In those halcyon days when one could meet friends in a properly organised local restaurant, Black Ivy, for an evening meal, conversation turned to other local writers. One of my friends asked whether I was aware of David Muir’s series of diary-type books about our local area – and everything else under the sun.
I wasn’t – but I am now. Going Nowhere Slow – Autumn into Wonter is on my coffee table.
Muir is a retired science teacher and regular contributor to the New Scientist. He’s also had some imposed time taking life slowly after knee surgery and perhaps out of that comes these books.
As they are a retirement project and teachers do often retire at the end of the summer term, the first book is valid now. Therefore, I’m bringing it to your notice while you might still find the mushrooms, or are they toadstools, growing in your own back green. What purpose a review when it’s time to move onto vol 2 Winter into Spring?
This sort of book fills the Non-fiction slot I referred to in this month’s Round Robin admirably. It has sound science, it’s conversational in style, the writer doesn’t take himself too seriously while not falling into the overly chummy/silly brigade. I’m reading the diary entries as October rolls through – Lockdown needs this type of light in our growing darkness.
By the way, talking of darkness, a new anthology of Hallowe’en shivers is coming from Capital Writers – live, or dead, on 31st, for your kindle.
For regular diary readers – he won the scrabble last night. I was left with three ‘i’s and the ‘z’. Honestly – where does one go with that? Am re-reading Cousin Kate – that’s scary enough. What a brilliant writer Heyer was.
Anne
Novels Now 