LEG November Newsletter
Winter Relaxation and Great Gifts: The Nourishing Gift of Books
As the nights draw in and the weather turns we may find ourselves spending less time outdoors and with a craving to hunker down and spend more time on those activities that give us restoration and renewal. Maybe your go-to autumn ritual is making preserves or apple pies or cooking your favourite hearty meals; perhaps you are turning your attention to those jobs around the house that have been neglected over the summer; or maybe you are longing to sit in front of a warm fire immersed in a good book.
In this newsletter we are going to focus on books. We’ve shared our personal recommendations and reached out into our wider communities to provide a selection of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, for all ages to enjoy and maybe offer some inspiration for seasonal or birthday gifts. Each book has been shared with a link for purchase from either World of Books, where you can buy second-hand books or UK Bookshop, an online bookshop ‘with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops. World of Books has the highest Trust Pilot customer service rating of any bookstore in the world! Clitheroe Books on Moor Lane is our local bookshop part of this network.
For Children
The Lost Spells (Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris).
The Lost Spells is an enchanting book of spell poems that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. It follows their book the Lost Words written with the intention of reconnecting children to some of the language of nature that has been lost from our vocabulary of the years. Both are perfect gifts to treasure for ever.
I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree, A Nature Poem For Every Day of The Year (Fiona Waters, Frann Preston-Gannon)
Beautifully illustrated this anthology of poems, from poets past and present, is a delight for adults and children alike.
The Salamander Room (Anne Mazer)
The Salamander Room is a beautifully illustrated story of a boy who takes a salamander to live in his bedroom.
For Young Adults upwards
The Otter’s Tale (Simon Cooper)
The Otters Tale, is a story about an otter family based on the author’s observations of Otters on his land. So part fiction but with lots of interesting otter facts thrown in. Great for nature lovers/otter fans.
Elegy For A River: Whiskers, Claws and Conservation’s Last, Wild Hope (Tom Moorhouse)
Elegy of a River is a non fiction book written by a field research about the conservation of water voles - charmingly written, funny and hopeful. Again, young adult upwards. Suitable for anyone interested in conservation, rivers or water voles.
October, October (Katya Balen)
October, October is young adult fiction but great for adults too. Beautiful story of a girl who has to leave her wild home
For Adults
Things I learned From Falling (Claire Nelson)
Things I learned from Falling is a true story about a woman walking alone in US National Park who falls down a ravine and is there for 4 days before being rescued. Gripping story and thought provoking. Suitable for adults.
Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back - an Illustrated Guide (Isabella Tree)
Wilding is about rewilding on the Knepp estate in Sussex. Inspiring and thought-provoking. ‘In particular made me rethink how I think the countryside should look’.
Winter: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons (Melissa Harrison)
Winter is a part of a gorgeous seasonal quartet. Little extracts from nature writers spanning centuries, you're bound to find something you like in here.
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses (Robin Wall-Kimmera)
Who knew a book about moss would have such good narrative? ‘Gathering Moss is my favourite book by Robin Wall-Kimmera. Not too long a read, ideal for someone who is wanting a deeper (but not dense) dive into nature writing’.
The Well Gardened Mind: Rediscovering Nature in the Modern World (Sue Stuart-Smith)
There are lots of books on nature and mental health but many of them are written by people without any qualifications/experience in the field, unlike this one. The Well Gardened Mind is inspiring without being saccharine.
The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland (Nan Shepherd).
Described by The Guardian as the finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain, The Living Mountain is an account of Nan Shepherd’s journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape.
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (Katherine May)
Wintering is a reflection on the fallow periods of life, times when we are invited to pause, rest and take care of ourselves for restoration and renewal. Katherine May shares her own personal journey, showing us how to navigate these times with the wisdom of knowing that, like the seasons, our ups and downs are the ebb and flow of life.
The Overstory (Richard Powers)
A compelling work of fiction and global million-copy bestseller, The Overstory tells the story of nine strangers brought together to save our natural world. A relevant and interesting tale for the world we live in.
Inspire: Life Lessons from the Wilderness (Ben Fogle)
If you are a fan of Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild or any of his other TV series Inspire could be the book for you. This book is really heartwarming and his stories of adventures are impressive. It could be a great gift for someone who would benefit from stories about resilience and openness about emotions and being a sensitive human.
Soil, Soul & Society (Satish Kumar)
In Soil, Soul & Society, Satish presents the new trinity for our age of sustainability. One that shares the knowledge that we ourselves are very much part of nature; that what we do to nature we in fact do to ourselves; and that the earth is soulful. In this book, he urges readers to create a new consciousness that reveres nature and explores how as a global society we need to embrace diversity and become pilgrims on this earth not tourists.
Upcoming Events
We meet every 2nd Saturday of the month at Little Town Dairy at 10am for a social chat around ecology issues, local and not-so-local. Next meet - 9th November. Our December Social will be our Christmas Meal, details below.
Our Active Sundays are October 27th and November 17th
Longridge Does Christmas - we have decided not to take a stall at Longridge Does Christmas this year however we would appreciate any donations from our readers to help support us in our projects for 2025. If you feel able to support up please us please scan the QR Code below, (or email us for alternative ways to donate) thank you.
LEG Christmas Meal: Thursday 12th December 6.30pm, Derby Arms, Longridge Following the popularity of last year’s Christmas gathering we would love our members (or those not-yet-members but interested in what we do) to join us for an evening of festive connection. Please let us know either on our Whatapp group or longridgeeg@gmail.com2025 if you would like to come along.
And then look out for 2025 events: a Meeting of Minds weekend with Satish Kumar and others in July, and an Ecological Storytelling Gathering in April / May. More details as these events develop.
Keep in Touch
A reminder that you can …
And we look forward to connecting at our next social Saturday and active Sunday.
Supporting LEG
For time and other reasons, we are aware that not all can join our activities, so we have made it easier to support us with a donation. Simply use the QR code below and you will be taken to our Stripe page where you can donate. All gratefully received, no matter how small.
Thank You.