I learned a lot from the book, including some of the complex aspects of wildlife conservation that mean things are not as black and white as they might first appear. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

I'm an avid watcher of Garden's World and while I like gardening, I know little about it which is why this book was ideal - I know perhaps I should read a boo about gardening. It deals with the course of the natural year month by month, so is broken down into bite-sized chunks, which I like. We learn Monty is partial to a whiskey in the garden on a summer’s evening, smokes a pipe when attacked by midges and loves spotting birds of prey swooping for a kill.His new book is a celebration of the living world, through which he walks us, following the calendar year, pausing to observe everything from hares to hawthorn. Observations and insights of every living creature he encounters, every tree, bird, flower, wild flower, weed, insect and so much more. I paid much more attention to their behaviour this year as I learnt what to expect on a monthly basis. Best Christmas Releases* --While some gardeners appear bent on suppressing nature, Monty Don loves and works with it.

This is not so much Monty the gardener and celebrity but more the naturalist and country man, in the manner of a latter day Jack Hargreaves. This year has given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. qualified in the last portion of the INTRODUCTION:🌱 ‘…This book is personal, selective, and based on my own particular interests rather than trying to be a reference book of any kind. But a joy to finish in January 2022 under a blanket with a cup of tea in front of the fire as the snow piles up outside. I grew to enjoy his no nonsense criticism of human practices that have destroyed so much of the natural world.The book is insightful, personal, educational, amusing, inspiring, entertaining (is that enough adjectectives? If I’m honest, I’m not sure I’d have chosen this book for myself, but I was given it so felt obliged to read it. Tales and insight into his childhood, gardening and daily life were interesting in the most part but I did find certain parts of the book like trawling through an encyclopedia and it did tend to drag at those points. I love this book, it takes you on an amazing journey through the natural year learning about all the creatures and plants that inhabit a garden and farmland through the course of one year. Recent times have given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us.