https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2022/11/2022150-21st-century-yokel-tom-cox.html ( )

The facets that make up our character are drawn from many sources; our DNA, our family, our culture, our history and as Tom Cox argues in this book, the places where you grow up that can define you as much as these other things. The way that Cox recommends that immerse yourself in the local landscape is to walk through the lanes and paths, climb the hills and the stiles, take in the views and soak up the natural world at walking pace.

The blurb on the cover says: It’s not quite a nature book, not quite a humour book, not quite a family memoir, not quite folklore, not quite social history, not quite a collection of essays, but a bit of all six. But there is a lot more in this book than that; crammed into the covers of the book. He is captivated by all sorts of things that he encounters on his strolls, from bees to beavers, scarecrows to owls and even his cats make an appearance a few times. Keeping his sanity by taking longs walks in the country around his Devon home gives him plenty of time to consider the world. All of the subjects he tackles begin with a narrow focus, before becoming wider ranging and for me, much more interesting.

He is fascinated equally by the ghosts of the past as he concerned by the future of the countryside, but what makes 21st Century such a really good book is that it defies categorisation. Part of this reason behind this is because Cox writes about what he wants to without following any set agenda, and partly this is because this reflects modern life and all its distractions where you start on one project, get distracted by something else, wander off to get an item and arrive back four hours later wondering why you were starting that in the first place. Because of this, the book feels fresh and interesting, it has its poignant moments, the chapter on scarecrows is really quite creepy and is a great example of modern folklore, His VERY LOUD DAD makes me laugh every time he appears in the narrative too. This rich and varied book is not quite many things, but one thing it is, is fantastic. ( )

Very enjoyable non-fic about cats, nature, walking, family ties and a host of other subjects. ( )

A thoroughly enjoyable memoir-ish collection of essays that exist at the intersection of the British countryside, cats, the author's endlessly amusing family (especially his dad), and lots and lots of walking. I got to know Cox's writing through his My Sad Cat Twitter feed and his social media presence (especially the instagram pictures he takes on his long walks) is all extremely enjoyable. This book proves that he is just as enjoyable in long form, even when he isn't writing more exclusively about his charming cats, who were the focus of his previous books. Not every essay held together for me, but the good ones were extremely good and, taken as a whole, the structure and imagery of the essays makes you feel like you are listening to the rambling and warm memories of a good friend. The book also features a beautiful design, including woodcuts by the author's mum that couldn't be more perfect for the text.

I helped support the publication of this book on Unbound, which is a pretty cool crowdfunding model for authors, and I hope to check back in and support some more independent writers this way. ( )