Author:Olivia Judson
If you have ever wondered why women always bite your head off or why one guy gets all the girls, if you have ever pondered why some men bring you balloons while others leave you their genitals, then Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is the book for you. It explains all this and much more. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, when to seduce your sisters or eat your lover. Quirky and brilliant, it takes as its starting point all creatures great and small worried about their bizarre sex lives, and the letters they write to the wise Dr Tatiana, the only agony aunt in all creation with a prodigious knowledge of both natural history and evolutionary biology.
Darwin titillated 18th-century London with his poem 'The Loves of Plants.' He never knew the half of it. Dr. Tatiana knows how the other half loves, and it's much kinkier than anybody imagined. Never has science seemed more like daytime TV
—— Matt Ridley, author of The Red QueenPerhaps the most original advice manual ever written... Judson has pulled off the rarest coup: a science book that's actually fun to read
—— New RepublicFunny and blissfully original... Dr. Tatiana's science is first-rate
—— The EconomistCaptivating... An evolutionary biologist with interesting and amusing things to tell us
—— Wall Street JournalEye-popping, filthy and funny
—— Literary ReviewBenedict Gummer's study...establishes the facts more thoroughly than any of his predecessors, and uses a wider range of sources than most of them...Benedict Gummer is a Parliamentary candidate for Ipswich. Some reviewers have suggested that it would be a loss to literature if he were to be elected. But I should prefer to say that it would be a gain to the House of Commons
—— Times Literary SupplementThere is a wealth of detail, which is impeccably researched
—— Doug Kemp , Historical Novels ReviewGripping and illuminating
—— Noel Malcolm , Sunday TelegraphThere are constant delights in this truly impressive work of narrative and interpretive history...the author ventures intelligently and convincingly. The Scourging Angel is full of hope, as well as of superior scholarship
—— Country LifeA richly textured account of the post-wilderness years (and this year's winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books)
—— Sumit Paul-Choudhury , Literary ReviewMs Vince's focus on individuals and places helps ground the science in reality... [her] case studies are fascinating
—— The EconomistI love this book. Gaia Vince effortlessly weaves individual stories into an epic, global narrative, to present us with a positive vision of a humane, brave new world
—— Alice RobertsA fine and timely book. Gaia Vince shows us how to stay steady and cheerful despite the ever intensifying drama of the Anthropocene
—— James LovelockFascinating, troubling and remarkably cool-headed
—— WanderlustGaia's remarkable journey is a unique inventory of life on earth, both wild and human, at this important moment in our history.
—— Bill OddieA brilliant book, full of examples of fighting back against climate change in unexpected and courageous ways
—— Tim Flannery, founder of The Climate Council, Australia; Chairman of the Copenhagen Climate CouncilGaia Vince discovers how ingenious individuals around the world cope with the consequences of environmental changes and sees how our relationship with the natural world have evolved over the centuries
—— Popular science books for Christmas , The TimesOur species has exploded into a new kind of force – one species able to alter the physical, chemical and biological properties of the planet on a geological scale. Gaia Vince’s important book provides the evolutionary, temporal and biophysical context to show with clarity the stunning speed and magnitude of the human footprint on the planet. She manages to inspire with hope while conveying a cry of urgency.
—— David Suzuki, author of THE SACRED BALANCEHave you seen the state of our planet? Gaia Vince has. She travelled the globe for two years to investigate what we are doing to it, and this heroic feat of reporting is the result. She, and her readers, are left wiser, sometimes sadder, but still holding on to a core optimism about possible futures for our world.
—— Jon Turney, author of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO THE FUTUREA literal walk through the far reaches of our planet, a biosphere now governed as much by human activity as by the forces of nature. We should take heed of these hard won stories by Gaia Vince, and wise up
—— David Buckland, International Director, Cape FarewellMakes it easier to look at the Earth’s future without pessimism, and is a delight to read for the science alone
—— Gabriel Smith , Cotsworld LifeThis is a transformative book and will inspire all of its readers to think more carefully about the way we interact with the environment
—— Colin Murray-Wallace , Australian GeologistA world tour of how our transformation of the planet is playing out on the ground
—— Dougald Hine , Resurgence & Ecologistholds a mirror up to humanity and says: look what you have done to the world, the only world you will ever have… a compelling read
—— Guardian , Tim RadfordA travelogue that tries to explain the enormous changes occurring on Earth at the level of the individual citizen.
—— Jonathan Amos , BBCThe book’s personal nature makes it a joy to read… Despite being densely filled with meticulously researched facts, it always flows like a good travel journal.
—— Samuel Tracey , Chemistry WorldThe book’s personal nature makes it a joy to read. Added to this is the book’s excellent structure, examining each habitat in turn…and looking at the solutions science might provide… Despite being densely filled with meticulously researched facts, it always flows like a good travel journal.
—— Samuel Tracey , Royal Society of ChemistryThe writing is fluent… I think this is an important book, which shows us what we have done to our world and what we might have to do if we are to survive in it. This is a book for anyone who cares about the planet and the environment.
—— Rebecca Kershaw , NudgePerhaps the best book so far to trace the epoch’s impacts on the world’s poor, and the slow violence that climate change metes out to them.
—— Robert Macfarlane , GuardianRunner up Booklife Book of the Year: Nature writing at its finest.
—— Paul Cheney , BooklifeA year in the life of a Herefordshire meadow – beautifully written, verging on poetic.
—— ObserverA careful exploration of the rich cultural history of this priceless British habitat.
—— BBC Wildlife MagazineLewis-Stempel's exquisite prose are bolstered by a vast breadth of knowledge and a fierce admiration of his subject. This is beautiful love letter to the natural world and a must-read!
—— Newmarket JournalVery rarely does a book reach out to its readers in such an immediate and engaging manner… A page-turning saga full of profound reflection… A truly remarkable achievement… This book transcends nature writing. Its quality of distinction is apparent before any exercise of critical faculty.
—— John Lister-Kaye , WOW247Macdonald is her father’s daughter; she takes photographs, but with words, brilliant ones. H is for Helen… G is for good.
—— John Lewis-Stempel , BBC CountryfileStrange and beautiful… An incredible achievement.
—— Kevin Jackson , Literary ReviewIt is in her descriptions of nature that Macdonald really excels… And…it’s the hawks themselves…which really come alive.
—— James Mcconnachie , SpectatorNever has the eye of a raptor assumed such fearful, beautiful meaning.
—— Philip Hoare , New StatesmanBig-hearted, joyful and blazing with gorgeous descriptions of nature, H is for Hawk is an unusual but very special memoir.
—— Good HousekeepingLyrical, headlong, humourous.
—— Iain Finlayson , New StatesmanAs phenomenal, unusual, moving and agile as a fearsome bird of prey.
—— MonocleHelen’s skill is to cover so much beneath the camouflage of ‘nature writing’ – with perceptive, far-reaching and rather beautiful results.
—— Galen O'Hanlon , SkinnyAn elegant, disturbing and heart-warming book.
—— Wharfedale ObserverA brilliantly beautiful evocation which interweaves her experiences as an austringer, a grieving daughter, an academic and simply a human being.
—— Allen Sleith , Belfast TelegraphDestined to be a nature classic.
—— Bath MagazineIt is moving and personal in a way that few books of this kind are.
—— Gabriel Smith , Cotswold LifeH is for Hawk is a mature, accomplished work: a touchstone for future memoirs, bibliomemoirs, and writing that deals with the natural environment and the self.
—— The Times Literary SupplementBeautifully written and interposed with literary references, it will captivate book lovers and bird lovers alike.
—— Catriona Gray , House and GardenLikely to leave a lasting impression.
—— Scotland OutdoorsThis is an encounter with a bird many of us only dream of seeing in the wild, so read this and fill a void.
—— John Miles , Bird WatchingYou won’t find a better nature book this year.
—— Fanny Blake , Woman and HomeThis part-memoir, part-history, part-nature combination could have gone dreadfully wrong but it doesn’t. In fact, like Mabel, it flies.
—— Alan Johnson MP , Radio TimesSomehow the book had rattled me so much that, even after finishing it, I couldn’t let it go.
—— Julie Myerson , GuardianHelen Macdonald’s book is a worthy and unusual winner; it’s part grief-memoir, part history of falconry.
—— Robbie Millen , The TImesH is for Hawk deserves its acclaim as a classic of its kind.
—— David Sexton , Evening StandardA great read.
—— Western Morning NewsMacdonald’s unusual approach and her resonant natural descriptions make it an outstanding book.
—— Sameer Rahim , TelegraphH is for Hawk…is the most “A for Amazing” book I've read in a long while.
—— Alan Johnson , SpectatorThe deserved winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, this is one of the most original works you’ll read this year.
—— Daily TelegraphThe passion and conviction with which Macdonald tells an extraordinary story transcends any fear that this will be another “nature story”. Instead it is fascinating, moving and gripping throughout.
—— Alex Larman , Daily ExpressWinner of 2014’s Samuel Johnson prize, this is a captivating nature book as well as a moving elegy on love and life.
—— Kate Figes , Mail on SundayThe book is almost faultless in its exploration of the relationship with one’s own consciousness as well as that of an animal.
—— Helen Davies , Sunday TimesI’ve never read anything like it before… The last lines brought tears to my eyes.
—— Ruth Rendell , GuardianI must agree with the judges of the Samuel Johnson prize. Helen Macdonald’s incredible H Is for Hawk…is a truly original mixture… It is, as the flyleaf predicts, destined to become a classic of nature writing.
—— Stephen Moss , GuardianH is for Hawk is an extraordinary achievement – and a salutary reminder that animals are not symbols, but co-tenants of our living landscape.
—— Melissa Harrison , The TimesHelen Macdonald’s prose streams on to the page with absolute clarity in this extraordinary book.
—— Pat Ashworth , Church TimesIt really has been a privilege to read this book.
—— Dovegreyreader scribbles (blog)Although grief is the engine of the story, its most exceptional aspect is the beauty and force of its descriptions of birds and landscape, and its real star is the goshawk.
—— Paul Laity , GuardianThe winner of this year's Samuel Johnson Prize is one of the most captivating books I've read.
—— Lucy Scholes , IndependentIt is in no way a misery memoir. It is uplifting, poetic, exhilarating.
—— Jackie Kay , ScotsmanWhat makes the book outstanding is the beauty of her prose. It rightly won the prize.
—— Alan Johnson , Mail on SundayCombining nature writing of the highest order…with a deeply affecting meditation on bereavement, this looks set to become a classic.
—— Mail on SundayOne of the most all-consumingly wonderful books I’ve read in ages.
—— Kate Kellaway , ObserverEmphatically my book of the year.
—— John Lister-Kay , ScotsmanI’ve read excerpts from this book and it sounds wild and strange and haunting.
—— Francesca Simon , UK Press SyndicationIt’s worthy winner most in that it shows how diverse non-fiction can be in itself.
—— Stuart Kelly , ScotsmanIt’s a treat – a truly original, if slightly mad, book.
—— Robbie Millen , The TimesI have never read anything that evokes the strange and broken landscape of bereavement more accurately.
—— Alexandra Blakemore , Times Higher EducationUltimately uplifting about the power of life, this has to be one of the best books of the year.
—— Bob Johnstone , NewstalkIt is a timeless classic that leaves you wondering how you did without it before.
—— Paul McNamee , Big IssueWonderful.
—— Bel Mooney , Daily MailThe book is unforgettable.
—— Michael McCarthy , IndependentHer book is so good that, at times, it hurt me to read it. It draws blood, in ways that seem curative.
—— Dwight Garner , New York TimesTo categorize this work as merely memoir, nature writing or spiritual writing would understate [Macdonald’s] achievement
—— Karin Altenberg , Wall Street Journal (Europe)Captivating and beautifully written, it’s a meditation on the bond between beasts and humans and the pain and beauty of being alive
—— People MagazineTo come across writing this good…is like spotting a swooping bird of prey on a woodland walk; it’s unexpected and thrilling, and the experience stays with you
—— David Evans, 5 stars , IndependentIt’s completely original
—— Peter Duncan , Daily ExpressMacdonald writes poignantly but avoids sentimentality on taking her reader on this journey of discovery and ultimately of liberation
—— Good Book GuideBoth sad and beautiful
—— Kate Phelan , VogueMacdonald’s nature writing is truly breathtaking… H is for Hawk is a work that beautifully explores the natural in the midst of the very personal
—— Ben Walter , Journeys Magazineprobably one of the most unusual non-fictions books I’ve read, but… one of the most heartfelt and intriguing ones
—— Reading Matterspoetic and intriguing
—— Louise Elliott , Living MagazineH is for Hawk, her memoir of loss, writing, recovery and nature, drawing ingeniously on the life and work of T.H. White, covered this territory with ferocious honesty and eloquence
—— Sarah Ditum , SpectatorCombines lyrical nature writing with moving introspection.
—— Radio TimesFiercely, grippingly brilliant.
—— James Macdonald , The Sunday TimesExceptionally well researched and written… It’s a wonderful book, it made me cry.
—— Phil Williams, BBC Radio 5 LiveMacdonald's is a book about grief, the churlish indifference of the natural world to human emotions and the solitude of failure, but it is also about a "return from this strange hedgerow ontology to more ordinary humanity". It is heartbreaking and affirming at the same time.
—— Peter J. Smith , Times Higher Education SupplementA lyrical, moving probe into both the process of mourning and our relationship with the natural world.
—— Martin Chilton, Olivia Petter and Ceri Radford , Independent, *Books of the Decade*One of the decade’s most arresting nature books
—— Andrew Holgate , Sunday Times, *Books of the Decade*