Books of the Month
September
September is a month of change. The first leaves begin to turn, hedgerows fill with berries and seeds, fungi emerge beneath the trees, and the mornings carry that unmistakable hint of autumn. Above us, birds begin their journeys south, while the countryside slowly shifts from the fullness of summer towards the quieter months ahead.
It is a wonderful time to slow down and notice the small changes happening all around us.
To celebrate the changing season, we’ve chosen four Books of the Month that invite you to look a little closer at the natural world this September.
Jenny Uglow
A Year with Gilbert White
Uglow makes us feel the life beyond the facts.' GUARDIAN
'Few can match Uglow's skill at conjuring up a scene, or illuminating a character.' SUNDAY TIMES
'Charming . . . Like Radio 4's shipping forecast for naturalists.' Andrea Wulf, FINANCIAL TIMES
A Year with Gilbert White by Jenny Uglow is a beautifully written exploration of one of Britain’s earliest and most influential nature writers. Following Gilbert White through a single year in 1781, Uglow brings to life the curious country curate whose close observations of the natural world helped pave the way for modern natural history and nature writing.
Best known for The Natural History of Selborne, White recorded the changing seasons, migrating birds, plants, weather, insects and animals around his Hampshire home with an extraordinary attention to detail. From winter frost and summer drought to the migration of birds and the curious lives of snails, his journals reveal a lifelong fascination with the wildlife and landscapes around him.
Jenny Uglow draws on White’s Naturalist’s Journal to create an engaging portrait of the man behind this landmark work, exploring his observations, his relationship with the Hampshire countryside and his lasting influence on generations of naturalists and writers.
For readers who enjoy nature writing, British nature books, natural history, wildlife writing and books about the history of nature writing, A Year with Gilbert White offers a fascinating glimpse into the origins of a tradition that continues to shape how we understand the natural world.
Read this if you loved... ♡
The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf
Jay Griffiths
How Animals Heal Us
‘Fascinating’ Observer
‘A fabulous and important book’ Joanna Lumley
‘A moving, essential book . . . Nobody writes about Nature with more beauty and grace than Jay Griffiths’ Brian Eno
From celebrated author Jay Griffiths comes a unique and heartfelt insight into the healing nature of our relationship with animals
All animal-lovers instinctively know that animals heal. This book offers the evidence, drawing widely on scientific discoveries, history, and Indigenous knowledge.
Original, playful and wise, How Animals Heal Us explores how animals can have a role in every level of healing, from the individual to the collective, guiding us in how we might create societies that are healthier, fairer and kinder. From a pot-bellied pig who saved her owner's life to dogs who can smell cancer; from birdsong healing the hurt psyche to wolves teaching humanity ethics, How Animals Heal Us puts animals at the heart of a restorative vision of health.
Read this is you loved... ♡
How to Love Animals by Henry Mance
Cal Flyn
Islands of Abandonment
‘Extraordinary … Just when you thought there was nowhere left to explore, along comes an author with a new category of terrain … Dazzling’ SPECTATOR
‘A haunting look at how nature fights back … Beautiful, evocative’ SUNDAY TIMES
Islands of Abandonment is a fascinating work of nature writing that explores what happens when people leave and nature is given the opportunity to reclaim the spaces we once occupied.
From the irradiated landscapes of Chernobyl and the abandoned streets of Detroit to a remote Scottish island where feral cattle now live wild, Flyn visits some of the world’s most extraordinary forgotten places. Travelling from the mountains of Tanzania to the volcanic islands of the Caribbean and the former mining landscapes of Scotland, he discovers communities and ecosystems where human influence has dramatically receded.
These abandoned landscapes offer a remarkable insight into rewilding, environmental recovery and the resilience of the natural world. In places where human activity has stopped or been greatly reduced, wildlife has returned, ecosystems have begun to recover and nature has found unexpected ways to flourish.
Read this if you loved... The Savage Landscape by Cal Flyn
Sophie Pavelle
To Have or To Hold: Nature's Hidden Relationships
"A terrific book; heavyweight and serious without ever losing its lightness of touch. It pulses with energy, perception and passion for the living world - and for the lessons and wonder it holds." ― Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland
"From fungi and shellfish to oak trees, ants and solitary bees, Pavelle offers a bracing tour of the complex web of interconnections which support and give life to the natural world. Her knowledge is exhaustive and is accompanied by beautiful, lively storytelling." ― New Statesman
Travelling through the British Isles, Pavelle investigates eight extraordinary examples of symbiosis, revealing how species cooperate, compete, exploit and depend upon one another. From temperate rainforests and chalk grasslands to tidal pools and the open ocean, these intricate relationships play a vital role in maintaining ecosystems and helping nature adapt to a changing world.
Along the way, Pavelle introduces us to some of nature’s most surprising characters, from ingenious survivors and unlikely partnerships to cheaters, parasites and species that have evolved remarkable ways of manipulating one another. Her low carbon journey brings these often overlooked connections to life while exploring why understanding symbiosis matters as we face the climate and biodiversity crises.
Thoughtful, highly original and full of fascinating natural history, To Have or To Hold offers a fresh perspective on nature writing, wildlife, biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the natural world. For readers interested in nature books, conservation, ecology and the complex relationships between species, this is an illuminating reminder that nothing in nature exists entirely alone.
Read this if you loved... ♡
Togetherness by Rowan Hooper