The Lost Words discussion

This folder will include the nominations for monthly reads but also feel free to reply to this post with any ideas or things that pop into your head. Recommendations, stuff you've always wanted to read etc - we can turn them into buddy reads and side chats :)

I dont think I've ever really read much nature writing but I remember reading an excerpt of something by Bill Bryson for exams when I was in school. I dont even remember what it was called but i liked it and I think it would have been in the nature writing genre or maybe it would have been travel writing not sure.

Anyone read any of his work? What do you think?

Maybe it was 'notes from a small island'? Recall that being everywhere at one point and well reviewed too. Not sure if it's travel or nature tbh but I'm up for a buddy read. You see it all the time in second hand bookshops so will keep an eye out.

Maybe one to take back over to One More Chapter as a buddy read if you also fancy it?

Owen wrote: "Maybe it was 'notes from a small island'? Recall that being everywhere at one point and well reviewed too. Not sure if it's travel or nature tbh but I'm up for a buddy read. You see it all the time..."

The title sounds familiar so maybe. Yeah that sounds good. I'll put up a thread but won't set a time for it yet. We can pick it up at some point.
Dont know where I'm going to fit in all these reads lol.

Nice - let's just do that when we feel like it then, we have plenty of others suddenly lol

Owen wrote: "Nice - let's just do that when we feel like it then, we have plenty of others suddenly lol"

I know lol.

I've had this book Gossip From the Forest by Sara Maitland on my wish list for a long time. It is nature literature because she does travel through a lot of forests and from the blurb it seems she explored them with her son but it looks like she's also exploring the link between forests and fairy tales.

I've just been looking through my wish list and found it again. Reading through the blurb it says this:
'She camps with her son Adam, whose beautiful photographs are included in the book; she takes a barefoot walk through Epping Forest with Robert Macfarlane;'

Which I thought was a funny coincidence :)

Because it's also fairytales I don't know if it would link here or over on One Cry in the Night?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

oh cool - yeah I think there will be some fine lines between folk and nature writing tbh. We can just call it each time but primarily the Lost Words group is for non-fic - this probably makes gossip over at the other group?

Owen wrote: "oh cool - yeah I think there will be some fine lines between folk and nature writing tbh. We can just call it each time but primarily the Lost Words group is for non-fic - this probably makes gossi..."

Yeah ok, sounds good.

Capturing here for future use - it would be good to read writers with more diversity (nature writing can be pretty white, male and middle class!) I found a good thread on this so just noting for next nomination - Jessica J Lee, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Camille Dungy, Mya Rose Craig, Rahawa Haile, Zakiya Mckenzie, Out of Bounds (anthology), Amia Tsing (Mushroom at the end of the world - sounded really interesting). Will try to find more, have also updated the group description.

For those interested - David Attenborough has recorded a reading of The Peregrine: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07x...

It's an absolute classic, I only read about 1/3 of it but had been planning to go back and read in 2020. This will be an amazing way to do that as an audiobook instead

not sure if anyone is on twitter but Robert MacFarlane is doing a 'virus reading group':

https://twitter.com/RobGMacfarlane/st...

Ok its that time again for nominations for May/June - I still haven't received my copy of Bill Bryson but will try to catch up there asap. Any suggestions?

Owen wrote: "Ok its that time again for nominations for May/June - I still haven't received my copy of Bill Bryson but will try to catch up there asap. Any suggestions?"

I've got a few ideas.
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain which is all about his walking tour of Europe.

Also
Gossip From the Forest by Sara Maitland but this might be to much folklore though, maybe more for One Cry in the Night.

I'll have a think, see if I can come up with anything else.

just had a mad moment where I couldn't find this thread but was totally sure I'd posted something! setting up a may/June thread here and over at one cry

Hi here's a list of nature related books from Waterstones website from The Wainwright Prize.
Might have some nice ideas for future reads.
https://www.waterstones.com/category/...

oh nice thanks, I've been a bit rubbish lately, think lockdown has started to get me down a bit reading-wise