It's only natural for us to want to share the very best nature and travel writing books of 2023 with you, and it's been an exceptional year blooming with brilliant titles. From evocative reflections on the British landscape to insightful commentary on foreign climes, dive into our hand-picked selection below.
Whether it's Lia Leendertz's enlightening guide to the seasons, Isabella Tree's wisdom on wilding the landscape or highly entertaining accounts of rural life from Jeremy Clarkson, Sarah Beeny, Helen Rebanks and Kaleb Cooper, you can almost taste that countryside air in these essential books.
From tide tables and moon phases to folklore and seasonal recipes, Lia Leendertz returns with the 2024 edition of the bestselling guide to the seasons in Britain and Ireland.
From the author of our former Non-Fiction Book of the Month Fifty Words for Snow comes a luminous collection of fascinating seasonal tales that explore everything from Tove Jansson's childhood to polar bird myths.
Inspirational and comforting in equal measure, this luminous volume reflects on the healing power of the natural world and how to best cultivate our relationship with it.
The author of the bestselling Wilding delivers the definitive manual for bringing nature back and ameliorating the environmental crisis in this accessible and practical volume.
An empowering meditation on grief, solitude, community and the solace of nature, I Can Hear a Cuckoo chronicles the author’s life after a decision to swap her London life to one in the Welsh Valleys.
From the author of Meadowland and the two-time winner of the Wainwright Prize comes a beguiling and lyrical chronicle of a year on his smallholding in rural France.
From gravy wrestling to wife carrying, the breakout star of Clarkson's Farm and author of The World According to Kaleb takes readers on a hilarious and enlightening tour of Britain's most unusual rural traditions.
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From a farmhouse childhood to restoring a Yorkshire mansion, Sarah Beeny’s moving memoir reflects on her lifelong fascination with making a place home, as well as sharing her experiences of family life, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and finding joy and serenity in nature.
Equally meditative and stirring, Cacophony of Bone is a stunning chronicle of the pandemic year reflecting on nature, human relationships and the meaning of home from the bestselling author of Thin Places.
From psychopathic goats to the woeful amount of red tape, another year at Diddly Squat spells all manner of headaches for Jeremy Clarkson in this side-splitting addition to the hilarious farming saga.
From hairdresser to full-time farmer and business owner, Zoe Colville tells her inspirational story of embracing rural life with energy, wit and a huge amount of heart.
From the organic no-dig veg patch to the Heron Appreciation Society, much-loved Gogglebox regulars Giles and Mary offer a wonderfully idiosyncratic guide to rural life from their ramshackle Wiltshire homestead.
In this warm-hearted and beautifully candid debut, Helen Rebanks shares memories, anecdotes, recipes and thoughts from her Lake District farm in celebration of the countless ways it has shaped and enriched her life.
When Covid put paid to his Zambian safari dreams, the author of former Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month Rewild Yourself recorded the wildlife at the bottom of his own garden for a year in this entertaining and illuminating slice of nature writing.
A beautiful and thought-provoking exploration of the special and intimate relationship our ancestors had with their local landscape, Grounded is an inspiring journey through history with an urgent message at its heart.
Told through Bullough's captivating prose and Morris' stunning illustrations, Sarn Helen is a mesmerising exploration of Wales, from the myths and history of the nation to the alarming effects of climate change on its coastline today.
This official companion to David Attenborough’s landmark BBC series Planet Earth III is a breathtaking visual journey through some of the planet's most fascinating natural phenomena, species and landscapes.
Spanning every type of natural habitat imaginable, from the deepest oceans to urban cityscapes, this full-colour volume brings to vivid life the battles for territory and resources as well as the extraordinary lengths to which creatures will go to make these environments their home.
Boasting all one hundred entries in the 2023 competition, this stunning volume of wildlife images captures incredible animal moments and astonishing natural environments.
Perfect for all fans of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and Together, the uplifting story of Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick's heartwarming relationship with his dog Keira also boasts beautiful illustrations by Laura McKendry.
From Battersea Dogs Home to Buckingham Palace, the much-loved broadcaster and author of Heroic Animals embarks on a tour of the British Isles to get to the bottom of why we love our canine chums so much.
A truly inspiring true tale of redemption, love and lots and lots of dogs, as Harbison describes his moving and feel-good journey from addiction and ill-health to his role caring for Thailand's stray pooches.
Drawing on years of expertise and research, renowned cat behaviour scientist Dr Sarah Brown explains exactly how felines communicate both with each other and with their human owners in this eye-opening and entertaining read.
Through the rich diversity of moths that ecologist Blackburn has discovered in the trap on the roof of his flat, The Jewel Box unpicks the invisible connections between insects and the wider world that are so crucial to so many ecosystems on the planet.
At once urgent, affecting and immensely enjoyable, Beastly is a deeply insightful exploration of humankind's complicated relationship with other animals and how it has shaped our species.
Both a hugely important and highly entertaining slice of nature writing, Ghosts in the Hedgerow adopts the framework of a whodunit in order to interrogate the worrying scale of hedgehog deaths in the UK.
A warm, eye-opening celebration of the otters, badgers, weasels and pine martens that inhabit the Scottish conservation and field study centre that Lister-Kaye has called home for 45 years, Footprints in the Woods captures these much-loved creatures in luminous, descriptive prose.
Engaging, humorous and full of fascinating facts you probably never knew, Black Ops and Beaver Bombing celebrates, mourns and champions the wonderful variety of British mammals.
In this fascinating, heartwarming read, the author of the much-loved The Secret Life of Cows turns her attention to another incredible farm animal, shedding light on the unique behaviour, character and intelligence of sheep.
Fully updated in line with all the latest ornithological research, this new edition of Attenborough's seminal volume on avian life and behaviour brings the rich world of birds alive for readers.
Witty, charming and really rather life-affirming, Parkinson's account of his hen-obsessed existence is beautifully adorned with the author's own photographs and watercolours of his beloved - and very characterful - 'ladies.'
Exquisitely crafted by the poet and columnist, George recounts Hughes' unexpected role nursing an injured magpie chick back to health and the bond that she formed with her unruly avian companion.
The much-loved wildlife cameraman and winner of Strictly Come Dancing makes the perfect companion in this fascinating guide to birdwatching, which touches on all areas of ornithology and twitching.
From Darwin's finches to the emperor penguin, the author of The Robin and The Accidental Countryside profiles ten birds that typify the relationship between the avian world and the human.
Covering just about everything you didn't realise you needed to know about octopuses, Scheel's endlessly fascinating volume combines cutting edge science and anecdotes of intrepid adventure to unputdownable effect.
An urgent manifesto aimed at preserving the future of forests, this incisive volume debunks accepted wisdom around tree planting schemes in favour of stepping back to allow forests to heal themselves.
From the author of How to Read Water comes an accessible and illuminating guide to understanding the rich variety of trees through the hidden shapes and patterns that most people miss.
The creator of the moving and inspirational Together returns with a heartwarming fable about the power of nature in a world without trees, perfect for all fans of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
In this inspiring volume, the bestselling author and woodsman Ray Mears guides the reader through the endlessly fascinating British woodlands, focusing on the various ways humans can interact with trees.
The gripping and inspirational story of a man risking prison to rescue Britain's orchid species, Jacob's irresistible mix of memoir and nature writing sheds much needed light on some of the nation's most enigmatic plants.
Philosophical, urgent and passionate, Dilger's inspiring volume makes for a perfect companion for anyone wishing to learn more about Britain's wild plants and how to safeguard them.
Shining a light on the unsung hero of the plant word, Burnett's beautiful volume blends poetry, memoir and natural history to reflect on both the different varieties of moss and the healing power of language.
In prose as clear and flowing as the waterways they wrote about, 2023 saw Patrick Barkham's magisterial biography of nature writing icon Roger Deakin, Sally Huband's sublime coastal meditation and Brad Fox's delightful and completely unclassifiable tour de force about William Beebe's bathysphere adventures.
A maverick renaissance man whose nature writing has left indelible mark on non-fiction literature, Roger Deakin is celebrated in this enthralling, intimate biography from the author of Wild Green Wonders.
Lyrical and richly evocative, Huband's account of communion with nature on the beaches of Shetland combines remarkable sightings of the local wildlife with profound reflection on illness and identity.
A delightfully eccentric melange of nature writing, popular science and poetic storytelling, Fox's tour de force is a love letter to the magic of the ocean, the vision of maverick scientists and a period of historic discovery.
From practical advice courtesy of green-fingered gurus Monty Don and Arthur Parkinson to rich, immersive volumes on the power of horticulture by Alice Vincent and Francis Pryor, allow us to plant the seed of great gifts with our pick of the best gardening books of the year.
The nation's favourite gardener delivers his defining work in this accessible and joyous guide to the fundamentals of gardening, from growing your own veg to planting a herbaceous border.
An inspiring love letter to gardening, this beautiful volume from the bestselling author of The Flower Yard bursts with planting ideas for both aspiring and seasoned green-fingered enthusiasts.
Surfacing the stories of women who are silenced and overlooked, this beautiful volume from the author of Rootbound explores how female gardeners of the past have drawn strength and power from the natural world.
In captivating and evocative prose, the respected archaeologist and author of Scenes From Prehistoric Life recounts his experience of creating a garden in one of the most hostile landscapes in the country.
Whether it's gadding about New Zealand with Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, exploring Britain's churches with Peter Ross or brushing up on the dos and don'ts of life in Japan with Chris Broad, embark on many fascinating journeys with our favourite travel writing books of 2023.
From missile incidents to love hotels, Broad's hilarious and insightful travelogue of Japan is based on his numerous misadventures in the decade since he arrived to teach English.
A thoroughly beguiling tour around the manifold riches of Britain's churches, Ross' immersive book ranges from unassuming parish to mighty cathedral and tells a defiantly human story of art, architecture, history and culture.
Learn all about the incredible sights and traditions of New Zealand courtesy of the enormously popular Outlander stars in this rollicking volume filled with banter, breathtaking scenery and barmy challenges.
The popular broadcaster pays tribute to the power of a good walk to ease mental stress and anxiety in this uplifting celebration of the healing power of the natural world.
The popular broadcaster and author of Cider with Roadies and Pies and Prejudice delivers a thoughtful and characteristically entertaining travelogue on the state of modern England, as he journeys in the footsteps of J.B. Priestley.
A beautifully presented melange of maps, charts and spellbinding stories, A Brief History of Lighthouses at the End of the World is a lyrical celebration of maritime adventure, culture and architecture.
A masterwork of travel writing fuelled by an impeccable narrative drive, Kassabova’s spellbinding volume takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through the history, people and nature of the Mesta River region in her native Bulgaria.
Tracing the England-Wales border through breathtaking landscapes and contentious history, Parker's delightful and perceptive volume poses searching questions about identity, culture and political power.
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