Wildlife Novels

[petermcgain]

Maybe this type of thread has run before, but it would still be interesting to get responses. I recently read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which was both a very good read and also very interesting about the life and behaviour of bees. Obviously there are plenty of non-fiction books about wildlife, but what about good fiction that uses a real knowledge of wildlife?

[Lance Morgan]

I love the nature novels by Henry Williamson 'Tarka the Otter' etc.
I read them avidly when I was younger and still do. 'BB' aka Denys Watkins-Pitchford is also one of my favourites.

[coasty]

I can recomend anything by The Author Roderick Haig Brown he wrote a great number of wildlife related novels about life in North America , Depends what sort of thing you like but Loved river by HR Jukes is one of my favourite reads. and of course Gerald Durral books are great fun. The first two Authors above are more biased towards water life and fishing as a sport. Another book on those lines is an old one called Where the bright waters meet by H Plunkett Green... They are all a very good read.

[galanthus]

I read a book called 'the cormorant', had a massive impact on me, can't remember the author, was steven something. Will look on bookshelf when I get home.

Also Gerald Durrell's 'my family and other animals', along with the sequels were one of the best and funniest reads eva.

[Pondlife]

As previous post Gerard Durrell books are brilliant

[Kayleigh]

I read a very good small book, about through the eyes of a seagull. Jonathan livingstone seagull.

Amazon.co.uk: Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story: Books: Richard Bach,Russell Munson

[epops]

Originally Posted by galanthus

I read a book called 'the cormorant', had a massive impact on me, can't remember the author, was steven something. Will look on bookshelf when I get home.

Also Gerald Durrell's 'my family and other animals', along with the sequels were one of the best and funniest reads eva.

was it by srephen gregory?

[galanthus]

Originally Posted by epops

was it by srephen gregory?

Yes !! You've read it too ? The only thing I remember is a horrible image of yellow wee on the snow and won't give the other bit away. Great book

[Barry3]

Hunters Moon by Gary Kilworth
A story of foxes. An exceptionally good read.
barry3

[ChrisJB]

I have to mention the classic 'Watership Down' here. It came highly recommended by a friend years ago, but to be honest I didn't really fancy it. However, I am so glad I gave it a go as it is a fantastic book. So well written. In fact, probably my secong favourite bit of fiction.

Regards, Chris

[Brocker]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

I read a very good small book, about through the eyes of a seagull. Jonathan livingstone seagull.

Amazon.co.uk: Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story: Books: Richard Bach,Russell Munson

Me too Kayleigh. . . Very good book with definate connertations to human behaviour too. I found it quite uplifting.

[Bruce Williams]

I would recommend reading Wings in the Meadow by Jo Brewer . I read this book about 30 years ago and it opened my eyes to the life cycle of the butterfly in a way no text book could. The book traces the life and trials of a single Monarch butterfly from egg through to the end of it's life. Through the pages of this book we come to know this individual butterfly in a way that is empathic, plausible and informative.

Having been reminded (through this thread - thanks Peter) just how much joy it gave me, I will read it again as soon as I can get hold of a copy.

Bruce

ps - Please don't be put off because the Monarch is a rare migrant as a lot of what you read can be applied in concept to our more common species.

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

I'm reading The Stream by Brian Clarke, so far so good I'll post more when I've finished it.
All so The Last Water Vole which I think is only available via BBOWT is a good read, for Water Vole lovers anyway. If any body would like a copy PM me as I can get hold of them There only £5 and that goes to BBOWTs Water Vole recovery project.

BWD

[vole-woman]

The Last Water Vole is a great book (but v sad!).

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

The Last Water Vole is a great book (but v sad!).

Glad you enjoyed it.

[epops]

Originally Posted by galanthus

Yes !! You've read it too ? The only thing I remember is a horrible image of yellow wee on the snow and won't give the other bit away. Great book

superb book i reckomend it for me its onr of them hard to put down books maybe not to every ones taste though

[Shanik]

Chris Ferris and her Badger books, she wrote five I think and they are a great read, including other British Flora and Fauna too, also her constant battle with baiters. A brave woman. Try Amazon.

[tufftie]

Originally Posted by Pondlife

As previous post Gerard Durrell books are brilliant

they're very funny too and the other ones are David Attenborough's Zoo Quest books - written about the same time I think.

[Kayleigh]

There is another thread running somewhere on books. You could get some ideas from there as well.

[Dutchess]

Originally Posted by Pondlife

As previous post Gerard Durrell books are brilliant

I'm not a great fan of Durrell. Apart from his one and only ghost story - The Entrance. Spine chilling! And this from one who is a ghost story connoisseur....

As for Wildlife books, how about something by Richard Jefferies? English nature writer, essayist and journalist. He wrote fiction mainly based on farming and rural life. He was born in 1848 at Coate, near Swindon, Wiltshire, the son of a farmer.

Richard Jefferies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

hth

D.

[galanthus]

Oooh may try the durrell ghost story.

Anyway, forgot to mention, Kes !! I know it's more a book of social observation, however, not many can think about the book without thinking about the lovely kestrel and how the boy tried to relate to wildlife ....I cried anyway

[tufftie]

Originally Posted by galanthus

Oooh may try the durrell ghost story.

Anyway, forgot to mention, Kes !! I know it's more a book of social observation, however, not many can think about the book without thinking about the lovely kestrel and how the boy tried to relate to wildlife ....I cried anyway

didn't know he'd written one - think i'll give it a go!

Kes - glad i'm not the only one that cried! That and Watership Down , Black Beauty, and the Amazing Mr Blunden and The Railway Children lol .... (Iknow they're not wildlife books..not to mention heaps of non kids stuff too!!!)

[Hobjob]

OK, sorry not British, but a brilliant book about life in the outback of South Africa in the ox-wagon days. Its recently been re-published with all the original line drawings. Jock was actually a mongrel dog of outstanding loyalty and courage -- Oh, I'm stupid, its a true story and not a novel; anyway its a good read

Fantastic amount of Bush Lore, before the invaders destroyed much of it
No sex, no swearing .......


In the same vein, novels that describe the African bush intimately, you can't beat Wilbur Smith, his first series, the 'Ballantyne' Novels [1] and the early 'Courtney' Novels.


[1] A Falcon Flies, Men of Men, The Angels Weep and The Leopard Hunts in Darkness

[Dutchess]

Books for younger readers are often an enjoyable escape if you like animal characters. I am a bit particular about such things, but I was determined to possess the complete series of the Ratha series by Clare Bell. All four books are sitting on my "to read" bookshelf (the characters are cats, 25 million years ago.) I don't think they'll disappoint.

Then there is William Horwood of course, I read the Duncton Wood books many years ago and enjoyed them immensely. I also have his The Wolves of Time series awaiting my perusal!

Slightly off the subject of wildlife per se, but worthy of a mention is a gem of a find I read last autumn. It was the title that attracted me, i.e. "The Tenderness of Wolves" by Stef Penney. Although it was not about a wolf-pack as I'd suspected it might be...it was a book that delighted me in that it drew me into the very harsh world of the Canadian outback in 1867. The visualisation of the cold, hard landscape is very strong, (as pointed out by one reviewer on Amazon) and it was reading the reviews about it that tempted me to give the book a go. It was a great book to curl up with in bed with, complete with hot toddy! It made you feel as if you needed one, the description of the wilderness was so vivid...and wolves do feature in the book to an extent and not in a detrimental way either Recommended!

D.

[petermcgain]

Although it was written as a children's book Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien is an excellent read and makes you almost warm to rats!