The Reading Roost

Hen harrier carrying nesting materials midflight © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

Hen harrier © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

Hunker down with The Reading Roost to discover inspiring nature book recommendations once a month from Bloomsbury Wildlife and The Wildlife Trusts. Embark on epic adventures, explore new conservation efforts and immerse yourself in habitats all from the comfort of your favourite reading spot.

October's pick

Autumn has finally arrived, and with it the darker evenings are drawing in, setting the scene for a story to be told. So light a candle, cosy up in a blanket and become entranced by nature's most unusual — and downright sinister — plants and fungi.

A dark floral book cover for The Devil's Garden, The World's Most Sinister Plants and Fungi by Peter Marren

The Devil's Garden by Peter Marren

Prune back your preconceptions of beautiful blooms and fun fungi, and make way for a world of poisoners, tricksters and stinkers.

Peter Marren’s The Devil’s Garden digs into the fascinating folklore, superstition and history of some of nature’s more macabre species. From the sinisterly named death cap mushroom to the foul-smelling corpse flower, discover why these species have evolved in such unusual ways, and how their lives have grown intertwined with our own.

September's pick

This month, nature itself will be turning a page. Summer will slip into autumn, giving us a few final warm days before the evenings grow darker and we crave the cosier, slower side of life. As the season shifts, we're shining a light on nature's miscast villains.

Dark purple cover image including a yellow outline of a wasp including the title text 'Jo Wimpenny, Beauty of the Beasts; Rethinking Nature's Least Loved Animals'

Beauty of the Beasts by Jo Wimpenny

What species are you afraid of? Snakes, wasps, sharks?

Or perhaps there are creatures you simply can’t stand, like cockroaches or crocodiles?

In Beauty of the Beasts, Jo Wimpenny asks us to look again at nature’s most misunderstood species. You are invited to explore why some animals are cast as pests or villains, and discover the vital, yet understated roles they play in the natural world. In an age of catastrophic biodiversity loss, it’s time to reconsider the creatures we fear and find beauty where we least expect it.