Something in the Woods Loves You

by Jarod K. Anderson

An inspiring blend of nature writing and memoir that explores nature’s crucial role in our emotional and mental health

Bats can hear shapes, plants can eat light, and bees can dance maps. When his life took him to a painfully dark place, the poet behind The Cryptonaturalist, Jarod K. Anderson, found comfort and redemption in these facts and the shift in perspective that comes from paying a new kind of attention to nature. 
 
Something in the Woods Loves You tells the story of the darkest stretch of a young person’s life, and how deliberate and meditative encounters with plants and animals helped him see the light at every turn. Ranging from optimistic contemplations of mortality to appreciations of a single mushroom, Anderson has written a lyrical love letter to the natural world and given us the tools to see it all anew.

 

Cover image copyright the Artist (Tuesday Riddell), reproduced with grateful thanks to MESSUMS ORG. Steve Russell.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Poetry, Mental Health, Audiobook, Self Help

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2024

About the author

Jarod K. Anderson is a strange mix of fantasy nerd, nature writer, podcaster, poet, and erstwhile academic. He once accidentally picked up a rattlesnake and has slept in the branches of a maple tree more than most writers. He created and voices The CryptoNaturalist podcast, a show about real love for imaginary nature, and he regularly shares his poems and prose on social media. He has published three books of poetry as well as the memoir Something in the Woods Loves You, about his lifelong struggle with depression and the healing power of the natural world. His new contemporary fantasy novel Strange Animals will be published in February 2026 by Ballantine Books. He has an MA in early modern English literature and insists he’s more fun than that makes him sound. He lives with his wife and son in a little white house tucked between a park and a cemetery.

Reviews

[Nathan Shuherk · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could very quietly send all of my depressed friends this book with a hand written note that says, “love you. I hope we can go for a walk soon,” I would. I think they need this one. I did. It’s exactly what I needed.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much from start to finish. If I could give it more than five stars I would! A must read for sure. This was a slow read for me, but in the best kind of way. I wanted to spend time thinking about the chapters after I read them, not just cruise through the whole thing. This book serves as a reminder that nurturing one's mental well-being is a journey worth undertaking and the positive impact nature can have on one's mental health is magical. Where has Jarod K. Anderson been my whole life?

[Jane Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Take time to acknowledge the monsters you defy, the storms you weather. There are those walking this earth to whom your life would seem an uninhabitable rock jutting from an angry sea, yet here you are, stringing together days like flowers in your crown."

I wish I could give this a higher rating because it is one of the best and most beautiful books I have ever read. Something about the way Anderson writes (both in poetry and with this book) makes me feel like he knows me as a person deeply. It is almost as unsettling as it is comforting, because I don't usually find so much of myself in other people's words. So grateful to have read this book at a time when I needed it so very badly.

[liv ❁ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kindness won’t make you rich, but it will make you whole.”

This is one of those books that I finished listening to and immediately bought a physical copy of because I know that I will be lending it out. In a world that (especially for men) is so for “the grind” and so against emotions and taking all of life in, Jarod shows a very soft side to life in a way that really allowed and encouraged me to embrace whimsy and take things slow. I’m nearing the end of the hard part of my healing journey and reading this provided valuable insights as well as made me feel significantly less alone and less bad about the year I took borderline isolated from society. Listening to this on my walks made me feel like I had a companion beside me and facilitated some pretty happy thinking patterns (and at times made me laugh out loud because he called my past self out many times) and, for that, it is invaluable.

As Lispector said, “the divine promise of life is already being honored.” It is a blessing and a miracle that we exist and we owe it to ourselves to see the good in our lives and our selves and to live joyously, in awe of the world, the people, and the animals around us as well as in awe of ourselves.

“We must honor the world’s potential by refusing to call our search a failure before it begins.”

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

counting this as “read”, even though I DNF’d at 27%.

while the writing itself is good, it’s awfully redundant—and full of one-liners that I (hypocritically) find juvenile. I loved the drama applied to his descriptions of nature, but for some reason the same style applied to the monologuing felt melodramatic, rather than compelling. maybe it’s my terrible, ADHD-borne impatience, but my reading experience felt like me nodding along to a 20-minute story, realizing I had guessed the ending in the first 10 seconds.

having had my own struggles, the validity of experiences with depression cannot be overstated, but I didn’t see much of myself reflected in this book, and instead was—selfishly—bored. I’m glad the author found healing (if he did—I don’t get to that point because I couldn’t bring myself to keep reading), but I hope his next project will be more concrete, if not self-regulated.

[tig :3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel so completely and terrifyingly seen, devastated by my own vulnerability and the authors. my heart is full.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected to.

First, just look at the cover! It is absolutely delightful. If I could acquire a copy of the front cover art, I would frame it and hang it in my living room. Seriously! I love it! The artist is Tuesday Riddell from England - you can find more of her work online.

The book is just as good as its cover art. It is mostly a memoir, but each chapter is linked to a plant or animal that has captured the attention of the author in some way. Mr Anderson has suffered from episodes of major depression and suicidal thoughts all his life and he writes about his efforts to overcome this corrosive illness, using all means available to him. These include medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and reconnecting with the natural world. I found the work to be thoughtful, peaceful and insightful. He gradually comes to realize how we (humans and all other species) are so closely interdependent and related. His sickness recedes although he does experience relapses. Nothing in life is easy. But he learns methods to cope and comes to realize that life is amazing if we approach it with a mind of gratitude and hope.

Here are three sentences that caught my mind, but of course you should read the whole book. It is very worth it.

“It is beyond amazing that you are here reading this. You should be impossible.”
“Do you realize what an adventure you are on right now?”
“If a stray dog chases you up a tree be grateful for the tree rather than pissed that dogs exist.”

I was not familiar with the author’s previous work - his poetry or his podcast (The Cryptonaturalist) - but I will certainly be investigating both in future.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Timber Press for this eARC in return for my honest opinion.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Bats can hear shapes. Plants can eat light. Bees can dance maps. We can hold all these ideas at once and feel both heavy and weightless with the absurd beauty of it all. These are some facts that are easy to overlook.”

I felt that this book was made for me. I think anyone who reads this book will feel the same way. That's the beauty of it.

I've been building a Dream Curriculum in my head for awhile now - books I'd love to implement in the classroom as a high school English teacher. Something in the Woods Loves You explores mental health, nature, masculinity, kindness, and how humans build meaning. Perhaps my new favorite genre is the Intertextual Memoir, in which the author thematically weaves personal narrative and the field they love. Like Guy Branum's memoir through popular culture, Anderson explores his life through plants and animals so beautifully I wept up during my avoiding-humans-in-the-car-on-my-lunch-break lunch.

Anderson's writing has this quality that feels simultaneously nostalgic and rooted in the Today. How do I put this - I was so swept up in lovely descriptions of trees and magic that I forgot the author knows Instagram exists.

Highly recommend the thoughtful, the nature lover, or anyone who intrigued at the thought of reading Blitzen Trapper's "Furr" in book form.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typically when I finish a book, I have about 30-40 highlighted lines.
This one had 160 in the end.

I've never related to a book so deeply, I struggled to not highlight something on every page. To see my exact thoughts and struggles play out in someone else's life made a very lonely disease feel less lonely.

Finding new inspiration and hope in nature, to create whimsy where you can and live with purpose, to take the time to notice the magic and wonder of the world around us as ways to combat depression is the same journey I have found myself on recently. To see someone else find poetry and meaning among trees, herons, and racoons despite nagging thoughts of death and never being enough as I have, made living with mental health struggles feel less impossible.
Finding this book felt special, I'm grateful to have come across this story when I did. It's comfort and wisdom is something I will always carry with me.

[peach · Rating 5 out of 5]

yes i cried!! i admit it.. guys let's go for a walk

painful at times, but mostly sweet. i've had the same mental struggles as Anderson, and it was a bit jarring to hear my exact inner narrative spoken back to me. it also peeled back a layer of seriousness and showed me how silly those thoughts can be. i often look back at all my childhood experiences with nature with bitter-sweetness; glad to have had those experiences, but grieving that they'll never happen again. turns out i'm a clown!!! as jarod put it, nature never went away, i did. i will go to the creek again. i will hang out with the turtles again. i will climb a tree again.

[Cecilia Shelter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book, some of it was really beautiful and touching and relatable, a large part of it felt repetitive and boring and sometimes a little cheesy to me. Had higher hopes from all the 5 star reviews.

I agreed with his sentiments on the dangers of individualism, our culture’s worship of inexhaustible wealth, etc., toxic masculinity, and how all these things affect connection and mental health, but i didn’t feel like i was hearing or learning anything new.

Overall i didn’t feel like this book had a significant impact on me personally.

[Sherry]

Quitting at 77%. While I found the first 12 chapters insightful and poignant the last 2 were a slog. I was actually just skimming the pages of the last half of the chapter because I found it repetitive and rather dull, full of ‘shoulds’ that I shy away from when it comes to mental well being. The knowledge that there was another 2 hours to go filled me with dismay and had I continued, what started as a solid read would have ended in regret that I continued a book I was no longer engaged with. When the author wrote about nature and his coping with his depression, the writing was solid and entirely relatable but there reached a point where the writing became preachy (to me) and repetitive. I see many positive reviews and people who appreciated the book and the insights just as they were presented, but for me, there came to be a tone as he was working out his issues that had me feeling detached about the insights and how they were framed. There was a lot of generalizing and repetitiveness in the narrative. When that was happening the vulnerable insightful writing of the earlier chapters were lost and I didn’t feel the pull to it any longer. I’ve read some very good books on depression, and sadly this has turned out not to be one of them. I think if he could have refrained from the preachy quality towards the end, which seemed a way to bolster and defend his position on some of the themes covered around work and productivity, (positions that did not need defending to my mind)I may have found it more engaging. But it began to read like a different side to the same coin. Im less interested in what the world is telling him he should be, and more interested about him finding his own voice of what he himself is believing. This book really was special when it was his intimate vulnerable voice and had it remained as such it would have been a solid 5 star read for me. As it is, I’m glad he found the help he needed and I think if he was to write a book more focused on nature and his personal experience, I’d likely be interested. He’s a very good writer.

[Florencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored how loving and kind the writing of this book feels.
The selection of words is enchanting.
It was a slow perfect pacing, it began very bleak, but it took me on a journey of self reflection, introspection and analysis of the hopelessness in which the author used to see the world.
I'm gonna be honest, the last chapter was profoundly inspiring, and I'm not gonna forget what I read there soon . . .
I have some quotes that spoke to me, so many did but I had to select a few;

"Perfectly or imperfectly, we are

never meant to be just one thing."

...

"Somewhere, an unnamed creature

swims in dark waters and has never

witnessed an electric light."

...

"Today, you did things that humans

50 years ago wouldn't believe and

500 years ago would struggle to

imagine. You know how the parts

of an atom and the topography of

the internet."

...

And at last but not least, my favourite one:


"Somewhere, there are orcas."

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered Jarod K. Anderson's writing in anthology of sci-fi poetry, where it just sort of sparkled among its neighbor poems. That led me to his Field Guide to the Haunted Forest poetry collection which, in turn, led me to this beautiful memoir about struggling with mental health and looking to the rhythms of nature for healing, hope, and meaning. I usually summarize the books I review, but I'm realizing that any attempt to summarize Something in the Woods Loves You would fall woefully short. It's written by an incredibly talented poet, and the poetry in the writing is part of its magic. So is the vulnerability that Anderson shows in sharing his long history with depression, low moments and all.

One idea in the book that really stood out to me was Anderson's discussion of toxic masculinity as it relates to mental health. He talks about it as an unfortunate stumbling block that tends toward self-isolation when what's really needed is genuine connection. He effectively contrasts self-seeking, emotionally constipated toxic masculinity with the cooperative way a healthy ecosystem or human community operates. Turns out, many of the traits our culture lifts up as masculine are pretty unnatural--antithetical to the kind of connection that humans are made for.

I'd recommend Something in the Woods Loves You to any reader who loves accessible poetry, anyone who struggles with mental illness, and/or anyone who simply feels a great deal of despair about the current state of the world.

[Jenna Knutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

srry can't see this review through my tears. 11/10 book. new favorite. you need to read this. might unironically get this tattooed on me

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to 4.5... .5 off because I think the book could have probably been like 50 pages shorter. Once again evidence that I love books written by poets. There were so many lines that I read over and over again because they hit so hard and were so comforting. This book is about the author learning to navigate severe depression/suicidal ideation and the ways in which reconnecting with nature helped. Recommend to anyone who is going through a hard time (aka all of us living in this world right now) and could use a little hug and reminder that the natural world has so much to teach us and remind us of what it means to be alive and resilient and loving etc etc etc.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crawled into my brain, scooped out all the contents, and ordered it so tenderly.

[Amelia Maness-Gilliland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jarod K. Anderson's "Something in the Woods Loves You" is a beautifully poetic and deeply personal exploration of how the natural world can bring comfort and healing in our most challenging times. The book beautifully blends nature writing with memoir. Anderson shares his struggles and, more importantly, the strength of nature's ability to transform our lives.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the book is how it combines scientific information with deep emotions. Anderson's observations about bats hearing shapes, bees dancing to map their surroundings, and plants "eating" light are fascinating. Through these beautiful encounters, Anderson helps us see the ordinary aspects of nature as genuinely miraculous. This shift in perspective can be healing, and it's amazing how it helped Anderson find joy and light even in his darkest days. It also helped me to make sense of the role nature played in my own healing from chronic pain.

Andersons writing is beautiful and relatable, I was especially moved by the chapter on blue heron. Anderson encourages us to pause and appreciate the little things in life, like the beauty of a single mushroom or the quiet strength of plants. It's not just a book about nature; it's about being human and how connecting with nature can bring us a profound sense of peace. It's a reminder that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

“Something in the Woods Loves You" is a love letter to the natural world and a must read for anyone who believes in the healing power of nature. It's a must read for anyone needing a gentle reminder of the magic all around us. It's a must read for anyone who needs to rediscover their sense of wonder. It's a must read for nature lovers, those who enjoy self-reflection, or anyone who appreciates a beautifully told story. Basically this book is a must read for everyone and it will stay with you long after you finish reading.

[jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - we read this for book club, and I expected it to be more talking about nature in general and the impacts it has on mental health. I wasn’t expecting a memoir that used nature as chapter markers.

I found the prose to be calculated. I’m sure the author was trying to go for lyrical language, but it came off as reductive and just for Instagram screenshots. it also just felt very masculine in the way women were reduced to tropes while helping this man on his journey. it felt lonely - this man goes to therapy and looks at nature by himself and then comes back to talk about it in grand ideas. there are certain parts when the author was extremely self-aware, which I appreciated

The content itself was surface level and if you’ve been to therapy or done any mental health research, you’ll probably find that this book isn’t for you. but I could see this book helping men my dad’s age who never thought about mental health or ever talked about their feelings.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply personal and vulnerable look at one person's mental health journey, this book is both a grounded exploration about Anderson's efforts to heal through professional help and also a poetic look at animals and plants he encounters that rekindle a childhood appreciation of the wild. I would highly recommend this book to all of my friends!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to inject this book into my veins so I constantly have its words inside of me. This was so profoundly moving.

[Jane Mercer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many indents, potentially would have enjoyed more as an audiobook
Repetitive but had some good stretches

[Colleen Cumberpatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unspeakably beautiful and healing ❤️

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book with every part of my being. It feels like a warm hug and a reminder of hope. When I look back on this book, I do think I'll think of it as one that has changed me.

It's a beautiful exploration of depression and nature. If you've been to therapy before, many of these ideas won't be new, but the way that these ideas are shared are gorgeous reminders and I underlined so much.

If you have depression, I encourage you to give yourself a little care and read this book.

[Julia Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered Something In The Woods Loves You based on how much I enjoy this author’s other work. This memoir is just as compelling and mystical as his other books. He compresses so much feeling and thought in his poems. I was not sure how a full length book would live up to that standard. It does. Each sentence feels deliberately crafted for meaning and honesty. I related so deeply to his journey denying his need for, as well as his (reluctant) treatment.

[Gianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years after depression defended itself so skillfully that I found myself in-patient and feeling lonely, apart from the world, I wrote a poem: I Fell In Love With the World in San Angelo Texas. The poem shares my path from seeming-isolation to rekindling my relationship with the non-human world. At the turn of the poem I wrote:

"The precision
of the Heron’s long leg
lowered into the pooling water
Pierced my silken cerebral
Infusing warm, sweet, swirling milk"

From Chapter 1, I felt connected and seen. Jarod's words feel so real, so gentle, and I am inexplicably grateful for them. He offers both compassion and true understanding of the landscapes of depression which renders him a dear companion and this book a precious gift.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot rate this high enough. Articulate, insightful, poetic, healing. This book reads like a calm, yet vulnerable conversation, crafted through personal (extraordinarily relatable) experience and written with genuine care and humble (yet astounding) intellect. Powerfully soul affirming and perspective shifting. Meaningful and magical.

There is an innumerable amount of perfect quotes in this book, but I’ve included a handful of my favorites here:

“I feel grateful to know that my human ways of knowing the world do not hold the monopoly on reality. There’s comfort in my certainty that the scope of natural perception is not tethered to my own limitations”

“What if any simple pleasure could be the meaning of my entire life for as long as I could hold that meaning in my mind? What if each worthy moment was its own justification for existing, without being measured against forever, or earning me wealth or social capital”

“Our understanding of reality and the meaning we derive from that understanding will shift and evolve over our lifetimes, which does nothing to lessen its essential value or potency”

“It’s easy to look at the contours of a forest or the glittering arm of the galaxy and feel a bone deep love for nature. It is less easy to remember that the contours of your own body represent that exact same nature. You are as worthy as any postcard landscape, and deserve the same love.”

“Life is borrowed. It is magic held in common.
You are a part of the sky, on loan to a body. A part of the sea that awoke to thought. A part of the earth that carries a name. Even now, different from moment to moment as you are, the love and knowledge that you and your past selves set in motion, lingers on in the world of your lifetime, and beyond. You are the mountain, but awake. You are the rain, but breathing. You are the forest, unanchored. You are the soil, but with choice. You are the sunlight, dreaming. Soon you will be these things again. Earth, rain, forest. So what will you do until then?”

[- قارئة . · Rating 4 out of 5]

عن الاكتئاب والغابات
عن حزن الأسود واشراقة الأخضر

عن عمق الحياة وطول الأشجار

سيرة ذاتية لحياة الكاتب
مع طفولته في الغابات
وشبابه مع الاكتئاب
ومابينهما

كنت مؤمنة بعلاج الطبيعة النفسي
وهذا الكتاب رسخ إيماني

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

OTF Book club pick: 2.5 stars rounded up for all my favorite hiking spots, although I’d like to keep them private 😆

I would not have heard of or picked this book if it wasn’t for book club, but clearly Anderson has his followers and fans. It didn’t hit for me. I appreciated the vulnerability, but it read as if he went to therapy and suddenly had the ability to tell everyone else what to do, or that CBT was something new.

I am glad for him, and anyone, that he found his way to feeling better, and I agree that spending time in nature is therapeutic, but the book just didn’t offer anything groundbreaking for me.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't quite have the words to describe why this was a five for me... Much of it I didn't agree or resonate with, but much of it hit so home and gave me beautiful insights. I feel like this book came just at the right time as I am starting my thesis project that relates to science communication and the role and relationships we humans take in face of "nature". Seeking inspiration and wisdom from outside our human community is a valuable endeavor. This is a great mix of witty and meaningful, captivating and reflective, with a pinch of self awareness that I just can't seem to place. Definitely my cup of tea.