A review by ruthie_the_librarian
Waterlog by Roger Deakin

3.0

Really this is a 3.5 for me, almost a 4. It seems an unlikely book for me to read since I don't swim very well at all, and I generally read fiction rather than non-fiction. But I had seen it recommended by the author Claire Fuller, and I've been enjoying some great books through her recommendations, so thought I'd give it a try. Deakin is something of an eccentric. He's also of the class that lives in a house with a moat. A moat big enough for him to swim in. And yet, I found myself caught up in his tales of his swimming adventures around the country. I enjoyed some chapters more than others. It was definitely a 4 star book for much of the way through but then it just went on a little bit longer than I would have liked. But there were lots of fascinating historical snippets about swimming, and tales of villages where the locals still all learn to swim in the local swim hole. I'd always thought wild swimming & outdoor swimming was something of a rarity but no, it seems people are doing it everywhere! It did make me wish I could swim better. It also gave me chills when he went off swimming alone, especially when he was in deep waters with nobody else around! But there was something charming about it, the little descriptions of the wildlife, the interesting bits of information, and his utter joy in swimming.