STUBBORN LIGHT OF THINGS: A Nature Diary

A Sunday Times Nature Book of The Year by the award-winning novelist who shares her journey from urban south London to the rural Suffolk countryside. Her diary, compiled from her beloved Nature Notebook column in The Times, maps her joyful engagement with the natural world and the beauty we have on our doorsteps, no matter where we live. Moving from flat to Tube to air-conditioned office, Melissa Harrison felt insulated from the seasons. Adopting a dog and going on daily walks helped her reconnect with the cycle of the year and the quiet richness of nature all around her - swifts nesting in a nearby church, ivy-leaved toadflax growing out of brick walls, and the first blackbird's song, or an exhilarating glimpse of a hobby over Tooting Common. Dip in occasionally or binge on these gorgeous snippets, exquisite phrasing and beautiful pacing of the near miraculous phenomena Melissa is describing. She moves from scrappy city verges to ancient rural Suffolk where she eventually relocates. She certainly is a central voice in British nature writing and you will feel utterly soul-nourished. 206pp, beautiful line engravings.