A Mudlarking Year

Lara Maiklem. Bloomsbury. (368p) ISBN: 9781526660756
A Mudlarking Year

A Mudlarking Year

I really enjoyed Lara’s first book, Mudlarking and was so pleased when I heard we were getting another from her.

Once again this is written about Lara’s exploration of the Thames foreshore, plus a few adventures further afield.

Lara’s writing as previously is warm and open with a very relaxed conversational feel to it, it was a warm hug that I really needed at this point in time. Getting to see more of her biographically as well was so nice and this mixture made reading this book so pleasurable.

The core of the book though is still about the various areas of the Thames which Lara explores but this time written as a diary showing the trials and tribulations of mudlarking through the various seasons as the year progresses.

It’s also nice to read about all the other people Lara has made connections with through this pursuit and the lives that other people live around the Thames or their personal collections.

Broken down into the four seasons we see which are the best times and weather systems for mudlarking and it is always fascinating waiting to read what finds there were on a particular day, and it scratches an itch for collecting by reading about someone else’s itch as all collectors understand that drive to get out there and find what it is we are collecting.

It’s also fascinating finding out about another discarded/destroyed printing type as this was one of the more fascinating parts of the previous books for me.

As I said I loved the first book so much I bought this one before it had even had a chance to hit the shop floor and I’m waiting for the next with great anticipation.


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Of Cattle and Men

Ana Paula Maia, Zoë Perry (trans). Charco Press. (99p) ISBN: 9781913867492
Of Cattle and Men

Of Cattle and Men

It’s August so that means it’s Women in Translation month, and this is the first of a few Charco Press books I aim to read this month.

It’s pretty much a given that anything that comes with a Charco Press label is going to be good, never had a bad one yet and this was no exception.

Set in an abattoir in rural Brazil where the river is so contaminated with blood that it turns red and salty and the air is heavy with repressed emotions and madness.

The main character we follow is Edgar Wilson, a stun operator at the abattoir, a man who is used to death and killing and takes all in his stride. Edgar knows he is damned and at times this book feels like he’s living through his damnation on earth. Edgar takes care in all he does, notices all that is going on around him and is calm at all points.

As we read on the descent into madness and chaos grows, with the cattle and men mirroring states and often indistinguishable. There is a very honest look into the meat industry and Edgar is exceptionally honest about it and his part in it.

That feeling of damnation whilst on earth and Man’s domination over nature has really strong old-fashioned Catholic vibes to it, as I said before Edgar knows he’s damned and has accepted this as his place as no matter how much forgiveness he received it wouldn’t be enough to wash away the stains on his soul.

Dark and claustrophobic in its relentlessness and closeness of space, the heaviness of the constant blood and fetidness of the miasma of death that surround everything and everyone.

A worthy winner of the Republic of Consciousness prize 2024 as if continues a tradition of the exploration of the dark side of humanity and our relationships with nature and our descent into those depths without shying away from the blood and shit that comes with it.


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The World’s Most Atrocious Animals

Philip Bunting. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. (80p) ISBN: 9780141371610
The World’s Most Atrocious Animals

The World’s Most Atrocious Animals

Another book I received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I’d already read Philip’s Ridiculous Animal book and really enjoyed the sense of fun in it balanced with some great illustrations and thought I would give this a go.

This is a fun book with really lively illustrations of the animals shown, small bite-size sections make it a really easy book to dip in and out of as well.

Each animal is given a feature illustration with lots of silly info around it, sometimes riffing on actual facts related to the animal, sometimes playing with the latin name of the animal “Nom Chompsky’ is a great example of one that is aimed at older readers.

Then alongside each animal is a section with real facts that give a great little snippet of information about the animals, enough to inform and wet your appetite for more.

Another great book from Philip Bunting and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books


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Is It A Seed?

Emily Ann Davison, Adriena Fong. Flying Eye Books. (32p) ISBN: 9781838741587
Is It A Seed?

Is It A Seed?

A lovely little package arrived from Flying Eye Books a few days ago.

What happens when a child finds an seed that they don’t recognise?

Two children find an unknown seed in the garden and decide to plant it to see what happens.

Throughout the book they let their imagination run as wild as an out of control creeper and have lots of thoughts on what could come from this one seed, and each page brings a fancier flight of imagination.

An enchanting story that holds your hand and encourages guessing about what the children are going to imagine next, all beautifully illustrated with lots of lovely little asides on each page.

A story about imagination and potential that can come from the unknown, but also about friendship, blended families, and nature.


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Nature School

Lauren Giordano, Stephanie Hathaway, Laura Stroup. Quarry Books. (144p) ISBN: 9780760378359
Nature School

Nature School

As part of my blogging I’ve just joined NetGalley where I can get early access to books, after watching people go wild I thought I would just ask for on to begin with.

Nature School: Lessons and Activities to Inspire Children’s Love for Everything Wild is a wonderful book with a lot of content in it, beautifully illustrated, and I would say this is aimed at 9+ and doesn’t talk down to its audience.

The book explores five different biome types (Temperate Forests, Deserts, Seashores, Grasslands, Wetlands) taking you through the definitions of these types, explores differences within the biomes (e.g. different deserts), and the plants and animals that can be found in these places.

What is really good is the use of proper scientific terminology with really clear definitions and clarifications throughout, it means this is a real learning tool rather than just a pretty book about the world. Using proper terminology also makes the book a great stepping off point for further learning and research.

There are also 30 activities to encourage nature and science learning, all relatively low cost and look like they would be great fun.

A perfect book for a school library, science class, or just for all the family to learn more about nature.


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The Genius Kid’s Guide to Sharks

Ethan Pembroke. North Star Kids. (192p) ISBN 9781952455032
The Genius Kids Guide to Sharks

The Genius Kids Guide to Sharks

The Genius Kid’s Guide to Sharks is part of the series of ‘Genius Kid’s Guides’ that cover all sort of topics from Pro Baseball to Cats.

The book sets out to give lots of information on about a dozen species of shark from the Whale Shark to the Seal Shark and everything in between, with a small section at the end exploring in brief another dozen or so species.

The text explores the basics like size and shape, breeding, how they feed, and where they live, then has a bot about how humans interact with them, often talking a little about how humans exploit them though not in any great depth.

The book finishes with a chapter on shark attacks, which once more is not the most in depth exploration of this subject, then ends with a clear and useful index and glossary.

Written in easy and accessible language with lots of great images this is a great starter book for children wanting to learn more about sharks in a colourful way.

This is published on the 4th of October 2022 and you can always preorder if you feel interested.


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