The snowstorm

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Joy has a component, if not of morality, then at least of seriousness. It signifies a happiness which is a serious business"

I read it in one sitting. People kept asking me ‘why are you glued to your phone?’ Because I want to find out whodunnit, duh! It had so many elements I love…had me guessing almost all the way to the end.’ Goodreads reviewer But there was plenty that was new to me and I’ll be asking him about the woman with the heart-stopping face and fire-red hair some time soon (for there is more in this book than just nature). It is this: there can be occasions when we suddenly and involuntarily find ourselves loving the natural world with a startling intensity, in a burst of emotion which we may not fully understand, and the only word that seems to me to be appropriate for this feeling is joy, and when I talk of the joy we can find in nature, this is what I mean...That the natural world can bring us peace; that the natural world can give us joy: these are the confirmations of what many people may instinctively feel but have not been able to articulate; that nature is not an extra, a luxury, but on the contrary is indispensable, part of our essence. And now that knowledge needs to be brought to nature's defence." Had me on the edge of my seat for the entire thing!… So gripping… I read this book in less than 24 hours.’ @em_reads64

Comfort food, warm shelter and a gripping book are part of the blizzard survival guide. A day of forced seclusion is the perfect time to catch up on reading. Once you’re done shoveling, forget the snowstorm raging outside with one of these snowy, chilly novels and read it, in the comfort of your home and every blanket in sight. The harrowing true tale of seven escaped Soviet prisoners who desperately marched out of Siberia through China, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and over the Himalayas to British India. Alongside this joy is anger, impotent anger, as he describes the pointless despoilation and destruction of Saemangeum in South Korea by the construction of a 23 mile long seawall which has annihilated the rich mudflats upon which countless thousands of migrating birds had depended. George Osborne should read this book – but he just wouldn’t get it. Or maybe he would – it is very engagingly written.

Hyperbole? You could say so, I suppose. But what can I do, other than speak of my experience? Once, on a May morning a few years ago, I came out on to the banks of the Upper Itchen, at Ovington in Hampshire, and the river with its flowers and willows and the serenity of its flow and its dimpling trout in its matchless, limpid water, all gilded by the sunshine, seemed to possess a loveliness which was not part of this world at all. On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers. I thought my best friend’s death must have been an accident. But as I look down at the footprints in the deep snow, I suddenly see the truth: my oldest friends have been lying to me and one of them was the killer… but which one?As the power goes out and we become completely cut off from the mainland I suddenly realise that I’m surrounded by people I can’t trust. So I have to face the facts: did one of us do this? Can I find the answers in this raging storm? And if I do, will I be next? I have now read all the books on the 2016 Wainwright’s Prize shortlist and I certainly saved the best for last. The Moth Snowstorm is a beautifully written book which explains the crisis facing our planet. I like to think I am well informed about environmental issues, but many of the facts were new to me and some were disturbing in their magnitude.

This is a book about loss – and about joy, and about wonder, and about hope. There’s a lot about the loss of nature over the last few decades and the author mixes this with memories of personal loss. A love of nature can be a support and strength during one’s life. Mike writes really well and he tells a good tale. I smiled once or twice when I read accounts which I have also heard from the author’s own mouth as we have quaffed claret with others over a good dinner. I heard the author interviewed by Krista Tippett on her On Being podcast and wanted to hear more from him. I learned so much about what's going on in the natural world that I either don't pay attention to or isn't widely published. So many fascinating stories, including many from his life. it is clear that the earth did not have to be beautiful for humans to evolve; we could have had a planet which perfectly well sustained us with air and water and food and shelter, without offering us aspects of itself which also lift the spirit and catch at the heart. So he had some corny moments. And some inconsistencies. He spends considerable effort proving that China is by far the worst pollutant country in the world. Then he blames capitalism for global warming.This is a very good read from one of our finest writers about the natural world. I think Mike could write well about anything – certainly anything he cared about. But notice, that he is not, and would not claim to be, an expert on nature. Maybe that’s one reason why he sees the joy more clearly than some of us who ‘know’ more. Perhaps that knowledge compromises how much we can feel for nature. Does the head too often get in the way of the heart? I hope not, but if it does then this book reminds us of the richness of nature from an emotional point of view as well as an intellectual one. An amazing and enjoyable read!!… You could almost feel the cold winds of the raging storm and see the smashing waves of the sea… almost impossible to put down… I didn’t want the book to end. If you like thrillers, twists, and atmospheric storytelling, I think you’ll love this one!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐