you’ll learn
about these things as well as some of the more practical uses attributed to the
trees, flora and fauna that populate the woodland.
The Secret Life of the Owl, by John
Lewis-Stempel
Yep another one of his books! Like I said,
I enjoy his writing style! Those that know me know that I have a small
fascination with Owl’s. I love to listen to the Tawny’s when I’m camping in the
wood and have enjoyed watching the Barn Owl's and Short Eared Owl’s quarter open
grassland in search of prey. This book offers you an insight into the Owl
species and their individual traits. John also writes about his own experience
when out on the land and why the Owls are known as the bird of ill-tidings.
Cache Lake Country, by John J Rowlands
This is a semi-fictional account of
Rowlands trips to the Canadian boreal forest and the friendship that he
established with a Cree Indian Trapper known as Chief Tibesh. In the book
Rowlands is sent out to the North Ontario woods to survey the land for future
logging prospects. Rowlands documents a year of his time out in the woods in
which he builds his own cabin and, with a little help from the Chief, learns
how to thrive in the wilderness. As with ‘The Wood’ this book follows the
seasons of the year and provides a vivid insight into the changes that occur
and how this impacts on the jobs that need to be done. It’s enhanced by a
beautiful series of illustrations and is another one of those books which takes
you off to another realm. When I was reading this book I was usually sat on the
train whizzing in and out of London, however in my head I was in the boreal
forest alongside Rowlands paddling my canoe through the lake systems.
The Last Englishman, by Keith Foskett
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to
walk one of the famous long distance hiking trails? I have and absolutely loved
reading Keith Foskett’s insight into the 2,640 mile Pacific Crest Trail. This
is a lauded backpacking trip that will take you from Mexico to Canada via the Californian Desert and Mountains of Washington.
Before I started this book I was a little nervous that it might be a bit dull,
how much can there be to write about when you’re simply walking every day for
several months. Alas there is more to the trail than the walking and Keith
offers an amusing insight into the friends that he makes along the way and the
many challenges that he faced from his phobia of snakes and critters to the
exceptionally cold nights that he endured towards the end of his hike. Another
element I also found quite interesting was how he dealt with the psychological
impact of walking such a long distance, he really did put himself through the
mill to achieve his goal. But you know what, it’s got to beat working in an
office, that’s what I’d keep telling myself anyway!
So there you go, a few of my favourite books on the
outdoors. I’m always reading something or other so I’ll probably put a few more
posts like this up as and when I’ve got some other books to talk about.
Thanks as always for reading
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