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caro1uk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
thisislauraw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed hearing Tom talk. It was almost like having a chat over a walk, finishing off with a pint and a packet of crisps at the pub. The book made me want to get out in the fresh air, walk for miles, and dip my toes in the river (I'm not quite brave enough for wild swimming).
I particularly loved the section talking about the virtues and enjoyment of being barefoot.
This was a really lovely book, gentle and interesting, but at the same time funny and emotional.
jmyodafriend's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
mariepye's review against another edition
4.0
This is a lovely gentle exploration of living and walking in places in the uk
veecaswell's review against another edition
4.0
Ring the Hill is a book written around, and about, hills: it includes a northern hill, a hill that never ends and the smallest hill in England. Each chapter takes a type of hill – whether it’s a knoll, cap, cliff, tor or even a mere bump – as a starting point for one of Tom’s characteristically unpredictable and wide-ranging explorations.
Tom Cox’s writing style is so beautiful and it shines in this book. How he describes the places in this book he does with so much elegance throughout and it truly allows you to see the picture the writer creates - and then gives us a small insight with the inclusion of pictures from the places he is visiting which work so well with each chapter/hill. It’s just really well written prose that makes for captivating reading from start to finish.
I love books that are both something to learn from, like this book, finding all these places to explore, but also how these places are little glimpses into the life of the writer, and the memories the author shares in this book brings each place ever more alive throughout. Ring The Hill is an excellent exploration of the natural world and the stories we collect along the way throughout our lives.
More books like this please.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).
Tom Cox’s writing style is so beautiful and it shines in this book. How he describes the places in this book he does with so much elegance throughout and it truly allows you to see the picture the writer creates - and then gives us a small insight with the inclusion of pictures from the places he is visiting which work so well with each chapter/hill. It’s just really well written prose that makes for captivating reading from start to finish.
I love books that are both something to learn from, like this book, finding all these places to explore, but also how these places are little glimpses into the life of the writer, and the memories the author shares in this book brings each place ever more alive throughout. Ring The Hill is an excellent exploration of the natural world and the stories we collect along the way throughout our lives.
More books like this please.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).
leesmyth's review against another edition
4.0
It meanders a lot, and it's a little thin on substance, but it's amusingly written and a fun way to revisit the English countryside. (Yes, I need to get back to the UK's walking trails - it's been quite a while now!)
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Anne Cater for my invitation and to Unbound for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
This was my first Tom Cox read and it certainly will not be the last, what can I say. I have followed Tom on Twitter for a long time with his cat adventures and a friend of mine loves his books and always had them on order at the library we worked at.
I loved it the writing was gorgeous and as I began I felt like I was accompanying Tom on the walks in his new home in Somerset. I love the narrative that often accompanied the tours through the hills and the anecdotes like that John Steinbeck had once lived in Bruton amongst many others.
There were laugh out loud moments and also some of the walks felt very meditative and reflective.
I liked how to past and present were intertwined and I would recommend this book to any one who loves folklore, nature, travel and a really honest at times a very touching read.
It is about place and being present and I found it soothing and interesting and my favourite chapter is set in my home county of Devon fabulously named The Lion,The Witch and the Dress code and more specifically on the Dartington Estate near Totnes and Tom's time living there with his cats, make sure you have a tissue ready, I was in bits.
A really unique book with wonderful illustrations and photographs that I totally fell in love with.
This was my first Tom Cox read and it certainly will not be the last, what can I say. I have followed Tom on Twitter for a long time with his cat adventures and a friend of mine loves his books and always had them on order at the library we worked at.
I loved it the writing was gorgeous and as I began I felt like I was accompanying Tom on the walks in his new home in Somerset. I love the narrative that often accompanied the tours through the hills and the anecdotes like that John Steinbeck had once lived in Bruton amongst many others.
There were laugh out loud moments and also some of the walks felt very meditative and reflective.
I liked how to past and present were intertwined and I would recommend this book to any one who loves folklore, nature, travel and a really honest at times a very touching read.
It is about place and being present and I found it soothing and interesting and my favourite chapter is set in my home county of Devon fabulously named The Lion,The Witch and the Dress code and more specifically on the Dartington Estate near Totnes and Tom's time living there with his cats, make sure you have a tissue ready, I was in bits.
A really unique book with wonderful illustrations and photographs that I totally fell in love with.
1outside's review against another edition
5.0
Is Ring the Hill Tom's best written book yet?
I rarely have more than an hour of reading time a day, but by these standards I've pretty much inhaled this book - it took me a week - that's a sign of a book so well written I can't even bring myself to savour it, because I can't put it down.
If you read Tom's blogs a lot of the book will be familiar, but setting the pieces in the larger context of the intention of this work obviously makes the whole even richer and...magical? (Just a tiny bit.)
I think my favourite chapter was the cursed house on almost-mountain one. In the way that I'm glad that somebody lived it and lived to write about it, without me having to experience it for myself, not in a tee-hee kind of way.
And obviously, I also loved the final chapter, even though I might have dreaded reading it just a teeny tiny bit - because I knew it would make me cry (and it did).
Reading Ring the Hill has been one of my favourite reading experiences of the year and I'm glad I helped getting it published - even if only in just a very small way.
P.S. Jo Cox's lino prints that adorn some of the pages of the book are the cutest/coolest thing and it makes me sad she likely won't be able to make more. But following her on Instagram was the best thing I did on Instagram this year...because garden delights! Her account out-delights even Monty Don's as far as I'm concerned.
I rarely have more than an hour of reading time a day, but by these standards I've pretty much inhaled this book - it took me a week - that's a sign of a book so well written I can't even bring myself to savour it, because I can't put it down.
If you read Tom's blogs a lot of the book will be familiar, but setting the pieces in the larger context of the intention of this work obviously makes the whole even richer and...magical? (Just a tiny bit.)
I think my favourite chapter was the cursed house on almost-mountain one. In the way that I'm glad that somebody lived it and lived to write about it, without me having to experience it for myself, not in a tee-hee kind of way.
And obviously, I also loved the final chapter, even though I might have dreaded reading it just a teeny tiny bit - because I knew it would make me cry (and it did).
Reading Ring the Hill has been one of my favourite reading experiences of the year and I'm glad I helped getting it published - even if only in just a very small way.
P.S. Jo Cox's lino prints that adorn some of the pages of the book are the cutest/coolest thing and it makes me sad she likely won't be able to make more. But following her on Instagram was the best thing I did on Instagram this year...because garden delights! Her account out-delights even Monty Don's as far as I'm concerned.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
I had tried Tom Cox's work before, just once (Help the Witch), and it wasn't for me, but I wanted to try at least one more before deciding if he was an author for me or not.
The anecdote about Clarance the pheasant, who did not know his name was Clarance really made me chuckle.
Other than that, I wasn't invested enough to go through this. It was written well, just wasn't interesting enough for me, unfortunately.
The anecdote about Clarance the pheasant, who did not know his name was Clarance really made me chuckle.
Other than that, I wasn't invested enough to go through this. It was written well, just wasn't interesting enough for me, unfortunately.