Blog Tour ~ 21st-Century Yokel by Tom Cox

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be part of the blog tour for 21st-Century Yokel

Unbound
This edition 2019

My thanks to the publishers and to Anne at Random Things Tours for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the tour

21st-Century Yokel is not quite nature writing, not quite a family memoir, not quite a book about walking, not quite a collection of humorous essays, but a bit of all five. 

Thick with owls and badgers, oak trees and wood piles, scarecrows and ghosts, and Tom Cox's loud and excitable dad, this book is full of the folklore of several counties – the ancient kind and the everyday variety – as well as wild places, mystical spots and curious objects. Emerging from this focus on the detail are themes that are broader and bigger and more important than ever. 

Tom's writing treads a new path, one that has a lot in common with a rambling country walk; it's bewitched by fresh air and big skies, intrepid in minor ways, haunted by weather and old stories and the spooky edges of the outdoors, restless and prone to a few detours, but it always reaches its destination in the end.

My thoughts..

21st-Century Yokel is a wonderful eclectic collection of ten chapters which feature stories showcasing this author writing. Something quite magical happens as you read, and thanks to the author's skilful way with words, his anecdotes and family stories, his wry observations and genuine connection with nature comes alive, so that reading the stories feels like you are walking alongside him, with our glorious countryside opened up to scrutiny.

I found it helpful to read this book slowly, savouring the promise of what was to come and, as a keen ambler, much of the book resonated with me, so much so, that I found myself quietly smiling through most of it, recognising nuances and understanding philosophies. One section in particular about the beauty of trees and the poignancy of "woodsmoke's primal reminder of the woodier place we all come from " had me nodding in agreement as there's just something so comforting about the way wood smoke permeates the environment and which, in an instant, can take us back to a gentler time.

Taking a literary walk with this author is rather like travelling the highways and byways alongside him as he opens up about his family, nature, wildlife and the pull of the landscape he calls home. Written with a wonderful eye for detail, I've travelled with him along wood-sorrel paths and past glistening streams, observed the playfulness of badgers and the clattering of jackdaws. I've marveled at the explanation of Witches Knickers, and and laughed out loud at Tom's dad's antics, and especially love his anachronism WOFFAL, which is something I must remember to use from time to time 😊

21st-Century Yokel made me smile from beginning to end, it's filled with warmth and wit and is a perfect antidote to every day stress.

About the Author

Tom Cox lives in Devon. A one-time music journalist he is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling The Good, the Bad and the Furry and the William Hill Sports Book long olisted Bring Me The Head of Sergio Garcia. Help the Witch, a collection of folk ghost stories, was published in October 2019.

Website

Twitter @cox_tom #21stCenturyYokel

@unbounders

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Purchase Link