Autumn Reading List
December's here, and with it the long dark nights of autumn and early winter. This gives us a valid reason to spend more time indoors, tucked up all cosy while reading a new or favourite book.
Here's my book list for the 'reading season':
Countryside & Nature books
Oak, Ash and Thorn, by Peter Fiennes
Oneworld Publications, £11.15
"The magic and mystery of the woods are embedded in culture, from ancient folklore to modern literature. They offer us refuge: a place to play, a place to think. They are the generous providers of timber and energy. They let us dream of other ways of living. Yet we now face a future where taking a walk in the woods is consigned to the tales we tell our children."
'A leafless landscape shares its bones.' I'm rather connected to woodland at present, especially as I'm writing my new book Nature Escape where I spend 24 hours alone in woodland.
The Wood, by John Lewis Stempel
Doubleday, £10.49
"The Wood is the story of English woodlands as they change with the seasons. Lyrical and informative, steeped in poetry and folklore, The Wood inhabits the mind and touches the soul."
As with the book above, I'm looking forward to immersing myself in seasonal observations about woodland. John Lewis-stempel's writing style is poetic yet note-form. Very immediate, that takes you right there to the moment with him.
A Natural History of the Hedgerow, by John Wright
Profile Books, £19.90
"The natural and cultural history of hedges."
Heritage is super-important to me, especially when we see things like hedgerows and see them as 'green corridors' for wildlife. They might be 'wild' now, but they're manmade. How else can we assist widlife?
Field Notes from The Edge, by Paul Evans
Rider, £8.99
"A journey through the in-between spaces of Nature – such as strandlines, mudflats, cliff tops and caves – where one wilderness is on the verge of becoming another and all things are possible."
Paul Evans is the wildlife writer for The Guardian. He's also local to me, so I'm excited to read his book about Wenlock Edge, an escarpment that's just a stone's throw from my house.
Fishing books
The Fly, by Andrew Herd
Medlar Press, £60.00
"The most authoritative work ever published on the subject of fly fishing. It breaks much new ground, particularly where medieval fly fishing is concerned and aims to put the reader in the shoes of our ancestors, enabling him to understand what it was like to cast a fly in times gone by, from the Romans to the present day."
I'm brushing up on my fly-fishing history given my position on the General Committee of The Flyfishers' Club of London. I'm also part-way through writing a series of articles about primitive fly fishing rods, which this book discusses.
A History of the Wilton Fly Fishing Club, by John Knott
Medlar Press, £65.00
"How this famous Club was formed in 1876 on the banks of the Kennet at Hungerford. It illustrates the Club's highs and lows and gives details of famous fishermen's exploits and the good relationships built up and battles fought."
John Knott is one of my fondest friends at the Flyfishers' Club. I remember this book coming out in 2013 and am delighted to finally own a signed copy. This will be my Christmas reading.
F.M. Halford and The Dry Fly Revolution, by Tony Hayter
Robert Hale, £28.00
"The first full-length biography of the man who did more than anyone to codify and popularise the doctrine of the dry-fly on chalk streams."
I was introduced to Tony Hayter in the late nineties by my friend Bernard Venables. I'm finally getting round to reading his definite book on Halford, to undertstand what all the fuss is about Upstream Dry Fly Fishing.
G.E.M Skues: The Man of The Nymph, by Tony Hayter
Robert Hale, £25.00
"A magisterial biography of G.E.M. Skues – the most innovative angler of modern times. Skues spearheaded and near-singlehandedly developed the technique of below-surface flyfishing for trout with nymphs."
The competing school of fly-fishing (which I wholeheartedly embrace) accepts the use of a sunken fly to catch one's fish. This book about Skues will explain how one man challenged Halford's dry-fly only doctrine.
Rural lifestyle books
The Wild Life, by John Lewis Stempel
Black Swan, £7.99
"Twelve months eating only food shot, caught or foraged from the fields, hedges, and brooks of his forty-acre farm. Nothing from a shop and nothing raised from agriculture."
Connecting to one's environment, then eating it. Yum!
Books on writing
Simply English, by Simon Heffer
Windmill Books, £12.99
"An entertaining and supremely useful A–Z guide to frequent errors, common misunderstandings and stylistic howlers when writing in English."
One can never master the English language, but it's my job to know as much about it as I can.
Mindfulness & The Natural World
Leaping Hare Press, £7.99
"An exploration of what it means to connect with nature and how we can learn from nature to be more mindful in everyday life."
I think this book will be very 'on brand' with the Priory.
Ernest Hemingway on Writing
Touchstone, £8.39
"An assemblage of reflections on the nature of writing and the writer from one the greatest American writers of the twentieth century."
First hand advice from one of the greatest writers of all time. What's not to like?
Impossible to Ignore, by Carmen Simon
McGraw-Hill. £19.99
"Case studies, examples, and a checklist to help you put the power of cognitive science to work. Develop content that speaks to people’s hearts, stays in their heads, and influences their decisions."
I'm interested in the power of stories to enhance one's psychological state. This book shows how to link stories to memory to embed the message.
If you like this blog, you might like Fennel's book Fine Things.
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