Our third GJC Book Club read, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, was recommended by Emily at Garden to Wellbeing and what a fascinating book it is. I also took Emily’s lead and listened to the audio book because spring is a busy time for us gardeners and multi-tasking is a must!
In the Hidden Life of Trees Peter’s love for forests and his vast experience and knowledge is obvious from the outset. Naively I suppose I had always though of trees as more or less larger versions of other plants but only after a chapter through this book I realised I knew relatively little about trees at all.
It is incredibly detailed, it teaches us about how trees communicate and support each other, how their families work and the community that makes a forest.
There’s a lot to take in and I think I need to read this book again some time. Others have told me the same thing after their first read and I am sure that I’m also not the only one to say that I now look at trees in a completely different light. It gave me a whole new empathy for the birch trees that line the central reservation on my journey home from work. How are they coping in that noisy, polluted environment and how do they help each other in such an un-forest like habitat? In any case, a book that evokes a further care for trees has to be a positive result.
Next time’s book
I have a couple of suggestions for our next reads. The first one for the remainder of May and June is The Garden Cure by Jan Cameron. I have had this on my shelf for a while, meaning to read it sooner. This is a great one for anybody interested in supporting people and their mental health through gardening as Jan has done for many years.
For the summer months of July and August, how about some fiction? Holiday time feels like the right time to read a good story doesn’t it? One I have in mind is The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twang Eng. What do you think we should read?
Join in!
Anyone can join the book club. It’s just like any other book club except we are focussing on plants, nature and gardening. I’ve written more about it in the ‘Book Club!’ post. Find us on Instagram at #GCJBookClub or see the book club story highlights @GrowCreateJoy.