Mike Parka

A really disappointing conclusion to the otherwise brilliant series. What I really enjoyed in the first two books was the magical feeling I had when I was reading them. The setting was interesting and the plot was not your usual fantasy too. I knew that there was a “bigger picture” and that the author had a message he wanted to convey in his books. On a personal level I actually agree with his opinions, but that doesn't change the fact this book is just not that good. The magical feeling is gone here, character motivations are unclear, meaningless battles, lots of boring filler, grand metaphors falling apart, also one of the new worlds is extremely cringe-worthy... overall a huge disappointment and an unsatisfying ending to the trilogy.

Farmers are often portrayed as the villains in the media I consume. Whether through harmful, intensive farming practices damaging the environment or limiting access to the few open spaces that we have around us. I get a very one sided view of the situation.

With the ongoing controversy around the inheritance tax, I was finding it difficult to sympathise with the farming community. I decided to educate myself and try to see a different perspective on farming. This book proved a wonderful choice.

This is a very honest and personal story of a family farm in the Lake District. It raised some difficult questions and suggested some potential solutions. But most importantly it made me care more about farmers and their struggles. Things in life are rarely black and white and I understand now that my view was overly simplistic. I'll try to remember this story and have more empathy in the future.

Before reading this book I was unaware that Britain had any rainforests. Turns out there are some quite close to where I live! Unfortunately, very few of them remain and the ones that do are under threat from overgrazing. The author provides some workable solutions and some much needed hope that restoration is possible. A very enjoyable read that I would happily recommend to anyone who cares about nature.

It was weird! But in a good way.

Not the most uplifting read to start the year, but fitting for Blue Monday! It's a collection of articles and essays, so better to be read in chunks instead of one sitting. Overall, I agreed with many of the points that the author made, but his style is not for everyone. He can come across a bit too full of himself sometimes. Not sure if that's the best way to convince people, but perhaps that wasn't the point. If you are angry and frustrated by the current state of the world, this will provide some answers about what happened.