Nature, enter me

Read

This week, we thought we'd draw your attention to a piece of non-fiction: The Hidden Life of Trees. 

Turns out, trees are social creatures that can communicate, compete and care for one another. They do this through what author, Peter Wohlleben, describes as the 'woodwide web' — an underground network of roots, fungi and electrical signals that one could liken to a human nervous system.

Written in a love-it-or-hate-it anthropomorphic style, this book takes scientific material and makes it accessible to the layman. However, the level detail makes it the kind of book you'll want time to absorb in order to be fully entranced by the subject matter: The perfect read to dip in and out of during these locked-down days.

Honourable mentions

While we're communing with nature, you may also want to check out these other non-fiction titles:

• Sound of a Wild Snail Eating — Time slows down for author, Elizabeth Tova Bailey, when she becomes confined to her bed by a chronic illness. Her companion through this ordeal? A snail in a jar. This gentle and moving examination of the profound connection between humans and nature is a lesson in paying attention.  
• The Outrun — This is the unflinchingly honest memoir of Amy Liptrot. After years of riotous living in London, Amy has finished rehab and, needing to embrace sobriety, returns home to the remote Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. The wild beauty of Orkney; its icy waters, its dramatic, windswept landscape and its abundant wildlife are an aid to Amy’s personal revelations as she heals from addiction.

Laugh

Are you getting a little tired of the conversations inside your bubble? Are you running out of things to talk about? Hopefully not, but if you are, let this father and son, or these two cats be your inspiration.

Failing that, at least you'll always have your book group!

Eat

I hear there's a bit of a yeast shortage at the moment. I wouldn't know this were it not for the bakers in my life who are not impressed with the sudden uptake of baking by the general populus.

Luckily, my brilliant colleague and BDS staff member, Amy, has provided this week's recipe: Lockdown Loaf by Chelsea Winter. All you need are some pantry staples and crappy beer (the crappier the better, apparently).

This loaf comes to you tried and tested by Amy's book group — and it looks so easy to make that even I might attempt it.

Happy carb-loading everyone!

Drink

It was only a matter of time before we got into the hard stuff — Enter: The Quarantini.

A quarantini is by definition just a drink imbibed in isolation — it can be pretty much anything and is often the result of googling the contents of the liquor cabinet and combining them into something half-way palatable. But for simplicity's sake, and as an homage to immunity-inspired* ingredients, please enjoy (responsibly) this Lemon Honey Quarantini.

INGREDIENTS

• 100ml gin (or vodka)
• 50ml fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water

OPTIONAL

• Berocca for rimming the martini glass

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a microwave safe bowl, microwave honey and water for 60 seconds and stir to combine. Allow to cool for a few minutes. 
• Add 2 cups ice to a cocktail shaker.
• Whisk together gin, lemon juice and honey mixture, then add to the cocktail shaker.
• Give your best bar-tender performance with the cocktail shaker, then strain into a chilled martini glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist if desired.

Guess the book & win

Each week, for the next four weeks, we will reveal one clue about a book in the BDS catalogue. The first correct answer emailed to Renee will win a $50 Amazon Kindle voucher. You get one guess per week.

More great guesses last week, but no one guessed correctly, so...

Here's your third clue: This debut novel was added to the BDS catalogue in 2020.

Bonus clues: It's not Everyone Brave is Forgiven, The Tattooist of Auschwitz or Code Name: Lise (some guesses from last week).
 

Cryptic Challenge

Each week, our very own Barbara Brown, author of the cryptics in the Your Weekend section of The Press and Dominion newspapers, will also be providing a cryptic clue. Email Renee your answer each week before the next issue where Barbara will explain the clue and issue another one. At the end of the four weeks, all correct entries received will go in the draw to win a mystery book parcel. The more correct entries, the more chances to win.

Your second cryptic clue was: A BDS book for George and Louis?  (6,7)

The answer: Little Princes

• This is a play on words/double definition clue. The definition of the clue is 'A BDS book', as Little Princes is a book in the scheme. ‘Little Princes’ also describes Princes George and Louis.
• Because ‘little princes’ is not a compound word, but rather a description of the boys, it’s not a true double definition, but more of a play on words.
• Neither a double definition clue nor a play on words have a pointer in the clue.

Your third cryptic clue: A tirade following jet trips to get a BDS book  (7,8)
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