Tag: Non Fiction

By Dominic Gregory “Do you really think all lives are worth saving?” This is the question that Dungeness lifeboat volunteer Dominic Gregory faces from a man on the beach when he and his crewmates return from trying to rescue strangers from some of the most dangerous seas on earth.  This extraordinary book gave me an…

By Sarah Wynn-Williams Paperback £10.99 By the time you read this review, every MP in the United Kingdom will have received a free copy of Careless People by Pan Macmillan, to try and fight against Meta’s wish to see this book buried at least three feet in the ground.  If you want to know more…

By Mathelinda Nabugodi Hardback, £20 The Trembling Hand is a rich and thought-provoking discussion of the Romantic writers in the context of enslavement.  I found that I was thinking about Percy and Mary Shelley, Byron, Keats and others differently, and that this was both hard and relevant.   Nabugodi’s explanation of historical contexts of their lives…

By Raynor Winn Penguin, Paperback, £10.99 Last year I embarked on a long-distance walk myself (in the North of Spain) and after such an incredible experience, I have vouched to slowly work my way through some of the books that talk about long-distance walking. Despite my reasons to undertake such a challenge were quite different…

By Abi Palmer Makina Books, Paperback, £14 I came to Slugs having loved On Trampolining (by Rebecca Perry), the previous publication by Makina Books, and with very little notion of what it was about. My initial feelings about slugs varied from indifference to disgust, and I had no plans of learning more about them. So…

Kat Hill Paperback, £10.99 Bothys are small basic shelters, of varying degrees of comfort, in remote spots in Scotland and beyond.  They provide refuge for walkers, and are beloved of many.  This book on bothy stories and culture, will make you want to get out into the wilds, right now. I heard Kat Hill lecture…

By Michael I Ohajuru (editor) Hardback £35 John Blanke was a Black trumpeter at the Tudor court, present in archival documents including a letter asking for a pay rise, and in a striking image from a vellum roll showing the celebrations of the birth of a son to Henry VIII.  I felt I had been…

By Annie Erneaux Paperback £13.99 I have read The Years to prepare for the play adaptation playing in the West End at the Harold Pinter theatre. I always try to read the book before I see any adaptation (whether it is a play or a film) and I am so glad I got to experience…

By Katherine May Paperback £12.99 Part autobiography, part nature writing, Wintering in its entirety is a beautiful poetic mediation on the importance of feeling one’s feelings. Katherine May is forced to rest when a family member suffers an illness and it leads to a time of seclusion and isolation. For fans of The Outrun or…

I make no apology for not having finished this book before reviewing it.  It’s designed to be taken slowly and savoured.  In my case reading has been interspersed with many breaks for travel-related daydreaming and lazy planning.  Have a look inside, to see what I mean.  The subtitle, 22 mindful journeys across England, Scotland and…

By Jenny Odell £10.99 paperback This looks like a classic self-help book, one designed to help the reader prioritise, or perhaps to be more mindful.  I did find it helpful, and it was much more radical in argument and approach than I was expecting. Odell explores the invention of time as much of the world…

By Kathleen Jamie Paperback, £10.99 Cairn is a collection of micro essays, poems and thoughts from the Scottish writer.  As ever her focus on nature is acute, and her writing is beautiful.  Lovely minimalist illustrations complement the text. More present here than in previous works, perhaps, is the climate emergency. Jamie captures the grief of…

By Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä Paperback, £12.99 A short and beautiful memoir, as two women in their late 40s build their dream cabin on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland.  They stayed every summer until they were less able to manage the rigorous physical work that living there required. Luckily for us…

By Shoji Morimoto Paperback, £10.99 In this written account, Tokyoite Shoji Morimoto tells the story of why and how he stopped freelancing and started offering his services – for free! – as a “rental person who does nothing” on Twitter. Don’t let the quirky premise put you off. I spent my entire time reading it…