Book club!

Jan 3, 2022 | Books

Like many other people I have appreciated books more than ever in the past two years. I have wishlists on paper and saved in social media, purchases waiting in checkouts, holds placed with my local library and ‘to read’ books lined up in an orderly queue on my shelves.

You may think that I have enough to get on with but actually it has made me want to find more great texts to read. And what better way than a book club?!

The idea of this book club though is that it will be nature / botanically themed in some way. Books may be fiction or non-fiction, text books, poetry, biographies, novels, old, new – anything! They don’t have to be about gardening, they could be about art, crafts, cooking or whatever we like as long as its related to plants and nature.

I’m hoping we can all discover great titles from each other. Who’s in?

Suggestions for the first two are Anna Greenland’s Grow Easy, published in September 2021 and Allan Jenkins’ Plot 29, published in May 2018.

Anna is an organic vegetable gardener and cook. She has vast experience and knowledge and in fact was one of my big influences in growing edible flowers and setting up The Flower Deli. This book is described as being for beginners but I think that when it comes to Anna everyone – no matter where they are on their gardening journey – can learn something from her. Another thing that especially appeals to me about this book is that it is about growing in pots and small spaces, which is the reality for most of us.

Grow Easy by Anna Greenland

Allan’s book was recommended to me by Eleanor from Hope Springs Gardening who suggested this after seeing my ‘wellbeing and nature’ book list last month.

Plot 29 is a memoir of how Allan found healing from tending to an allotment plot. I have to admit, I hadn’t come across it before but Eleanor described it is a life changing read, so how could I resist?!

Allan Jenkins Plot 29

Both books can be found at various online retailers. Also, they are stocked in many libraries here in Nottingham, so I’m guessing they will be available to loan in libraries UK wide too.

I’ll run this book club on Instagram under the hashtag #GCJBookClub . Please do chip in with your suggestions for more books we can read together. We could start with one per month and switch to one every other month once the season gets busier and we all want to spend more time in the garden. Feel free to dip in and out with whatever suits you best. At the end of each month (or two) I’ll write a little something about each title here on the website.

I’ve posted a little video about the GCJ Book Club on Instagram so please comment there or send me a DM, or drop me a line here.

Looking forward to reading with you!

Vic x

More Articles

The power of ‘It’s okay’

After an upsetting event the two words "It's okay" can offer much comfort. I've been the recipient of this easement, both at times of true distress and more trivial troubles. I've found myself saying it to others when wordier expressions would fail. And although the...

Winter solstice

The shortest day, the day that offers us the least light of all of the days of the year is today. On this, the astronomical beginning of winter, there is more darkness across the hours but this December 21st showed me remarkable light, no matter how brief. It felt...

The grey of the slate and of the mountains in the haze

The grey of the slate and of the mountains in the haze and of the stratocumulus filled sky is a far cry from the grey of the roads and of the walls and dusty windows of abandoned buildings. Three days in the grey (and green and blue) of North Wales quietened my mind....

Handfuls of sweet peas for Great Uncle Bill

July brought handful after handful of sweet peas. A handful is the number of times I ever met my Great Uncle Bill. A handful is the number of garden tools of his that I now own. Even though in person Bill wasn’t a regular or considerable part of my life, he certainly...

Unearthed by Claire Ratinon

The timing of reading Unearthed by Claire Ratinon was significant for me and I will explain why later. It strongly articulates why representation in nature writing is so important. Claire did this beautifully and so cleverly against a phenomena that we experienced...

Chamomile, before the tea

Once you invite chamomile in, it becomes a faithful friend. Returning year after year, at first almost undetected as their tiny seeds nestle between the soil particles and the little plants volunteer their services around the site where their mother once stood. I...

The Garden Cure by Jan Cameron

The Grow Create Joy book club is back and I'm picking up from where I left off with The Garden Cure by Jan Cameron. The Garden Cure is a guide to cultivating wellness, for ones self or for others, using the garden. Jan has many years experience working in community...

The chameleon and the crown

Goodbye to October, the chameleon and the crown of the season. A month when we can nostalgically forget the dark, rainy days and delight in the life-giving glow of decay. It’s no coincidence that this beginning of the end sparks inspiration, a time to wonder who we...

How my garden holds me

The motif of this summer was intense heat and more intense work schedules. A garden participant said to me in one session “how lucky you are to work in this calming garden”. I agree, I am. When I am at either of the gardens I work at I feel incredibly privileged. In...

The gentle flow of flower pressing

Sometimes, when our heads are full of thoughts and concerns, we need more than a passive activity to distract us. But worries are tiring and can leave us too exhausted to do anything energetic in the garden. The gentle flow of flower pressing has all the qualities...