So he had some corny moments. And some inconsistencies. He spends considerable effort proving that China is by far the worst pollutant country in the world. Then he blames capitalism for global warming. Hyperbole? You could say so, I suppose. But what can I do, other than speak of my experience? Once, on a May morning a few years ago, I came out on to the banks of the Upper Itchen, at Ovington in Hampshire, and the river with its flowers and willows and the serenity of its flow and its dimpling trout in its matchless, limpid water, all gilded by the sunshine, seemed to possess a loveliness which was not part of this world at all.

George Osborne should read this book – but he just wouldn’t get it. Or maybe he would – it is very engagingly written. When I first joined Goodreads fourteen years ago (it feels longer) I entered many of the giveaways and was the happy winner of seventeen books. I dutifully wrote a review for each one, even a few cookbooks. Then, seven years ago, the winning stopped. (No more sparrows?) Seventeen books in the first seven years; zero books in the next seven years. This is probablistically impossible. This is long before I pissed Ms. Underwood off. Perhaps it's because I ignored instructions and quoted from an uncorrected proof. his personal story regarding his mother who had a breakdown and brother who committed suicide was a sad one but I struggled to marry the two narratives together. And it’s a book about wonder. The loss of nature matters, at least in part, because we lose the opportunity to have ‘Wow!’ moments where we see things that we couldn’t have imagined and that are so beautiful and are part of our, yes our, world. Our only world.I wanted to share that feeling with a fellow human, and know that I am not alone in that upwelling. That is a part of this thoughtful book, along with some solid points about the evolution of humans as a part of the world. The connections to our mental health and the world around us are also well spoken for here. I have a few issues regarding his writing (there was some repetition of points) and his overall point - I wholeheartedly agree, but it felt like he didn't base it on anything but intuition. And intuition is rarely enough if you want to convince the rest of the world, even if your intuition is right. This is a very good read from one of our finest writers about the natural world. I think Mike could write well about anything – certainly anything he cared about. But notice, that he is not, and would not claim to be, an expert on nature. Maybe that’s one reason why he sees the joy more clearly than some of us who ‘know’ more. Perhaps that knowledge compromises how much we can feel for nature. Does the head too often get in the way of the heart? I hope not, but if it does then this book reminds us of the richness of nature from an emotional point of view as well as an intellectual one.

Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader - she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house Wow! So many crazy twists and turns! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, great police work and a great who-done-it!… Had me glued to my Kindle!’ Sassy Southern Books I thought my best friend’s death must have been an accident. But as I look down at the footprints in the deep snow, I suddenly see the truth: my oldest friends have been lying to me and one of them was the killer… but which one? This is a book about loss – and about joy, and about wonder, and about hope. There’s a lot about the loss of nature over the last few decades and the author mixes this with memories of personal loss. A love of nature can be a support and strength during one’s life. Had me on the edge of my seat for the entire thing!… So gripping… I read this book in less than 24 hours.’ @em_reads64

How to Vote

Joy has a component, if not of morality, then at least of seriousness. It signifies a happiness which is a serious business" Alongside this joy is anger, impotent anger, as he describes the pointless despoilation and destruction of Saemangeum in South Korea by the construction of a 23 mile long seawall which has annihilated the rich mudflats upon which countless thousands of migrating birds had depended.

But there was plenty that was new to me and I’ll be asking him about the woman with the heart-stopping face and fire-red hair some time soon (for there is more in this book than just nature). He writes of Joy and Wonder, but also Doom: We were the generation who, over the long course of our lives, saw the shadow fall across the face of the earth. An amazing and enjoyable read!!… You could almost feel the cold winds of the raging storm and see the smashing waves of the sea… almost impossible to put down… I didn’t want the book to end. If you like thrillers, twists, and atmospheric storytelling, I think you’ll love this one!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nature has many gifts for us, but perhaps the greatest of them all is joy; the intense delight we can take in the natural world, in its beauty, in the wonder it can offer us, in the peace it can provide - feelings stemming ultimately from our own unbreakable links to nature, which mean that we cannot be fully human if we are separate from it.There are, however, several tropes that I wish could be left out of such books. This is just one of several books about the glory of nature to be, in part, about the complicated adult relationships we have with our parents. I wonder what it is about the reverie of nature that surfaces those feelings as well? it is clear that the earth did not have to be beautiful for humans to evolve; we could have had a planet which perfectly well sustained us with air and water and food and shelter, without offering us aspects of itself which also lift the spirit and catch at the heart. Mike writes really well and he tells a good tale. I smiled once or twice when I read accounts which I have also heard from the author’s own mouth as we have quaffed claret with others over a good dinner. He means a time before flowers, a time when the world was just shades of green. Then some plants began to use insects instead of the wind to move their pollen around. Voila! It didn't have to happen, he says. Nothing said it had to happen before we came along: we might well be living happily - in so far as we can live happily at all - in an all-green world still, and perhaps we would never miss what we never had.