Currently Reading

Currently Reading: Chris Packham, Fingers in the Sparkle Jar

I've got back in to reading in a big way recently and I've been really enjoying taking some time to enjoy new material. I hadn't realised how much I had missed sitting down with a good book, until I started doing so again and it occurred to me that I only read websites or magazines these days-all well and good, but nothing in comparison to a good book.

Most people will have heard of naturalist Chris Packham. I watched 'The Really Wild Show' with himself, Michela Strachan and Terry Nutkins avidly as a child, growing up in the countryside and having nature on the doorstep, it was just an extension of my day, really, being able to watch birds or spot fish in the stream nearby. How lucky to have had such a childhood, I know, but looking back I see what The Really Wild Show did was give children who didn't have such opportunities a window into the world outside their own.

Adrian and I went to see Chris talk about his book recently at Waterstones and what came across was the difference in the person you see on the TV, so naturally affable, funny and quick witted in front of the camera, to the seemingly quite shy and introverted person in front of a crowd. He didn't make much eye contact with the crowd or the person interviewing him, and on reading his book, the troubled childhood he suffered and the challenges he faced growing up must have shaped this. I haven't finished the book yet but he has included excerpts of therapy sessions and the attempts he made to take his own life, not realising until the age of 37 that he suffered from Asperger syndrome.

Despite this, Chris continued to work hard as a naturalist, supporting causes close to his heart as well as capturing the imaginations of those who watched him on television shows such as BBC's Springwatch. The book is extremely well written, Chris has a wonderful way with words and the language used in the book is descriptive and varied.

I've really enjoyed this book so far and would definitely recommend it!

XO Amie