📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Goshawk Summer by James Aldred

 

Elliot & Thompson
Out in paperback 2 June 2022

In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, the newly hatched chicks and the lives of these elusive and enchanting birds.

Then lockdown. And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James.

At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming. And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.

Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times.

A Goshawk summer unlike any other.

📖 My Review..

Over  the pandemic some of us were privileged to discover something of the beauty of the natural world and the calm mindfulness of walking in woodland, admiring the sounds of birds and the soft whisper of the wind in the trees. Whilst I didn't discover a Goshawk nest I did marvel at seeing things in nature I hadn't seen before, like watching a huge murmuration of starlings in the early dusk of a winter afternoon, and being in awe of the magnitude and magic of a natural spectacle of nature.

In Goshawk Summer, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, James Aldred writes very eloquently about his once in a lifetime privilege of observing, at close quarters, a female goshawk, and her mate, as they attempt to rear their offspring, in a place where even the hunters face their own immediate danger.

The country had been in lockdown for just two weeks in April 2020 when the author was given the unique opportunity to film a pair of mated goshawks in the New Forest. Magnificent hunting birds, who value their privacy so much that tracking their chosen nesting area makes for fascinating reading. However, it is in the description of these ancient hunters which brings the story to life with a lyricism which caught my attention from the very first page...

"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chain mail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene..."

The book moves softly, and silently, through the months of summer from April, until the end of June 2020, and does so in diary entries which record just what James observed in the woods, his relationship with nature, and more importantly what he learned about, and from the goshawks, as they live out their challenging, but majestic lives. Sharply observed, every nuance of the woodland area is investigated and brought to life, and the narrative is so finely placed it feels cinematic in quality just as though you are cocooned high above the canopy of the New Forest watching as the ancient woodland unfolds deep below you to share its innermost secrets.

I found the whole of Goshawk Summer quite magical and if you enjoy the natural world, then I am sure you will too. A portion of royalties from Goshawk Summer are being donated to the Marie Curie charity.

About the Author

James Aldred is an EMMY award-winning cameraman, adventurer and professional tree climber who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees.

Author website

Twitter  @jraldred #GoshawkSummer

@eantbooks

📖 Book Review ~ Light Rains Sometimes Fall by Lev Parikian

 

Elliot & Thompson

Out in paperback 19 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

See the British year afresh and experience a new way of connecting with nature – through the prism of Japan’s seventy-two ancient microseasons.

Across seventy-two short chapters and twelve months, writer and nature lover Lev Parikian charts the changes that each of these ancient microseasons (of a just a few days each) bring to his local patch – garden, streets, park and wild cemetery.

From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to ‘the greater cold’ (daikan) in late January, Lev draws our eye to the exquisite beauty of the outside world, day-to-day.

Instead of Japan’s lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms – and the power of nature to reflect and enhance our mood – remain.

By turns reflective, witty and joyous, this is both a nature diary and a revelation of the beauty of the small and subtle changes of the everyday, allowing us to ‘look, look again, look better’.

📖 My Review..

From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to ‘the greater cold’ (daikan) in late January the Japanese have an ancient set of micro-seasons which allows more scope to appreciate what is going on around you than do our own four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. In this delightful appreciation of the British year, Lev Parikian takes the notion of this micro-season and applies it to the intricacies of the world of nature on his doorstep. All of which is brought into sharp focus when the country goes into lockdown in March 2020. Set in the area of London the author calls home we undertake, with him as our guide, a rather special journey of discovery.

The idea of dividing the year into short four day bursts inspires each cleverly worded introduction and each of the different sections are so wonderfully descriptive I found myself going back to read parts again. Easily readable in short chapters which you can dip into and out of at whim, the book unfolds in delightful kaleidoscope of natural beauty. In the 72 short chapters of Light Rains Sometimes Fall we are enriched by the wonder of nature as the author appreciates all that he has previously passed without a second glance. A quiet cemetery with it's watchful gaze is home to a myriad of creatures who scuttle and bustle away from prying eyes. The glory of butterflies who flutter and dance in tall grasses, some naturally camouflaged and others gloriously splendid with wings outstretched in a rare burst of sunshine.  A kestrel, a cormorant, a family of finches, the chip of a woodpecker, the rat-at-tat of a wren, the ragged sleekness of an urban fox , all are creatures hiding in plain sight but who are there if only we would stop, look and listen.

Whilst lockdown brought its many challenges, it also gave us a unique opportunity to see the world around us with an entirely different focus. With time on our hands we had the chance to observe the intricacies of nature in all its natural beauty and Light Rains Sometimes Fall is testament to the art of natural observation and whether we be townsfolk or country folk it's good to be reminded that nature is all around us, we only need look.

Best read with .. an unexpected Jaffa cake in a tin of rich tea biscuits

About the Author

Lev Parikian is a writer, birdwatcher and conductor.  He lives in West London with his family, who are getting used to his increasing enthusiasm for nature. As a birdwatcher, his most prized sightings are a golden oriole in the Alpujarras and a black redstart at Dungeness Power Station.

Twitter @LevParikian

Website

@eandtbooks

Blog Tour ~ The Heeding by Rob Cowen : Illustrated by Nick Hayes

Elliot & Thompson
31 March 2022

My thanks to the publishers and Alison Menzies PR
for my copy of the book and the invitation to the blog tour

 

The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely.

Across four seasons and a luminous series of poems and illustrations, Rob Cowen and Nick Hayes paint a picture of a year caught in the grip of history yet filled with revelatory perspectives close at hand. A sparrowhawk hunting in a back street; the moon over a town with a loved one’s hand held tight; butterflies massing in a high-summer yard – the everyday wonders and memories that shape a life and help us recall our own.

The Heeding leads us on a journey that takes its markers and signs from nature and a world filled with fear and pain but beauty and wonder too. Collecting birds, animals, trees and people together, it is a profound meditation to a time no one will forget.

At its heart, this is a book that helps us look again, to heed: to be attentive to this world we share, to grieve what’s lost and to hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.

📖 My Review ...

This anthology of thirty-five beautifully formed poems takes us on an enlightening journey into the appreciation of what we have around us and of the resources we have within ourselves. During this recent global pandemic I think we have all learned to turn inward and reflect more about those who are close to us and what it means to have been isolated from those we love and the lives we lead.

The Heeding is an introspective look at the feelings expressed during the early stages of lockdown in 2020. I found the poem Noises Off encapsulated a world which had suddenly gone silent. Whilst Lost brought into stark focus the unreality of life in lockdown with face masks abandoned on the pavement, the frustration of keeping children amused when both parents are working from home and the mysterious phenomena of clapping for our NHS heroes. All now so ingrained into our collective consciousness that our lives will be forever changed. 

Learning to look at nature in a therapeutic way is something we can all identify with and there are references to nature scattered throughout the collection which made me aware of just how important the natural world is to us. I particularly enjoyed Starling which reminded me of the chattering group of Starlings which visit my bird feeder every morning, their noisy cheerfulness became such a highlight of my day during lockdown.

There's such an abundance of beautifully written verse that once I had finished the collection I found myself going back to revisit certain poems and even now days later I find that I can pick up the book, at whim, and find something to enjoy. Interspersed and very much an integral part of the anthology are the beautiful black and white line drawing illustrations which bring the meaning of the poems to life in both a poignant and mesmerising way. There's a delightful drawing of a fox hunkering down in its den which is simply magical.

📖 Best Read with... a slice of home made cake, lovingly made.

About the Author

Rob Cowen is an award winning writer, hailed as one of the Uk's most original voices on nature and place. His book Common Ground was shortlisted for the Portico, Richard Jefferies Society and Wainwright Prizes and voted one of the nation's favourite nature books on BBC's Winterwatch. His poems featured in Caught by the River and in Letters to the Earth . he lives in North Yorkshire.

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes is a writer, illustrator and printmaker. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Book of Trespass: Crossing the lines that Divide Us. He has published graphic novels with Jonathan Cape and worked for many renowned titles. He has exhibited across the country, including at the Hayward Gallery. He lives in the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Twitter @robbiecowen #TheHeeding

#NickHayes

@eandtbooks

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Fifty Words for Snow by Nancy Campbell

 

Elliot & Thompson
1 November 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The perfect winter gift – each of these linguistic snow crystals offers a whole world of myth and story.

In this lyrical, evocative book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer Nancy Campbell digs deep into the meanings and etymologies, the histories and the futures of fifty words for snow, using them as clues to the many ways in which we are all connected to one another and to our planet.

From Iceland to Hawaii, every language and culture has its own word for the magical,mesmerising flakes that fall from the sky. Fifty Words... is a journey from the ornate ice houses of country estates to the artificial snow of the movies, from the snow roads across the frozen lakes of Estonia to Kilimanjaro’s snowy peak – a meeting point between the human and the divine. 

Exploring language in its broadest sense, Campbell includes American Sign Language for ‘snowboard’ and shares how the Inuktitut oral language came to be transcribed.

Every language and culture has its own word for the magical, mesmerising flakes that fall from the sky. From Iceland to Hawaii, frozen forest to mountain peak, school yard to park, snow may be welcomed, feared, played with or prized. 

In this lyrical, evocative book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer, Nancy Campbell, digs deep into the meanings and etymologies, the histories and the futures of fifty words for snow from across the globe, using them as clues to the many ways in which we are all connected to one another and to our planet.

Fifty words… is a journey from the ornate ice houses on country estates to the artificial snow of the movies, the construction of iglu by Inuit, and jäätee, the ice roads across frozen lakes of Estonia. Exploring language in its broadest sense, Campbell includes American Sign Language for snowboard and shares how the Inuktitut oral language came to be transcribed. At a time of great environmental change, it is a celebration of climate, and a warning of what may be lost.

📖 What did I think about it...

I was lucky to be able to review this rather special book on its blog tour in November last year. I am delighted to re-post my review on its paperback publication day and to share its pretty new cover.

Not only is Fifty Words for Snow a fascinating look at how we view the 'feather like flakes that fall from the sky' but it's also a trip, in fifty words, to some amazing places around the world. From the Sámi people of northern Norway, Finland, Sweden, through to Suncups which form in the snowfields of the northern hemisphere, including England, the author describes the myths and stories which follow this glorious phenomenon around the world.

Wonderfully presented Fifty Words for Snow draws you into a magical world which the author describes so beautifully. Each chapter is complete within itself and is headed by a lovely illustration, from the original photographs of snowflakes taken by Wilson Bentley and just as each snowflake is individual so is each special meaning.

I started the book with the intention of dipping wherever took my fancy but after the first chapter I found that I read the book in snowflake order, captivated by the lyrical quality of the stories as they unfolded in the fifty very different words for snow. I love the way that snow quietly transforms even the bleakest of landscapes, turning the vista into a magical and sparkling world, and I think, in this lovely book, the author has captured the very essence of snow, and what it means to different cultures.

Fifty Words for Snow has brought a little bit of sparkly magic into my world and it is definitely a perfect gift for anyone who loves the beauty of words or the simple joy of making angels in the snow.

About the Author

Nancy Campbell is an award-winning writer, described as ‘deft, dangerous and dazzling’ by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Her travels in the Arctic between 2010 and 2017 have resulted in several projects responding to the environment, most recently The Library of Ice: Readings in a Cold Climate (S&S), which was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2019. Her previous book on the polar environment, Disko Bay, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2016. She has been a Marie Claire ‘Wonder Woman’, a Hawthornden Fellow and Visual and Performing Artist in Residence at Oxford University. She is currently a Literature Fellow at Internationales Kunstlerhaus Villa Concordia in Bamberg, Germany.

Twitter @nancycampbelle #fiftywordsforsnow

@eandtbooks

@alisonmenziespr

📖 Book Review ~ Goshawk Summer by James Aldred

 

Happy Publication Day

Elliot and Thompson
29 July 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, the newly hatched chicks and the lives of these elusive and enchanting birds.

Then lockdown. And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James.

At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming. And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.

Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times.

A Goshawk summer unlike any other.

My Thoughts..

Over the past months of the pandemic I think some of us have been privileged to discover something of the beauty of the natural world and the calm mindfulness of walking in woodland, admiring the sounds of birds and the soft whisper of the wind in the trees. Whilst I didn't discover a Goshawk nest I did marvel at seeing things in nature I hadn't seen before, like watching a huge murmuration of starlings in the early dusk of a winter afternoon, and being in awe of the magnitude and magic of a natural spectacle of nature.

In Goshawk Summer, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, James Aldred writes very eloquently about his once in a lifetime privilege of observing, at close quarters, a female goshawk, and her mate, as they attempt to rear their offspring, in a place where even the hunters face their own immediate danger.

The country has been in lockdown for just two weeks in April 2020 when the author is given the unique opportunity to film a pair of mated goshawks in the New Forest. Magnificent hunting birds, who value their privacy so much that tracking their chosen nesting area makes for fascinating reading. However, it is in the description of these ancient hunters which brings the story to life with a lyricism which caught my attention from the very first page...

"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene..."

The book moves softly, and silently, through the months of summer from April, until the end of June 2020, and does so in diary entries which record just what James observed in the woods, his relationship with nature, and more importantly what he learned about, and from the goshawks, as they live out their challenging, but majestic lives. Sharply observed, every nuance of the woodland area is investigated and brought to life, and the narrative is so finely placed it feels cinematic in quality just as though you are cocooned high above the canopy of the New Forest watching as the ancient woodland unfolds deep below you to share its innermost secrets.

I found the whole of Goshawk Summer quite magical and if you enjoy the natural world, then I am sure you will too. A portion of royalties from Goshawk Summer are being donated to the Marie Curie charity.

About the Author

James Aldred is an EMMY award-winning cameraman, adventurer and professional tree climber who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees.

Author website

Twitter @jraldred #GoshawkSummer

@eantbooks

📖 Book Review ~ Paperback Publication Day ~The Cabinet of Calm by Paul Anthony Jones

📖 Happy Paperback Publication Day 📖 

Elliot&Thompson
Paperback 8 April 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Open The Cabinet of Calm and discover a soothing word that’s equal to your troubles…

‘These are words to soothe an unquiet mind. To inspire our creativity. To encourage fellow thinking and community spirit, and to give us fresh hope. In essence, collected here are nothing but kind words, for these unkind times.’

For almost a decade, Paul Anthony Jones has written about the oddities and origins of the English language, amassing a vast collection of some of its more unusual words. Last year, doubly bereaved and struggling to regain his spirits, he turned to words – words that could be applied to difficult, challenging times and found solace. The Cabinet of Calm is the result.

Paul has unearthed fifty-one linguistic remedies to offer reassurance, inspiration and hope in the face of such feelings as grief and despair, homesickness and exhaustion, missing our friends and a loss of hope.

My Thoughts...

This lovely book came into my life when we were facing such a troubled time during the first national lockdown, little did I know that, a year later, we would still be in the grip of this global pandemic which has altered our world forever. I'm delighted to share my review of The Cabinet of Calm on its paperback publication day.

Words can be such a comfort in times of trouble and none more valuable than in this difficult time in which we find ourselves. I have been turning more and more to inspirational verse in order to make sense of a world which seems to have been set completely off its axis.

Opening The Cabinet of Calm is like an emotional toolbox, and peeping inside has soothed my imagination in so many different ways and I have found so much to encourage and ponder over that I have been quite mesmerised by the power of its expression.

In more ways than one, The Cabinet of Calm is a beautifully designed book, not just because its content is so fascinating, I never knew that so much could be expressed in a single word, but also in the perfection of its cover design which is really beautiful to behold. Wonderfully tactile and handily sized so that you can carry the book around with you tucked into a pocket, or a handbag - a handy reference guide when a specific word is needed, like Villeggiaturia, meaning city-weary.

Each of the fifty-one words which make up The Cabinet of Calm will appeal and have meaning and so many times when reading through the book I found myself nodding in appreciation because the word described was just completely right in context.

In these times of countless challenges and so often in last few weeks I have struggled to feel positive, not being able to interact with family and friends has been a heartbreaking struggle, so the chapter entitled, Agathism, which is a word for when you are feeling disillusionment or struggling to remain positive, was a very helpful reminder that all we have to do is wait, "enduring the bad times as best we can, and focusing on the good times that will - no matter how distant they might feel at the moment - eventually return"

Beautifully written, each chapter of The Cabinet of Calm is complete in itself so that this is something which you can easily dip into and out of at whim. If you have a love for the more obscure words in our beautiful language, or even if you are trying to make sense of world which is completely out of kilter, then I am sure that you will find as much to ponder over in this lovely book as I did.

About the Author

Paul has a Masters in Linguistics and is a language blogger from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. His obsession with words began with a child’s dictionary he received as a Christmas present when he was eight years old. As @HaggardHawks he has tweeted obscure words since 2013 and now has a social media following of over 75k, including the likes of JK Rowling, Robert Macfarlane, Susie Dent, Richard Osman, Greg Jenner, Ian McMillan, Rufus Sewell, Simon Mayo, Michael Rosen and Cerys Matthews.

HaggardHawks.com brings together the entire HH network including a blog, books, quizzes & games, the 500 Words YouTube series, Instagram gallery and newsletter. He regularly contributes to the media.

Twitter @HaggardHawks #CabinetofCalmWords

@enandtbooks

 

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Under the Stars by Matt Gaw

 

📖  Happy Publication Day 📖 

Elliot & Thompson
4 February 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Moonlight, starlight, the ethereal glow of snow in winter ... When you flick off a switch, other forms of light begin to reveal themselves.

Artificial light is everywhere. Not only is it damaging to humans and to wildlife, disrupting our natural rhythms, but it obliterates the subtler lights that have guided us for millennia. In this beautifully written exploration of the power of light, Matt Gaw ventures forth into darkness to find out exactly what we're missing: walking by the light of the moon in Suffolk and under the scattered buckshot of starlight in Scotland; braving the darkest depths of Dartmoor; investigating the glare of 24/7 London and the suburban sprawl of Bury St Edmunds; and, finally, rediscovering a sense of the sublime on the Isle of Coll.

Under the Stars is an inspirational and immersive call to reconnect with the natural world, showing how we only need to step outside to find that, in darkness, the world lights up.

What did I think about it..

I rarely go out after dark any more, and so I too fail to notice the impact of the night and how the elements look so very different in fading light. In Under the Stars, the author takes us a journey from the dark into the light with a special lyrical magic brought to life by his powerful description of the night sky and of how this exploration, not only made him appreciate the beauty of the night, but also how in using his senses in a different way it gave him a much greater awareness of everything he saw and experienced.

The author writes with warmth and delicate balance, explaining everything he saw and felt with a fine eye for detail and a joyous pleasure at the mystical pull of observation. Filled with a plethora of facts that you never knew you needed to know, Under The Stars is a real feast for all the senses. The author takes us on an enlightening journey, from the lure of moonlight in coastal Suffolk, the gaudy brightness of the city of London, the sheer brilliance pulled from the natural light over dark skies, and the ethereal splendour of starlight over The Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides, there is so much to enjoy in this beautifully written exploration of the night sky in all its majesty and unique glory.

There is so much we take for granted in our world, that we fail to recognise the beauty of nature as it surrounds us and it’s only when we take away the obvious can we appreciate what is there for us to see if only we would take the time to slow down and really look to see what’s happening when we allow the night sky, and nature, to speak directly to us.

Recommended : ✅ Absolutely if you enjoy nature, star gazing, moon gazing or just reading a beautifully written observational book about the natural world.

Under the Stars is published in paperback by Elliot and Thompson on the 4th February 2021 to coincide with the CPRE's - (The Countryside Charity) - Annual Star Count (6-14 February) as Matt is a spokesperson for the campaign.

About the Author

Matt Gaw is a writer, journalist and naturalist who lives in Bury St Edmunds. His work has been published in the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Times. He works with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, edits Suffolk Wildlife, currently writes a monthly country diary for the Suffolk Magazine and is a director of the Suffolk Festival of Ideas.

Twitter @MattGaw

@eandtbooks

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ Fifty Words for Snow by Nancy Campbell

 

Delighted to host today's Blog Tour stop

Elliot&Thompson
5 November 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book
and for the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Fifty international words for snow, revealing a whole world of culture, myth and story – explored by an award-winning writer. 

“A snow crystal is part of the endless cycle of the water molecule: from its six cornered solid state it becomes liquid and then gas, and thus a snowflake that falls on the glaciers of the Rwenzori peaks in Africa might melt and evaporate and later freeze again and fall in the apple orchards of Kashmir, and melt again and fall fifty times and more. Just so, a single unit of meaning – one word for snow – offers an approach to new places, a clear path of understanding to travel forwards along.” 

Every language and culture has its own word for the magical, mesmerising flakes that fall from the sky. From Iceland to Hawaii, frozen forest to mountain peak, school yard to park, snow may be welcomed, feared, played with or prized. In this lyrical, evocative book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer, Nancy Campbell, digs deep into the meanings and etymologies, the histories and the futures of fifty words for snow from across the globe, using them as clues to the many ways in which we are all connected to one another and to our planet. Fifty words… is a journey from the ornate ice houses on country estates to the artificial snow of the movies, the construction of iglu by Inuit, and jäätee, the ice roads across frozen lakes of Estonia. Exploring language in its broadest sense, Campbell includes American Sign Language for snowboard and shares how the Inuktitut oral language came to be transcribed. At a time of great environmental change, it is a celebration of climate, and a warning of what may be lost.

What did I think about it...

Not only is Fifty Words for Snow a fascinating look at how we view the 'feather like flakes that fall from the sky' but it's also a trip, in fifty words, to some amazing places around the world. From the Sámi people of northern Norway, Finland, Sweden, through to Suncups which form in the snowfields of the northern hemisphere, including England, the author describes the myths and stories which follow this glorious phenomenon around the world.

Wonderfully presented in a stunning hardback edition, and with quiet determination, Fifty Words for Snow draws you into a magical world which the author describes so beautifully. Each chapter is complete within itself and is headed by a lovely illustration, from the original photographs of snowflakes taken by Wilson Bentley, and just as each snowflake is individual so is each special meaning.

I started the book with the intention of dipping wherever took my fancy but after the first chapter I found that I read the book in snowflake order, captivated by the lyrical quality of the stories as they unfolded in the fifty very different words for snow. I love the way that snow quietly transforms even the bleakest of landscapes, turning the vista into a magical and sparkling world, and I think, in this lovely book, the author has captured the very essence of snow, and what it means to different cultures.

Fifty Words for Snow has brought a little bit of sparkly magic into my world during this latest lockdown and it is definitely a perfect gift for anyone who loves the beauty of words, or the simple joy of making angels in the snow.

About the Author

Nancy Campbell is an award-winning writer, described as ‘deft, dangerous and dazzling’ by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Her travels in the Arctic between 2010 and 2017 have resulted in several projects responding to the environment, most recently The Library of Ice: Readings in a Cold Climate (S&S), which was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2019. Her previous book on the polar environment, Disko Bay, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2016. She has been a Marie Claire ‘Wonder Woman’, a Hawthornden Fellow and Visual and Performing Artist in Residence at Oxford University. She is currently a Literature Fellow at Internationales Kunstlerhaus Villa Concordia in Bamberg, Germany.

Twitter @nancycampelle #fiftywordsforsnow

@eandtbooks

Publication Day Review ~ It's the End of the World by Adam Roberts

 

Elliot & Thompson
5 November 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

From last man and dying earth fiction to zombies swarming on screen and the ruined landscapes of immersive gaming, via sweeping contagions, invading aliens, falling bombs and rising robots, buckle up for the end of the world.

“The end of the world is ever on our minds … Popular culture is busy with predictions and visions of our own demise, from religious myths to video games, from journalism to science fiction. Our fascination with the end times has created a remarkable array of apocalyptic subgenres, by turns baleful and strangely emancipatory – machine uprisings, zombie swarms, alien annihilations. Each story is revealing in its own way, but collectively they say something far more significant about humanity.”

In this thought-provoking and thoroughly engaging book, Professor Adam Roberts explores our many different cultural visions of the end of the world – likely and unlikely, mundane and bizarre – and what they say about how we see ourselves and our societies. What is it is that we are really afraid of? An uncaring universe; an uncontrollable environment; the human capacity for destruction; or just our own, personal apocalypse – our mortality?

He considers religious doomsday; our love affair with zombies; rogue AI; plagues and diseases; the end of the universe and the climate crisis. Adam Roberts’ entertaining observations are thick with references to books, films, video games and TV series – from the Iliad and the Book of Revelation to Minecraft and the Matrix, via the War of the Worlds and Star Trek - revealing why this is an endlessly repeated trope in popular culture.

What did I think about it..

In this year of uncertainty, to read a book about the end of the world seems very timely, as I have indeed wondered just where we are headed when all around us seems to be changing, and not for the better.

In It's the End of the World, the author very cleverly leads us through a series of cultural visions about the different end of the word scenarios from, Escaping the Wrath of the Gods: Religious Doomsday, through to The World on Fire : Climate Armageddon. 

Throughout the book there is a comprehensive exploration in the way we, as a race of people, perceive destruction, and the increasing rise of popular culture only serves to emphasise this fascination with our apocalyptic demise. The author puts forward comprehensive ideas and I enjoyed reading the well thought out arguments and fascinating scenarios which, overall, gave me much food for thought.

It's the End of the World is one of those clever little books, whilst not huge in size, coming in at just over 190 pages, it certainly packs a generous punch in terms of thought provoking ideas and it is definitely one of those interesting books which I am sure I will find myself dipping into from time to time or whenever I feel that the end of the world is nigh.

About the Author

Professor Adam Roberts is a writer, critic and Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway University. Among his many academic works are studies of Browning and Coleridge. He is also the author of more than twenty science fiction novels, including Jack Glass, which won the BSFA Award for Best Novel. He is the author of the Palgrave History of Science Fiction and reviews regularly for the Guardian. He lives to the West of London with his wife and two children

Twitter  @eandtbooks

Website

Book Review ~ Wintering : A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt

Elliot & Thompson
15 October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

 

A celebration of winter and of the bird that heralds it; the perfect seasonal gift book for bird lovers

The arrival of huge flocks of geese in the UK is one of the most evocative and powerful harbingers of winter; a vast natural phenomenon to capture the imagination. So Stephen Rutt found when he moved to Dumfries in the autumn of 2018, coinciding with the migration of thousands of pink-footed geese who spend their winter in the Firth.

Thus begins an extraordinary odyssey. From his new surroundings in the north to the wide open spaces of his childhood home in the south, Stephen traces the lives and habits of the most common species of goose in the UK and explores the place they have in our culture, our history and, occasionally, on our festive table.

Wintering takes you on a vivid tour of the in-between landscapes the geese inhabit, celebrating the short days, varied weathers and long nights of the season during which we share our home with these large, startling, garrulous and cooperative birds.

What did I think about it..

It's that time of year when I look to the skies to see large skeins of geese flying south. I live in the north of England, reasonably close, well, as the geese fly, to a number of wetland areas. I like to imagine that they are heading off to spend their winter at one of those sheltered places. I've no idea the type of geese, but their honking cry can be heard even when they are a couple of hundred of feet in the sky above me.

Photo Credit: Digital Images

Wintering celebrates the migration of geese in a beautifully descriptive book which looks at all the reasons why they leave their summer breeding grounds to head south to warmer climes. We think of the British Isles as being a cold place over winter and yet the geese must find it positively balmy when compared with the desperate chill of the Arctic tundra, or the icy cliffs of Svalbard.  

The author shares his considerable knowledge with references to others who have also made geese their area of expertise and together they give a fascinating glimpse into the migratory life of this stalwart and rather belligerent bird. After an informative introduction into how the author came to live in Dumfries just as thousands of pink footed geese were making their annual migratory journey south, the book is then divided into easy to peruse sections which describe the more common geese, namely Pink-footed, Barnacle, Greylag, Brent, White-fronted and Bean, who are often found wintering in our countryside or in those areas which are managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

The author has a lovely way of bringing these birds to life in an almost poetic way, marveling at their ability to adapt and settle when conditions haven't always been to their advantage but with more considerate management their numbers are now increasing and we are so much the better for that. It also observes, not just the arrival of the geese, but also the natural beauty of the British Isles and the joy of the natural world in all weathers from the start of September when the geese make their noisy arrival, to April when they head back to the Arctic Tundra and the cliffs of Svalbard to start the cycle all over again.

I live very close to the Leeds and Liverpool canal and its a real joy to see geese making their home on the waterways. I think the Greylag are my favourite, their inquisitive faces and delicate orange beak make them endearing even when they honk and hiss for getting too close with the camera.

Greylag Goose
Photo Credit : Digital Images

About the Author

Stephen Rutt is an award wining writer, birder, naturalist and book reviewer whose work has appeared in EarthLines Magazine,Zoomorphic, The Harrier, Surfbirds, BirdGuides and the East Anglian Times. He is the recipient of the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Athors for The Seafarers, his first book, which won the Saltire First Book of the Year in 2019. Stephen currently lives in Dumfries.

Twitter @steverutt #Wintering

@eandtbooks

@alisonmenziespr

Blog Tour ~ Cauld Blasts and Clishmaclavers by Robin A. Crawford ☼

☼ Delighted to host today's stop on this blog tour ☼

Elliot and Thompson
20 August 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

The evocative vocabulary, wit and wisdom of the Scots language – from Robert Burns to Twitter.

Scottish writer and bookseller, Robin Crawford, has gathered 1,000 Scots words – old and new, classical and colloquial, rural and urban – in a joyful celebration of their continuing usage. His amusing, erudite definitions put each of these words in context, revealing their evocative origins and essential character. Delightful line drawings by Scottish printmaker Liz Myhill contribute to this treasury of linguistic gems for language lovers everywhere.

The Scots language is intricately bound up in the nation’s history, identity, land and culture. It is also a living and vital vernacular, used daily. With references to Robert Burns mingling with contemporary examples from Billy Connolly and even Monty Python, Cauld Blasts and Clishmaclavers revels in the richness of one of our oldest languages, and acts as a precious reminder of words that are also beginning to fade away, their meaning and value disappearing.

Clishmaclaver: the passing on of idle gossip, sometimes in a book.

Inkie-pinkie: weak beer.

Sodie-heid: literally, ‘head full of soda bubbles’, airhead.

Smowt: youngster, technically a young trout or salmon but also affectionately applied to a child.

Simmer dim: Shetland term for long summer evenings where due to the northern latitude it never really gets dark.

Dreich: grey, miserable, tedious; usually applied to weather but indicative of the Scots temperament, hence it being voted Scotland’s favourite word in a recent poll (or perhaps indicative of the temperaments of Scots who feel the need to participate in online polls): ‘It’s gey dreich the day'

Ailsa Cock = Puffin

What did I think about it..

Long before relying on spell check on a computer I can remember having school lessons dedicated to how to use a dictionary. Looking up words, and their meanings, was taken very seriously, and I think this useful skill definitley fostered my love of words and their usage. 

This treasury of 1,000 Scottish words has been a real delight to read, easy to peruse whether looking up a specific word, and believe me there are some amazing words I'd never seen before, or, starting at the very beginning with a',aa,or aw which means all, to yowe trummale which means unseasonably cold weather in early summer, something I'm used in the north of England! Incidentally, there's nothing in the treasury beginning with the letter z!

I really did begin at the beginning though and throughout the treasury I discovered words which made me smile, words that I use everyday and words that I had, quite simply, never seen before and which I would hope one day to be able to sneak into conversation - words like breenge which means to plunge and rush, or ficherie which means fiddly, fussy or finicky, and stooshie which is a to-do or commotion.

The rich vernacular that we associate with this lyrical language is fully explored and the author has been very thorough in his research and includes, alongside words and their meaning, some interesting contextual snippets of information about their origin and usage of specific words in literature, rhymes and drama.There's also a bit of a help with some pronunciation which has been especially useful to this Sassenach with how to actually say a specific word - for example, ceud-mille-failte becomes instantly pronounceable as ki-ool-a-meel-a-fell-cha and Slainte/slainte mhath - a term so often used in my favourite Outlander novels, becomes much easier as slange /slan-ja-vah.

Cauldblasts and Clishmaclavers is a fascinating journey through the romantic lyricism of the Scottish vernacular. Intricately exploring its richly evolving history in an easy to use treasury which both educates and entertains in equal measure.

Kellas Cat
A black variant of the Scottish Wildcat associated with witches and ill-luck

About the Author

Born in Glasgow, writer and Scottish bookseller Robin A. Crawford has a particular interest in the culture and natural heritage of his native land. He is the critically acclaimed author of Into The Peatlands: A Journey Through the Moorland Year, longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2019. He lives in Fife, Scotland, with his wife.

Website

Twitter @RobinACrawford2 #Cauldblasts

@eandtbooks

Blog Tour ~ The Cabinet of Calm by Paul Anthony Jones

I am delighted to open the blog tour for this lovely book

Elliot & Thompson
14 May 2020

Published to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week
18 - 24 May 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Open The Cabinet of Calm and discover a soothing word that’s equal to your troubles…

‘These are words to soothe an unquiet mind. To inspire our creativity. To encourage fellow thinking and community spirit, and to give us fresh hope. In essence, collected here are nothing but kind words, for these unkind times.’

For almost a decade, Paul Anthony Jones has written about the oddities and origins of the English language, amassing a vast collection of some of its more unusual words. Last year, doubly bereaved and struggling to regain his spirits, he turned to words – words that could be applied to difficult, challenging times and found solace. The Cabinet of Calm is the result.

Paul has unearthed fifty-one linguistic remedies to offer reassurance, inspiration and hope in the face of such feelings as grief and despair, homesickness and exhaustion, missing our friends and a loss of hope.

What did I think about it...

Words can be such a comfort in times of trouble and none more valuable than in this difficult time in which we find ourselves. I have been turning more and more to inspirational verse in order to make sense of a world which seems to have been set completely off its axis.

Opening The Cabinet of Calm is like an emotional toolbox, and peeping inside has soothed my imagination in so many different ways and I have found so much to encourage and ponder over that I have been quite mesmerised by the power of its expression.

In more ways than one, The Cabinet of Calm is a beautifully designed book, not just because its content is so fascinating, I never knew that so much could be expressed in a single word, but also in the perfection of its cover design which is really beautiful to behold. Wonderfully tactile and handily sized so that you can carry the book around with you tucked into a pocket, or a handbag - a handy reference guide when a specific word is needed, like Villeggiaturia, meaning city-weary.

Each of the fifty-one words which make up The Cabinet of Calm will appeal and have meaning and so many times when reading through the book I found myself nodding in appreciation because the word described was just completely right in context. 

In these times of countless challenges and so often in last few weeks I have struggled to feel positive, not being able to interact with family and friends has been a heartbreaking struggle, so the chapter entitled, Agathism, which is a word for when you are feeling disillusionment or  struggling to remain positive, was a very helpful reminder that all we have to do is wait, "enduring the bad times as best we can, and focusing on the good times that will - no matter how distant they might feel at the moment - eventually return"

Beautifully written, each chapter  of The Cabinet of Calm is complete in itself so that this is something which you can easily dip into and out of at whim. If you have a love for the more obscure words in our beautiful language, or even if you are trying to make sense of world which is completely out of kilter, then I am sure that you will find as much to ponder over in this lovely book as I did.

About the Author

Paul has a Masters in Linguistics and is a language blogger from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. His obsession with words began with a child’s dictionary he received as a Christmas present when he was eight years old. As @HaggardHawks he has tweeted obscure words since 2013 and now has a social media following of over 75k, including the likes of JK Rowling, Robert Macfarlane, Susie Dent, Richard Osman, Greg Jenner, Ian McMillan, Rufus Sewell, Simon Mayo, Michael Rosen and Cerys Matthews.

HaggardHawks.com brings together the entire HH network including a blog, books, quizzes & games, the 500 Words YouTube series, Instagram gallery and newsletter. He regularly contributes to the media.

Twitter @HaggardHawks #CabinetofCalmWords

@enandtbooks

In this difficult time do support your local indie book store. These are my local Indies

Broadhurst Book Shop, Southport

Ebb&Flo Book Shop, Chorley